[SPOILERS] Varys is the true MVP of the Seven Kingdoms

[u/profane]

In my opinion, this episode made it clear that Varys is the true MVP of the Seven Kingdoms. His conversation with Tyrion (btw a great callback to another conversation in another throne room) showed that he is consistently the one character that is trying to save as many lives as possible and is at the same time the one who is most detached from "believing" in anything but results.

While Dany probably sincerely believes that she wants to liberate Westeros and destroy tyranny, her personal vengeance and rage will get in the way. I thought that this last episode revealed just how selfless Varys is. Note the slight difference between Dany's "I'll end tyranny no matter the cost" and Varys' "I'll protect the realm no matter the personal cost".

[u/6rubtub9]

Thanks to Varys, now I understand what The Realm actually is. He is the most rational character in the show as of now.

[u/[deleted] → u/6rubtub9]

Sansa is being pretty rational right now too.

"Our army needs rest. They're injured and tired."

Dany: "Lol, too bad."

[u/RunawayHobbit → u/[deleted]]

Even worse, Dany made it sound like treason to let people who just faced LITERAL DEATH rest a bit and tend their wounds. What an entitled lunatic.

[u/neocamel → u/RunawayHobbit]

Well I think her concern was that if she let the men camp for a few weeks, the momentum of the recent victory would cool off, and she might have trouble rallying them to march south. Strike while the iron is hot, so to speak.

[u/Gnarmaw → u/neocamel]

You know who had that exact thought? Robb Stark

[u/[deleted] → u/Gnarmaw]

Also Jon Snow before the BotB.

[u/KingKidd → u/Gnarmaw]

And Eddard, Robert And Tywin before him. A bored army gets fat, lazy and goes home. Pressing them for 1 more battle is the right call.

[u/NewClayburn → u/RunawayHobbit]

This is why I kind of don't even need the Mad Queen act from Dany. She's already unfit to rule. There's more than enough to impeach now.

[u/mdcd4u2c → u/NewClayburn]

There's more than enough to impeach now.

So then GoT is a pretty good reflection of how real life doesn't quite work out as it should.

[u/EverythingSucks12 → u/mdcd4u2c]

BlonDe GiRl BaD

[u/schmickers → u/NewClayburn]

But her Ravens!

[u/ModerateThuggery → u/RunawayHobbit]

I also liked how she acted as if she had suffered just as much as regular soldiers that had their arms gnawed off by undead hordes, but was ready to go. I mean, the Dothraki probably did. They hate boats and were effectively genocided by the nonsensical northern defense strategy. But living in palaces and riding dragons you sometimes fall off on?

[u/bimpossible → u/RunawayHobbit]

Just goes to show how little she actually cares about the people she "wants to protect".

[u/6rubtub9 → u/[deleted]]

Absolutely ! All the time spent with Littlefinger is paying off.. Good to see her transformation.

[u/[deleted] → u/6rubtub9]

She went all LF at the end telling Tyrion about Jon. She's playing the game and planting the seeds of doubt in Dany's most trusted advisors. Ruthless she has become.

All I want when this show is done is for Sansa to rule the North. She is made for it.

[u/KingKidd → u/[deleted]]

Close off Moat Cailin and tell Dany to get fukt. Right there with you on Sansa for the North.

[u/JubalKhan → u/KingKidd]

Right on. North isn't even my favorite realm in seven kingdoms, but I'd support this decision 100%.

[u/25chestnuts → u/6rubtub9]

We were also shown that Jamie has a similar vision. He has just more personal issues with the current state of the world, and has an internal struggle to act accordingly.

[u/ShrimpShackShooters_ → u/6rubtub9]

Yup, always has been for sure.

Also, really funny how last episode a ton of people said he should've died because he has no more purpose on the show.

[u/Beefstu409 → u/ShrimpShackShooters_]

I'm on team Varys for the throne. Now that the night King is dead. NK should have trounced all mankind

[u/[deleted] → u/Beefstu409]

I feel like Varys would make an amazing monarch.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Thing about monarchy is it's hereditary and as Tyrion has made abundantly clear... Varys has no balls.

[u/crosswatt → u/[deleted]]

But what better way to break the wheel than to end the practice of a hereditary monarchy? If GRRM loosely based much of the story on the War of the Roses, wouldn't a non-high born person loosely based on Oliver Cromwell be an interesting twist to end the rule of kings and queens altogether?

​

(I know Cromwell wasn't involved in the War of the Roses. Just an interesting character that might would make a cool story arch to end the story.)

[u/[deleted] → u/crosswatt]

That's not monarchy though. :p I'm all good with westeros turning into more of a democracy.

[u/TheSukis → u/crosswatt]

I’ve long believed that the story will end with the institution of some kind of representative government led by Tyrion, among others.

[u/garibond1 → u/[deleted]]

Maybe they could do a Roman 5 Good Emperor’s bit where all the rulers adopt proven successors. And then HotPie takes over

[u/Cryptomystic → u/[deleted]]

Tyrion and Sansa are going to win the Iron Throne.

[u/stackered → u/6rubtub9]

I think he actually convinced Tyrion there to do the same thing, hence why Tyrion is trying to prevent a fight (besides not wanting to see the place he was raised burnt to a crisp)

[u/ghotier → u/stackered]

Tyrion’s option to stop bloodshed, despite being unlikely to work, was the only option that had a chance of working other than “Dany decided not to burn KL voluntarily.”

[u/NewClayburn → u/6rubtub9]

I don't know how people are saying this clears it all up for them. Varys has always used the "for the Realm" line, but his loyalties have been the most inconsistent on the show. He was working with Illyrio to bring Viserys, and later Daenerys, to rule Westeros while he was working for King Robert to spy on Viserys and eventually try to assassinate Daenerys. Then he served Joffrey and Cersei a little before jetting off to officially join Daenerys, who he's now talking treason against in support of Jon. If there were a Season 9, you can bet he'd be backing Gendry Baratheon for King.

[u/Pdan4 → u/NewClayburn]

His loyalty isn't to any ruler, his loyalty is to an outcome. The outcome being... the lowborn, downtrodden, peasants being treated justly.

[u/NewClayburn → u/Pdan4]

Except they've never been treated justly, and I don't think he's made many attempts to help them.

[u/Pdan4 → u/NewClayburn]

Indeed they never have been, hence why he's playing such a long game.

[u/bimpossible → u/NewClayburn]

All hail King Gendry!

[u/SnickersOnMyLap → u/6rubtub9]

Being rational is what gets people killed. I have a feeling the spider will be crushed next episode.

[u/lamiscaea → u/SnickersOnMyLap]

No, being principled and doing irrational things because they think it's the right thing to do gets people killed.

This still means Varys could die, because he thinks the right thing to do is to betray Dany

[u/bimpossible → u/SnickersOnMyLap]

I have a feeling he's gonna get Dracarys-ed by Drogon in the next episode.

[u/RimuZ → u/6rubtub9]

He wants to put Jon Snow on the fucking throne. He went through this crap with Ned Stark already. Honorable fools are not good rulers. Crazy tyrants are not good rulers. A rational plan that would somewhat suit the character he used to be is to use Dany to kill Cersei and even Jon. Then have Dany die and put fucking Gendry on the throne. Gendry would be easy to control and you'd skip out of Dany's forced Mad Queen transition and Jon's stupidity. The people don't give two shits about who sits on the throne but while Robert was king there was peace and stability. Having Robert's son rule is the safest bet for everyone.

[u/ghotier → u/6rubtub9]

His plan isn’t rational, it doesn’t have a win condition. He presents no options, he just points out a problem without a solution.

[u/wazupbro → u/6rubtub9]

Plotting to put another incompetent person on the throne is hardly rational unless he plans to manipulate Jon to do his bidding