Does anybody else have a bad feeling about Jon Connington?

[Nathan Stark]

We learn in Jon Connington's first pov chapter that he has regrets over his handling of the Battle of the Bells. He remembers saying that not even Tywin Lannister could have handled the situation at Stoney Sept any better. Blackheart Toyne replies that Tywin would simply have burned the entire town with everyone in it, which Connington acknowledges as true years later. This seems ominous to me because it indicates that Connington is convincing himself that he must be willing to burn towns and slaughter innocents in order to put Aegon on the throne. He seems to be preparing to channel his inner Tywin Lannister. I think this would be very bad ultimately for Aegon's cause. But Connington is desperate to win his war before his greyscale catches up with him, and he may decide that he has no choice but to escalate matters to an unreasonable degree. Any thoughts? 

[Lord Varys]

Sure, Jon is a major suspect for committing atrocities not only when he deals with the bloodline of the Usurper, but also if/when Aegon and Dany clash further down the road.

As a man who has nothing to lose he is clearly set up as a character who will be capable of anything.

[Lord Lannister]

A guy selfish enough to risk rushing a war to greater casualties and risk exposing the very people he supposedly cares about to a lethal disease only to satisfy his personal desires? Why would you think someone like that would be capable of any terrible act? 

[Trigger Warning]

The only reason he didn't do it in the first place was because of his ego. The man has nothing to lose at this point, he'll do whatever he thinks he needs to do. 

[Canon Claude]

This feels like too vague of a question, with too obvious an answer. Jon Connington is going to be a serious threat. He is a miserable man in his middle age, a ruthless warrior and commander who failed the love of his life, is convinced that he's raising his love's last surviving son (and also sees him as a foster son to boot), and he has a chance to restore the Iron Throne to House Targaryen. And now he's also dying of greyscale, so whoops, there's a ticking clock now? I wouldn't be surprised if the competition for biggest body count in TWOW is most fiercely competed over between Cersei, Euron, Dany, and Jon Con.

The bigger question is what do we think he'll end up doing in the story to protect fAegon. Without referencing the Unspeakables, I'm intrigued as to whether Jon Connington will be caught up in a big battle within King's Landing, or whether he ends up trying to stop the terrifying wild card that is Euron? And also, is it just me or did GRRM make fAegon exert some real Joffrey/Viserys vibes? Why should we believe anything that Varys said about him in his sales pitch to Kevan Lannister? (and also, why would he try to convince a dying man how great fAegon is?)

[Nathan Stark]

Jon Connington is a real wildcard, and I think we have some foreshadowing of how dark his story will get. He took captives at Griffin's Roost who include the daughter and bastard son of Ronnet Griffin. Jon assured them they wouldn't be harmed as long as Ronnet doesn't try to take back the castle. Which we know Ronnet is preparing to do exactly that by joining to Tyrell army. So does Jon now have to harm his kin?

[broken one]

12 hours ago, Lord Lannister said:

A guy selfish enough to risk rushing a war to greater casualties and risk exposing the very people he supposedly cares about to a lethal disease only to satisfy his personal desires? Why would you think someone like that would be capable of any terrible act? 

Sounds like an average monarch/warlord. Small armed clash is a terrible act already, and what may seem "personal desire" to you is a "greater good/noble cause/the way things should be" for him.

[Only 89 selfies today]

13 hours ago, Nathan Stark said:

We learn in Jon Connington's first pov chapter that he has regrets over his handling of the Battle of the Bells. He remembers saying that not even Tywin Lannister could have handled the situation at Stoney Sept any better. Blackheart Toyne replies that Tywin would simply have burned the entire town with everyone in it, which Connington acknowledges as true years later. This seems ominous to me because it indicates that Connington is convincing himself that he must be willing to burn towns and slaughter innocents in order to put Aegon on the throne. He seems to be preparing to channel his inner Tywin Lannister. I think this would be very bad ultimately for Aegon's cause. But Connington is desperate to win his war before his greyscale catches up with him, and he may decide that he has no choice but to escalate matters to an unreasonable degree. Any thoughts? 

I am no sure he will live long enough to commit a lot of those things.  But he will spread greyscale.  He is the carrier of the disease on the south while Shireen is in the north.  Jon C is a desperate man.  He is that.  His desire to put his adopted son on the throne will force him in bed with schemers like Doran Martell.  That will be bad for the people in the south.  This is in parallel to Jon S in the north who will be desperate to protect his little sister.  Both Jons will make bad decisions because they are desperate. 

[rotting sea cow]

11 hours ago, Canon Claude said:

And also, is it just me or did GRRM make fAegon exert some real Joffrey/Viserys vibes? Why should we believe anything that Varys said about him in his sales pitch to Kevan Lannister?

It's not only you. There is something of that and it might show how futile Varys plan was all along. I tend to believe that it will be Aegon who will deal with Varys at some point.

11 hours ago, Canon Claude said:

(and also, why would he try to convince a dying man how great fAegon is?)

Because, Varys is not talking to Kevan, he is talking to us. The fourth wall how is called.

[broken one]

12 hours ago, Canon Claude said:

And also, is it just me or did GRRM make fAegon exert some real Joffrey/Viserys vibes?

Why, because he kicked the cyvasse board? c'mon XD No, he seems very reasonable, determined and goal oriented. He's not lazy nor vain. I do not believe Varys but I rely on Aegons surroundings attitude, including Tyrion, who knows and hates Joffrey's type.

1 hour ago, rotting sea cow said:

 how futile Varys plan was all along.

I am sure it will turn out to be futile but not because Aegon is bloody madman. It is just how it is in life (and ASOIAF). He'll be biten by a snake during a nap,  will choke on a cherry or will be eaten by a dragon as a fake Targ

[Lord Lannister]

1 hour ago, broken one said:

Sounds like an average monarch/warlord. Small armed clash is a terrible act already, and what may seem "personal desire" to you is a "greater good/noble cause/the way things should be" for him.

Yes, and so? That doesn't take away from the fact that he's a desperate man on a clock willing to do whatever it takes to satisfy those personal desires. So yeah, he's capable of anything. It wouldn't surprise me if he intentionally spreads greyscale to Westeros because he thinks it will undermine his enemies.

[frenin]

1 hour ago, broken one said:

Sounds like an average monarch/warlord. Small armed clash is a terrible act already, and what may seem "personal desire" to you is a "greater good/noble cause/the way things should be" for him.

How does that clash with what the other user said??

Nor i'd say that the average warlord or monarch is ok with spreading a pandemic. 

 

 

[broken one]

5 minutes ago, Lord Lannister said:

Yes, and so?

So Robb Stark fits the description very well. Tyrion Lannister even better ( let's drown Vale in blood because of insult and mistreatment) and everyone else in power.

Judging by text JC has a lot of self control and discipline so I do not expect acts of desperation nor erruptions of brutality (not more than normal when it comes to wardogs on war).

[broken one]

21 minutes ago, frenin said:

spreading a pandemic.

How come Harlon Greyjoy did not spread the "pandemic"? Euro has even pinched his nose to finish him of and nothing happened. Seems greyscales is not so contagious as most think, moreover it exists in Westeros already, so I do not expect JC to bring any "pandemic" to the land.

[frenin]

1 hour ago, broken one said:

So Robb Stark fits the description very well. Tyrion Lannister even better ( let's drown Vale in blood because of insult and mistreatment) and everyone else in power.

Doubtful, Robb was not on the clock,  nor was Tyrion. Nor was that the question anyway.

 

57 minutes ago, broken one said:

How come Harlon Greyjoy did not spread the "pandemic"?

We don't know how his greyscale was, we do know that JonCon's spreading very fast.

 

1 hour ago, broken one said:

Euro has even pinched his nose to finish him of and nothing happened.

Since you only know about how he died. Seems like cheating at solitaire.

 

1 hour ago, broken one said:

Seems greyscales is not so contagious as most think

I don't really understand how you can say that, as one the grey plague is directly from it.

 

1 hour ago, broken one said:

 

 

 

1 hour ago, broken one said:

moreover it exists in Westeros already, so I do not expect JC to bring any "pandemic" to the land.

It's dormant in Shireen, it's not in JonCon.

[punzerknacker]

3 hours ago, Lord Lannister said:

It wouldn't surprise me if he intentionally spreads greyscale to Westeros because he thinks it will undermine his enemies.

I hope not. A gay man spreading a contagious disease on purpose, that would be in bad taste.

[Aldarion]

 

18 hours ago, Canon Claude said:

And also, is it just me or did GRRM make fAegon exert some real Joffrey/Viserys vibes? Why should we believe anything that Varys said about him in his sales pitch to Kevan Lannister? (and also, why would he try to convince a dying man how great fAegon is?)

Eh, not really. Sure, Aegon is far from an "ideal prince", but he is nowhere close to Joffrey or Viserys. He gets angry and emotional and may be impulsive, but he is not cruel. One who compares him to Joffrey is Tyrion, but even then it is more of a "ah, I angered another spoiled prince" than "he is a monster like Joffrey". And Tyrion himself - especially at the time - is rather far from being psychically and emotionally stable.

5 hours ago, broken one said:

How come Harlon Greyjoy did not spread the "pandemic"? Euro has even pinched his nose to finish him of and nothing happened. Seems greyscales is not so contagious as most think, moreover it exists in Westeros already, so I do not expect JC to bring any "pandemic" to the land.

There is a theory that what Connington has is not greyscale but Grey Plague...

[James Steller]

9 hours ago, rotting sea cow said:

Because, Varys is not talking to Kevan, he is talking to us. The fourth wall how is called.

That’s the obvious answer, of COURSE the author is giving us information through the dialogue. That’s not the issue. The issue is what is the in-universe logic for Varys to monologue at a man he’s not bothering to convince. The scene would have made much more sense if he’d wingman’d fAegon to try and win Kevan over to the cause. That would justify the monologue much more. But I believe the point of the question was this: if Varys is going to kill Kevan regardless, what does he gain by rambling about fAegon‘s worthiness? There’s no point in trying to convince a dying enemy of what’s going on unless Varys wants to rub it in Kevan’s face that he was wrong, and Varys clearly doesn’t hate Kevan that much.

[chatty83]

8 hours ago, broken one said:

Why, because he kicked the cyvasse board? c'mon XD No, he seems very reasonable, determined and goal oriented. He's not lazy nor vain. I do not believe Varys but I rely on Aegons surroundings attitude, including Tyrion, who knows and hates Joffrey's type.

I am sure it will turn out to be futile but not because Aegon is bloody madman. It is just how it is in life (and ASOIAF). He'll be biten by a snake during a nap,  will choke on a cherry or will be eaten by a dragon as a fake Targ

He is also desperate for action and got something to prove. He cant wait to attack Storms End and put himself forth to lead the attack even though he didnt have to.

Not saying he has a chip on his shoulder like Viserys or Joffrey but hes definitely got something pent up inside him that he wants to prove to the world.

[chatty83]

43 minutes ago, James Steller said:

That’s the obvious answer, of COURSE the author is giving us information through the dialogue. That’s not the issue. The issue is what is the in-universe logic for Varys to monologue at a man he’s not bothering to convince. The scene would have made much more sense if he’d wingman’d fAegon to try and win Kevan over to the cause. That would justify the monologue much more. But I believe the point of the question was this: if Varys is going to kill Kevan regardless, what does he gain by rambling about fAegon‘s worthiness? There’s no point in trying to convince a dying enemy of what’s going on unless Varys wants to rub it in Kevan’s face that he was wrong, and Varys clearly doesn’t hate Kevan that much.

Could simply be his own guilt talking. He seems to like Kevan well enough (as far as someone whose willing to shoot you with a crossbow is) and maybes he is eleviating his own guilt at killing him by trying to explain why he did it before he passes.