GOT Communicator of the Week- Episode 4: The Last of the Starks
Each week our team will select a GoT Communicator of the Week, highlighting the character who understood their audience, stayed on brand, and most effectively communicated their message.
Lord Varys, aka The Master of Whisperers, is back to doing what he does best this week - quietly assessing the situation and pivoting strategy. With the Battle of Winterfell won and the White Walker apocalypse averted, Varys refocuses on who will be the best leader for the Children of Men. He has much more knowledge and experience than most of the people in Westeros, and he worries that all of Dany’s talk of destiny is reminiscent of the tyrants who came before her. When he learns of Jon’s real parentage, he sees an opportunity to shift strategy… and his allegiance. True to form, our favorite bald-headed pot-stirrer points out to Tyrion that this knowledge is not a secret, but rather information to be shared and leveraged.
Varys does not have loyalties to any House, only to the people of the realm. He knows the kind of leader the realm needs - and he knows that Danerys is not it. He also knows that deep down, Tyrion recognizes this too - that Jon is the one who can best inspire the trust and support with all the people of the Seven Kingdoms. Dany is intent when she says she will take the throne, no matter the cost. Varys echoes this back when he tells Tyrion that he will “protect the realm, no matter the cost.” He knows that by speaking honestly to Tyrion, who he knows has influence with Dany, he is further planting the seed of doubt that perhaps she is not the one they should serve in a post- Night King world.
