Varys doesn’t look out for #1 exactly, he’s looking out for the Kingdom. And the Kingdom needs Varys steering things this way and that. So while he probably does have a soft spot for Tyrion, “sacrificing” himself or at least falling out of the good graces of the current rulers of the Kingdom for his sake wouldn’t accomplish much. Especially given that the outcome of the trial seems fairly predetermined. Well, unfairly
In other news : great business opportunities to be found for goatherds in Meereen. Kill one of your goats, chuck the bones in a fire, get three goats back ! Form a union, share the charred goats to maximize profits !
In further news : Tywin Lannister is a magnificent bastard, tome IV. 5 silver dragons get you 10 he set up the whole show trial JUST to get Jaime back on the breeding track - he said yes so fast. Muad’Dib ain’t got nothing on them wheels within wheels.
Ramsey’s plan is cruel as hell, but risky too. What if “Reek” pieces his mind back when he’s in the safety of the Iron Islands ?
Hell hath no fury, but that is still low, Shae.
I wonder who’ll fight in Tyrion’s stead this time around. And who will fight for the prosecution. A neat mindgame for Tyrion to play would be to ask Jaime, bad hand or no. That way Tywin either gets a good fighter, kills his only viable heir ; or purposefully throw in a scrub, Tyrion goes free. Either way Tyrion gets one hella “No, fuck YOU, Dad”.
That was pretty much the point of trials (or ordeals) by combat in our world. Ostensibly it was to let God cast his own judgement by making whoever had the right case win the fight, man’s justice is flawed but God is all seeing and all powerful, yadda yadda.
But fundamentally it was a way to ensure the warrior i.e ruling class stayed in power even when a non-warrior had a cast iron legal case against them. Feudal Justice not that just, film at 11
The Iron Islanders are still occupying some place on the mainland - Deepwood Motte, I think it’s called - and I expect that’s where Reek is being sent.
Not really, Varys has always looked to the big picture. It was partially explained by Davos and Stannis. Tywin is 67 and the kingdom is fragmented. Tyrion is one of the few that could probably turn it around and at least maintain the status quo. For Varys and little finger to move up in power, someone has to go.
My opinion was that Tryion was giving Varys notice that he was moving Varys to the enemy side of the ledger , while understanding why Varys did what he did.
That’s what he claims, at least, but who really knows? So far I don’t think we’ve been given any big reason to doubt him, however.
It was interesting in his scene with Oberyn that it seemed as if Varys was hinting that he wants to sit on the iron throne, when in the past he’s seemed to indicate that he thinks he’s safer and more effective on the sideline. Perhaps that was just him trying to plant the idea that Oberyn should become king?
True. But at the very least I think we can safely say he hates Littlefinger’s guts and wants to oppose him at every turn. Which requires him to remain the imminent grease for the time being and the foreseeable future.
Or that he could be/have been if he didn’t let himself get sidetracked by his hedonism, yeah. Least that’s how I interpreted it. I don’t think Lord Varys the Stemless, King of the Andals and First of His Name would go over all that well with hoi polloi
Oh, right, thank you, I’d clean forgotten about that.
I agree here - I think it just continues to show that this world is not about justice, honor, good, or evil. Theon is on the bad side of life and there is no good to come to him (death at this point would be good though, so maybe that’s what’s in store for him). I have the same feeling for Sansa.
I’ve been trying to puzzle this out myself. I think that Cersei definitely had something to do with it. Her handmaiden told her about the relationship with Tyrion. But what could they have over her? Her life? I think she was lashing out at him a little bit, but honestly, with him on trial for his life, I’d think she’d be mentally ill not to realize that he was trying to protect her.
Yeah I feel that way as well. I’m actually a little confused - I can’t remember the last trial by combat all that well, is it just the practice that someone stands in for you to fight - or can you do it yourself? I have this hazy memory of Tyrion maybe saying something about his inability to fight last time.
I can’t see him taking trial by combat if he has to fight. I’m wondering who’s going to step up for him. If the prosecution has someone talented fighting, then Jaime is probably out (or maybe not, I dunno - I think his love for Cersei would make him want to survive and not be suicidal). We haven’t seen Bronn in ages it seems and I doubt he’d fight for Tyrion.
Maybe he just thinks that his father is dead set on that idea? I thought it was a bit odd too.
What is the Mountain doing, anyway?
So you think that “Reek” is going back to the Iron Islands? I might have missed exactly what Ramsey said he was going to use Reek for. I can’t see how sending him back home would be of any advantage. He’s clearly lost his marbles, so it’s not like he could do anything official for Ramsey. At best he could let him into the castle after dark (sort of like a trojan horse).
Early in season 1, he was at The Eyrie (where Sansa and Littlefinger are now,) standing trial for trying to murder Bran. He asks for trial by combat, again, when it’s clear he’s going to lose (because in that case, his judge was Robin Ayyrn, the little boy who is waaaaaaaay past breastfeeding age, who has an unhealthy obsession with watching people “fly” out the Moon Door.)
He initially asks for his champion to be hid brother, Jaime. But Lysa Ayyrn tells him he has to fight now. He complains a bit that it’s not fair, since Lysa has a champion, so should he. Eventually, Bronn steps up and offers to fight for him.
I get the feeling that if one wanted to, they could do the Trial by Combat themselves.
I’ve been thinking about it - did Bronn visit Tyrion in his jail cell? Something isn’t sitting right with me. Bronn told Tyrion that Shae had been sent off, yet she obviously wasn’t.
Why would Bronn lie about that (outside of money, obviously)?
I think that Tywin did not expect Tyrion to have an outburst like that. Sending Tyrion to the wall was his plan all along and he has received reports of White Walkers. He probably wanted Tyrion as his man there anyway.
Tyrion still loves his brother and must know that Jamie is vulnerable. But I cannot imagine who else he’d think would fight for him. However, maybe he realizes that it’s in Tywin’s best interest to make sure that he lives.
I don’t see how any system with both capital punishment and trail by combat could work if you could choose trail by combat when the trial is almost over.
Sandor Clegane was his own champion in his trial by combat, which makes sense for him. I’m not sure if they’ve ever established that just anyone can name a champion, or if you have to have some sort of disability to invoke that rule.
I think the trial was part grand jury, part inquest. Up to a certain point, Tryion is considered innocent, once the tribunal has enough evidence/testimony that dams the charged person, it moves into the penalty phase.
So at this point, Tryion realizes that , while he knew he was not going to get a fair trial, trial by combat was his last gambit to screw up Tywins plans.
The speech that Davos (the Onion Knight) made on Stannis’s behalf to the Iron Banker reminded me of a campaign manager’s plea to a potential backer of a political campaign. And the recap I read in the New York Times last night said that the Iron Bank didn’t back Stannis in the end but based on the cash Davos flashed to the Pirate King it looked like Stannis did get backing from the Iron Bank. So if that’s the case, what does that mean for the Lannisters?
Bronn is a sellsword and his loyalty to Tyrian came from Tyrian’s gold and the power and status that came with it. It ran out when Tyrian’s access to gold did. Just how long Bronn has been on the open market in King’s Landing is another question, but I suspect that the answer is “longer than Tyrian realized”
I don’t see the Mountain fighting for Tyrion. He has much more allegiance to Tywin and Cersei. That sets up Oberyn to by Tyrion’s champion - but I’m not sure how that works with him being a judge. I doubt that the Hound makes it back within an episode to exact revenge against his brother, and Bronn’s too fond of his own life to fight the Mountain. Seems like a lot of plot setting up to not have Oberyn not kill the Mountain though, and that way Tyrion still gets to live.
