Jon’s Too Dumb To Rule Westeros

Published May 6, 2019 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hey guys,

love your show. Just wanted to share my thoughts on Episode 4.

It felt like watching your favorite sports team only to start thinking that it deserves to lose because it keeps making the dumbest decisions possible.

In the opening scene, we see these huge funeral pyres for the dead. If only they had spent as much time on their defensive ditch, like making it more than a few feet wide, and plan, like not ordering a suicidal charge by their mounted force into the unknown darkness, before the battle, maybe they wouldn’t have had so many dead to burn.

Then, having lost half their force in the battle, they decide to split their forces in the face of the enemy despite assessing that they are roughly equal to Cersei’s forces.

Then they lose another dragon because, lo and behold, they are ambushed at sea by Euron. It’s not like that has ever happened before and ended in disaster. Why guard against that? Doesn’t height like you might have flying on a dragon give you a sight advantage? Then the foolish dive at the ships only to present a full broadside as you mentioned in the instacast. Plot armor?

Then they park their last dragon within range of what looks like ten scorpions as they parlay at King’s Landing.

It also strains credulity that Sansa has zero appreciation for Daenerys’s support to her family. As Jon emphasizes, without her, they would be undead marching toward King’s Landing. Not to mention that Jon would have died during his foolish Wight capturing trip beyond the wall without her. And Daenerys is pretty key for them to seek revenge on Cersei, the Starks’ arch-enemy.

Now the argument for why Jon is too dumb to rule Westeros. It’s like the greatest hits of stupid.

Battle of the Bastards — emotionally-driven suicidal charge alone at the enemy.

Wight kidnap plan — no exfiltration plan. Even if he succeeds, the most likely enemy course of action by Cersei is that she double crosses you — surprise, that’s exactly what happens. Most dangerous is that she abandons the truce terms and kills everyone.

Battle of Winterfell — as pointed out by BigD — a tactically incompetent battle plan.

Telling Arya and Sansa about his true heritage, because, well, they will still be okay with it. Total fail.

He may have a good heart, but Jon wouldn’t last a minute in the world of palace intrigue. Even with an army of good advisors.

Love your show.

Thanks.

Brian from Tampa, FL.

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