Question: Some of the Free Folk are reluctant to join Jon's fight against Boltons in Winterfell. Jon tries to convince them. And suddenly, Wun, the sole giant stands up and says "Snow." then leaves. What does he mean?
Phaneron
3rd Mar 2021
Game of Thrones (2011)
30th Jul 2019
Game of Thrones (2011)
Question: Why does everyone argue over the best way to remove Cersei from power with minimal civilian casualties when they could have just sent Arya to assassinate Cersei? Given her training with the Faceless Men, she could easily infiltrate the Red Keep and get the job done. On top of that, Arya wants to kill Cersei.
Answer: Daenerys and her allies don't just want to kill Cersei, they want to claim King's Landing and free her people from Cersei's grip. The problem is the people of Essos viewed Daenerys as a liberator but the people of Westeros view her as an outsider and usurper. They would never follow Daenerys if she had Cersei assassinated. That is Daenerys' dilemma, she certainly has the ability to wipe Cersei out and obliterate her armies but doing so would make her a tyrant. Which as it turns out is exactly what happens.
But no-one has to know that Cersei was assassinated. Arya has the ability to impersonate anyone she kills, so she could pretend to be Cersei afterwards and profess to the citizens of King's Landing that she has yielded the throne to Danaerys and that she is going into exile.
That plan would be incredibly suspicious. Knowing what they know of Cersei it is highly unlikely the people of King's Landing would believe that she would accept defeat so easily and then voluntarily exile herself, never to be heard from again. In order for that to work, all of Cersei's advisers and closest allies would have to be similarly eliminated, or they would have to be on board with the exile plan. If they are all killed it sort of makes it obvious that something is amiss. There's no way they would be fooled by Cersei suddenly doing a 180 and completely changing her personality by accepting defeat without a fight. If any part of this plan goes wrong then Daenerys would look worse than just an assassin, she would also be deceitful to the people she hopes will willingly accept her rule.
9th Mar 2014
Game of Thrones (2011)
Question: Is it ever explained why the assassin who attempts to kill Bran (he finds Catelyn Stark and tries to kill her as well, only to be killed by Bran's direwolf) uses Tyrion's blade in his attack, as identified by Littlefinger? Tyrion claims he's innocent, despite the damning evidence. And really, it makes little sense that anyone other than Jamie and Cersei Lannister would be the culprits. So why and how does the assassin end up using Tyrion's blade?
Answer: SPOILER: It is revealed in the season seven finale, The Dragon and the Wolf, that the blade did not belong to Tyrion, but in fact belonged to Littlefinger and that he hired the assassin to kill Bran, and gave the assassin the blade so that he could claim that the blade belonged to Tyrion and create a conflict between the Starks and the Lannisters.
Answer: This has been revealed in the books but it doesn't appear that the show will ever address it. In the books Jaime Lannister deduces that it was actually Joffrey who hired and supplied the would-be assassin with the dagger in an attempt to impress his "father" King Robert after Robert states that it would have been more merciful for Bran to die rather than live as a cripple.
Answer: SPOILER ALERT: In the season seven finale, The Dragon and the Wolf, it is revealed that Littlefinger was the one who hired the assassin and handed him the Valyrian steel dagger to kill Bran. He did this to create a conflict between the Starks and the Lannisters, by claiming that the dagger belonged to Tyrion, so that the Starks would believe that Tyrion attempted to have Bran killed, in addition to having Lysa Arryn accuse the Lannisters of poisoning Jon Arryn, when in actuality it was he and Lysa who poisoned him. The dagger belonged to Littlefinger and it was him who hired the assassin to kill Bran.
19th Aug 2013
Game of Thrones (2011)
Question: Why is Khal Drogo willing to give Viserys an army in exchange for Daenerys? Until she is almost poisoned, he seems to have no real interest in The Iron Throne or the Targaryen dynasty, considering how she has to beg him to cross the Narrow Sea. Why didn't he just marry a native Dothraki woman?
Answer: This is explained more in the book. Khal Drogo and his bloodriders do intend to help Viserys take the throne, however they do things in their own time. This is what causes Viserys's frustration. In the book, Illyrio Mopatis tells Viserys that he has already waited his entire life to claim The Iron Throne and that waiting a few more years isn't that big of a deal. The Dothraki are a nomadic tribe, which is largely why they have no interest in invading and sacking King's Landing. However, since Khal Drogo eventually grows to love Dany, her assassination attempt by the Westerosi compels him to seek revenge.
19th Aug 2013
Game of Thrones (2011)
Question: After watching the show and reading the first book, I can't figure out why people hate Jaime for killing King Aerys. Aerys is referred to as the "Mad King" and more than one person talks about his sick deeds. Even Ned doesn't seem to approve of Jaime's actions, yet Aerys killed his father and brother. Even if Jaime did have a duty to guard the king, didn't he actually do everyone a favor by killing Aerys?
Answer: Basically it's because he broke his vow. A member of the Kingsguard is sworn to protect the king at all costs. Jaime elaborates more on the deed to both Catelyn Stark and Brienne of Tarth, telling Catelyn that no matter what course of action he took, he would be breaking one vow or another (i.e. if he obeyed the king, he would conversely be disobeying his own father), and telling Brienne that the Mad King was planning on burning all of King's Landing, but he did not bother to tell Ned Stark that. Ned Stark felt that killing Aerys was dishonorable and excessive. Robert Baratheon still could have usurped the throne without Aerys being killed.
11th Aug 2013
Game of Thrones (2011)
Question: Although Tywin is Cersei's father, she is Queen Regent. Isn't she still in a higher place of power than him, and able to refuse to marry Loras?
Answer: As Hand of the King, Tywin is the second most authoritative person in Westeros behind only the king. The Hand's duties include sitting on The Iron Throne and dispensing order, justice and judgment, similar to what Ned Stark did in the Season 1 episode "A Golden Crown" while then-king Robert Baratheon was out hunting. It's also worth pointing out that Tywin's enormous wealth makes him the de facto most powerful person in Westeros, which he demonstrates in the Season 3 episode "Mhysa" when he sends King Joffrey to bed without his supper and remarks to Tyrion "You're a fool if you believe he's the most powerful man in Westeros. Do you really think the crown gives you power?"
Answer: The position of Queen Regent is largely a cipher as the Hand of the King is the actual regent for the king, handling day to day affairs and heading the small council. Tywin is still the leader of House Lannister and commands the army. Cersei's power derives from him, mostly. This is why she cannot truly counter Tyrion when he is acting Hand of the King or Master of Coin, both given by their father. She only starts acting like a queen when Tywin is dead.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Chosen answer: The giants in general spoke little English and seem to generally speak very little at all and in a slow, lumbered manner, much the same as how they physically move. Wun Wun is acknowledging that he is supporting Jon's plan by simply stating his name of "Snow."
raywest ★