The Big Picture
Varys’ vital character traits were abruptly abandoned in the final season of
Game of Thrones
.
Varys’ intelligence and ability to manipulate were poorly portrayed in the final season, leading to his quick demise.
Game of Thrones
‘ rushed conclusion sacrificed complex character development, like Varys, for a quick ending.
By the end of its run, Game of Thrones notoriously hit a few snags. Though the show reached a rare level of popularity during its run, the conclusion was a widespread letdown, and years later, fans are still angry about it. While there are many plots people generally dislike, one major issue was how the show dramatically changed the character traits of its leads, abandoning what made them interesting. From Jaime Lannister’s (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) failed redemption arc as he reunited with Cersei (Lena Headey) to Daenerys Targaryen’s (Emilia Clarke) madness, there are many popular characters that fans can rightly claim Game of Thrones ruined in the final season. But one of the less often discussed but equally egregious moments is the destruction of Lord Varys’ (Conleth Hill) characterization.
Holding the position of the Master of Whispers, Varys often fades into the background, but he is vital to the show. Varys is called the Spider as he gained a reputation for knowing everyone’s secrets. Throughout the series, he proved to be a valuable player in the game, helping or working against different rulers from his position on the Small Council in King’s Landing. Though he never tried to take power for himself, Varys proved to be a competent player of Westeros’ infamous political game. But all of his experience amounted to nothing in the end. Varys is known for his talents of learning everyone’s secrets and being adept at manipulation, yet what kills him is the sudden and unexplained vanishing of those skills.
Game Of Thrones
Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.
Release Date April 17, 2011
Creator David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
Main Genre Drama
Seasons 8
Studio HBO
Expand
Varys’ Talents Kept Him Alive in ‘Game of Thrones’
Varys is unlike the other powerful individuals in Game of Thrones. One of the few people of influence who is not a highborn lord from the great houses, Varys had particularly humble beginnings. Born as a slave in Lys, Varys worked his way up to become one of Robert Baratheon’s (Mark Addy) closest advisors, but doing so required strategy, patience, and manipulation – all of which Varys excels in. The eunuch worked his way up from the bottom, selling information. Not only did he make it as high as Westeros’ royal court, but he initially supported the Mad King, gaining the trust of the suspicious man and managing to hold onto his position when power shifted to Robert.
Varys is an invaluable asset because of his vast intelligence sources. Always the first to know of a given event, no matter how far away it occurred, Varys is the perfect advisor for a king, especially as his lack of noble blood makes him little threat. Yet Varys is cunning, and, as much as he plays the yes man, he has his own code, only truly serving rulers he believes will benefit the masses. Throughout Robert’s reign, Varys is secretly plotting the return of the Targaryen dynasty. He and Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) form a friendship. And when things look bleak for Tyrion, Varys helps him escape across the Narrow Sea and into Daenerys’ service. Always involved in secret schemes, Varys’ loyalties are hard to determine, but he claims to serve the Realm because “someone must.” Yet, in the changing tides of Westerosi politics, Varys has a talent for coming out on top.
‘Game of Thrones’ Kinda Forgot Varys’ Defining Character Traits
Varys continues serving the Realm until his death, but somewhere along the way, he loses his undeniable skill for it. What gets Varys killed is the revelation that Jon Snow (Kit Harington) is the trueborn son of Daenerys’ older brother. Though Varys cares little for the technicality of the Targaryen bloodline, he believes that the well-liked, even-tempered Jon would be a better ruler than Daenerys as Varys seems to recognize the signs of Targaryen madness that everyone else misses. This choice is true enough to his character. After all, he has served five different rulers by this point. However, his actions do not fit the character.
When Tyrion tells Varys of Jon’s heritage in Season 8, Episode 5, “The Last of the Starks,” Varys instantly starts plotting, letting Tyrion know his true thoughts. Sure, they are friends, but Varys’ outright distrust of Daenerys is dangerous information to give to the Hand of the Queen. Varys has a network of spies but rarely uses coconspirators. Tyrion makes it clear that he isn’t prepared to overthrow Daenerys, but Varys doesn’t carefully hide his treason, doing all but suggesting an assassination. This continues into the penultimate episode of the series, “The Bells,” when Varys once again voices his concerns about Daenerys, this time to Jon, who is as against a coup as Tyrion. Varys doesn’t approach either of these conversations with his usual subtlety or manipulation. Instead, he openly admits to his treasonous ideas, telling both Tyrion and Jon in no uncertain terms that he believes Daenerys to be an unsuitable ruler and that Jon should have the crown.
These statements make him a suspect in the assassination he implies must happen. A conversation about Daenerys’ lack of food in “The Bells” suggests that he was attempting to perform. Season 1’s Master of Whispers would never be so obvious. When caught, Varys doesn’t try to talk his way out of it. After serving so many different warring kings and queens, Varys knew the stakes better than anyone and had demonstrated the skill to get out of accusations of betrayal, but he does no such thing. Tyrion ultimately betrays him, telling Daenerys what Varys is saying, resulting in Varys dying by dragon fire, but the show betrayed Varys’ character first by robbing him of his most vital character traits.
Related This Is the One Line That Defines ‘Game of Thrones’
Ned Stark may not heed this warning, but it rings true throughout the series.
Varys Is an Example of Where ‘Game of Thrones’ Went Wrong
Image via HBO
Varys’ character assassination was far from the only problem in the final season, yet it shows just how far the show strayed from its original characters. Even Varys’ actor, Conleth Hill, acknowledged that, but at the end of the show, “Varys wasn’t the all-knowing character he had been.” Varys’ death is not the issue, as he has always been tied up in a dangerous game, but to last so long in the traitorous world of Game of Thrones, he should have known better than to make the mistake that got him killed. Varys only works as a complicated man who always has the knowledge to get the upper hand but never reveals his true goals.
In the plot line that led to his death, Varys is a shadow of the character from earlier seasons who has no right to the reputation of the Spider. After secretly working to supplant Robert for years, he lasted only a few days in attempting to dethrone Daenerys, and with his proven skill and know-how, Varys should have done better. Yet the series was in a rush to reach the end, so Varys wasn’t caught in a complicated plot to supplant Daenerys. His character was reduced for a quick conclusion, which ignored what the show was all about.
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