Despite being one of the most powerful maesters in Westeros, Grand Maester Pycelle acts like a weak old man whenever he is in public. This is done to protect his position and keep the people he works with from seeing him as a threat. It also allows him to maintain his high status in the small council without causing too much trouble.
Pycelle is often seen sucking up to the Lannisters and blindly supporting them. This has led to a lot of criticism, as he should be respected for his intelligence and knowledge rather than being a lap dog for the family that he serves. He even goes as far as to say that the murder of Lord Jon Arryn was not suspicious, despite Catelyn Stark and Lady Lysa Arryn both claiming that her husband died of poisoning.
He was also unable to stop the attack on Brienne of Tarth, which was partially caused by her ostracism from society due to her gender and size. However, he does agree to let her join his Kingsguard if she is willing to fight for him, a decision that Tyrion approves of.
Although he is still loyal to the Lannisters, Pycelle has a good sense of judgement and knows when to stop being Cersei’s sycophant. He is smart enough to know that the king is not well-served by her and does not need someone like him attempting to sway her with his lies.
