Part of the beauty of Game of Thrones' huge, sprawling ensemble cast is the fact that, despite its size, just about every character has a moment to explain their true motivations. From main cast members to one-off guest stars, longtime viewers of the series can pinpoint exactly what almost every Game of Thrones character is after thanks to some on screen insights.
However, one major character slips through the cracks. Despite his long tenure on the show, and a compelling plot twist about him towards the end of season 1, his intentions never come to light. This character's true motivations, as well as further acknowledgement of the season 1 reveal, only ever receive any elaboration in a deleted scene, which, if included, would have changed everything about him.
Grand Maester Pycelle's feeble old man act
First appearing in season 1, when Ned Stark (Sean Bean) heads down to King's Landing, Grand Maester Pycelle (Julian Glover) introduces himself as a member of King Robert's (Mark Addy) small council, along with Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish (Aidan Gillen), Varys (Conleth Hill), and Renly Baratheon (Gethin Anthony). Despite serving as Grand Maester of the realm, Pycelle appears to be a haughty, overly loyal fool. He stutters and stammers with each sentence, rarely saying anything of substance, and appearing to be little more than a feeble old man.
However, in the season 1 finale, "Fire and Blood," Pycelle reveals who he really is. After a night with a prostitute named Ros (Esme Bianco), Pycelle performs some stretches before reverting back to his facade. This moment proves that he only fakes his feeble old man act, and that he is both physically and mentally capable of more than he lets on.
Despite the emphasis the season 1 finale places on Pycelle's true nature, it never comes up again. This compelling addition to George R.R. Martin's source material only results in one scene of Pycelle's real self. He spends the rest of his screentime adopting his absent minded persona up until his death in the season 6 finale, "The Winds of Winter."
Tywin and Pycelle's deleted chat
One scene in season 3 solves all of these Pycelle problems at once. Pycelle converses with Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) while the Hand of the King is fishing, and Tywin admits to seeing through Pycelle's act. Pycelle defends himself, saying the reason he feigns incompetence is to not attract any unwanted attention to himself in the dangerous world of King's Landing. In pretending to be harmless, he removes the potential target from his back.
However, this scene frustratingly never aired, winding up on the cutting room floor rather than in the completed season. As such, Pycelle's true motivation, and the only follow up to the reveal from season 1, are locked behind a deleted scene.
This scene's exclusion from the final cut proves frustrating, since Pycelle deserves the same on-screen motivation as the rest of the cast. Without this scene, the reveal of Pycelle's competence feels like just another dead end plot point decision that doesn't actually go anywhere, rather than a character defining choice with any explanation. It also contrasts him nicely with some of the more ambitious characters, positioning him as a narrative foil to the likes of Littlefinger or Renly.
Additionally, this scene features fascinating foreshadowing. After Tywin discusses the possibility of House Lannister losing its status as the most powerful family in Westeros one day, Pycelle responds, "By that time I will be rotting underneath the floor of the Sept of Baelor." While Pycelle is referring to his desire to receive an honorable burial in a holy site, he accidentally predicts the nature of his demise. He is killed by Qyburn's (Anton Lesser) "little birds" as a part of Queen Cersei Lannister's (Lena Headey) plot to destroy the Great Sept, so Pycelle ends up "rotting" alongside the very place he'd like to be buried.
This small scene would have changed everything about Grand Maester Pycelle, a character who has been a part of Game of Thrones since the show's first season. By nature of his longevity in the series, audiences recognize him as a fixture, and the full extent of his story should have been told. The addition of Pycelle's incompetence being merely an act transforms the character, but without proper follow up or resolution, it ultimately means nothing. As such, fans frustratingly have to dig up a deleted scene to learn the truth about this iconic character, proving why it should never have been removed in the first place.
For more from the world of Westeros, make sure to stream House of the Dragon season 3 on HBO Max.
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