Varys is the Game of Thrones MVP for the second-to-last episode ever

Oh, Varys. You saw it all coming. In truth, you’d seen it all before. But your warnings went unheeded and then, well, you know the rest. Dragonfire to the face.

It’s abundantly clear in the penultimate Game of Thrones episode why no one has ever been truly safe on this show. They’re all terrible people and they all deserve to burn for it. Our final minutes with Varys claim the latest episode’s MVP trophy only because he had the foresight to recognize that.

It’s foresight that was born out of serving under five different Westerosi rulers, including the big one: Aerys II Targaryen. The Mad King. The father of and model for Daenerys Targaryen’s seemingly inescapable undoing.

Unlike the rest of the Game of Thrones cast in this final stretch of episodes, it seems like Varys was actually paying attention during the seven previous seasons. He knows the history of this world and has personally witnessed the cyclical undoing of the ruling class. Ambition is a hell of a drug.

That’s why Varys worked to foment uncertainty in Dany’s leadership, dooming himself. He knew the risks of not selling any allies on his plan, but he also recognized the greater risk in continuing to serve at the soon-to-be-Mad Queen’s side.

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Of course, “too little, too late” is a very real factor in this case. Varys still isn’t exactly worthy of MVP status, he’s just the most worthy. The all-seeing, all-knowing Master of Whisperers ought to have acted sooner. He probably would have met the same end, but perhaps an earlier demise would have shaken Dany’s other spellbound advisers out of their reverie.

In the end, it wasn’t a whispered act of betrayal or even a column of dragonfire that brought about Varys’ demise. It was poor writing in a season that feels like it’s rushing to an unearned conclusion. Just like it’s been with Tyrion, one of the sharpest minds on Game of Thrones fell victim to a series script that now chains characters to the whims of the plot, seemingly in the name of a blockbuster ending.

It’s undeserved, but that’s an idea best explored in one more week, after the series finale airs. For now, we’re stuck with a visually arresting but narratively weak second-to-last chapter. There are no heroes on Game of Thrones, but Varys did his level best to ensure a happier future for Westeros with 100 percent less dragonfire. For that, he’s our penultimate Game of Thrones MVP.

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