At the start of Game of Thrones, Tyrion Lannister is a rich dwarf who loves drinking and sex
. He’s also smart and sensitive.
He feels unloved and mistreated, so he uses his sarcastic drunk persona to protect himself
from emotional pain . Tyrion’s relationship with his family is complicated.
He loves his brother Jaime, but his father Tywin and sister Cersei treat him as an embarrassment
to their proud family.
So from the start, Tyrion’s loyalty to the Lannisters is in question – Jaime asks whose
side he’s on . Tyrion visits the Wall – he pisses off the edge of the world , and makes
friends with Jon Snow.
Tyrion gives Bran a special saddle so he can ride after he’s crippled – as a dwarf,
Tyrion has sympathy “for cripples, bastards and broken things” . Catelyn Stark arrests
Tyrion on false charges, and brings him to Lysa, who locks him in a sky cell.
Tyrion goes free after a trial by combat, thanks to the mercenary Bronn . They’re
almost both killed by hill tribesmen, but Tyrion then convinces them to join him – Tyrion’s
really good at talking his way out of danger, and turning enemies into allies.
Tyrion’s father Tywin has, quote, “always been a cunt” , treating Tyrion as a “constant
disappointment” . He gives Tyrion a chance to prove himself , sending Tyrion to the capital,
to rule as Hand of the King . But Tywin forbids Tyrion from bringing his mistress, the prostitute
Shae . Tywin and Tyrion have a history with women.
Tyrion had once married a common girl called Tysha, and Tywin thought she was unworthy
– so he had her gang-raped . Tyrion and Tywin’s relationship is poisoned with misogyny,
shame and resentment.
So in defiance of his father, Tyrion brings Shae to King’s Landing.
In Season 1, Tyrion’s smart funny persona masks deep insecurities and pain.
In Season 2, Tyrion rules as Hand – creating conflict with Cersei , who wants the power
to herself.
He also butts head with Joffrey, the psycho little fuckwit king . Tyrion forms an uneasy
alliance with Varys, who sees potential in Tyrion . And Tyrion secretly continues his
relationship with Shae . Tyrion and Cersei’s rivalry spirals into violence.
Cersei’s furious when Tyrion sends her daughter to Dorne . So Cersei tries to hurt him by
beating Ros, who she thinks is Tyrion’s lover.
And Tyrion threatens Cersei – promising to turn her joy into ashes in her mouth . King’s
Landing is attacked by Stannis, and Tyrion defends the city.
He destroys Stannis’ fleet with wildfire, and personally leads an attack . His face
is cut by a Kingsguard, and he’s saved by his faithful squire Podrick.
Shae declares her love to Tyrion, and asks him to start a new life with her . But Tyrion
feels he belongs in the politics of King’s Landing . So in Season 2, Tyrion finds new
purpose, playing the game of thrones.
But Tywin returns, and takes all the credit for saving the city from Stannis , and he
replaces Tyrion as Hand of the King . So in Season 3, Tyrion confronts Tywin and
demands recognition for helping the family – he asks his father for love and approval.
But Tywin gives him cruelty and contempt.
He describes his hatred and disgust for Tyrion, for his drinking and whoring and for being
a dwarf.
He blames Tyrion for his mother’s death in childbirth, says Tyrion will never inherit
the family castle , and that he’ll kill Tyrion’s next whore . Tyrion keeps on trying
to prove himself, working as Master of Coin – but Tywin still refuses to acknowledge
him . Tyrion makes a point of rewarding Podrick with a trip to the brothel – Tyrion gives
Pod the love and approval that Tyrion wishes he got from Tywin . Tyrion takes solace with
Shae, and also confides in Bronn.
Tywin makes Tyrion marry Sansa Stark , which puts Tyrion in in “awkward” position . He
wants to keep Shae happy . But he also wants to do right by Sansa.
Tywin tells Tyrion to get Sansa pregnant , so the Lannisters can claim the north.
Tyrion refuses to force himself on Sansa , and all the old resentments over Tysha return
. Tyrion gets drunk and threatens King Joffrey, and Tywin reminds Tyrion how much he hates
him . So by the end of Season 3, Tyrion’s stuck in a deeply uncomfortable marriage,
his mistress is pissed, his father hates him, the king hates him, and the realm is wracked
with war . How long can it go on, Tyrion asks .
In Season 4, Tyrion tries to help his wife Sansa as she grieves for her murdered family.
When Jaime comes home without a hand, it kinda brings the brothers closer – now that they’re
both cripples of a sort.
Cersei finds out about Shae, so Tyrion tries to break up with her, to send her away to
safety.
Shae refuses to leave him , so Tyrion gets hurtful, saying Shae’s a whore, that she’s
not good enough – echoing Tywin’s hate.
Tyrion hurts the one he loves in trying to protect her.
At Joffrey’s wedding, Joffrey publicly humiliates Tyrion.
And When Joffrey’s poisoned, Cersei accuses Tyrion of the murder . The trial goes badly,
and gets worse when Shae testifies against Tyrion – probably under duress by Cersei.
Tyrion feels deeply betrayed – by the woman he loved, by his father, and by the whole
city, who turn against Tyrion after he’d saved them from Stannis.
A lifetime of pain and hate comes pouring out, he says “I wish I was the monster you
think I am” . Tyrion demands trial by combat, but his champion Prince Oberyn is killed.
So Tyrion is sentenced to death by his own father for a crime he didn’t commit . In
the finale, Jaime and Varys break Tyrion out of jail.
And Tyrion finds that Shae has become Tywin’s lover.
This shows the total hypocrisy of Tywin’s hatred for “whores”, and it shows the
depth of Shae’s betrayal – she calls Tywin “My lion” , which was her pet name for
Tyrion.
Shae takes a knife, and Tyrion strangers her.
The he apologises to her corpse – cause after all, Shae didn’t ask for any of this
when Tyrion took her in Season 1.
Finally, Tyrion confronts his father, who still refuses to respect Tyrion’s feelings.
Tywin says “You're no son of mine” , and Tyrion replies “I have always been your
son” . Because Tyrion and Tywin are alike.
They have the same insecurities around power and pride, women and love, and in the end,
they have the same brutality.
Tyrion kills his father, and leaves the country with Varys.
In Season 4, Tyrion’s struggle for love and acceptance ends with betrayal and murder.
In Season 5, Tyrion is depressed and hopeless , filled with guilt and self-loathing for
killing Tywin and Shae . Varys wants him to help Daenerys , and Tyrion goes along with
it cause he’s got nothing better to do while he drinks himself to death . In Volantis,
Tyrion is captured by Jorah, who also wants to take him Daenerys.
In Valyria, Tyrion sees Daenerys’ dragon, Drogon.
Tyrion has always been fascinated by dragons, and seeing one for real brings a sense of
hope and wonderment back to his life . Tyrion needs something to live for, and Jorah says
that the Daenerys is worth believing in . Jorah and Tyrion are attacked by stone men, then
they’re captured by slavers, Tyrion talks about his cock, and he ends up meeting Daenerys.
He convinces Daenerys to take him on as a political advisor – he’s useful to her
cause he knows the politics of Westeros, and he knows Queen Cersei . And Tyrion and Daenerys
have a lot in common.
Both of their fathers were powerful cruel politicians . Both of their mothers died in
childbirth.
Both of them like political power, but also have compassion for the weak . So Daenerys
and Tyrion get along.
They try to make peace in Meereen by working with Hizdahr and opening the fighting pits,
and that all turns to shit, but Tyrion sees Daenerys take flight on her dragon, showing
him that there is magic and hope left in the world.
In Season 5, Tyrion finds someone to believe in.
In Season 6, Daenerys is gone.
And Tyrion is left to bring peace to a divided and dangerous Meereen . It’s a huge political
challenge – and a chance to prove himself to his new queen . Tyrion starts by unchaining
Dany’s dragons , and he gets the red priests to support Daenerys . But the main threat
is the Sons of the Harpy, and Tyrion learns that they’re funded by the nearby slave
cities . So Tyrion makes a peace deal with the slavers – though Grey Worm and Missandei
warn him that it won’t work . For a while, there’s “peace” in Meereen . Varys leaves,
and Tyrion says he’ll miss him . Tyrion tries to make friends with Grey Worm and Missandei.
Tyrion’s a long way from home, and he’s lonely . Just when Meereen seems safe, the
slavers attack . Tyrion’s peace deal fails , and everything turns to shit just as Daenerys
returns.
So Dany is not impressed.
But she still listens to Tyrion’s advice.
He convinces her not to go full fire and blood on the slavers , and instead to just kill
some, and warn the rest not to attack again . He oversees Dany’s alliance with the Greyjoys.
And he tells her to break up with Daario , so she’s open for marriage.
Daenerys sees the value in Tyrion’s advice, and he’s impressed by her compromises and
“self-sacrifice” . They respect each other, and Tyrion starts to fall in love with her
. He declares his loyalty to Daenerys , and she names him Hand of the Queen . From Daenerys,
Tyrion finally gets the respect and approval that he never got from his father.
In Season 7, Tyrion comes home to Westeros – with Daenerys’ invading army.
Tyrion helps plan the war against his siblings, Cersei and Jaime.
And he says not to attack King’s Landing with dragons, because that would kill thousands
of people – including Tyrion’s family . Tyrion encourages Dany to team up with Jon
. Tyrion’s friendship with Jon helps build this powerful alliance . But Tyrion’s war
plans fail – his strategy loses Daenerys the Dornish, Greyjoys and Tyrells . Daenerys
questions Tyrion’s loyalty – maybe Tyrion doesn’t want her to destroy the Lannisters
– cause they’re his family . When Daenerys burns a Lannister army, Tyrion watches in
horror as his brother Jaime is almost killed . He walks through ashes of his family’s
army, and Randyll Tarly condemns Tyrion for betraying his family and homeland . Tyrion
is disturbed when Dany burns the Tarlys.
Tyrion still believes that Daenerys could be a great queen , but his loyalty is torn
between her and his family.
Tyrion meets with Jaime and tries to explain his feelings about their father.
Tyrion arranges the peace meeting between Dany and Cersei.
And when it breaks down, Tyrion faces his sister.
Cersei hates him for killing Tywin, but Tyrion wants her to know that he never meant to hurt
their family – he feels terrible about the deaths of her kids and of Tywin.
Tyrion tries desperately to make peace, and Cersei tricks him – she uses her pregnancy
to convince Tyrion that she’ll help Daenerys fight the dead, when Cersei’s actually planning
to betray them . On the way north, Tyrion is disturbed when Dany and Jon have sex – partly
because Tyrion kinda loves Dany, but also cause this complicates the political situation.
So in Season 7, Tyrion’s loyalties are torn.
He wants Daenerys to make the world better.
But he also wants to protect his family – Jaime, and Cersei, and her unborn child.
So what’ll happen with Tyrion in the final season?
It looks like Jaime will join Daenerys against the dead . And Jaime could tell Tyrion that
Cersei’s planning to betray everyone , which might make it easier for Tyrion to side against
Cersei.
But still, Tyrion has sympathy for “broken things”, and Cersei is the brokenest of
all – maybe Tyrion will still wanna protect his sister and her unborn child . There are
theories that Cersei and Tyrion made a secret deal to make Cersei’s child heir to the
Throne, or something.
Tyrion might get back with Bronn and Pod – the old squad together again.
He’ll prolly reunite with his ex-wife, Sansa.
Sansa appreciates that Tyrion was good to her , and Tyrion knows Sansa’s smart – maybe
they could form a political alliance, and Tyrion could advise her.
Tyrion might get closer with Dany’s dragons.
There are theories that Tyrion is a secret Targaryen, but we’ve already got of those.
Still, it’d be cool if Tyrion rode a dragon – and he does have experience designing
special saddles.
If Tyrion survives to the end, maybe he’ll help Daenerys “break the wheel”, and introduce
democracy to Westeros, like he said last season . Or maybe he’ll rule Casterly Rock, to
spite Tywin who said he never would . Maybe he’ll start that winery he mentioned in
Season 6 . Or maybe he’ll die at the age of eighty with a belly full of wine and girl
on his cock, as in Season 1 . But Tyrion’s story is defined by tragedy.
There are hints in the books that Tyrion might lose his tongue.
Or that he’ll lose his life.
Tyrion might never get the love and acceptance that he craves.
But most of all, let’s hope that we get the punchline to that joke about the jackass
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