Game Of Thrones Season 8: 7 Ups And 3 Downs From 'The Last Of The Starks'
3. Varys Coming Back Into Play
Where the hell has this Varys been?
Varys is one of the characters that The Great Game was built upon. It was players like him and Littlefinger who made the battle for the Iron Throne so compelling, and yet Varys in particular has been hamstrung for the last few years. Ever since he departed Westeros his influence has waned, and while he's had his uses (such as bringing the Tyrells and Martells to Dany's side), we haven't seen too much of the Spider. In fact, over the last season and a half in particular, he's done and said very little at all.
As we switch back to the Iron Throne, it's great to see the Varys of old come back into play. As he sees a ruler potentially making some ruinous choices, and learns that there is another, perhaps even better option, he starts questioning his loyalties to Daenerys because, ultimately, he's loyal to the realm. It would've been nice to get deeper into the minutiae of why he now thinks Jon is a better ruler rather than just the broad strokes, but it still works.
It's extremely compelling to watch - that scene between him and Tyrion is really great - and a reminder of why Varys was once one of the show's best characters: it helps establish some potential twists, has a nod to the books (where Varys supports (f)Aegon), and completely fits what we know about him.