Hello and welcome back to the NotACast, the one true chapter-by-chapter podcast going through A Song of Ice and Fire one chapter a week! In this episode, Tyrion informs Janos Slynt that the company’s moving in a different direction, but they’ll be sure to keep his resume on file.

This week, we:

-Debate who qualifies as protagonist of each book in the series

-Praise how George paces Tyrion's tipping point from luring in Janos Slynt to turning on him

-Discuss the many ways in which Tyrion's victory is undercut, from Cersei to Bronn

-Take a deep dive into the layers of political meaning in Varys' riddle

-Put that riddle in context with the reveal of Young Griff

Next week: Guestember continues with our own High Inquisitor--and Stannerman supreme--Frank B for Davos I, which will be another two-parter episode! It's not our fault the Dragonstone chapters are the best!