Tyrion Lannister truly reached a peak in one season of Game of Thrones that he never achieved again on the show!
When Game of Thrones was announced, fans of A Song of Ice and Fire were naturally debating who could play the iconic characters of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy epic. However, there was one point on which all the fandom was united: The only choice for Tyrion Lannister was Peter Dinklage.
The diminutive member of the Lannister clan is small in stature but high on smarts, the member with the closest thing to resembling a conscience and a sharp wit that made him a highly popular character. Dinklage lived up to expectations, nailing every part of the performance, which would earn him a record four Emmy Awards throughout the show’s run.
Dinklage held strong as Tyrion throughout the show’s run, including the last few seasons. Yet looking back, it’s clear that at no point did Tyrion ever shine as well as in season 4, a peak that both the character and actor never matched again.
Why Game of Thrones season 4 is Tyrion’s best
Season 4 of GOT may arguably be the best of the series. The show just clicked in every storyline and performance, building things up wonderfully, and Tyrion got some of the best material.
That included his relationship with Shae, caring for her, perhaps even loving her, but wary, given his past heartbreaks. The big turn was when Joffrey was poisoned at his wedding, with Cersei naturally blaming Tyrion for it.
Put on trial, Dinklage gave his finest performance in the series. Tyrion endures the false testimony of Shae, the accusations and more, seething until he finally erupts. His fantastic, stunning speech on how he was tired of being looked down on and judged (“I have been on trial my whole life”) easily earned the actor another Emmy and is still astounding, with Tyrion willing to put his life on the line in a trial by combat. Sadly, there was a comedown with Bronn not willing to stand against the Mountain, which Tyrion actually understood. It was still a bit of a letdown to see this bromance crack.
After seeing Oberyn decidedly lose that trial, Tyrion faces his end. Rather than accept it, he escapes with Jaime’s help. Finding Shae in his father’s bed, Tyrion strangles her. He then finds Tywin on the privy, the pair exchanging insults until Tyrion finally kills his father with a crossbow before fleeing King’s Landing.
It was an astounding sequence of Tyrion getting his revenge after a lifetime of abuse at his father’s hands. It marked some great closure while setting Tyrion on a new path…one that never quite approached the same level of greatness as here.
Why Tyrion never got that good on Game of Thrones again
Season 5 saw Tyrion cross the ocean to Pentos and the long-awaited meeting with Daenerys. It was fantastic seeing the characters match up and realize how much they had in common. Tyrion becoming her Hand promised some great story potential with his savvy instincts and ability to read people paving the way for Daenerys and her own plans.
That’s not quite what we got. Maybe it was meant to show Tyrion a bit over his head in this new land, but suddenly, the once savvy operator made one blunder after another. Some weren’t totally his fault, such as suggesting an attack on Casterly Rock, as he had no idea the mines were worthless and thus Cersei had no problem sacrificing them.
However, the mistakes mounted up, as Tyrion’s missteps cost his Queen thousands of soldiers and one of her dragons. He also suddenly was unable to properly judge people, his counsel to Daenerys failing because he’d proven he was mistaken in who to trust or not.
Perhaps the worst showcase for this was when Tyrion helped Cersei see the threat of the White Walkers and took it for granted that his sister would help them. Of all people, Tyrion should have known Cersei’s selfishness and lust for power would cause her to do anything to save herself, not help others, even if it meant letting everyone die. This astounding lack of judgment went against Tyrion’s established character.
The show even pointed out Tyrion’s sudden stupidity when Sansa told him off stating, “I used to think you were the cleverest man alive.” It was baffling to watch Tyrion’s character be so poorly written, losing some of his edge, including the more twisted nature he had when the show began. To use a popular trope, Tyrion was “Flandernized” to his old “I drink and I know things” talk without nuance.
Why did Tyrion’s arc falter?
Fans of the novels can point to one change in particular that, in hindsight, may have ruined Tyrion. The show keeps to how Tyrion had been married to Tysha, only to learn she’d been hired to romance him before a brutal end. However, the show omits Jaime telling Tyrion that Tysha truly loved him.
Without that major turn for the character, Tyrion loses an impetus for his character arc and doesn’t justify some of his actions. It’s not helped that the showrunners clearly didn’t want to emulate the novels in making Tyrion darker, due to the character's immense popularity. Thus, we had a Tyrion no longer the flawed yet redeemable character of the earlier seasons, but one just making quips amid other mistakes.
The last season saw a couple of bright spots, such as Tyrion and Jaime making peace, but also Tyrion foolishly trying to get Cersei to surrender, which ultimately resulted in more people being killed. He also failed to achieve proper closure with his siblings and chose to go against Daenerys when she became the “Mad Queen” to burn the city. It all ended with Tyrion on the Council and Lord of Casterly Rock, yet didn’t feel as fulfilling as it might have been in an earlier season.
We should have had Tyrion as the Hand, who was still a capable reader of people, not perfect by any means, but not so inclined to make so many mistakes. The Tyrion of the first four seasons would never have trusted Cersei and could have counseled Daenerys better while handling the politics of the situation. It was just sad to see the character get so muddled by the end (then again, he wasn’t the only one).
A few corrections here and there in terms of his mistakes and an understanding of the character and Tyrion’s arc on GOT would have been much different and likely better. As it is, we got frustrating turns and showcasing why season 4 is the high point of both character and actor and why Tyrion is so loved by GOT fans.
Game of Thrones is streaming on HBO Max.