Howland Reed

They arrive at a place called the Tower of Joy where they find three Kingsguard.

There's a fight and the only men who survive are Ned and Howland Reed.

Ned finds Lyanna in the tower where she makes him promise her something and she dies.

Here's the weird part.

The Mad King play takes everything from the source material, and it features these characters, the ones that we've had this urgent need to learn about for 20 years or so [laughs] or more.

[laughs] Rhaegar, Lyanna, Ashara Dayne, Howland Reed, Elia Martell, and of course Aerys himself, and plenty more.

Characters we've long theorized about actually given dialogue, brought to life, and it fits really well.

It really scratches that itch.

No, until we get to the end of the first half, which is the, where the intermission would be in the play, and then we'll come back in a couple of weeks and do the rest of the tournament at Harrenhal.

I mean, the rest of the Mad King play, which is everything after the tournament of Harrenhal, Robert's Rebellion, and all that other stuff.

So yeah, the, it starts with the Royal Procession, then How We Pray, Drinking Contest, The Feast, Lady Whent Confronts Rhaegar, Dornish Meeting, The Starks Meet Arthur, Lyanna, Benjen, and Howland, Ned and Robert and Rhaegar, A New Approach, Lyanna and Robert, Ashara and Brandon, A Spider, Harold, The King Arrives, Interlude: Book Sources.

And then the second half of our episode, a- as distinguished from the second half of the play, which is not, not to be covered today at all, Rhaegar and the Kingsguard, A Lady's Favor, The Prince and the King.

Yeah.

This guy comes up who basically looks like Sam, except that's Howland Reed.

He's chubby.

He's a little unsure of himself.

So you're, you're trying to keep your mind straight what's happening, at least I am.

That's why I said-

Did you know immediately that was Howland Reed, or is it like, "Oh, hello, Howland Reed."

She calls him, I think she calls him Howland, right?

So I think also with the smaller houses, like you get to fill in the blanks yourself, which can be really fun too.

Um, cause, cause when I was trying to recall what the hell happens in the series after eight months, one of the things that I came across that I like really thought about was like, like Howland Reed.

is so he's so like in some ways he's so big and important but also we've never met him we haven't really heard about him in a very long time like but then it's like he's so important so I feel like he's one of those characters where I have all these like this is what he looks like and he's so iconic and noble like you just kind of fill in those blanks and then it just sometimes like that can add to your intrigue too so I totally get it like with like John it's like we know all of his moodiness like what am I gonna invent

you know

So we were right in it low to the point that there were moments when the horses are people inside of the horse, they're puppeteers inside the horse, and they're carrying Rhaegar on their back.

There was a moment in that second performance where the puppeteers cross in front, and I just locked eyes with Howland Reed, who was inside the haunch of a horse, and I could see the sweat beating down his brow.

I was just so astounded by their talent.

So Howland is a warg.