It was legit that he didn’t want to climb some stairs?
The king is supposed to attend (Ned is surprised by the king’s absence in the first season) but neither Robert (except once) nor Joffrey have cared to do so.
Basically a privy council:
The Hand (previously Tyrion, now Tywin)- basically the prime minister
Master of Coin (previously Petyr, now Tyrion)- basically the treasurer
The Grand Maester (Pycelle)- religious and assorted domestic affairs
Master of Whisperers (Varys)- domestic and international intelligence
Heads of the Goldcloaks (the King’s Landing police force) and other military figures may be called to it to give reports as well.
One of my favorite things about GoT is Robert’s bloated playboy incompetence. So many myths and epics end with the handsome young rebel winning the crown and the lady, this one picks up a decade+ later. It would be kind of like following up STAR WARS where Leia and Han have become Eleanor and Henry from The Lion in Winter (“Do you ever wonder if I slept with Luke?”).
I don’t know that that’s the right analogy. Her brother used her as a bargaining chip to try to get himself back into the Game of Thrones, he didn’t SELL her. And what happened to Danys is pretty much the norm for marriageable noblewomen in Westeros, she wouldn’t necessarily understand it as being the same as slavery. Hell, it’s what Sansa has been HOPING for.
Granted, she has a good understanding of what it feels like to have to fuck some stranger just cause you been told you have to, but I don’t see why she would understand that as equivalent to slavery.
And in Joffrey’s defense (which is an icky place to be), when he first became king he was a bit too young to do much other than zone out and check his text ravens during the meetings.
A casting choice I don’t like: Lorcas. He’s just not pretty enough for Sansa to be swooning over him and his sister and grandmother and Shae to be constantly mentioning how gorgeous he is; in fact, Peter Dinklage is the better looking of the two.
Loved Margaery’s line: “He’s handsome even with the scar. Especially with the scar.”
Also the head of the kingsguard is supposed to be on the small council, per Jorah a few episodes ago. Selmy had killed to many of Roberts friends to be on it though.
[QUOTE=DigitalC]
Selmy had killed to many of Roberts friends to be on it though.
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Though with their respective senses of honor and duty they’d have probably gotten along famously.
Yes. I see that as if the Secretary of Defense wanted the President to come to the Pentagon for national security briefings.
Ignoring the current holder’s of the positions, it is ridiculous that the Hand’s time (traveling to a meeting) is more important than the King’s.
Yeah, it was basically a power grab really.
It is indeed ridiculous that the Hand’s time is more important than the King’s. That is part of the very point Tywin is making. He is more important (in terms of actually running the place) than the King.
I’m assuming that Westeros would have the same rules as European courts about not turning your back on the king, but Tywin had no problem with it.
Of course the first time he approached the throne with his grandson on it (last episode of last season) he was on horseback on a horse that had just dropped off a load of apples.
Most of the noble marriages in Westeros appear to have some consideration of the welfare of the couple. Robb’s uncle said he could not be forced into marriage; that might have been the case in “normal” times. But wartime makes for some odd matches–otherwise no Stark would consider promising one of their children to the dreadful Freys.
Dany’s brother said he’d gladly have all of Drogo’s men–and their horses–fuck her. If only he would get the army he wanted. She was sold, like a very expensive slave. She managed to make the best of it–but she also saw war, rape & enslavement. She didn’t like it.
Also, slavery was outlawed in Westeros. Dany had probably been raised to follow the beliefs of her “home”–while she was learning the Valyrian language…
Maybe I’m projecting, but I can understand Dany wanting to delay going to Westeros. She’s had two big successes and she kinda knows the territory. Why not practice war and ruling on a small scale, before tackling the main objective?
Not just that but that side of the world has been her actual “home” her whole life, all she has of Westeros are stories from Viserys.
Jorah is actually in exile for slaving. (Mentioned in either the first or second season- he sold some poachers on his land to keep up his wife’s lavish lifestyle.) It’s that big of a deal in Westeros, so perhaps it’s a Targaryen thing.
Two especially great moments this episode - Brienne calling Jaime by his name (and “Ser” no less), and the fabulous camera angle on Tywin mounting the throne steps. You could watch that scene on mute and know exactly what’s going on.
It’s nice to see that Bart the Bear is getting work at his age.
Is information from the HBO website OK for this thread? It’s got a bunch of background information and there does not appear to be anything spoilerish there. I just discovered it and the map is illuminating, to say the least.
I don’t know if it’s the actress, the character, or the interplay thereof, but Brienne looks so much more natural in armor than in a dress. (Speaking of, nice that they keep a spare dress for a 6’2 woman lying around in a ruined castle. :p)
OK, what Dany’s brother said was obviously outrageous but he was nuts about getting his throne back. But the rest of it, the idea of marrying off your sister or your daughter to someone for strategic or military gain, sounds like what happened throughout Europe for centuries.
Well, Jaime did mention (in last night’s episode) on how many people he saved instead of killed, and he said the whole population of King’s Landing…half a million.
So I am thinking there’s a connection that was made in last night’s episode that Yunkai is a logical stepping stone toward’s King’s Landing.