Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 5: SPOILER Gets Caught and Killed For Betrayal

Game of Thrones season eight, episode five brings the war for the rule of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and the right to sit on the Iron Throne to a head. It didn’t take long for the battle to claim its first victim. SPOILERS for the episode follow.

There’s been some concern that Daenerys Targaryen may be showing some of the same violent madness that plagued her father, the “Mad King” Aerys Targaryen. She seemed ready to send her dragons to burn King’s Landing and everyone in it from the moment she made landfall on Dragonstone if not for her advisors, Tyrion Lannister in particular, talking her down.

But the violence hasn’t always remained in check. She had her dragons burn the Lord Tarly and his son for not bending the knee. She was ready once again to burn King’s Landing after the Battle of Winterfell, and that was before Cersei Lannister taunted her by executing Missandei in front of her.

Tyrion and Varys, the former master of whispers on the small council, discussed these violent urges earlier this season. Varys made it clear ot Tyrion that he serves the realm and the common folk who live within it first and foremost above any lord, king, or queen. It’s why he joined Dany’s entourage to being with. But if she’s going to be as bad for the realm as her father then he’s not beyond betraying her in favor of a better potential ruler, such as Jon Snow.

He never had a chance. Daenerys caught wind of Varys’ faltering loyalty and gave him the same treatment he gave the Tarlys: burning alive in dragon’s fire.

Varys’s death marks a turning point late in the game. Previously, Tyrion wanted to believe that Dany could be reasonable and tempered by the wise advice of her council. But burning advisors alive is exactly the kind of thing the Mad King did. After this, it will be hard for Tyrion to ignore the possible threat she poses as a monarch.

What do you think of Varys’s death on Game of Thrones? What do you think it means for how the series will end? Let us know what you think about it in the comments. Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

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