Yeah, I don't see Jon ending up on the throne either, but I think the point is that Varys' general ideas about the perfect ruler are mistaken. Jon fits the bill, and he might well decide that he's more useful in another position.

I would be very surprised.

My point was that caring about the way you look is not necessarily a sign of vanity, but can be pragmatism. If it helps you accomplish your goals, it's not necessarily a misguided effort. Apart from knowing about the value of good presentation, Sansa is not overly self-obsessed in her P.O.V chapters. She thinks…

[SPOILER] had no conscience and that didn't help him either.

The show has flattenend and sanded of the rough edges from many characters, not just Tyrion. I think Martin's character arc for bookTyrion is supposed to be more of a rollercoaster, with a fall from grace and subsequent redemption, whereas showTyrion remains more consistently likeable. Then again, the plan was…

Well, Joffrey wasn't particularly biddable either and that was not necessarily a good sign.

Yes, book three was split in two seasons - this one and the last one. But this season also had some elements from book 4 and even 5 for certain characters (eg. Sansa, Bran, Theon), so I have no idea where they're going to end those storylines.

I just happen to think that "being realistic about her circumstances and smart enough to read people" is also a pretty good description of Sansa's modus operandi in captivity. Why is it smart when done by Missandei and passive and cowardly when done by Sansa?

The only problem is that Varys' pretty speech about Aegon ("He knows how it feels to be hunted, etc.") fits Jon (and argueably Dany) a lot better than Aegon himself.

Common wisdom among book-readers pegs it as fake-out, if that's any consolation.

I agree that Essos is not as well fleshed out as Westeros, but Dany's track record there is far from shiny and it does bother her. In the books I've read Dany cares deeply about her failure in Astapor. She has lost her brother, her husband, her child, Jorah and most of her khalassar, almost her own life - she has…

Pretty sure noone here would disagree that conditioning men and women to conform to traditional gender stereotypes is harmful. That doesn't make Sansa a less compelling or admireable character. She's not the one who came up with that system, you know?

Also, you see naivité, I see innocence and trust. You see vanity, I see a knowledge of the power of packaging. You see passivity, I see patience and sublety. We call it vanity and passivity in women; we tend to call it other things in men.

It's not a competition. I can admire Arya and i can admire Sansa, I don't have to rank them. Being girly because you're forced to be and society pressures you into is is horrible, but there's nothing wrong about being girly per se. Being unconventional merely for the sake of being unconventional is no virtue either.…

You think Dany's downfall will be an over-abundance of mercy? After crucifying 100 slavers in Meereen? Really?

I fully believe that you're not actively trying to be sexist, but that doesn't change the fact that your "only the tomboys are the acceptable ones"-stance is problematic.

Maybe, maybe not, but this is not about _our_ (=the readers') perception of Tyrion, but about his perception in-universe, and I predict he won't be able to shake off the misunderstood/unsung hero cloak in the eyes of his compatriotes.

We kind of already saw that, with him threatening and accidentially killing Leekie. Now that he's under Alison's tutelage, I'm actually optimistic about his prospects.

There's a sample preview chapter involving mummers staging a play in Bravoos, that is a pretty blatant Shakespeare hommage, where the actor playing Tyrion gets the "Since I won't be loved, I will be feared"-speech.

It never lines up perfectly, but for the most part, Tyrion is this story's Richard III analogue. The latest sample chapter includes mummers staging a play in Bravoos, which is quoting Shakespear almost verbatim, with Tyrion standing in for Richard III.