Okay, everyone always talks shit about my main man Mace the Ace, so here's my defense of him.

I love Mace so much. What I love about him is just how little he gives a shit as long as he gets what he wants. He doesn't give a single fuck about think about him, all that matters is that he puts the pieces in place. He's content to be the idiot sycophant, because that's exactly what will gain him the most power. That's what's great about being the second richest house with one of the largest private armies, people can think you're an idiot and it won't matter because you're MACE FUCKING TYRELL, and you have your own army, fortune, and a long line of legitimate heirs to supplant the Seven Kingdoms.

Here's something important when analyzing the Tyrell game plan. Their House words are "Growing Strong". That's it. It seems lame compared to "Hear me Roar," "Ours Is The Fury" and "Winter is Coming," but look at those houses now! All of the "power" houses burned bright after Robert's Rebellion but are quickly losing steam after years of costly war. Meanwhile, the Tyrells have been planting seeds everywhere to allow their eventual rise to power. That's what they do, that's how they seize their power: They plant roots and grow until they eventually choke out their competetitors. Mace is in it for the Long Con, and he's fine to be a dumb door-opener. It works great for him. Being master of ships gives him his own fleet, he already has an army, and every dya more and more Tyrells spread through King's landing like a weed, taking key positions of power, especially the city guard. And all he has to do is smile and open some doors? That's a great fuckin gig, Mace. He's probbly one of the only actually happy people in the entire series. Wouldn't you be happy if you're daughter was becoming queen and you're house was gaining immense power while all you had to do was have some ships and fuck bitches?

Think about how the Tyrells even became a Great House in the first place. They used to be a vassal house for the Gardeners, the TRUE Lords of the Reach. They followed orders and were rewarded for it. They gained power by appealing to the greater house and earned more land and more wealth. Eventually when Aegon conquered the Reach, their accumulated wealth made them the logical choice to take over. What did they do to earn The Reach? Surrender. They gave the Reach to Aegon and bent the knee, and in return he gave them great power and charged them with control of The Reach. THAT'S how the Tyrells even exist in the first place. They surrender. They play meek and mild until their enemies have battered themselves to a point of weakness. Like his forefathers before them, Mace is gaining immense power by doing as he's told and waiting. He's Growing Strong.

But of course, every great house needs SOME push every once and a while. That's where Oleanna comes in. Now, everyone thinks that SHE is the MVP of Team Tyrell, and they're right! But it's foolish to discount Mace as significant too. They are two sides of the same flower. Mace is the Rose to the Queen of Thorns. Mild and innocent, even sweet to some. Mace's complacency is what ALLOWS Oleanna to thrive as well as she does. They're a brilliant pair, regardless of if they recognize it or not. There's a 12/8 year old boy on the Iron Throne directly in the pocket of his daughter, and all he has to do is smile for Tommen and play with his kittens. Great. Fuckin. Gig.

Something that unfortunately hasn't been translated well to the show is how sinister the Tyrell invasion has been. It's been happening since season one, and no one has really taken notice yet. Except for Circei. Think about it, they went from that gay dude you kinda remember with Renly Barratheon to arguably the Supreme Power in King's Landing (and therefore the Seven Kingdoms). Mace has been finding high-ranking suitors for his entire brood, and they're slowly establishing a lineage that will make them stronger than ever. In the books we get to see it described very subtlely. But over the course of the series there have been more and more Tyrell bannerman infiltrating Kings Landing. Not unlike when Tyrion restructured the city to put his people in power, Mace has been pulling those strings quietly for years. And by book five we start to see the fruits of his labor. There are so many Goddamn Tyrells in Kings Landing now. George RR Martin makes a point to emphasize whenever we see Green cloaks or a Flower, and we slowly see more green, and more flowers growing stronger and stronger as Mace prepares to pull his roots toght round the necks of his enemies. And the best part? Everyone loves the Tyrells. What's not to love? Margery and Ser Loras are beatutiful verging on the status of Legend, Garth is rich and powerful if not gross, Oleanna has a whole pack of supporters to protect her, and Mace is THE most inoffensive motherfucker in the whole Seven Kingdoms. Imagine if Littlefinger didn't run sketchy brothels and obviously act like a general snake? That's the position Mace Tyrell is in. And it's driving Circei fucking CRAZY, because she's losing allies left and right, and she's the only one who can see what the Tyrells are planning, and literally NO ONE will understand her about it. The Tyrell's are both on their way to power AND beloved, a combination that drives Circei right off the edge. Wouldn't you if you watched everything you work for crumble under the roots of the New Popular Kid from school?

It's heavily implied through subtext that the Tyrell's are planning something big, if not consiously. Every adjective used to describe them carries an implication of slow treachery. "Growing," "Thorne," "Root," "Weed," even "The Reach" carries a certain level of envy and desire. The Tyrell's are consistently in second place, poorer than The Lannisters (well maybe not anymore) and weaker than Dorne, yet here they are Reaching for the ultimate power. Mace knows exactly what he's doing, and his influence is directly imparted onto Margery. You don't need Power to be powerful, is the message.You can rule with love instead of fear,and have the people never even know you're ruling them. You don't need to be on a throne to command an army or make political gains. Margery rules with her beauty. Tommen and the rest of Kings Landing are eating out of her pockets while she drops subtle hints that keep her in full control. Mace is doing the same thing, only replacing Beauty with Flattery. He asserts his power and influence by distancing himself from enemies and complimenting his allies. His only direct fear now is Dorne. They have a rocky relationship as is, and now the Lannisters have fucked that up beyond repair, only now with the Tyrells ruling a Lannister King (as Dorne sees it), they're quickly becoming forced to face their only enemy. An enemy who sees the Tyrells for what they are. A desert in which no seeds can grow, no flowers can bloom. Mace Tyrell has once again placed himself into Second Place, the second best place to be. They may be growing strong, but the last of the power houses is coming for them, Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken.