Will Tyrion Lannister's Mistakes On Game Of Thrones Be His Downfall?

By Valerie Tejeda


From the moment we meet Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, it’s hard not to like the wine-loving lion who “drinks and is aware things” and who is arguably one of the show's most compassionate characters with some Pinterest-worthy quotes to prove it: "Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, plus it might never be used to hurt you."


Nevertheless as soon as he was once hailed as one of the smartest and wittiest boys in all of Westeros, he’s made a string of bad decisions since becoming Hand of the Queen to Daenerys Targaryen. Sansa Stark mentioned it best to Tyrion in the Season 8 premiere: "I used to think you were the cleverest man alive." Keywords: "used to." Ouch.


There’s no doubt that Tyrion has made some huge mistakes since taking on his role of Dany’s Hand. For a guy who was once praised to be educated, where did it all go wrong?


Things haven’t been easy for Tyrion from the begin. He’s faced considerable prejudice and was treated like a monster by each person in his family member except Jaime. In Season 1, he was abducted by Catelyn Stark and accused of a crime (Bran’s attempted murder) that he didn’t commit. He later escapes and is assigned by his father, Tywin, as acting Hand of the King to his nephew, King Joffrey Baratheon (who was the worst).


Using his smarts, he successfully wins the Battle of the Blackwater for the Crown, gets a nasty cut on his face, and is then stripped of his title by Tywin, who demotes him to Master of Coin and orders him to wed Sansa Stark. He’s later framed for Joffrey’s murder and — after his champion, Oberyn Martell, is defeated by The Mountain in Tyrion's trial by combat — he escapes King’s Landing (with Jaime and Varys’s help) and flees to Essos. Nevertheless not before murdering his father and his former lover, Shae (it wasn't one of his shining moments).


Jorah Mormont then captures Tyrion and takes him to Daenerys Targaryen in Meereen. Soon after proving his loyalty, Tyrion becomes Dany's Hand — even soon after his failed negotiations with slavers resulted in all-out war in Slaver’s Bay. (Probably the opening sign that he wasn't as equipped for this position.)


Tyrion has had a bumpy journey, although at the end of Season 6 we saw him sailing off to Westeros with Daenerys, and things seemed hopeful. They felt like a match made in heaven. If only that had turned out to be true.


From the moment they arrived at Dragonstone in Season 7, Tyrion recommended some not-so-strategic counsel, advising Dany to use the Unsullied to take Casterly Rock. This abandoned her other allies unguarded in different locations and led to the conquer (and death) of Olenna Tyrell and her army by the Lannister forces at Highgarden. Moreover, Yara Greyjoy’s fleet was attacked by her uncle, Euron Greyjoy, who captured Yara and Ellaria Sand. In the words of Tyrion in Season 6, "Next time I have an idea like that, punch me in the face."


To mention Tyrion’s plan of action failed is a understatement. "Your plan of action has lost us Dorne, the Iron Islands, and the Reach,” Dany mentioned to Tyrion. He also advised her against helping Jon Snow and his crew whenever they were being attacked by White Walkers in back of the Wall. Yes, going to the Wall led to Daenerys losing one of her dragons to the Night King, however, on top of being plain wrong, advising her against helping a key ally showed however again that Tyrion really knew nothing about the woman whom he was advising.


But the strangest thing Tyrion has done while in his bout as Dany’s Hand is put faith and trust in his sister, Cersei Lannister, who has been nothing nevertheless horrible to him their entire lives and has a track record of untrustworthiness.


He thought Cersei any time as soon as she mentioned she would send troops to the North to fight the army of the dead (he was wrong). He also thought he may convince Cersei to spare Missandei’s life and put a stop to the war altogether (he was wrong). And soon considering that that, as he was setting Jaime free, he even instructed him to find Cersei, convince her to surrender, and then flee the city with him (really?). It certainly makes you wonder if he’s just that blind to who his sister is or if he’s just secretly loyal to her because they're blood-related.


A lot of Tyrion’s time has also been spent attempting to temper Daenerys’s "worst impulses" and keep her from following in the Upset King's footsteps. How did that seem to work out? If he had advised Daenerys differently — by not putting so much faith in Cersei — would the Mother of Dragons have ever gone full-blown Irritated Queen on King's Landing in the penultimate episode? Daenerys did what she did because she hit her breaking point right after losing her allies, her companions, her troops, her claim to the throne, and even two of her beloved dragons. All of this happened on Tyrion's watch.


So while Tyrion Lannister may hold a special place in fans' hearts because of his good nature, charm, witticisms, and affinity for wine, it seems that the man who was once the most clever in the Realm has lost his way. We can only hope that he doesn’t lose his life because of it.