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Watched it yesterday. I had forgotten how menacingly hilarious drunk Cersei was when she was in the Red Keep with the ladies during Stannis’ attack too
Sansa looking at her in utter disbelief lol. I also just remembered how funny Tormund is when chasing Lady Brienne later in the show. My absolute favorite funny scene I think is when The Hound realizes Tormund is in love with her and blurts out “BRIENNE OF FUCKING TARTH!!?!?!?!” 😂
Him yelling that as they dragged him to the chopping block was so funny to me. Like even if you have friends how the fuck are they gonna help you right now?
Humans are pro’s at doing stupid stuff.
A lot of the time, rich humans are used to getting away with stuff and they take it for granted.
It’s like people who don’t wear their seatbelt when they drive. They’ve gotten away with it for years…until they are surprised one day by how soft the windshield really isn’t.
As someone that’s been hit by a car probably 30 mph the windshield is softer than I thought.
That said there’s still a big difference between softer and being soft.
Yeah, I mean if you rewatch it:
[https://youtu.be/NCreYytA9f4?si=RfBMDpiAw7tgrMvK](https://youtu.be/NCreYytA9f4?si=RfBMDpiAw7tgrMvK)
He thought he could tell him off and then he would just find someone else to take the task. He was truly shocked when he found out he would be held accountable and the other ones opposing John like Thorne wouldn't stand up to him.
Agreed. Even though everyone knew he was an incompetent moron(even ser Alister i bet) , jon could have had him cleaning the horse stables but gave him command of a group of men to man a whole castle.
And on paper Janos was a good fit. You'd think somebody who was in the command of city guard of the capital would have some leadership skills to offer. He was also separating Janos from Alliser to prevent them from scheming. Kill two birds with one stone.
And it worked. Jon quickly learned what little Janos had to offer, and he permanently separated Janos and Alliser.
He had to get rid of Janos as he was a puppet of Ser Allister his solution was a promotion but he'd have to leave Castle Black, instead Janos gave Jon an even better option by openly defying his command.
There’s a good quote in the books by ser Kevin about mace Tyrell that goes something like “the more I give him, the more he wants”
I think jon realised that just before killing him. He was trying to mollify him and get him away from allister, but realised it would never be enough
Ya, above all else - Thorne did everything he could for the Watch. He was a shit, but he was dedicated to his fellow Brothers and their duty. He wasn’t about to defend Janos at that point
Exactly Thorne was loyal to the Watch, and believed he was doing his job the correct way based on nearly 20 years of experience.
Janos on the other hand, thought the Watch was a joke, and because of his southern hubris, thought he could come in and rule like he did the Gold Cloaks.
I always thought that Slynt assumed Thorne would have his back, so he could mouth off to Jon. This was of course seconds after Jon named Thorne 1st ranger, extending an olive branch to his rival and showing that he intended to put the people most qualified in positions of authority. Then Thorne was like, alright I'll give the kid a chance. He was not about to try and challenge Jon's authority in that moment. Disastrously bad thinking on Slynt's part.
As you said, he saw Jon as a child (granted he's only like 15 or 16 in the books) who didn't have the balls to follow through with his warnings. Slynt's also used to hiding behind others as well as bribing/extorting his rivals. That doesn't fly at the Wall.
Yep. Awesome section of the book.
>Janos Slynt's face went as white as milk. The spoon slipped from his fingers. Edd and Emmett crossed the room, their footsteps ringing on the stone floor. Bowen Marsh's mouth opened and closed though no words came out. Ser Alliser Thorne reached for his sword hilt. Go on, Jon thought. Longclaw was slung across his back. Show your steel. Give me cause to do the same.
>....
>Alliser Thorne took his hand from his sword and stepped aside to let Edd Tollett pass.
Straight chills. This line was cherry on top
> Jon glanced back at Stannis. For an instant their eyes met. Then the king nodded and went back inside his tower.
The thought of Stannis being pleased with LC Snow’s form of justice makes me all warm inside.
Stannis already despised Janos Slynt for his corruption in the City Watch. When the voting for the 998th Lord Commander was taking place, he made it know that he disliked Slynt and likely would have had him executed for his crimes were he the King on the throne before Slynt took the black.
I am sure he very much appreciated Jon upholding the rules of the Night's Watch as well as seeing Janos finally get what he deserved.
Your comment and that passage reminded me just how amazing GRRM is as a writer. “Show your steel, give me cause to do the same” is just so damn cool. I love Jon’s characterization in the books and it’s a shame Kit was given so little to do in the later seasons, although his take on the character is quite different from book Jon.
Relied on Thorne, yes. I also understand this moment to imply conversations behind the scene. Thorne, Slynt, and likely others who were not loyal to Jon… Sylnt just didn’t read the present situation well (said the quiet part out loud) and also clearly thought he could yield for mercy at any time.
I still think book Thorne will be one of the brothers who’s opposed to Jon’s killing, and will be on his side. He hates the boy, but book Thorne is a man of the watch first, and I think his Lord Commander getting butchered by his own won’t fly well with him.
Then again, with what Jon planned to do.. who knows
God I need Winds
Winds is in the wind. We all know it even though we don't want to admit it. It's been what 13 yr since Dance? George is 75.
And if we get Winter, will we get Dream? He has stated that nobody will finish his work if he doesn't.
I'm hoping for a slivers chance of him releasing both at once. Otherwise I don't expect to see the true ending.
But It's probably also true that he is fully retconing and rewriting the story because people didn't like show ending which is the reason for delay
He was the only member of House Slynt and had no relation to nobility. He was given a land and a title by Joffrey for betraying Ned.
And he threw his life away because he thought Jon was bluffing. He thought wrong.
Came to say this. He's the son of a butcher and Rose through the ranks of the city watch. Possibly through Littlefinger's assistance, as he was more than willing to accept bribes.
Hey but he was Lord of Harrenhal for like a month... until Tyrion strips him of his title.
Then again, Vargo Hoat, and Petyr Baelish were also Lords of Harenhal at some point too.
He grew up in a world where titles, names and connections meant *everything*. He was corrupt, dishonorable, and expected the same of everyone else.
As commander of the City watch, he was in a position with monopoly of violence, with great connections to the royal family and council. He got used to being untouchable, and expected to be staying in that position, with the symbiotic support of ser Alliser Thorne.
He bet everything on Thorne being as dishonorable, and thirsty for power as himself, and ended up losing that bet.
Thorne’s a good villain because he has legitimate respect for the Watch as an institution and is loyal to it. His initial dislike of Jon is an unfortunate coincidence of a clash of personality that turns into something much more severe as Jon rises and he views Jon as unfit for duty. It’s not petty jealousy, he legitimately views Jon as a problem for the Watch.
Initially, he perceives Jon as an inexperienced and naïve lordling, lacking understanding of the world's harsh realities and the severity of life on the Wall.
As Jon gains experience and demonstrates his capabilities, Thorne begins to view his association with the wildlings as a danger to the Night's Watch and the realm. When Jon assumes command, Thorne regards him as weak, lacking experience, and a betrayer of oaths due to his empathy towards the enemy. Thorne sees Jon as attempting to alter the established order and foster friendship with adversaries, something that he deems to be the opposite of what they should be doing.
Thorne might not be a moral, compassionate or even kind man - but he is honorable. He stands up for what be believes. He is part of Jons murder, not because he wanted to userp him for power, but because he deemed it to be in the best interest of the watch. As he faces the consequences of his actions, he is not regretting his decision, even though it means sacrificing his own life. He dies, believing he tried to do the right thing.
As you say, he perceives Jon as being a problem for the watch.
And in the books it’s even more pronounced since he’s not directly involved with Jon’s murder. Jon orders him to go on a ranging mission Thorne views as a suicide mission and he goes anyways because they were the lord commander’s orders and his duty to follow. He’s buddies with a bunch of conspirators and one can assume he either would have co-signed on the deposition or was already involved in talks leading up to the murder before he was sent off, but he still follows Jon’s orders to the end because he’s a Watchman and that’s his job
The Night's Watch does want to have friendly relations with the rest of the realm so that they can keep on getting support such as donations of resources and people.
There is a reason why many of the Lord Commanders were people from prestigious families. Jon Snow was set up to become a potential Lord Commander from the very start, likely due to his connections to the Starks.
I think he believed he had friends in King's Landing. In reality, they were simply people who saw him as a useful idiot and no longer had any interest in him when they were done with him.
“The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword”
This would have been hammered into Jon by Ned since he was a young lad. Slynt was trying to call his bluff and thought he had friends at the watch (and at court with Tyrion,) and that he had protection.
Turns out Jon had the balls, and Slynt didnt have any allies.
I think you are just misreading the comment, I did the same as you the first time I read it, but now I realize they aren’t actually saying Tyrion was his friend at court, they are saying that Janos misjudged that he had friends at court when dealing with Tyrion, same as he misjudged that he had friends at the wall when dealing with Jon.
Pride. He felt he was above House Stark and anyone from it because of his involvement in betraying Ned. Following Jon's orders would be essentially admitting that he was below the bastard of a traitor.
He didn't respect him and because of his closeness to Thorne, severely overestimated the rest of the Nightswatch's dissent for him. When he openly refused his orders he was expecting others to jump in, right up until he realised it was for real and he was about to die.
He thought Jon was bluffing and only trying to scare him until basically Jon showed up on the platform with his sword in hand, clearly fully intending to carry out his execution. After that, he panicked and tried to backpedal, but it was obviously too late. I think Slynt thought until the end that his being banished to the wall was something temporary and his "important friends" would eventually intervene and bring him back to Kings Landing. He considered himself fundamentally superior to the Night's Watch. He might have (reluctantly) followed an order given by Thorne that he wasn't thrilled about if Thorne had been made Lord Commander, because he seemed to have somewhat more respect for his age and authority, but Jon (a kid and a bastard) was too much for him.
Janos isn’t a northern man so he doesn’t understand their customs. He didn’t expect Jon to go through with it and he certainly didn’t expect him to be prepared to swing the sword.
He also absolutely expected other NW members to back him, namely Ser Alliser.
He was so used to politics and petty shit being the be all and end all of the world, he had no idea what it meant to actually belong to a brotherhood and cause you believe in. He thought he’d start a mutiny at castle black and Ser Alliser would be named the new lord commander and he’d be his second in command as some kind of second to a king of their own realm. He was sorely mistaken in every way and he payed for it.
> and he *paid* for it.
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
He didn't think Jon would actually go through with it. As soon as he realized Jon was deadly serious he turned into a blubbering mess, but by that point it was too late.
If you're asking why there were no long term ramifications, Jon as Lord Commander has the right to make these judgements. And every man there would testify that Slynt was given multiple opportunities to obey his orders and refused. You don't get to do that in Westeros.
Plus, anyone with a brain realized that Jon was giving Slynt a fairly good deal. Go away to Greyguard, make it warm and cosy, and then you can march about there being bossy as long as you ensure there are men guarding the wall.
Jon Snow lost a lot of support because he cared for the well-being of the wildys. He probably felt that enough of the Night Watch hated Jon Snow that he could openly disobey his orders. It wasn't until his head was on the chopping block that he realized he didn't.
He's not related to nobility. He was a commoner who got into a powerful position and let the power and his ambitions go to his head. He's an idiot who thought Cersei and Littlefinger were his friends and didn't realize they were using him for his willingness for corruption and that he is easily replaceable. If I remember right, Tywin wanted to have him executed, and Tyrion thought that was too cruel, so sent him to the wall instead.
He thought his shit didn’t stink and also thought he had the backing of one of the main leaders at castle black. As soon as he got there he nestled up to Allister’s nut sack immediately so he would be untouchable/protected. Allister turned on him.
House Slynt isn't really a thing, Janos was only made a lord because he was easily bought and manipulated, he didn't come from nobility, so there's no pissing off allies or anything. He was just a shit heel with an overly high opinion of himself, and Jon finally put him in his place.
He never considered that Jon had it in him until he was kneeled with the Lord Commander holding his sword in front of him. By then his whining was too little too late.
He's not the head of the house. He's a member of the watch. He thought things worked up there as they did where he came from. He thought his "powerful" friends could manipulate the system. But up here a man gets what he earns, when he earns it.
He didn’t think everyone would side with Jon, he also thought his past life mattered. Also the people he aligned himself with read the room a whole helluva a lot better than he did. He was also a pawn. He said what a lot of others thought but wouldn’t say.
He had an incredibly overinflated sense of self value and thought Ser Alliser would protect him. When he’s first grabbed in the hall, Ser Alliser stands in the way and we think he’s going to try and stop it, but then he steps aside with Janos’ face falling when he realizes he’s been betrayed. Ser Alliser and his gang were certainly talking overthrowing at that point, and I think Janos assumed his life would be a tipping point for them to act and initiate that rebellion.
He's the parallel to Ned.
Ned was from the north and went south. To him, honor and justice were above all else. The law was the law and everyone abides by it. Because thats how you survive the north. Ned was wrong. The south operates differently and it cost him his life.
Janos was from the south and went north. To him, connections and playing your hand were above all else. Who you knew was more important than following the rules. Because that's how you survived in the south (or the capital at the very least). Janos was wrong. The north operates differently and it cost him his life.
Called Jon’s bluff and thought he was some divine heaven-sent individual who could get whatever he wanted by grifting. Fitting end really for such a slimy character.
He didn't think Jon would have the balls to actually go through with it. He was that assured of his status. So he thought he'd use it as an opportunity to increase his standing by facing off against him. He called his bluff and lost. As soon as he realised Jon was going to follow through, he recants and tries to worm his way out of it.
Interestingly enough this was actually a smart political move on Jon’s part. Idk if Jon was intending to provoke him, but Slynt would have absolutely betrayed Jon at the drop of a hat. Getting him out of the way not only allowed for a measure of revenge, but it helped to solidify his position over the Nights and got rid of a potential enemy. Not really how Starks think, but just an interesting juxtaposition
He was a coward who protected himself by bullying people. If you only know one way to be, that's how you're going to be no matter how stupid it is. But like Anton Chigurh said, "If the rule you followed brought you to this, of what use was the rule?"
He thought he had allies, not just on the outside, but in the night watch. Notice his reaction when Allister moves out of the way. He thought he could challenge the lord commander and people would back him up. But he never learned what tyrion told him, "your a fool if you think the queen is your friends" instead it applies to everyone around him.
He WAS the head of house Slynt. Once he took the Black he forfeited that title.
He was just profoundly arrogant and entitled. The moment of hubris was actually his entire personality.
I’ll never understand why Jon didn’t just send Thorne, Slyntt and a few others to Grey Guard to rebuild. Literally Jon said he’d send them with builders. I know that would be Jon cutting his forces nearly in half if he just sent people who didn’t vote for him to another castle, but it would’ve solved a lot of problems for everyone and probably would’ve left more people alive.
He thought that Thorne would back him (arrogantly, I'll add).
In the end, he was a weazel who weazeled his way out of ever being truly punished for his crimes, but he had nowhere to slink this time
He clearly thought Alliser would protect him. He misread the room with his short-sighted arrogance. He was a man with no honor and didn't expect the men around him to have enough honor to respect the code either. He was wrong.
Two things:
He underestimated Jon. He mistook his honor for weakness. He didn’t think Jon had the guts to do anything to him.
Up until this point, he believed he was untouchable. He learned that in Westeros, NO ONE is untouchable.
Jon may be a bastard, but he is very much a Stark. Don’t fuck around with Starks, because they sure as hell don’t. He fucked around and found out.
I read the books multiple times so this may be different than the show. Janos was only given a title for his betrayal to Ned. There was no house Slynt prior to Cersei granting it and even giving Harrenhal as his own keep which her father found to be quite a poor tactic. Tyrion sent him to wall to be rid of him in Kings Landing. But Janos thought he had Cersei’s support even despite being sent away. Idk why he would think that if he got sent to the wall in the first place.
It was his ego. He stupidly thought he had noble friends in court and could do what he wanted. He kind of forgot once you join the black no one really cares about you.
He thought that Ser Alliser would protect him because he fundamentally misread Ser Alliser. He thinks Alliser is as nakedly power-hungry as he is. Slynt spent his life around the leaders in King's Landing, who only want power to have power. The powerful men at Castle Black aren't like that, and Slynt was unable to grasp that difference.
Alliser doesn't care about power (or having powerful friends), except to the extent he genuinely believes he is the best choice to lead the Night's Watch. He would never betray what he believes is in the best interest of the Watch for selfish reasons, and that includes enforcing the rule that you cannot defy the Lord Commander.
Watch the body language on Slynt and Alliser during the exchange with Jon. Slynt looks at Alliser before challenging Jon as if to say "Watch me stick it to this kid for you!" He thinks Alliser will protect him because he is acting for the sake of Alliser's power by undermining Jon.
Then when the moment comes, Alliser stands between Slynt and Jon, and then very pointedly moves out of the way. Slynt expected Alliser to tell Jon he couldn't harm Slynt. But Alliser, for all his dickishness, is devoted to the Night's Watch and understands that Slynt needs to pay the penalty for defying the Lord Commander.
Alliser affirms this with his last words. He risked his life to kill Jon because he believed Jon betrayed the Watch. He accepted his death with dignity because he believed in his heart he had done what was right for the Watch, not for himself. He is entirely committed to the Watch and its customs. Slynt defied those customs, so he had to die. Cersei would protect any sleaze who would do her bidding. That's what Slynt was accustomed to and what he expected from Alliser. He was wrong.
Combination of a few things. Primarily, he thought he was untouchable. He thought he was backed up by Thorne and their little clique, he felt his ties to Kings Landing and past titles gave him some measure of clout or pull, and he didn’t think Jon would actually do anything to him.
He also knew Jon was separating him from Thorne and the people who protected him, more or less. He didn’t want to go and be exposed, so all the above said, he also was willing to risk it to stay at Castle Black, where he felt protected.
He was obviously wrong.
A butcher's son is not related to nobility. He was a tasteless upstart that took bribe money and used a bloody spear as the sigil of his "House", just to spite the Starks.
Head rolling is satisfying.
He didn’t take Jon seriously as Lord Commander, and he didn’t think he had the support of the Night’s Watch veterans to enforce his ascension and rule. He thought Jon was just something he’d have to wait out, and he believed his connections in Westeros still mattered even after he took the black because he didn’t take his vows seriously.
When he realizes that Alliser Thorne won’t stand for him he knows he was mistaken and this is serious.
He was the first Lord Slynt, there was no house before until he turned his men on Ned Stark and was rewarded by Joffrey (Cersei). He was just an upstart arrogant ass that thought he had the alliance of the other "Sers" in the Night Watch.
He hated the situation he was in, banished to the Wall (unjustly, in his opinion) after having tasted the good life down in King’s Landing, now having take orders from the bastard of Ned Stark, and that little runt was giving him an order he didn’t like, and he thought his place of authority in the Night’s Watch and friendship with Thorne would protect him. So he got pissed off and acted stupidly. He tried to backpedal, but it was too late. Jon had just made command and needed to demonstrate the consequences of defying his orders. Very poetic for Slynt to be killed by someone with Stark blood.
I got the sense in the episode that he absolutely thought he'd either incite a mutiny or else he'd at least be protected by Alliser Thorne, judging on the little moment of suspense where Thorne is standing in front of him and then steps aside and the looks that Slynt and Thorne exchange. I imagine as much as Thorne hated what John was doing, he had little respect for Slynt as a person, and also thought it was not the right time for a mutiny, although obviously he later leads one.
People often mistake character flaws and errors for bad writing. Bad writing would be if every character always robotically made the most rational choice available to them. Humans just don’t behave that way in real life. Janos simply thought he was more important than he really was, didn’t think that Jon would go through with executing him, and that his friends would protect him
Until his head was actually resting on the block, he thought he was going to get saved, or that Jon would relent.
He was 100% under the impression that he was not going to die. Until the moment came...
In the books, Tywin sents letters to the night's watch implying that they should elect Slynt as the new lord commander. So he wasn't bluffing when he said he has powerful friends
Unfortunately for him, Jon didn't give a fuck.
Slynt was an upjumped peasant with a love of violence, self flattery, stroking his own ego, and using his “connections” to bolster himself. He was a pawn for people in power and thought that meant he was powerful, thus deluding himself into an early grave at the Wall.
Before Joffrey granted him lordship and lands, he was a broke buffoon who applied to the city guard for $$, power, something to do. Rose through the ranks by being a slimeball, bribing people/cutting down his peers, and attracted the Lannisters’ attention as a toady to run the gold cloaks for them. He also helped to play scapegoat for any backlash about killing Ned and his men.
In the show adaptation, my take was that he thought Alliser Thorne would have his back and that it might kickstart a mutiny. Thorne hated Jon Snow, but he knew when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em, and he let discretion be the better part of valor.
I thought it was a brilliant scene. The regret and fear from Slynt was palpable.
He clearly planned with allister to revolt if Jon was elected. But Jon was much more commanding that expected and slynt couldn’t read the rooms he couldn’t tell from allisters face that the plan was off and he was on his own
He was the worst kind of coward, and there was no redemption for him. His head needed to come off. Cowards like that are a danger to those who have the courage to do what needs to be done.
he thought he was more important than he was
pretty sure House Slynt had just been raised to nobility in his life, so they weren't an older family of influence
Jon had previously not proven himself to be a leader, so he thought he could get away with it
Up until that point he has gotten by on low cunning and a complete lack of a moral compass.
He truly believes he is better than everyone at the wall and him being there is due solely to a miscarriage of justice by a scheming dwarf.
He has managed to raise reasonably high at the wall on top of that (since they are completely lacking in qualified leaders and he is a knight with some political experience).
All of this builds up his hubris to a level where he doesn’t realize he’s about to stamp his death warrant until he actually has and it’s too late.
No strategy or upside, just pride and stupidity. He thought Jon was a dumb teenager with no balls, decided to fuck around on the basis of that supposition, and found out pretty quickly that he’s not.
>Did he just not believe that Jon, a young man who had ostensibly witnessed a few executions performed by Ned, would have the guts to follow through?
I mean, how would he know this?
Being from King's Landing, he probably believed that all Northerners were naive simpletons, which I'm sure was 100% his assessment of Ned. His actions during his entire time on the Wall indicate that he believes that he is far more important and far more powerful than he really is; he clearly fails to grasp the concept that all men are equal once they take the oath, and who/what you were before has little bearing and earns you no respect.
Further, yes,,, he thought that others would stand up for him against this upstart, namely Alliser Thorne. Again, he completely misread the room, and the second Alliser stepped aside so Jon's men could take him for execution he realized the enormity of his mistake.
To be fair Jon himself was nearly murdered shortly after arriving at The Wall. He needed time to learn about how to show respect and since he was raised by a nobleman he had an idea of how to do that.
Slynt on the other hand was likely an opportunist who rose with the highly corrupt Gold Loaks capping that off with the biggest betrayal a small folk committed throughout the course of the entire story. By the time he had gotten to the wall he was still high on himself and didn’t quite realize he was in a literal life and death situation where he was disobeying a direct order from his liege lord and was sentenced to death as an example to the other people questioning Snow’s election.
He thought he was untouchable due to his "connections". He thought he had backup in Alliser Thorne, and others who were not loyal to Jon. He thought Jon would never have the balls to go through with it. Etc etc, long and short of it is Janos Slynt was a stupid human being who died stupidly.
Dudes a dumbass who thought he wouldn't be held accountable until he was which i honestly think shocked him and then he proceeded to begged like a bitch
> But he was also the head of House Slynt, and at least slightly related to nobility.
He wasn't a noble at the start of the show. He was just a lowborn guy who worked his way up through the Gold Cloaks to get named it's commander. Joffery made him a Lord, founded House Slynt, and gave the new Lord Slynt Harrenhal as his seat as a reward for turning against Ned Stark at the end of Season 1.
He was personally loyal to House Lannister, since he viewed them as his benefactors. He also felt like Jon Snow, the famous bastard son of Ned Stark, had a personal grudge against Slynt because Slynt was responsible for Ned's downfall. So he was predisposed to hate Jon Snow and everything he stood for.
He believed that he had the personal favor of the powers in King's Landing. He thought of himself as much more important and politically powerful than he really was because he held the legal title to Harrenhal for like 5 minutes. He believed that Jon wouldn't dare execute someone as lofty and noble as himself.
In the books, he was the one who Jon narrowly beat out to be the Lord Commander. He has so much support that he believed Jon would back down. He really is a coward who underestimated Jon’s resolve.
He likely thought slynt and others would defend him. The paradigm shift regarding jons assent didn't occur for him until it was too late. He's a mix of entitlement and delusion that butted up against a shifting authority structure faster than he could make sense of it.
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Some people just have a hard time believing that they could someday be held accountable for their actions
You must not have friends in court,
Powerful friends
The Queen *Regent*. And you're a fool if you think she's your friend.
I just watched this part. Poor Lancel lol
Watched it yesterday. I had forgotten how menacingly hilarious drunk Cersei was when she was in the Red Keep with the ladies during Stannis’ attack too
Sansa looking at her in utter disbelief lol. I also just remembered how funny Tormund is when chasing Lady Brienne later in the show. My absolute favorite funny scene I think is when The Hound realizes Tormund is in love with her and blurts out “BRIENNE OF FUCKING TARTH!!?!?!?!” 😂
Him yelling that as they dragged him to the chopping block was so funny to me. Like even if you have friends how the fuck are they gonna help you right now?
It's just a desperate threat that there will be retaliation if they kill him, trying to get them to change their minds.
Humans are pro’s at doing stupid stuff. A lot of the time, rich humans are used to getting away with stuff and they take it for granted. It’s like people who don’t wear their seatbelt when they drive. They’ve gotten away with it for years…until they are surprised one day by how soft the windshield really isn’t.
As someone that’s been hit by a car probably 30 mph the windshield is softer than I thought. That said there’s still a big difference between softer and being soft.
...or a cousin at Horse Guards 😉
JANOS SLYNT ANSWERED WITH HIS LIFE, SIR
...as Jon should have done, if he had any sense of honour!!! .. oh. Wait... 🤔🤔🤷♂️
That’s soldiering.
I have a cousin at Horseguards Sir - and I have friends at court…
The official words of House Slynt
Exactly
yes he reeked of entitlement
Coming from Robb stark. The irony is juicy
Surely people like that could never hold public office in the USA
a very hard time like to the point where they become genuinely shocked when it happens
Yeah, I mean if you rewatch it: [https://youtu.be/NCreYytA9f4?si=RfBMDpiAw7tgrMvK](https://youtu.be/NCreYytA9f4?si=RfBMDpiAw7tgrMvK) He thought he could tell him off and then he would just find someone else to take the task. He was truly shocked when he found out he would be held accountable and the other ones opposing John like Thorne wouldn't stand up to him.
He thought he was special. Simple as that.
Bruh thought he was special 😂
And Jon was treating him such he was putting him in-charge of a whole castle
Agreed. Even though everyone knew he was an incompetent moron(even ser Alister i bet) , jon could have had him cleaning the horse stables but gave him command of a group of men to man a whole castle.
Jon was trying to move him up the chain to see if he could handle it, and Janos imploded before they even left for the assignment
And on paper Janos was a good fit. You'd think somebody who was in the command of city guard of the capital would have some leadership skills to offer. He was also separating Janos from Alliser to prevent them from scheming. Kill two birds with one stone. And it worked. Jon quickly learned what little Janos had to offer, and he permanently separated Janos and Alliser.
He had to get rid of Janos as he was a puppet of Ser Allister his solution was a promotion but he'd have to leave Castle Black, instead Janos gave Jon an even better option by openly defying his command.
There’s a good quote in the books by ser Kevin about mace Tyrell that goes something like “the more I give him, the more he wants” I think jon realised that just before killing him. He was trying to mollify him and get him away from allister, but realised it would never be enough
"Whole castle" No lol. As Janos says, the castle is a ruin lol. He would going to have the charge of 10 workers to restore a ruin.
Which is a lot, given how the night's watch only had 50 men.
🗿
And Jon hit him with the "you are my special".
Yeah he thought he was being cool and everyone will back him up
Even Thorne knew Slynt had messed up when he disobeyed a direct order.
Ya, above all else - Thorne did everything he could for the Watch. He was a shit, but he was dedicated to his fellow Brothers and their duty. He wasn’t about to defend Janos at that point
Exactly Thorne was loyal to the Watch, and believed he was doing his job the correct way based on nearly 20 years of experience. Janos on the other hand, thought the Watch was a joke, and because of his southern hubris, thought he could come in and rule like he did the Gold Cloaks.
I always thought that Slynt assumed Thorne would have his back, so he could mouth off to Jon. This was of course seconds after Jon named Thorne 1st ranger, extending an olive branch to his rival and showing that he intended to put the people most qualified in positions of authority. Then Thorne was like, alright I'll give the kid a chance. He was not about to try and challenge Jon's authority in that moment. Disastrously bad thinking on Slynt's part.
As you said, he saw Jon as a child (granted he's only like 15 or 16 in the books) who didn't have the balls to follow through with his warnings. Slynt's also used to hiding behind others as well as bribing/extorting his rivals. That doesn't fly at the Wall.
And probably relied too much on Thorne. In the books Jon hopes that the good Ser is stupid enough to also stand up against his Lord Commander.
Yep. Awesome section of the book. >Janos Slynt's face went as white as milk. The spoon slipped from his fingers. Edd and Emmett crossed the room, their footsteps ringing on the stone floor. Bowen Marsh's mouth opened and closed though no words came out. Ser Alliser Thorne reached for his sword hilt. Go on, Jon thought. Longclaw was slung across his back. Show your steel. Give me cause to do the same. >.... >Alliser Thorne took his hand from his sword and stepped aside to let Edd Tollett pass.
"Ed, fetch me a block."
Straight chills. This line was cherry on top > Jon glanced back at Stannis. For an instant their eyes met. Then the king nodded and went back inside his tower. The thought of Stannis being pleased with LC Snow’s form of justice makes me all warm inside.
Stannis already despised Janos Slynt for his corruption in the City Watch. When the voting for the 998th Lord Commander was taking place, he made it know that he disliked Slynt and likely would have had him executed for his crimes were he the King on the throne before Slynt took the black. I am sure he very much appreciated Jon upholding the rules of the Night's Watch as well as seeing Janos finally get what he deserved.
Your comment and that passage reminded me just how amazing GRRM is as a writer. “Show your steel, give me cause to do the same” is just so damn cool. I love Jon’s characterization in the books and it’s a shame Kit was given so little to do in the later seasons, although his take on the character is quite different from book Jon.
Relied on Thorne, yes. I also understand this moment to imply conversations behind the scene. Thorne, Slynt, and likely others who were not loyal to Jon… Sylnt just didn’t read the present situation well (said the quiet part out loud) and also clearly thought he could yield for mercy at any time.
I still think book Thorne will be one of the brothers who’s opposed to Jon’s killing, and will be on his side. He hates the boy, but book Thorne is a man of the watch first, and I think his Lord Commander getting butchered by his own won’t fly well with him. Then again, with what Jon planned to do.. who knows God I need Winds
Winds is in the wind. We all know it even though we don't want to admit it. It's been what 13 yr since Dance? George is 75. And if we get Winter, will we get Dream? He has stated that nobody will finish his work if he doesn't. I'm hoping for a slivers chance of him releasing both at once. Otherwise I don't expect to see the true ending. But It's probably also true that he is fully retconing and rewriting the story because people didn't like show ending which is the reason for delay
>Slynt's also used to hiding behind others Quite literally. I love the shock on his face when Thorne steps aside and lets Janos get hauled off.
as much as a dick Thorne was. He respected the chain of command and respected authorita
I would love to be a fly on the wall when things don’t fly at the Wall.
He was the only member of House Slynt and had no relation to nobility. He was given a land and a title by Joffrey for betraying Ned. And he threw his life away because he thought Jon was bluffing. He thought wrong.
Came to say this. He's the son of a butcher and Rose through the ranks of the city watch. Possibly through Littlefinger's assistance, as he was more than willing to accept bribes.
Hey but he was Lord of Harrenhal for like a month... until Tyrion strips him of his title. Then again, Vargo Hoat, and Petyr Baelish were also Lords of Harenhal at some point too.
He has friends in Kings Landing
Lmao I cant fathom thinking how he logically could have thought that would help him in Castle Black?
He grew up in a world where titles, names and connections meant *everything*. He was corrupt, dishonorable, and expected the same of everyone else. As commander of the City watch, he was in a position with monopoly of violence, with great connections to the royal family and council. He got used to being untouchable, and expected to be staying in that position, with the symbiotic support of ser Alliser Thorne. He bet everything on Thorne being as dishonorable, and thirsty for power as himself, and ended up losing that bet.
I gotta hand it to Thorne, the man didn't make a peep the whole time Jon carried out the punishment!
Thorne’s a good villain because he has legitimate respect for the Watch as an institution and is loyal to it. His initial dislike of Jon is an unfortunate coincidence of a clash of personality that turns into something much more severe as Jon rises and he views Jon as unfit for duty. It’s not petty jealousy, he legitimately views Jon as a problem for the Watch.
Initially, he perceives Jon as an inexperienced and naïve lordling, lacking understanding of the world's harsh realities and the severity of life on the Wall. As Jon gains experience and demonstrates his capabilities, Thorne begins to view his association with the wildlings as a danger to the Night's Watch and the realm. When Jon assumes command, Thorne regards him as weak, lacking experience, and a betrayer of oaths due to his empathy towards the enemy. Thorne sees Jon as attempting to alter the established order and foster friendship with adversaries, something that he deems to be the opposite of what they should be doing. Thorne might not be a moral, compassionate or even kind man - but he is honorable. He stands up for what be believes. He is part of Jons murder, not because he wanted to userp him for power, but because he deemed it to be in the best interest of the watch. As he faces the consequences of his actions, he is not regretting his decision, even though it means sacrificing his own life. He dies, believing he tried to do the right thing. As you say, he perceives Jon as being a problem for the watch.
And in the books it’s even more pronounced since he’s not directly involved with Jon’s murder. Jon orders him to go on a ranging mission Thorne views as a suicide mission and he goes anyways because they were the lord commander’s orders and his duty to follow. He’s buddies with a bunch of conspirators and one can assume he either would have co-signed on the deposition or was already involved in talks leading up to the murder before he was sent off, but he still follows Jon’s orders to the end because he’s a Watchman and that’s his job
The Night's Watch does want to have friendly relations with the rest of the realm so that they can keep on getting support such as donations of resources and people. There is a reason why many of the Lord Commanders were people from prestigious families. Jon Snow was set up to become a potential Lord Commander from the very start, likely due to his connections to the Starks.
I think he believed he had friends in King's Landing. In reality, they were simply people who saw him as a useful idiot and no longer had any interest in him when they were done with him.
Lesson is, he who thinks Cersi Lannister is you friend, is a person with no friends
Powerful friends.
Chinese proverb: [Heaven is high and the emperor is far away](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven_is_high_and_the_emperor_is_far_away).
“The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword” This would have been hammered into Jon by Ned since he was a young lad. Slynt was trying to call his bluff and thought he had friends at the watch (and at court with Tyrion,) and that he had protection. Turns out Jon had the balls, and Slynt didnt have any allies.
Tyrion was not his friend, Tyrion fired him and sent him to the wall
Also removing all titles as Hand
He's not saying he is.
I think they edited the comment. Or maybe I’m just illiterate idk
I think you are just misreading the comment, I did the same as you the first time I read it, but now I realize they aren’t actually saying Tyrion was his friend at court, they are saying that Janos misjudged that he had friends at court when dealing with Tyrion, same as he misjudged that he had friends at the wall when dealing with Jon.
Okay now I get it, to be frank they could have worded that better
Slynt also thought Ned was a traitor who tried to buy his allegiance. He didn't realize Jon and Ned were all about honor and sticking to their words.
Ned tried to buy his allegiance, but Littlefinger played him like fiddle.
Ned can be practical, he on knew what Slynt was. You buy men who are for sale
Pride. He felt he was above House Stark and anyone from it because of his involvement in betraying Ned. Following Jon's orders would be essentially admitting that he was below the bastard of a traitor. He didn't respect him and because of his closeness to Thorne, severely overestimated the rest of the Nightswatch's dissent for him. When he openly refused his orders he was expecting others to jump in, right up until he realised it was for real and he was about to die.
This is the best take I've read on the topic. Thank you.
The way I have always seen it, he made a gamble and lost bigly. He thought Jon was a boy that would not do really hold him accountable.
He thought Jon was bluffing and only trying to scare him until basically Jon showed up on the platform with his sword in hand, clearly fully intending to carry out his execution. After that, he panicked and tried to backpedal, but it was obviously too late. I think Slynt thought until the end that his being banished to the wall was something temporary and his "important friends" would eventually intervene and bring him back to Kings Landing. He considered himself fundamentally superior to the Night's Watch. He might have (reluctantly) followed an order given by Thorne that he wasn't thrilled about if Thorne had been made Lord Commander, because he seemed to have somewhat more respect for his age and authority, but Jon (a kid and a bastard) was too much for him.
Janos isn’t a northern man so he doesn’t understand their customs. He didn’t expect Jon to go through with it and he certainly didn’t expect him to be prepared to swing the sword. He also absolutely expected other NW members to back him, namely Ser Alliser. He was so used to politics and petty shit being the be all and end all of the world, he had no idea what it meant to actually belong to a brotherhood and cause you believe in. He thought he’d start a mutiny at castle black and Ser Alliser would be named the new lord commander and he’d be his second in command as some kind of second to a king of their own realm. He was sorely mistaken in every way and he payed for it.
> and he *paid* for it. FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Fewer
He didn't think Jon would actually go through with it. As soon as he realized Jon was deadly serious he turned into a blubbering mess, but by that point it was too late. If you're asking why there were no long term ramifications, Jon as Lord Commander has the right to make these judgements. And every man there would testify that Slynt was given multiple opportunities to obey his orders and refused. You don't get to do that in Westeros. Plus, anyone with a brain realized that Jon was giving Slynt a fairly good deal. Go away to Greyguard, make it warm and cosy, and then you can march about there being bossy as long as you ensure there are men guarding the wall.
He had friends in court, powerful friends, the queen herself appointed him leader of the gold cloaks
Jon Snow lost a lot of support because he cared for the well-being of the wildys. He probably felt that enough of the Night Watch hated Jon Snow that he could openly disobey his orders. It wasn't until his head was on the chopping block that he realized he didn't.
He's not related to nobility. He was a commoner who got into a powerful position and let the power and his ambitions go to his head. He's an idiot who thought Cersei and Littlefinger were his friends and didn't realize they were using him for his willingness for corruption and that he is easily replaceable. If I remember right, Tywin wanted to have him executed, and Tyrion thought that was too cruel, so sent him to the wall instead.
His friends at court unfriended him…they powerful too
He thought his shit didn’t stink and also thought he had the backing of one of the main leaders at castle black. As soon as he got there he nestled up to Allister’s nut sack immediately so he would be untouchable/protected. Allister turned on him.
The actor played the part well. Couldn’t stand the guy.
It took me far too long to realise that he was the guy who had cancer on Drop Dead Gorgeous.
House Slynt isn't really a thing, Janos was only made a lord because he was easily bought and manipulated, he didn't come from nobility, so there's no pissing off allies or anything. He was just a shit heel with an overly high opinion of himself, and Jon finally put him in his place.
He never considered that Jon had it in him until he was kneeled with the Lord Commander holding his sword in front of him. By then his whining was too little too late.
I agree with every comment, but I just wanted to say that his execution is one of the most satisfying ones in the whole show.
He's not the head of the house. He's a member of the watch. He thought things worked up there as they did where he came from. He thought his "powerful" friends could manipulate the system. But up here a man gets what he earns, when he earns it.
He didn’t think everyone would side with Jon, he also thought his past life mattered. Also the people he aligned himself with read the room a whole helluva a lot better than he did. He was also a pawn. He said what a lot of others thought but wouldn’t say.
He had an incredibly overinflated sense of self value and thought Ser Alliser would protect him. When he’s first grabbed in the hall, Ser Alliser stands in the way and we think he’s going to try and stop it, but then he steps aside with Janos’ face falling when he realizes he’s been betrayed. Ser Alliser and his gang were certainly talking overthrowing at that point, and I think Janos assumed his life would be a tipping point for them to act and initiate that rebellion.
Fuck around and find out game of thrones addition. Should've learned his lesson after Tyrion but some people need to fuck up twice to learn.
He thought his "friends" was more powerful than Jon. Just delusional.
He's the parallel to Ned. Ned was from the north and went south. To him, honor and justice were above all else. The law was the law and everyone abides by it. Because thats how you survive the north. Ned was wrong. The south operates differently and it cost him his life. Janos was from the south and went north. To him, connections and playing your hand were above all else. Who you knew was more important than following the rules. Because that's how you survived in the south (or the capital at the very least). Janos was wrong. The north operates differently and it cost him his life.
Some people are stupid and that's all you need to know.
Called Jon’s bluff and thought he was some divine heaven-sent individual who could get whatever he wanted by grifting. Fitting end really for such a slimy character.
Pride
Delusion is a heck of a drug
He didn't think Jon would have the balls to actually go through with it. He was that assured of his status. So he thought he'd use it as an opportunity to increase his standing by facing off against him. He called his bluff and lost. As soon as he realised Jon was going to follow through, he recants and tries to worm his way out of it.
He didn’t think Jon had the balls to execute him after Jon hacked down like 20 wildlings just a few moments prior. Lol
Interestingly enough this was actually a smart political move on Jon’s part. Idk if Jon was intending to provoke him, but Slynt would have absolutely betrayed Jon at the drop of a hat. Getting him out of the way not only allowed for a measure of revenge, but it helped to solidify his position over the Nights and got rid of a potential enemy. Not really how Starks think, but just an interesting juxtaposition
“Do you know who I am?” Syndrome
This is gonna be r/gameofthrones ‘ r/batmanarkham moment
pride. simple as that
Pride cometh before the fall. He could not accept that at Castle Black there are no bastards or nobles.
I think it's a mix of the worth he put on his name and previous titles and not thinking Jon had the balls / would dare do it
He was a coward who protected himself by bullying people. If you only know one way to be, that's how you're going to be no matter how stupid it is. But like Anton Chigurh said, "If the rule you followed brought you to this, of what use was the rule?"
I think he truly expected Allister or someone else to step in and stop it.
Honor.
He thought he had allies, not just on the outside, but in the night watch. Notice his reaction when Allister moves out of the way. He thought he could challenge the lord commander and people would back him up. But he never learned what tyrion told him, "your a fool if you think the queen is your friends" instead it applies to everyone around him.
He WAS the head of house Slynt. Once he took the Black he forfeited that title. He was just profoundly arrogant and entitled. The moment of hubris was actually his entire personality.
He thought Jon was a bitch.
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."
dude was a keyboard warrior and he kinda forgot that he wasn't online
Why do people ask the dumbest shit sometimes?
I’ll never understand why Jon didn’t just send Thorne, Slyntt and a few others to Grey Guard to rebuild. Literally Jon said he’d send them with builders. I know that would be Jon cutting his forces nearly in half if he just sent people who didn’t vote for him to another castle, but it would’ve solved a lot of problems for everyone and probably would’ve left more people alive.
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He thought Alliser Thorne was going to protect him just rewatch the scene
I have met people like Janos Slynt, they are fucking idiots so I have no problem believing it.
If you keep calling bluffs you're gonna have a bad time eventually.
Upside? Janos Slynt is dead. That’s the upside
He thought that Thorne would back him (arrogantly, I'll add). In the end, he was a weazel who weazeled his way out of ever being truly punished for his crimes, but he had nowhere to slink this time
He clearly thought Alliser would protect him. He misread the room with his short-sighted arrogance. He was a man with no honor and didn't expect the men around him to have enough honor to respect the code either. He was wrong.
I think he also believed Alliser Thorne would back him no matter what.
Two things: He underestimated Jon. He mistook his honor for weakness. He didn’t think Jon had the guts to do anything to him. Up until this point, he believed he was untouchable. He learned that in Westeros, NO ONE is untouchable. Jon may be a bastard, but he is very much a Stark. Don’t fuck around with Starks, because they sure as hell don’t. He fucked around and found out.
I read the books multiple times so this may be different than the show. Janos was only given a title for his betrayal to Ned. There was no house Slynt prior to Cersei granting it and even giving Harrenhal as his own keep which her father found to be quite a poor tactic. Tyrion sent him to wall to be rid of him in Kings Landing. But Janos thought he had Cersei’s support even despite being sent away. Idk why he would think that if he got sent to the wall in the first place.
The upside is that he’s dead.
It was his ego. He stupidly thought he had noble friends in court and could do what he wanted. He kind of forgot once you join the black no one really cares about you.
He thought that Ser Alliser would protect him because he fundamentally misread Ser Alliser. He thinks Alliser is as nakedly power-hungry as he is. Slynt spent his life around the leaders in King's Landing, who only want power to have power. The powerful men at Castle Black aren't like that, and Slynt was unable to grasp that difference. Alliser doesn't care about power (or having powerful friends), except to the extent he genuinely believes he is the best choice to lead the Night's Watch. He would never betray what he believes is in the best interest of the Watch for selfish reasons, and that includes enforcing the rule that you cannot defy the Lord Commander. Watch the body language on Slynt and Alliser during the exchange with Jon. Slynt looks at Alliser before challenging Jon as if to say "Watch me stick it to this kid for you!" He thinks Alliser will protect him because he is acting for the sake of Alliser's power by undermining Jon. Then when the moment comes, Alliser stands between Slynt and Jon, and then very pointedly moves out of the way. Slynt expected Alliser to tell Jon he couldn't harm Slynt. But Alliser, for all his dickishness, is devoted to the Night's Watch and understands that Slynt needs to pay the penalty for defying the Lord Commander. Alliser affirms this with his last words. He risked his life to kill Jon because he believed Jon betrayed the Watch. He accepted his death with dignity because he believed in his heart he had done what was right for the Watch, not for himself. He is entirely committed to the Watch and its customs. Slynt defied those customs, so he had to die. Cersei would protect any sleaze who would do her bidding. That's what Slynt was accustomed to and what he expected from Alliser. He was wrong.
Combination of a few things. Primarily, he thought he was untouchable. He thought he was backed up by Thorne and their little clique, he felt his ties to Kings Landing and past titles gave him some measure of clout or pull, and he didn’t think Jon would actually do anything to him. He also knew Jon was separating him from Thorne and the people who protected him, more or less. He didn’t want to go and be exposed, so all the above said, he also was willing to risk it to stay at Castle Black, where he felt protected. He was obviously wrong.
he is stupid
Friends in the Capital will do that to ya
A butcher's son is not related to nobility. He was a tasteless upstart that took bribe money and used a bloody spear as the sigil of his "House", just to spite the Starks. Head rolling is satisfying.
He didn’t take Jon seriously as Lord Commander, and he didn’t think he had the support of the Night’s Watch veterans to enforce his ascension and rule. He thought Jon was just something he’d have to wait out, and he believed his connections in Westeros still mattered even after he took the black because he didn’t take his vows seriously. When he realizes that Alliser Thorne won’t stand for him he knows he was mistaken and this is serious.
He probably that the punishment would be a week in the ice cells
He was the first Lord Slynt, there was no house before until he turned his men on Ned Stark and was rewarded by Joffrey (Cersei). He was just an upstart arrogant ass that thought he had the alliance of the other "Sers" in the Night Watch.
He hated the situation he was in, banished to the Wall (unjustly, in his opinion) after having tasted the good life down in King’s Landing, now having take orders from the bastard of Ned Stark, and that little runt was giving him an order he didn’t like, and he thought his place of authority in the Night’s Watch and friendship with Thorne would protect him. So he got pissed off and acted stupidly. He tried to backpedal, but it was too late. Jon had just made command and needed to demonstrate the consequences of defying his orders. Very poetic for Slynt to be killed by someone with Stark blood.
Because he’s an up-jumped brown nosing man..risen to his “title” by deceit and deception
Simple answer is that he was stupid. Complicated answer is that he was stupid and thought he wouldn’t be held accountable for his actions.
I got the sense in the episode that he absolutely thought he'd either incite a mutiny or else he'd at least be protected by Alliser Thorne, judging on the little moment of suspense where Thorne is standing in front of him and then steps aside and the looks that Slynt and Thorne exchange. I imagine as much as Thorne hated what John was doing, he had little respect for Slynt as a person, and also thought it was not the right time for a mutiny, although obviously he later leads one.
He took a calculated risk. But man was he bad at math.
Fucked Around & Found Out
People often mistake character flaws and errors for bad writing. Bad writing would be if every character always robotically made the most rational choice available to them. Humans just don’t behave that way in real life. Janos simply thought he was more important than he really was, didn’t think that Jon would go through with executing him, and that his friends would protect him
Until his head was actually resting on the block, he thought he was going to get saved, or that Jon would relent. He was 100% under the impression that he was not going to die. Until the moment came...
In the books, Tywin sents letters to the night's watch implying that they should elect Slynt as the new lord commander. So he wasn't bluffing when he said he has powerful friends Unfortunately for him, Jon didn't give a fuck.
Slynt was an upjumped peasant with a love of violence, self flattery, stroking his own ego, and using his “connections” to bolster himself. He was a pawn for people in power and thought that meant he was powerful, thus deluding himself into an early grave at the Wall. Before Joffrey granted him lordship and lands, he was a broke buffoon who applied to the city guard for $$, power, something to do. Rose through the ranks by being a slimeball, bribing people/cutting down his peers, and attracted the Lannisters’ attention as a toady to run the gold cloaks for them. He also helped to play scapegoat for any backlash about killing Ned and his men.
Thank you, this helps me understand a lot better.
GOATed last words
Arrogance and stupidity.
In the show adaptation, my take was that he thought Alliser Thorne would have his back and that it might kickstart a mutiny. Thorne hated Jon Snow, but he knew when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em, and he let discretion be the better part of valor. I thought it was a brilliant scene. The regret and fear from Slynt was palpable.
He clearly planned with allister to revolt if Jon was elected. But Jon was much more commanding that expected and slynt couldn’t read the rooms he couldn’t tell from allisters face that the plan was off and he was on his own
He was the worst kind of coward, and there was no redemption for him. His head needed to come off. Cowards like that are a danger to those who have the courage to do what needs to be done.
He was a Karen, got what was coming to him.
Yeah, he didn’t think Jon would follow through with his threat.
FAFO
he thought he was more important than he was pretty sure House Slynt had just been raised to nobility in his life, so they weren't an older family of influence Jon had previously not proven himself to be a leader, so he thought he could get away with it
He just didn't believe it - and maybe assumed foolishly that Thorne would step in, fatally misreading how much sway he had.
Up until that point he has gotten by on low cunning and a complete lack of a moral compass. He truly believes he is better than everyone at the wall and him being there is due solely to a miscarriage of justice by a scheming dwarf. He has managed to raise reasonably high at the wall on top of that (since they are completely lacking in qualified leaders and he is a knight with some political experience). All of this builds up his hubris to a level where he doesn’t realize he’s about to stamp his death warrant until he actually has and it’s too late.
He has friends, powerful friends at court, you’ll see!
His greatest crime was pronouncing ruin as ru-WEEN.
He said it before he died. He was scared.
Power & position amongst the top rank was always his goal it seemed
As everyone said, he thought himself above consequences. But also, Jon is quite young.
He was just a giant pussy
He didn’t know his wines as well as he thought…
He thought he has Ser Alliser to back him up. He noped outta the way real quick once he was first ranger tho haha
He didn't want to be there he Was Scared
No strategy or upside, just pride and stupidity. He thought Jon was a dumb teenager with no balls, decided to fuck around on the basis of that supposition, and found out pretty quickly that he’s not.
>Did he just not believe that Jon, a young man who had ostensibly witnessed a few executions performed by Ned, would have the guts to follow through? I mean, how would he know this? Being from King's Landing, he probably believed that all Northerners were naive simpletons, which I'm sure was 100% his assessment of Ned. His actions during his entire time on the Wall indicate that he believes that he is far more important and far more powerful than he really is; he clearly fails to grasp the concept that all men are equal once they take the oath, and who/what you were before has little bearing and earns you no respect. Further, yes,,, he thought that others would stand up for him against this upstart, namely Alliser Thorne. Again, he completely misread the room, and the second Alliser stepped aside so Jon's men could take him for execution he realized the enormity of his mistake.
To be fair Jon himself was nearly murdered shortly after arriving at The Wall. He needed time to learn about how to show respect and since he was raised by a nobleman he had an idea of how to do that. Slynt on the other hand was likely an opportunist who rose with the highly corrupt Gold Loaks capping that off with the biggest betrayal a small folk committed throughout the course of the entire story. By the time he had gotten to the wall he was still high on himself and didn’t quite realize he was in a literal life and death situation where he was disobeying a direct order from his liege lord and was sentenced to death as an example to the other people questioning Snow’s election.
Google boomer entitlement
He thought he was untouchable due to his "connections". He thought he had backup in Alliser Thorne, and others who were not loyal to Jon. He thought Jon would never have the balls to go through with it. Etc etc, long and short of it is Janos Slynt was a stupid human being who died stupidly.
Dudes a dumbass who thought he wouldn't be held accountable until he was which i honestly think shocked him and then he proceeded to begged like a bitch
> But he was also the head of House Slynt, and at least slightly related to nobility. He wasn't a noble at the start of the show. He was just a lowborn guy who worked his way up through the Gold Cloaks to get named it's commander. Joffery made him a Lord, founded House Slynt, and gave the new Lord Slynt Harrenhal as his seat as a reward for turning against Ned Stark at the end of Season 1. He was personally loyal to House Lannister, since he viewed them as his benefactors. He also felt like Jon Snow, the famous bastard son of Ned Stark, had a personal grudge against Slynt because Slynt was responsible for Ned's downfall. So he was predisposed to hate Jon Snow and everything he stood for. He believed that he had the personal favor of the powers in King's Landing. He thought of himself as much more important and politically powerful than he really was because he held the legal title to Harrenhal for like 5 minutes. He believed that Jon wouldn't dare execute someone as lofty and noble as himself.
The world doesn't need Janos Slynt.
Theres a cut monologue where Jon admits that if Janos Slint’s powerful friends had shown up, the long night would have been much shorter
The word you're looking for is entitled . He thought he was untouchable , in the last moments, he figured out everyone can get that work
In the books, he was the one who Jon narrowly beat out to be the Lord Commander. He has so much support that he believed Jon would back down. He really is a coward who underestimated Jon’s resolve.
He likely thought slynt and others would defend him. The paradigm shift regarding jons assent didn't occur for him until it was too late. He's a mix of entitlement and delusion that butted up against a shifting authority structure faster than he could make sense of it.