The Merchant's Man: At first I was wondering if this was just the "Griff" that we'd been hearing about, but it didn't take long to figure out it was Quentyn Martell. I probably should have guessed it sooner given we knew he was over there from Feast, but the chapter header was sort of a throw off. He's a pretty interesting guy. He's Jon's age, but a great deal less self-assured. I think their easiest plan would be to simply join a sellsword company and sneak into Slaver's Bay. It'd be all expenses paid! You can certainly tell that he's totally his father's son. Unlike his headstrong, heedless friends, he stops to think things through, just like Doran. I think he and Jon would have been good friends, since they share quite a bit in common, and have different yet complementary personalities.
Jon: Speaking of Jon, he's changed a bit since becoming Lord Commander. It's interesting because we saw the same change with Robb. When Robb had to march south, he grew up overnight. It's a little different for Jon because Jon was on the Wall for a year before being named Lord Commander, so he already had the respect of a lot of these people, wheras Robb had to earn it from scratch. It's a lesson that both of them learned fast, and you can see so much of Eddard in them that it kills me a bit, but it's great to know that Eddard is living on in Jon. That also makes me afraid that Jon is marked for death now, but, we'll see. I think it was a smart move to remove Slynt. I mean, he was well within his rights, but his mercy wouldn't have done anything to help him at all, and probably would have hurt him. Who the hell did Janos think he was anyway? He'd just arrived, and was a moron even in King's Landing. I think it helped to earn more respect from Stannis as well, though, that seems to do him ill with his own men. I kind of wonder in a way if Jon and Stannis will develop a similar relationship to Eddard and Robert...except there's an age difference, and Ned and Robert were totally different, whereas Stannis is a lot more like Eddard to begin with, what with his uncompromising sense of justice (though, Ned was nothing if not TOO merciful). Still, it's an interesting relationship to watch develop. I sort of look forward to Stannis leaving though.
Tyrion: Glad to see he's back to winning friends and influencing people. His magnetic personality is in fine form. Interesting how people are choosing to align with Dany, both in terms of what they expect to get out of it, and what they have to offer in return. I think Varys is helping Tyrion get to Dany because he thinks that Dany can bring stability to Westeros, and don't forget, he first got to King's Landing under the rule of Aerys. Griff isn't exactly a barrel of laughs, but I bet he and his son have some interesting back story. Griff Jr. seems like a pretty cool kid, though, no one likes someone who is good at everything. The funny thing is, Tyrion's demand of Dany, that he get Casterly Rock, is really just asking for what should have been his anyway.
Davos: So glad to see he survived, at least, for the moment. I assumed once Stannis hit the wall that Davos was still around, though, we know from Feast that there was a report of his head being on the wall. That might be interesting from a storytelling perspective if these two books were one massive 2,000 page book, but, with that piece of information in hand, I think it'll be a huge letdown if he actually dies. Seems to me that should really be a diversion or trickery so White Harbor really can join Stannis. Otherwise, that's pretty stupid. I like that Davos is probably the most loyal character in the show. Guys like Grey Worm and Areo Hotah are super loyal, but, they were trained since birth to be. Guys like Davos and maybe Barristan are loyal for different reasons, and I find it more interesting. Jon could certainly use Davos' voice to back him up at the Wall, if he ever makes it back there. And it's nice to see that a duplicitous character is finally helping a fan favorite to escape, rather than leading him into another trap!
Next time: A good dose of Jon, Dany, Theon, Bran, Tyrion and Davos.
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