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You're right about Viserys. He was cruel, but no crueler than, say? The Hound? A very beloved character. I think it's telling that Dany still chose to name a dragon after him. And he kept her alive for all of those years. We know his paranoia about the usurper's assassins was legitimate, and he was quite a little boy himself when his life got upended. But he protected Dany, made sure she didn't starve, sold everything they ever had. If he was truly, completely evil, he would've just left her for dead and taken care of himself.
Spot on. I think his is a very sad story and incredibly tragic. But I think because we see the abusive bully he was rather than the little boy who lost everything or the teenager on the run with his kid sister in tow we lose sight of his downfall and transformation into a prick.
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Little tidbit I just noticed: Ned tells Arya that a lie for the right reasons is not without honor. Robert tells him later that he "never could lie for love or honor". Sean Bean was an extraordinary Ned, but I still think the show as missing something on just how solemn of a person he is. He doesn't sugar coat his words like other people do, he rarely laughs. I guess what I'm saying is that he's an extremely bald-faced person. I wish we could know more about how carrying the secret of Jon's parentage for so many years ate at him. Although there are theories that he told Benjen, and that's part of why Benjen joined the Night's Watch.
Without a doubt. Ned's thoughts and feelings are so interesting and I appreciate why Martin had to censor his thoughts on Jon's parentage to preserve the narrative integrity, I would really enjoy seeing how he feels about it. I think there's a little flash of worry about Jon when Ned is in the Black Cells, I just wish we could've seen more. Ned is haunted.