I’m aware. What I’m referring to is that there’s no reason to think Marg would step up to the plate for Tyrion even though she knows he’s innocent.
My name is Oberyn Martell, you raped and killed my sister, prepare to <smash> <clickety clack> <squish squish> aaaiiiiiiyyy! <splat>
I wouldn’t call Arya a “psychopath”. A psychopath has no emotions and can’t maintain personal relationships, like The Mountain. Arya was very protective of her friends Gendry and Hot Pie. She even shows concern about The Hound’s wound. A psychopath wouldn’t act like that.
In many ways Arya is similar to The Hound. They both had very traumatic childhoods. This, plus the brutal environment in which they live have turned them into cynical, efficient, sometimes amoral killers. But neither characters are portrayed as evil or wantonly cruel.
Interesting post/user-name combo.
Given the power of The Mountain, a helmet wouldn’t protect Oberyn’s head. It would be the other way around.
I’m pretty sure “the only thing I enjoy any more is watching people die” is a messed up thing to say, much less live, even by Westeros standards :).
She doesn’t know that, or him.
Ever see The Walking Dead? 
Fwiw, I think Arya is simply in survival mode. Not eveyone can access that from within but she has in buckets.
Every now and then she calls The Hound out on his behaviour (like stealing the crofters stash after he’d offered them a meal and his barn) so I suspect this experience will shape her to some extent, but I doubt it will define her.
In fact, you could argue all three Stark’s are pretty expert in survival mode.
I disagree. The Mountain had exhausted all of his overpowering brute strength tactics and was injured quite severely. He also realized that Oberyn would not come close enough for him to take advantage of his size and strength. He is a massive heavily armoured man and it’s possible the wound to his chest was not as severe as it looked. It may have been a last resort or a seized opportunity but it was a perfect ploy to draw Oberyn into a false sense of victory and step into his striking range.
Secondly, he gives the confession that Oberyn was persistently demanding as he crushes his skull which proves he was actually listening to what was going on around him and not unconscious.
It’s a self-selecting sample.
fair point!
And in case my tone came across poorly, I wasn’t trying to be abrasive. But this is a world of survivors. People like Ned Stark are rare and I don’t see Marg stepping in for Tyrion in a hundred years.
sob wail
It did come off as abrasive. We’re just spitballing ideas and speculating. I don’t think it’s going to happen, but if it did I wouldn’t be shocked. The show went through a lot of effort to show Margery being uncomfortable at the trial, she has a mission to get to Tommen under her sway which means driving a wedge between him and Cersie and if the Mountain dies someone should/would bring up the possible legalities of what DO the gods want if both champions die.
The Mountain was skewered. Ain’t no way back. Thus the Gods delivered a kind of hung jury.
I’d guess, as a compromise, the little feller must head for the wall.
That would be an interesting contrast with the previous young king. The official sentence against Ned was that he would be sent to the Wall, but Joffrey decreed that he would be beheaded instead. The official sentence against Tyrion is that he is to be beheaded. Perhaps Tommen will decree that he will be sent to the Wall instead.
I don’t think that will happen though. My money is on Tyrion being killed. A last-minute rescue / pardon could happen, but that seems rather unlikely. The show runners even gave the character (and actor) a few wonderful “good bye” speeches in the previous episode. I think we’ll get another good speech out of Tyrion as a way of giving the character a final farewell, then he will go the way of all beetles.
Of course, I could be wrong. One thing I love about the show is that such a major, well-liked character could be killed off. There’s no guarantee either way.
The way I see it, Oberyn was there as Tyrion’s proxy. That means whatever happens to the former, happens to the latter. The Mountain’s fate is irrelevant.
It’s not irrelevant in terms of interpreting the God’s intentions - what do the Gods mean by both champions being slayed …
She didn’t actually say “only” though. She said “Lots of things make me happy.” Then, yes, proceeded to mention the people’s she’s killed, since vengeance is her primary driving force and what allows her carry on in the face of adversity. And it’s not just watching *any *“people” die, it’s watching people on her list die, preferably by her hand.
My pointing out her most likely fate at The Vale was in response to you suggesting that her heading there made her feel the “promise of safety and comfort.” My point was that she’s neither interested nor naive enough for that. And the fact that she doesn’t know what likely awaits her there, yet still doesn’t seem to be looking forward to it, **proves my point completely because she is RIGHT to feel that way.
**
The thing is, Oberyn’s goal was not to win the fight and save Tyrion. His goal was to avenge his sister and get the confession. He was doing exactly what he came to do. In his eyes, if he’d pressed the attack and finished off Clegane, he’d have failed his mission. He was absolutely prepared to die before giving up and conceding.
It depends on what the law says, and as usual, nobody’s bothered to explain it to us. In our world, yes, it sounds like if both people died you had the equivalent of a not guilty verdict or a hung jury. Without waiting for The Mountain to die, Tywin Lannister says Tyrion is going to be executed. Who’s going to argue with him? The only person in position to do so in theory is Tommen. Or Jaime could help Tyrion escape, but then he’d be disowned.
Innocent’s got nothing to do with it; if Tyrion dies, Margery will be completely at the nonexistent mercy of Cersei. If Tyrion lives, he will make it his mission to take down Cersei. Margery needs an ally, and Tyrion’s her best choice - particularly if he owes her his life.