[Book Spoilers] So, did Littlefinger recognize Arya at Harrenhal?

[insertname]

Exactly, he was waiting for his moment - couldn't know that Arya would escape.

[nick31]

This has me confused too. I don't see the point in putting Arya and LF in the same room (plus double take) in season two, without LF recognizing her. It's not like there has to be a POV character in every scene (we have seen LF talking to Margaery alone). On the other hand, had LF recognized her, he would have found a way to get her away from Tywin.

LF arranged for Tywin+Tyrells to help at KL, so he knew that Tywin would leave Harrenhal (probably without his makeshift cupbearer). So my best guess is that he waited for Tywin to leave (which also serves as an indication whether Tywin knows who she is), after which it would be very easy for someone who "works" for LF to take Arya.

Obviously this is all speculation and I still don't think LF would risk waiting to claim such a powerful bargaining chip. He would have found a way to get her then and there without having to rely on other people and the outcome of a battle.

[Moët]

First I have to say that I'm a little disappointed that we never got Tywin's reaction when we learns that Cersei doesn't have Arya, they even made it a topic of few conversations in season 2.

But more to the topic, Littlefinger tells Sansa what could be understood as I saw your sister or your sister is eager to see you. Either way he is telling Arya is alive.

So did he recognize Arya at Harrenhal or is he feeding Sansa with lies, maybe setting foundations for fake Arya plot?

For now I think it's more likely that he is lying (fewer potholes), but I really hope they make it clear in next episodes. What do you think?

I don't think Tywin knows she's missing - yet. I think the subject of Arya was one of the things Cersei was terrified of Tyrion telling him.

Littlefinger never answers Sansa when she asks if Arya is alive. I'd like to think he didn't recognize her at Harrenhall, because what would it gain him in letting her go and not telling Tywin?

Does Littlefinger know what the Mountain has done to everyone at Harrenhall? How would Arya's death benefit him, since he cannot imagine her escaping?

No, I think he's just telling Sansa something she wants to hear, and has no idea who Tywin's cupbearer was, but I think we're going to find out soon.

[Capt. Zemblanity]

It was really confusing though. They shouldn't have put him in a scene with incognito Arya if he was going to say later that he knew that she was alive and be lying. But if he did see her, why didn't he snuff her out and claim a reward. More halls, more money, more power for LF. It's a head-scratcher.

[darrylzero]

It does make sense to not say anything because it's classic Littlefinger. He describes himself as thriving on chaos. I think in his eyes this gives him a hidden card to play. He's playing for himself, not for the Lannisters or the Starks. So revealing her to Tywin doesn't help him win over Cat. Nor does helping her at Harrenhall while the war was still in doubt. Things have changed now, the Lannister are on top and he's in a much better situation. So he'll help Sansa now.

This does sound like Littlefinger to me, but he sure doesn't do much to use the new knowledge to his advantage, does he? And that doesn't sound much like Littlefinger. It's a head scratcher, as much as it ever was. I agree he wouldn't out her to Tywin -- he'd try to find some other way to use her. But I have trouble believing he wouldn't attempt to acquire her or find some way to track her or something. What good is the knowledge if he lets himself completely lose track of her, putting him right back where everyone else is, knowledge-wise, vis-a-vis Arya?

So, I think it opens up too many weird questions if he recognized her, and that it therefore makes more sense to believe he didn't and is lying to Sansa. Of course, the showrunners never have to let us know one way or the other, or even to necessarily decide for sure themselves. They could just embrace the ambiguity.

[Mulled Wino]

Who says LF didn't try to have Arya's actions monitored or have a plan to have her discreetly captured? I'm sure he did but couldn't keep up with her. She's a slippery little mofo.

[darrylzero]

Who says LF didn't try to have Arya's actions monitored or have a plan to have her discreetly captured? I'm sure he did but couldn't keep up with her. She's a slippery little mofo.

I guess, but it's totally on the viewer to guess what he might or might not have done in that regard. That comes pretty close to a viewer-centric view of truth on the show, as opposed to writer-centric one. How does that differ from us just writing our own version of the story as it goes along?

Don't get me wrong, I see where you're coming from, but I think that line of thinking is tricky.

[lunadangelo]

Can anybody remember when LF saw Arya or spoke to her in the previous 2 seasons?

[Big Daddy Dave]

On the show when LF was talking to Sansa about Arya, I had the feeling that he was fishing for information more than telling her something. I think he knew Arya was alive, and probably recognized her at Harrenhall. But asking Sansa about her was his way to see if he could get Sansa to open up and tell him something about it. For all he knows, Sansa may know exactly what happened to her sister. And her bewildered reaction told him what he needed to know; that Sansa wasn't in the loop on what did or did not happen to Arya.

[jugdesh258]

I think that lying about it because they setting up fake arya is the best theoy posted thus far. Did we not determine in last year's threads that Ros is the most likely canidate to replace the missing Jeyne Poole because she also has history with Theon to be recognized later one. They are tied together in this scene.

I would not put much creedence in recognition of Arya as cup-bearer. She does a fly by night past Littlefinger....he merely does a double take and seems immediately distracted. I think it was just to add drama and anxiety for Ayra in possiblility of being discovered. Same as Tywins suspicions that she is more then a peasant ....and he does nothing about it.

We are assuming that Tywin is already plotting with Bolton. If littlefinger is telling tywin to use Ros in that scenario it would seem that setting up bolton in winterfell as air plan would do better with real Ayra.... so that would be a real Doh!!! moment between Littlefinger and Tywin. The only thing is that both littlefinger and Sansa also have to blow town hatch this plan

From last season, I would have guessed that the spider would be the one to come up with the idea to use Ros as Aria because she is spying for him

[jugdesh258]

Can anybody remember when LF saw Arya or spoke to her in the previous 2 seasons?

Season 1 - The Joust. First day....arya cuts out of the 2nd day

[Capt. Zemblanity]

I think that lying about it because they setting up fake arya is the best theoy posted thus far. Did we not determine in last year's threads that Ros is the most likely canidate to replace the missing Jeyne Poole because she also has history with Theon to be recognized later one. They are tied together in this scene.

I would not put much creedence in recognition of Arya as cup-bearer. She does a fly by night past Littlefinger....he merely does a double take and seems immediately distracted. I think it was just to add drama and anxiety for Ayra in possiblility of being discovered. Same as Tywins suspicions that she is more then a peasant ....and he does nothing about it.

We are assuming that Tywin is already plotting with Bolton. If littlefinger is telling tywin to use Ros in that scenario it would seem that setting up bolton in winterfell as air plan would do better with real Ayra.... so that would be a real Doh!!! moment between Littlefinger and Tywin. The only thing is that both littlefinger and Sansa also have to blow town hatch this plan

From last season, I would have guessed that the spider would be the one to come up with the idea to use Ros as Aria because she is spying for him

Oh wow. Use Ros as a replacement fArya? That could be the only reason for her character that I would possible think about .... nope. Nevermind. I don't like it.

[Ice Turtle]

Season 1 - The Joust. First day....arya cuts out of the 2nd day

Watching that scene I got the feeling that he considered Arya as something close to annoying insect that was disturbing his time with Sansa. He wasn't paying Arya much attention, he was too busy ogling her sister.

[Masamune]

Nothing about LF makes sense in HBO's bizarro ASOIAF world.

[StarkTagaryen]

I thought Littlefinger was lying AND maybe in the next few episodes we'll see Tywin yelling, well he doesn't really yell does he, but maybe he'll have a conversation with Cersei about her screw ups

[oakenhelm]

Oh wow. Use Ros as a replacement fArya? That could be the only reason for her character that I would possible think about .... nope. Nevermind. I don't like it.

The curly haired town whore from Winterfell with giant tits passed off as Arya?

[oakenhelm]

Watching that scene I got the feeling that he considered Arya as something close to annoying insect that was disturbing his time with Sansa. He wasn't paying Arya much attention, he was too busy ogling her sister.

Me too. Plus, he already lied about Arya to Cat in S2 as well

[TigerKarl]

It's more likely than before, but i still don't think so.

[Mulled Wino]

I guess, but it's totally on the viewer to guess what he might or might not have done in that regard. That comes pretty close to a viewer-centric view of truth on the show, as opposed to writer-centric one. How does that differ from us just writing our own version of the story as it goes along?

Don't get me wrong, I see where you're coming from, but I think that line of thinking is tricky.

Well, LF clearly looked dead st her in HH.

[Mulled Wino]

Watching that scene I got the feeling that he considered Arya as something close to annoying insect that was disturbing his time with Sansa. He wasn't paying Arya much attention, he was too busy ogling her sister.

Lf is not where he is today by overlooking such things.