Varys is a perfect example as to why cutting Aegon (and JonCon) was the biggest mistake the show made. Logic had to go out the window to create any opposition for Dany in Westeros, and then again to make her the villain.
Removing Young Griff worsened the show greatly from a continuity perspective and removing Lady Stoneheart worsened the show greatly from a thematic perspective. They could’ve always had a substitute for Stoneheart if they wanted Catalan to stay dead and still have the themes of self destruction in vengeance valid but then again D&D don’t really do themes, so…
I'm not so sure. If she'd attacked KL first, she would probably have won the Iron Throne but at the cost of lots of civilian casualties (particularly if Cersei responded by setting off the wildfire caches). Resistance to a foreign invader who had just killed thousands would be pretty natural (even if it was partly Cersei's doing). And facing a growing resistance would probably result in harsher actions by Danny, pushing her further down the "Mad Queen" path.
I like to think the verbal sparing between Littlefinger and Varys happened, but we don’t see it because neither are POV characters and they only do that in private
@@warallied When given good material as a base, they wrote some exceptionally good dialogue. But in the last season they just wanted to leave the project and get on with their Star Wars script(s), so they rushed the ending against advice.
@@jayd8091 Its also important to mention that, while Littlefinger especially got some great dialogue, they prioritised cool lines over characterisation. Petyr Baelish depends on everyone thinking hes just an innocent lil guy, someone who isnt a threat. He would never just openly challenge others at court. In AGOT it happens a bit with him making fun of Ned to his face, but its fair to assume that thats either just a first book syndrome where GRRM didnt have him fully figured out or Petyr just couldnt help himself when facing the man who took "his" Catelyn. Best examples of D&D prioritising cool lines are Petyr antagonising Cersei in season 2 with that "power is power" line from Cersei and we also get the Arya/Tywin scenes which, while cool, make Tywin look like an idiot for just leaving that highborn northener girl roaming around without having someone watch over her at least. Hell, she outright says her father is dead, Tywin figures out shes highborn, and the Lannisters are looking for Arya Stark.
@@waralliedlol yeah, people have let the final season or so muddy their memory of the rest of the show. D and D did pretty damn good, at some points they were putting out some of the best scenes/dialogues possible. Ofc there’s a lot of things left out, but given the time constraints of the show, you can only include so much. It wasn’t until the end when there was no source material to go by, and more importantly that they were ready to rush along to get to other projects, that things went downhill. Even still despite the rough ending, still is one of the better shows in tv imo
Reading the books after after watching the show, i have come to realise that Varys is FAR, FAR more dangerous that Littlefinger can ever hope to be. Petyr's game of chaos pales in comparison to how elaborate and deadly Varys' machinations are. In a way, Littlefinger's schemes ultimately serves Varys far more that they do him.
Exactly this! The books have made clear that Varys and Baelish are playing completely different games. And it makes sense, because is the only way these two can coexist, if they had the same goal then both of them would definitly try to get rid of each other a long time ago.
@@MyCarnageExtreme It seems pretty clear. Baelish wants the actual crown with authority and Sansa at his side. Vary's wants all the authority with none of the responsibility, thus he wants his own king to sit on the thrown. They are very different games and truthfully both could possibly win at the same time, given the correct writing and circumstance.
I think the biggest difference is that Littlefinger does things that Varys must respond to (like stirring up the war of five kings), but the things that Varys does are so far beyond Littlefinger's comprehension that he can't possibly respond to the Spider's schemes.
I was so pissed we didn't get to see Varys scratching at walls and leaving presents around the Red Keep to drive Cersei mad. All my hopes were dashed when the episode aired and he crawled onto that ship with Tyrion... For reasons.
Ugh that was probably the first huge hint that they were abandoning the continuity they wrote into their own show. Season 5 gets rolling on that concept pretty hard, but watching Varys simply FORGET about the secret passages that would keep him safe indefinitely was like an evil premonition. Like a shadow passing over you on a sunny day and you know the weather is about to turn.
@Levacque no, the first major change was Lady Stoneheart being cut from the end of Season 3, although we could go even further back and point out how Bran is the only Stark who Wargs into his dire wolf or how Jon and Dani’s storylines even as early as Season 2 had significant changes from the books.
@@Slender_Man_186 I wasn't talking generally about changes. I was talking about continuity errors in particular. Obviously things changed earlier. That's just a given of adaptation.
My explanation for Varys' strange allegiances is that he's not putting all his eggs in one basket. His intention was always to put YG on the throne but he cannot invest 2 decades of his life in to one plot only for it to fail because the boy dies of an illness. Anything could happen, so he keeps Viserys and Dany in his back pocket just in case. It could be that GRRM hadn't concocted the YG storyline until ACOK, so now he's having to craft an explanation. I do support the idea that YG is a Blackfyre, probably through Serra.
That's my thought too. Although he's either a Targ or Blackfyre loyalist, his main loyalty is to himself (though not to the same extent as Littlefinger!), so he's going to make sure that he's got a powerful ally or two on almost every side of the game.
He obviously had contingency plans. He had so many possible combos including YG+Dany, YG+Arianne, Arianne+Viserys, Dany+Quentyn, YG+Myrcella, YG+Sansa. He always had at least 3 outcomes (before Viserys died) that would result in a Targ/BF on the throne with at least one great house in his pocket, and he basically has Doran Martell, Illyrio Mopatis, JonCon (and maybe even Oberyn) and others completely on board with unquestionnable loyality, he has the most solid alliances. Even his little birds are playing Qyburn and feeding him cowshit on his behalf while he hides inside walls, only to come out and conclude GRRM's writing career with the coldest assassination in ASOIAF. He also hosted and protected Dany and Viserys for years behind the shadows and now is veawing his web directly towards Dany using Tyrion, who he observed closely and knows will be loyal if he believes he owes him his life. Unlike Littlefinger, he has a tangible plan, not deluded ambition. However, I do believe that he will die similarly to the show, being burned by Drogon, because he's most likely the "perfumed seneschal" and Dany is the only person in the entire ASOIAF who listens to whatever tf the prophets say, she literally contemplates killing Reznak almost every time she sees him because she suspects he could be the one, so she'll definitelly clock Varys when the time comes. Whatever is his fate, I just hope it's done tastefully.
Nah he's just a Kissinger. He'll justify absolutely horrible things, including wars, as long as HIS candidate and HIS version of peace is achieved. Not chaos, but rather trading immense violence now for slightly less violence later.
""Tell me, Lord Varys, who do you truly serve?” Varys smiled thinly. “Why, the realm, my good lord, how ever could you doubt that? *I swear it by my lost manhood.* I serve the realm, and the realm needs peace.”" the totally honest man sarcastically swore on something he says doesn't have... The tiniest chance that he serves the realm if he still has his manhood somehow. and even then it's doubtful.
You're misunderstanding the phrase. If he said, "I swear it by my manhood," THAT would match your assumption. But what he's doing is the equivalent of swearing upon the memory of his dead mother or something like that. He's making an oath upon the memory of what he thinks somebody like Ned (is he taking to Ned?) would highly value, and manhood is obviously highly prized in Westeros.
@@Levacque I don't think I am, to be honest. What do his actions say? does he value oaths? does he value this memory of his manhood himself, like one would their dead mother? Is he a man with scruples. I don't think so. Maybe a few scruples, but also lacking quite a few... Even if I'm misunderstanding the phrase to begin with.
While I do live Varys in the show as we get a lot of incredible scenes with him and some great development, the books - as ever - just have so much more going on with his scheming and plotting. Varys in the show has nothing to really do due to the lack of FAegon and JonCon. Also I do love Varys’s disguises and how good he is at blending in in the books
I'm very, very worried that Genna is going to be collateral damage of the Frey purge (and it must be said that she IS still a Lannister and that the various factions in the Riverlands would prefer her dead).
Aegon of the House definitely-not-Blackfyre-he’s-100%-a-Targaryen-trust-me-bro, Sixth of His Name, One True King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm. Long may he reign!
Okay, I finally get the Tyrek Lannister is a horse meme. Tyrek was last seen ahorse, last seen [as] a horse. Brilliant. Went over my head reading these comment sections.
This is probably your best video yet. Filled with analasys and great jokes at everyone's expense. And you're right, it was a really silent death scene and Varys WAS based all along!
I've been through some of yours videos, I really like it- I like a lot of channels that talk about ASOIF lore but your little drawing and animation add something nice and colorful to the explanations. That and using CK3 to explain some things too- Keep it up, I really enjoy your channel !
I love your videos so much lol. They are so entertaining. Even though I've consumed every bit of information about the world of ice and fire, I still learn more and laugh while watching your videos.
@@PfyscheStyx Understandable. It is an older game so I can definitely see how people who didn't play it back in the day would have issue with how antiquated some UI and mechanics may be. Well if you ever change your mind, the original AGOT is still one of the best. Especially compared to the ck3agot mod and dev team, who are remarkably sub-par compared to both the ck2 team and other ck3 overhaul mod teams.
Varys’s castration is an important part of his character because he, as a eunuch, cannot be serving his own desires. He cannot have a legacy or bloodline. A man may vie for the throne in the hopes of starting a dynasty, but a eunuch serves someone else’s dynasty. In this case, Faegon, who may very well be his nephew
I definitely prefer the storyline for Varys in the books. I really would have liked the JonCon and Young Griff plots added in. But I expect that Dan and Dave thought it would add too many more additional seasons than they had already decided they wanted to do. I know a fair amount of people just didn’t care for A Feast for Crows and A Dance of Dragons because of all the new characters and storylines that they added. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Dan and Dave were among those people. I think it would’ve been best if they had just handed off the show once it got to the point they no longer wanted to oversee, but I don’t think their egos would allow them to do that. I like the Varys of the show, but that has a lot to do with the actor who played the role. And I think it was pretty apparent that he was not very happy with how they handled his character in the final season. As far as the show making Varys asexual, I believe that he was supposed to have been castrated at a very young age in the books. I think it would have been perfectly logical to think that he may not have had the opportunity to develop any sexual inclinations by that time. I personally like the bit of the Varys Blackfyre theory that suggests that the man who castrated Varys wanted him in particular because of the potential of his bloodline for magical purposes.
@@HannibalormaybejustRex1 Which I also think had a major impact on how they handled Daenerys, as her inevitable interaction with Young Griff will have a big role on how her storyline develops once she gets to Westeros. I tend to believe that she will be seen as a foreign invader. Especially in contrast to Young Griff, who seems to be being set up to be welcomed as the lost Prince. But I think that any tragedy in King’s Landing will not be the direct result of her decisions. Yet she is likely to be blamed for it. I still believe that in the end, she will figure out that the Iron Throne is a false prize and that her true destiny lies in defeating the Others, and freeing their thralls. Which are after all the ultimate slaves. And I do expect that however the defeat of the Others happens, it will take Daenerys life.
@@blackeyedlily She doesn't need to necessarily die however especially since it seems it WILL be others then iron throne like in the show. And Martin said multiple times there'd be a second dance of the dragons. She'll likely die during that, or like drogon realize the throne isn't for her and fuck off to live a life similar to that of the dothraki crones.
Conleth Hill's portrayal of Varys is phenomenal. S3E4 "And Now His Watch Is Ended," in which we get a lot of Varys backstory and scheming, is one of my favorite episodes. The first few seasons of the show give us great context for the character we can't get in the books due to the nature of the POV narratives. GOT elevates the character's significance, framing him as a rival to Baelish. Show Varys often serves to provide some relief to the viewers' stress. When he teams up with Ros after her traumatic experience with Joffrey and the Gold Cloaks murdering baby Barra, it's like a little glimmer of hope. Same with when he tries to protect Sansa from Baelish and give her a good life with Loras in Highgarden after all she's gone through in King's Landing. And of course, when he helps Tyrion escape. In a show that is just full of our favorite characters taking massive losses, Varys delivers some of the few wins. He sorta takes on the role Wyman Manderly plays in the books. He's sly and conniving so there's always the risk he's gonna betray our favorite characters but he remains one of the few loyal and relatively moral characters, despite claiming he's without scruples. Book Varys is far more complicated. His motivations were very unclear for the first couple books and he was largely absent from the last two. Having watched the show before reading the books, I found myself a little disappointed in the lack of Varys content. He's more of a Chekhov's gun. I think (hope) his death will be very significant and give us some answers as to why he was ritually mutilated (bastard king's blood?). Maybe his death will bring an important character back to life? Whether it's Arya's journey to becoming a Faceless Man, Cersei's whole gender complex, Jon's parentage, Brienne's self-doubt, the dehumanization of the Unsullied and their subsequent recovery, Jaime losing his sword hand, etc, identity plays a massive role in the books and show and I think it's the key to understanding Varys. He's a mummer. He represents the fluidity of identity. He can play any role required of him. The books' (F)Aegon storyline asks the reader if blood really matters. Varys says Griff is Aegon. He looks like Aegon, he has all the qualities one could want in a ruler. Does it really matter if his claim is true? If he has the smallfolk and nobles on his side, does it really matter if he's a Targaryen or a Blackfyre (or neither)? If he's a good king, shouldn't that be enough? After generations of his family exiled to Essos, losing everything, ending up on the streets of Lys, being mutilated and left to die, maybe Varys wants exactly what Viserys and Daenerys want: to go home, to take what was denied him. Varys is patient and his farce has been in planning and production for a long time, and now it's finally time for the debut of his carefully crafted leading man.
One thing that I do have to say about show Varys saying he's never been attracted to anyone: he was a boy when it happened. He never even reached puberty, so it's no surprise that he didn't feel anything sexual for anyone. He probably would have if he were allowed to grow up with his genitals in tact.
Same. He was perfectly cast and he played the role beautifully, only to be handed a steaming heap of a script at the end, with a completely senseless and meaningless death for his character. Btw, there's a rumour that he was the one responsible for the infamous Starbucks Cup. I can't say I entirely blame him.
Fantastic video! I think you are getting smoother and smoother with the editing and makes your sense of humour shine more and more in the video. Keep it up!
The exchanges between Varys and Littlefinger in the show are NEXT level good - also, he's definitely described as "soft and effeminate" in the book, but I wouldn't call him so for the show. This was an AMAZING breakdown, really well done and great research done
I would like a theory video on Varys' motives with Aerys and sowing discord with Rhaegar. At that point Young Griff did not exist (and if he is of similar age to Elia's Aegon then he was born after Harrenhall). What was Varys' game? Was there a game or did the plan was hatched only when the fall of the Targs seemed inevitable? I have heard a theory that magic hating Varys disliked and distrusted Rhaegar because he was so into prophecy and magic adjacent stuff. But if he was trying to have Reg disinherited, what was the alternative?
Never forget that Varys Moonlighted as Rugen the Jailer for 15 years at minimum and showed up to work everyday on the off chance that he might need to talk to a prisoner. That is dedication
The book version of Varys is obviously superior. We still haven't learned his real motive. He's busy right now sowing absolute chaos in King's Landing and everyone thinks he's a full ocean away.
I read all the books in a row back in 2016, right before everything started down its spiral in the show. Varys is one of a few characters who I hear their show counterpart speak in my mind when I read, but I very much prefer the book version.
Great video as always. What I dont quite get is why Kings Landing is as far North as it is on the map you show relatively regularly, considering that at least in book lore, it lies further south at the mouth of the Blackwater
Would have liked your video at horse Tyrek (again, gets me every time), but of course I like your videos the moment I click on them. Still waiting for every Frey explained lol, the Winds of Winter of the Late Lord Haven. (is joke)
Show varys was greatly portrayed by Hill. Either way, he was great to see all the way up until season 6, where they ran out of things for him to do without the golden company Targ plot.
Pretty good chance we'll never find out how the books end considering George R.R. Martin is 75 and not exactly the picture of health and longevity, and he's been working on it for 13 years.
I liked Varys in the books, until he killed Kevin. I will never forgive him for the death of Kevin, he killed objectively the best character in ASOIAF. I'm glad George has not released TWOW, because reading one of those books with the thought of Kevin not being there would be unbearable.
I like the theory purported by the Order of the Green Hand that in fact, Young Griff is the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna. They present very compelling evidence that it is not in fact, Jon Snow, who rather is the trueborn son of Ned Stark and Ashara Dayne, while in fact all five of Catelyn Tully's children are bastards. The argument they make is actually quite compelling.
What do Lord Varys from a Song of Ice and Fire and Sir Crocodile from One piece have in common? Both are theorized to be the mother of an aspiring king
Varys is one character who, in theory, i prefer the show version of. It would be interesting to have a master schemer who is genuinely out for the good of the realm instead of having their own agenda and being malicious
The only problem is that Varys in the show didn't had any real goals. The "good of the realm" is a vague idea that works at first, but once you need to go deeper there's nothing there. That's why his characters fell flat even before the ending.
My conclusion is: Faegon (you know who) will march on King's Landing. Varys will try to subvert the city watch to his side. Faegon will reveal himself to be a Blackfire. Old Griff, who was a fanatic Targ loyalist as well as being driven mad by greyscale, will murder him. The gold cloaks will capture Varys and hand him over to Cersei. Cersei will have him executed with wildfire.
Varys has 'dark, shiny, wet eyes' in text-EXACTLY like Quaithe and one other person. I can't remember exactly which one-but I think it is Griff-Aegon who is the only other person in text with this eye description in the books. It is a targaryen-it is only one sentence. Dark eyes-or almost black eyes-they are going to be purple pretty sure. The one who I THINK is Griff-THAT eye description leaves out the word 'dark' I believe. But we ALREADY know his eyes are dark before THIS other description comes into play. Tyrek-I can you tell where he ends up at. The Arya chapter where she is the Peach with Gendry? And she gives water to the men in cages? At the very end of that chapter, The Red Huntsman brings a young, male Lannister tied up on a horse into town. Check out the LAST 2 or 3 sentences in that chapter. THAT is Tyrek!!! For real-Tyrek is not missing. Facts. sidenote-Bywater is gona be a Strong lad. I never finished watching the show-I stopped in season 6. The thing is-in text it is lining up for Varys to in fact side with Jon after his Aegon-Griff plot falls through. And it is going to fail, ultimately. Dany has done some terrible shite in text-her time with Drogo changed her A LOT. For example-Dany did NOT trust Illyrio AT all UNTIL she comes out of that fire with her bebe dragons. After Dany BURNS, she becomes protective of Illyrio. The man who arranged her sale to Khal Drogo. The man who she thinks would sell his own mother/family for the right price/object. THAT is CRAZY. There is more happening in text than is obvious at first. The Illyrio/Varys ties are ALSO insane-when Arya 'catches' Illyrio and Varys in the Red Keep? Holy shit! LOOK at where she IS and HOW she got there! She goes into the Dragon Skull and finds a secret door or someshit and goes in it. Then she starts to follow THEM. She WAS chasing castle cat. The Cat. While she is following them, Arya can HEAR people BELOW her. WtF? Then she comes to a well/tunnel...JUST like how Bran did at the Wall's Black Gate. And how she SEES Varys? A 'eunuch' with a spiked cap/helmet on, like he used to be Unsullied. In text-Varys is backing Aegon-Griff and Baelish is backing Vis/Dany and then Dany. Illyrio though-HE is playing BOTH teams. I do sometimes doubt that Varys is truly a eunuch-he can grow that stubble. In text he should not be able to grow any facial hair/stubbles. But I also have doubts about the Unsullied in the SAME ways. One Unsullied gets killed while laying with a woman-and then there is that whole conversation about the different ways to 'cut' a man. And then there is the stuff regarding Unsullied Krazdak says to Dany {when she is 'buying' them}-that they/he no longer sell Unsullied in small numbers because they can be manipulated/develop free will. He refers to a 'bad' experience-wana bet THAT experience is going to have something to do with Varys/Illyrio? It's also a nod to Illyrio's personal Unsullied that Dany notes in her first chapter.
The thing you have think about in terms of "the realm" is Louis XIV's statement "L'etat c'est moi" ("The state is me"). In other words, the "rightful king" IS the realm. If Varys serves Young Griff, whether he's really Aegon or a Blackfyre, and believes he's the rightful king, then that could be serving "the realm" in his mind. My main question about Varys is what was his goal when he first accepted the post from Aerys? Rhaegar's son wasn't even conceived yet and if Young Griff is that child or a Blackfyre who's close in age, he wouldn't exist at that time either. Was he just there collecting information and sowing unrest while he and Illyrio were coming up with a plan?
It’s because he’s a blackfire. There is power in kings blood, that’s why his bits were chopped off. That’s why he supports young griff as that’s most likely his nephew and Illyrio is Yg’s father.
Just one thing, that quote was made up during the french revolution. There is no evidence of Louis XIV ever saying it. There is evidence of him saying "Je m'en vais mais l'État demeurera toujours" on his deathbed. (I am going, but the state will always remain).
Which character shall I explore next?
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Lord BAElish
Arya. The show went out of its way to girlboss her beyond recognition. Sansa as well.
@@josephbulkin9222 boring
Keep going for the side characters. Sandor or Loras
Ser barristan selmy or garlan tyrel
Varys is a perfect example as to why cutting Aegon (and JonCon) was the biggest mistake the show made. Logic had to go out the window to create any opposition for Dany in Westeros, and then again to make her the villain.
The show should have had the lad YOUNG GRIFF🗡
@@aegorbittersteel2154they would have ruined his character like they ruined Aegon II for the sake of the girlboss narrative
@josephbulkin9222 very possibly but I must have hope.
Removing Young Griff worsened the show greatly from a continuity perspective and removing Lady Stoneheart worsened the show greatly from a thematic perspective. They could’ve always had a substitute for Stoneheart if they wanted Catalan to stay dead and still have the themes of self destruction in vengeance valid but then again D&D don’t really do themes, so…
I'm not so sure. If she'd attacked KL first, she would probably have won the Iron Throne but at the cost of lots of civilian casualties (particularly if Cersei responded by setting off the wildfire caches). Resistance to a foreign invader who had just killed thousands would be pretty natural (even if it was partly Cersei's doing). And facing a growing resistance would probably result in harsher actions by Danny, pushing her further down the "Mad Queen" path.
I like to think the verbal sparing between Littlefinger and Varys happened, but we don’t see it because neither are POV characters and they only do that in private
It honestly makes sense. And George never said it didn’t 🤷♂️
Wait...that means d&D made this excellent god tier sparring?
No freakin way
@@warallied When given good material as a base, they wrote some exceptionally good dialogue. But in the last season they just wanted to leave the project and get on with their Star Wars script(s), so they rushed the ending against advice.
@@jayd8091 Its also important to mention that, while Littlefinger especially got some great dialogue, they prioritised cool lines over characterisation. Petyr Baelish depends on everyone thinking hes just an innocent lil guy, someone who isnt a threat. He would never just openly challenge others at court. In AGOT it happens a bit with him making fun of Ned to his face, but its fair to assume that thats either just a first book syndrome where GRRM didnt have him fully figured out or Petyr just couldnt help himself when facing the man who took "his" Catelyn.
Best examples of D&D prioritising cool lines are Petyr antagonising Cersei in season 2 with that "power is power" line from Cersei and we also get the Arya/Tywin scenes which, while cool, make Tywin look like an idiot for just leaving that highborn northener girl roaming around without having someone watch over her at least. Hell, she outright says her father is dead, Tywin figures out shes highborn, and the Lannisters are looking for Arya Stark.
@@waralliedlol yeah, people have let the final season or so muddy their memory of the rest of the show. D and D did pretty damn good, at some points they were putting out some of the best scenes/dialogues possible. Ofc there’s a lot of things left out, but given the time constraints of the show, you can only include so much. It wasn’t until the end when there was no source material to go by, and more importantly that they were ready to rush along to get to other projects, that things went downhill. Even still despite the rough ending, still is one of the better shows in tv imo
Tyrek with a horse face while riding a horse was absurd perfection!
He was last seen A Horse
A horse cinematic universe.
I'm sorry, I just don't understand what is absurd about a photorealistic image of Tyrek.
(😋)
Gilbus out here looking for A Horse
I lovr that Tyrek Lannister being an actual horse is now a community meme and widely accepted
Reading the books after after watching the show, i have come to realise that Varys is FAR, FAR more dangerous that Littlefinger can ever hope to be. Petyr's game of chaos pales in comparison to how elaborate and deadly Varys' machinations are. In a way, Littlefinger's schemes ultimately serves Varys far more that they do him.
How do you come to that conclusion? They seem pretty equal to me.
I would argue they work cross purpose
Unless Griff/Sansa happens
Exactly this! The books have made clear that Varys and Baelish are playing completely different games. And it makes sense, because is the only way these two can coexist, if they had the same goal then both of them would definitly try to get rid of each other a long time ago.
@@MyCarnageExtreme It seems pretty clear. Baelish wants the actual crown with authority and Sansa at his side. Vary's wants all the authority with none of the responsibility, thus he wants his own king to sit on the thrown. They are very different games and truthfully both could possibly win at the same time, given the correct writing and circumstance.
I think the biggest difference is that Littlefinger does things that Varys must respond to (like stirring up the war of five kings), but the things that Varys does are so far beyond Littlefinger's comprehension that he can't possibly respond to the Spider's schemes.
I was so pissed we didn't get to see Varys scratching at walls and leaving presents around the Red Keep to drive Cersei mad. All my hopes were dashed when the episode aired and he crawled onto that ship with Tyrion... For reasons.
Ugh that was probably the first huge hint that they were abandoning the continuity they wrote into their own show. Season 5 gets rolling on that concept pretty hard, but watching Varys simply FORGET about the secret passages that would keep him safe indefinitely was like an evil premonition. Like a shadow passing over you on a sunny day and you know the weather is about to turn.
@Levacque no, the first major change was Lady Stoneheart being cut from the end of Season 3, although we could go even further back and point out how Bran is the only Stark who Wargs into his dire wolf or how Jon and Dani’s storylines even as early as Season 2 had significant changes from the books.
@@Slender_Man_186 I wasn't talking generally about changes. I was talking about continuity errors in particular. Obviously things changed earlier. That's just a given of adaptation.
@@Slender_Man_186 Is Jared Kushner really you, Slender Man?!
My explanation for Varys' strange allegiances is that he's not putting all his eggs in one basket. His intention was always to put YG on the throne but he cannot invest 2 decades of his life in to one plot only for it to fail because the boy dies of an illness. Anything could happen, so he keeps Viserys and Dany in his back pocket just in case. It could be that GRRM hadn't concocted the YG storyline until ACOK, so now he's having to craft an explanation. I do support the idea that YG is a Blackfyre, probably through Serra.
That's my thought too. Although he's either a Targ or Blackfyre loyalist, his main loyalty is to himself (though not to the same extent as Littlefinger!), so he's going to make sure that he's got a powerful ally or two on almost every side of the game.
Where did he put his pillars though.
He obviously had contingency plans. He had so many possible combos including YG+Dany, YG+Arianne, Arianne+Viserys, Dany+Quentyn, YG+Myrcella, YG+Sansa. He always had at least 3 outcomes (before Viserys died) that would result in a Targ/BF on the throne with at least one great house in his pocket, and he basically has Doran Martell, Illyrio Mopatis, JonCon (and maybe even Oberyn) and others completely on board with unquestionnable loyality, he has the most solid alliances. Even his little birds are playing Qyburn and feeding him cowshit on his behalf while he hides inside walls, only to come out and conclude GRRM's writing career with the coldest assassination in ASOIAF. He also hosted and protected Dany and Viserys for years behind the shadows and now is veawing his web directly towards Dany using Tyrion, who he observed closely and knows will be loyal if he believes he owes him his life. Unlike Littlefinger, he has a tangible plan, not deluded ambition.
However, I do believe that he will die similarly to the show, being burned by Drogon, because he's most likely the "perfumed seneschal" and Dany is the only person in the entire ASOIAF who listens to whatever tf the prophets say, she literally contemplates killing Reznak almost every time she sees him because she suspects he could be the one, so she'll definitelly clock Varys when the time comes. Whatever is his fate, I just hope it's done tastefully.
"Im living in your walls" - Varys probably
The actor was so f good in the role
No joke: I would DEARLY love to see him play the book counterpart of Varys, cause he absolutelly could pull it off brilliantly! ✋️😌👌
Yes!
Poor guy, he was upset about what they did to his character :/
@@amumuisalivedatcom8567 who wasnt lol?
I now have the urge to see the actor who plays Varys reciting the Dance with Dragons epilogue. It would be fucking epic
Book Varys doesn’t give a fuck about the realm. He is a chaos machine. Spinning his spiderweb
Nah he's just a Kissinger. He'll justify absolutely horrible things, including wars, as long as HIS candidate and HIS version of peace is achieved. Not chaos, but rather trading immense violence now for slightly less violence later.
@@Levacque That... _is honestly a terrifying schemer._ 😨
Wouldn't be that much of a problem, if Varys wasn't so goddamn competent at what he does!
@@Levacque That's a perfect analogy
""Tell me, Lord Varys, who do you truly serve?”
Varys smiled thinly. “Why, the realm, my good lord, how ever could you doubt that? *I swear it by my lost manhood.* I serve the realm, and the realm needs peace.”" the totally honest man sarcastically swore on something he says doesn't have...
The tiniest chance that he serves the realm if he still has his manhood somehow. and even then it's doubtful.
You're misunderstanding the phrase. If he said, "I swear it by my manhood," THAT would match your assumption. But what he's doing is the equivalent of swearing upon the memory of his dead mother or something like that. He's making an oath upon the memory of what he thinks somebody like Ned (is he taking to Ned?) would highly value, and manhood is obviously highly prized in Westeros.
@@Levacque I don't think I am, to be honest. What do his actions say? does he value oaths? does he value this memory of his manhood himself, like one would their dead mother? Is he a man with scruples. I don't think so. Maybe a few scruples, but also lacking quite a few... Even if I'm misunderstanding the phrase to begin with.
Tyrek being a horse ahorse is one of the best things I’ve ever seen. Love all the memes and references you put into your videos. It’s all good stuff!
Whenever I order a sorcerer off Amazon there’s always at least one missing piece.
I love how you gave him purple eyes. Also varys sexyality before his castration wasnt applicable, he was prepubescent.
The Tyrek horse jokes never get old. That was one of the first Glidus videos i ever watched. Good times
VEMBOY FARIS!!
(caseoh voice)
yea your banned
Banned 😂😂
I'M VEMBOY FARIS!
🤮
Tomboy Varis
The smoothest egg head
Targ confirmed
While I do live Varys in the show as we get a lot of incredible scenes with him and some great development, the books - as ever - just have so much more going on with his scheming and plotting. Varys in the show has nothing to really do due to the lack of FAegon and JonCon.
Also I do love Varys’s disguises and how good he is at blending in in the books
While Varys has cleared Kings Landing of competent Lannisters for the time being I'd love it if Genna came in with the steel chair.
I'm very, very worried that Genna is going to be collateral damage of the Frey purge (and it must be said that she IS still a Lannister and that the various factions in the Riverlands would prefer her dead).
@@Levacque *Lord Manderly about to serve her Frey pies, OWWW NAAAH.* 💀
She’s gonna make for a nice head on a spike for Aegon VI
3:36 the line when he tracked down the sorcerer who castrated him and he said that “Varys order him of Amazon” fucking sent me 🤣 😂
The number 1 schemer, best friend, and supporter of glorious future King Young Griff!! On a completely unrelated topic LONG LIVE HOUSE BLACKFYRE🗡
*Bloodraven would like to know your location*
@@The_Wrath_of_Conn tree monster can't do anything.
Aegon of the House definitely-not-Blackfyre-he’s-100%-a-Targaryen-trust-me-bro, Sixth of His Name, One True King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm. Long may he reign!
@@joshuabarnard5702 exactly 💯
Butter steak
Okay, I finally get the Tyrek Lannister is a horse meme. Tyrek was last seen ahorse, last seen [as] a horse. Brilliant. Went over my head reading these comment sections.
!!!! You uploading this video just made my day like 3789% more interesting. Thank you m'lord fantasy haven.
This is probably your best video yet. Filled with analasys and great jokes at everyone's expense. And you're right, it was a really silent death scene and Varys WAS based all along!
Varys' zoomer puppets, I laughed merrily, a fine jape
I've been through some of yours videos, I really like it- I like a lot of channels that talk about ASOIF lore but your little drawing and animation add something nice and colorful to the explanations. That and using CK3 to explain some things too-
Keep it up, I really enjoy your channel !
Thanks!
I love your videos so much lol. They are so entertaining. Even though I've consumed every bit of information about the world of ice and fire, I still learn more and laugh while watching your videos.
Haha thanks!
I always imagined GOT Varys drank a potion to numb his nerves before he was summoned to die.
I have played so much CK3AGOT at 2am so whenever I hear the music in your videos I start feeling tired. Great video though!
If you haven't played CK2AGOT, give it a shot. It is much much much better.
@@silverwolfe3636 unfortunately i dislike the way base ck2 works and the agot mod doesn't fix my issues with it.
@@PfyscheStyx Understandable. It is an older game so I can definitely see how people who didn't play it back in the day would have issue with how antiquated some UI and mechanics may be. Well if you ever change your mind, the original AGOT is still one of the best. Especially compared to the ck3agot mod and dev team, who are remarkably sub-par compared to both the ck2 team and other ck3 overhaul mod teams.
6:37
His eye color is Valyrian purple. GRRM provided design cues for the graphic novels, and Varys is depicted with purple eyes in the graphic novels.
I love Varys in the books. I liked him in the show too, but when I watched the show, I hadn't read the books yet.
These are really well edited
Varys’s castration is an important part of his character because he, as a eunuch, cannot be serving his own desires. He cannot have a legacy or bloodline. A man may vie for the throne in the hopes of starting a dynasty, but a eunuch serves someone else’s dynasty. In this case, Faegon, who may very well be his nephew
Or he is not even an eunuch but someone who just controls himself
I need Varys carnally.
I got bad news about the carnal ability of Varys
I have bad news about which end they were planning to use@@myujmes
*This thread needs some Jesus.* 💀 And I speak as an atheist.
I definitely prefer the storyline for Varys in the books. I really would have liked the JonCon and Young Griff plots added in. But I expect that Dan and Dave thought it would add too many more additional seasons than they had already decided they wanted to do. I know a fair amount of people just didn’t care for A Feast for Crows and A Dance of Dragons because of all the new characters and storylines that they added. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Dan and Dave were among those people. I think it would’ve been best if they had just handed off the show once it got to the point they no longer wanted to oversee, but I don’t think their egos would allow them to do that. I like the Varys of the show, but that has a lot to do with the actor who played the role. And I think it was pretty apparent that he was not very happy with how they handled his character in the final season. As far as the show making Varys asexual, I believe that he was supposed to have been castrated at a very young age in the books. I think it would have been perfectly logical to think that he may not have had the opportunity to develop any sexual inclinations by that time. I personally like the bit of the Varys Blackfyre theory that suggests that the man who castrated Varys wanted him in particular because of the potential of his bloodline for magical purposes.
Yeah, so much of sexual development is driven by hormones he can't produce in very large quantities
It blows my mind that early on d&d probably sat down and said we have too many pov, who should we cut? And they decided on young Griff..
@@HannibalormaybejustRex1 Which I also think had a major impact on how they handled Daenerys, as her inevitable interaction with Young Griff will have a big role on how her storyline develops once she gets to Westeros. I tend to believe that she will be seen as a foreign invader. Especially in contrast to Young Griff, who seems to be being set up to be welcomed as the lost Prince. But I think that any tragedy in King’s Landing will not be the direct result of her decisions. Yet she is likely to be blamed for it. I still believe that in the end, she will figure out that the Iron Throne is a false prize and that her true destiny lies in defeating the Others, and freeing their thralls. Which are after all the ultimate slaves. And I do expect that however the defeat of the Others happens, it will take Daenerys life.
@@blackeyedlily we know it won't be her direct decision as d&d said they themslves did her madness and personally blowing up kings landing.
@@blackeyedlily She doesn't need to necessarily die however especially since it seems it WILL be others then iron throne like in the show. And Martin said multiple times there'd be a second dance of the dragons. She'll likely die during that, or like drogon realize the throne isn't for her and fuck off to live a life similar to that of the dothraki crones.
Conleth Hill's portrayal of Varys is phenomenal. S3E4 "And Now His Watch Is Ended," in which we get a lot of Varys backstory and scheming, is one of my favorite episodes. The first few seasons of the show give us great context for the character we can't get in the books due to the nature of the POV narratives. GOT elevates the character's significance, framing him as a rival to Baelish. Show Varys often serves to provide some relief to the viewers' stress. When he teams up with Ros after her traumatic experience with Joffrey and the Gold Cloaks murdering baby Barra, it's like a little glimmer of hope. Same with when he tries to protect Sansa from Baelish and give her a good life with Loras in Highgarden after all she's gone through in King's Landing. And of course, when he helps Tyrion escape. In a show that is just full of our favorite characters taking massive losses, Varys delivers some of the few wins. He sorta takes on the role Wyman Manderly plays in the books. He's sly and conniving so there's always the risk he's gonna betray our favorite characters but he remains one of the few loyal and relatively moral characters, despite claiming he's without scruples.
Book Varys is far more complicated. His motivations were very unclear for the first couple books and he was largely absent from the last two. Having watched the show before reading the books, I found myself a little disappointed in the lack of Varys content. He's more of a Chekhov's gun. I think (hope) his death will be very significant and give us some answers as to why he was ritually mutilated (bastard king's blood?). Maybe his death will bring an important character back to life?
Whether it's Arya's journey to becoming a Faceless Man, Cersei's whole gender complex, Jon's parentage, Brienne's self-doubt, the dehumanization of the Unsullied and their subsequent recovery, Jaime losing his sword hand, etc, identity plays a massive role in the books and show and I think it's the key to understanding Varys. He's a mummer. He represents the fluidity of identity. He can play any role required of him. The books' (F)Aegon storyline asks the reader if blood really matters. Varys says Griff is Aegon. He looks like Aegon, he has all the qualities one could want in a ruler. Does it really matter if his claim is true? If he has the smallfolk and nobles on his side, does it really matter if he's a Targaryen or a Blackfyre (or neither)? If he's a good king, shouldn't that be enough? After generations of his family exiled to Essos, losing everything, ending up on the streets of Lys, being mutilated and left to die, maybe Varys wants exactly what Viserys and Daenerys want: to go home, to take what was denied him. Varys is patient and his farce has been in planning and production for a long time, and now it's finally time for the debut of his carefully crafted leading man.
Finally, I love your videos. Can you make a video raking each kingdom strengths in your cool art style? I prefer book version
Femboy Varys
I adore the tyrek lannister is a horse theory lmao
One thing that I do have to say about show Varys saying he's never been attracted to anyone: he was a boy when it happened. He never even reached puberty, so it's no surprise that he didn't feel anything sexual for anyone. He probably would have if he were allowed to grow up with his genitals in tact.
Femboy varys Femboy varys Femboy varys Femboy varys Femboy varys!!!!!
femboy varys.
"They are surrendering varys, where are you going?" Tell that to connington lmao
I feel bad for Conleth Hill
Same. He was perfectly cast and he played the role beautifully, only to be handed a steaming heap of a script at the end, with a completely senseless and meaningless death for his character.
Btw, there's a rumour that he was the one responsible for the infamous Starbucks Cup. I can't say I entirely blame him.
Conleth’s face during the read thru of the GOT ending is everything.
man the show really shot themselves in the foot by omitting young griff
Fantastic video! I think you are getting smoother and smoother with the editing and makes your sense of humour shine more and more in the video. Keep it up!
Did he forget about Verys cutting the tongs out of very young children to be his little birds who could then only sing to him?
The exchanges between Varys and Littlefinger in the show are NEXT level good - also, he's definitely described as "soft and effeminate" in the book, but I wouldn't call him so for the show.
This was an AMAZING breakdown, really well done and great research done
That Varussy got me acting miscevious ngl
I do not think we as a community can ever forgive Glidus for the irreparable damage he did when he made the Tyrek Lannister horse theory.
I would like a theory video on Varys' motives with Aerys and sowing discord with Rhaegar. At that point Young Griff did not exist (and if he is of similar age to Elia's Aegon then he was born after Harrenhall). What was Varys' game? Was there a game or did the plan was hatched only when the fall of the Targs seemed inevitable? I have heard a theory that magic hating Varys disliked and distrusted Rhaegar because he was so into prophecy and magic adjacent stuff. But if he was trying to have Reg disinherited, what was the alternative?
I’m in favor for Varys and his zoomertopia led by aegon vi.
Show Varys is like if the fake persona of book Varys was the real character.
one of my favorite show characters! awesome vid
It’s the fe…whoa, that was close😃!
I'm crying over the tyrek animation hahahhahaha
Great video!! Would love to see more like this :)
Never forget that Varys Moonlighted as Rugen the Jailer for 15 years at minimum and showed up to work everyday on the off chance that he might need to talk to a prisoner. That is dedication
Amazing video as always! :D
The book version of Varys is obviously superior. We still haven't learned his real motive. He's busy right now sowing absolute chaos in King's Landing and everyone thinks he's a full ocean away.
Hiding people in the crypt full of dead corpses that could easily be re-animated by the enemy was the most bone headed decision in the finale.
Is is by far the most underrated channer on RUclips.
I Loved the little Easter Eggs of Weird Varys Theories. I remember the Varys is a Merman Theory and the Varys is Aegon's Mother theory
Mans got that CK3 music blasting
I read all the books in a row back in 2016, right before everything started down its spiral in the show. Varys is one of a few characters who I hear their show counterpart speak in my mind when I read, but I very much prefer the book version.
It's a shame the showrunners couldn't find an actual spider to cast Varys.
Thanks for another awesome video!
4:38 "Keosh ish a ladah"
If you think this has an ending, , you haven't been paying attention!
- George R.R. Martin
In the show when they attack Davos hears the bells. He says that he never heard bells when it meant surrender.
I didn’t really think about the importance of where they sat during the small council
femboy varys
Who started the Tyrek Lannister is a horse meme?
Glidus
9:05 well he’s not going to be an effective bodyguard if he can only strangle eunuchs.
Great video as always. What I dont quite get is why Kings Landing is as far North as it is on the map you show relatively regularly, considering that at least in book lore, it lies further south at the mouth of the Blackwater
5:13 maybe it’s to show why he’s vying for the protection of the vulnerable, since he was defenseless himself once, in the show that is
Thank you for finally respecting the fact that Tyrek is a horse.
"Scheming Enigma" is my new band name \m/
Would have liked your video at horse Tyrek (again, gets me every time), but of course I like your videos the moment I click on them. Still waiting for every Frey explained lol, the Winds of Winter of the Late Lord Haven. (is joke)
Show varys was greatly portrayed by Hill.
Either way, he was great to see all the way up until season 6, where they ran out of things for him to do without the golden company Targ plot.
Yyyusss! I think he's "intact" so to speak. Wonder what the video has to say on the matter. Ty for the content!
very good video! keep it up!
Pretty good chance we'll never find out how the books end considering George R.R. Martin is 75 and not exactly the picture of health and longevity, and he's been working on it for 13 years.
I like to think he’s at least got the storyboard down so things could be continued, it is his million dollar baby after all
I liked Varys in the books, until he killed Kevin. I will never forgive him for the death of Kevin, he killed objectively the best character in ASOIAF. I'm glad George has not released TWOW, because reading one of those books with the thought of Kevin not being there would be unbearable.
Honestly, in the books varys is a better example of how Chaos Is a Ladder than littlefinger
These make me giggle everytime. The "real" completely fictional character.
Hi, I’m new to this channel. Could you make a video about Maegor I Targaryen? He interests me the most!
I like the theory purported by the Order of the Green Hand that in fact, Young Griff is the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna. They present very compelling evidence that it is not in fact, Jon Snow, who rather is the trueborn son of Ned Stark and Ashara Dayne, while in fact all five of Catelyn Tully's children are bastards. The argument they make is actually quite compelling.
What do Lord Varys from a Song of Ice and Fire and Sir Crocodile from One piece have in common?
Both are theorized to be the mother of an aspiring king
“Chaojijaladda” 😂😂😂😂
Varys is one character who, in theory, i prefer the show version of. It would be interesting to have a master schemer who is genuinely out for the good of the realm instead of having their own agenda and being malicious
The only problem is that Varys in the show didn't had any real goals. The "good of the realm" is a vague idea that works at first, but once you need to go deeper there's nothing there. That's why his characters fell flat even before the ending.
@@MyCarnageExtreme that's why I said in theory
This is bloodraven's character.
Femboy Varys 🥵
Plump and feminine. 🥺
He wasn't men he has no stuff because some wizard cut it of
@@asiblingproductiongasp
👈👉
My conclusion is: Faegon (you know who) will march on King's Landing. Varys will try to subvert the city watch to his side. Faegon will reveal himself to be a Blackfire. Old Griff, who was a fanatic Targ loyalist as well as being driven mad by greyscale, will murder him. The gold cloaks will capture Varys and hand him over to Cersei. Cersei will have him executed with wildfire.
time to ask again for ,,what if the greens won the dance"
Varys has 'dark, shiny, wet eyes' in text-EXACTLY like Quaithe and one other person. I can't remember exactly which one-but I think it is Griff-Aegon who is the only other person in text with this eye description in the books. It is a targaryen-it is only one sentence. Dark eyes-or almost black eyes-they are going to be purple pretty sure. The one who I THINK is Griff-THAT eye description leaves out the word 'dark' I believe. But we ALREADY know his eyes are dark before THIS other description comes into play. Tyrek-I can you tell where he ends up at. The Arya chapter where she is the Peach with Gendry? And she gives water to the men in cages? At the very end of that chapter, The Red Huntsman brings a young, male Lannister tied up on a horse into town. Check out the LAST 2 or 3 sentences in that chapter. THAT is Tyrek!!! For real-Tyrek is not missing. Facts. sidenote-Bywater is gona be a Strong lad. I never finished watching the show-I stopped in season 6. The thing is-in text it is lining up for Varys to in fact side with Jon after his Aegon-Griff plot falls through. And it is going to fail, ultimately. Dany has done some terrible shite in text-her time with Drogo changed her A LOT. For example-Dany did NOT trust Illyrio AT all UNTIL she comes out of that fire with her bebe dragons. After Dany BURNS, she becomes protective of Illyrio. The man who arranged her sale to Khal Drogo. The man who she thinks would sell his own mother/family for the right price/object. THAT is CRAZY. There is more happening in text than is obvious at first. The Illyrio/Varys ties are ALSO insane-when Arya 'catches' Illyrio and Varys in the Red Keep? Holy shit! LOOK at where she IS and HOW she got there! She goes into the Dragon Skull and finds a secret door or someshit and goes in it. Then she starts to follow THEM. She WAS chasing castle cat. The Cat. While she is following them, Arya can HEAR people BELOW her. WtF? Then she comes to a well/tunnel...JUST like how Bran did at the Wall's Black Gate. And how she SEES Varys? A 'eunuch' with a spiked cap/helmet on, like he used to be Unsullied. In text-Varys is backing Aegon-Griff and Baelish is backing Vis/Dany and then Dany. Illyrio though-HE is playing BOTH teams. I do sometimes doubt that Varys is truly a eunuch-he can grow that stubble. In text he should not be able to grow any facial hair/stubbles. But I also have doubts about the Unsullied in the SAME ways. One Unsullied gets killed while laying with a woman-and then there is that whole conversation about the different ways to 'cut' a man. And then there is the stuff regarding Unsullied Krazdak says to Dany {when she is 'buying' them}-that they/he no longer sell Unsullied in small numbers because they can be manipulated/develop free will. He refers to a 'bad' experience-wana bet THAT experience is going to have something to do with Varys/Illyrio? It's also a nod to Illyrio's personal Unsullied that Dany notes in her first chapter.
Paragraph breaks are your friend, man.
"Stronger than Tommen and gentler than Stannis" lol
I like book Varys best. But I also like some conversations of Varys in Season 1 and 2 of the Show.
Tyrek is said to be a horse around Sansa Stark's age. He is handsome, with long golden curls.
The thing you have think about in terms of "the realm" is Louis XIV's statement "L'etat c'est moi" ("The state is me"). In other words, the "rightful king" IS the realm. If Varys serves Young Griff, whether he's really Aegon or a Blackfyre, and believes he's the rightful king, then that could be serving "the realm" in his mind.
My main question about Varys is what was his goal when he first accepted the post from Aerys? Rhaegar's son wasn't even conceived yet and if Young Griff is that child or a Blackfyre who's close in age, he wouldn't exist at that time either. Was he just there collecting information and sowing unrest while he and Illyrio were coming up with a plan?
It’s because he’s a blackfire. There is power in kings blood, that’s why his bits were chopped off. That’s why he supports young griff as that’s most likely his nephew and Illyrio is Yg’s father.
Just one thing, that quote was made up during the french revolution. There is no evidence of Louis XIV ever saying it. There is evidence of him saying "Je m'en vais mais l'État demeurera toujours" on his deathbed. (I am going, but the state will always remain).
I dont think of the show after the season 4 finale. Show Varys is a very good adaptation (or even upgrade) if you do not watch further than that.