From the very beginning of Game of Thrones, Tyrion Lannister stood out as a fan-favorite character. Audiences followed him throughout the series, through his various victories and defeats, cheering him on the entire time. But looking back on the show, there are some things about Tyrion that seem questionable.
While fans might have gotten caught up in his journey and distracted by his witty quips, with some time to reflect, there are storylines in Tyrion's journey and actions he takes that don't hold up as well as fans might think. Though he remains a great character in the show, some aspects should be re-evaluated.
His Attitude Towards Sex Workers
It was fitting that Tyrion was introduced on the show sleeping with Ros, one of the sex workers in Winterfell. It was made clear that this was a frequent activity for Tyrion which he seemed to admit with pride.
While he had a healthy outlook when it came to his own dealing with the sex trade, looking back at various moments in the show, Tyrion didn't show much respect to these women. By comparison to some of the other more brutal characters, Tyrion was quite kind, but he also used them as pawns, including allowing Ros to be beaten and held captive to keep his own mistress safe.
His Joke Confession
In one of the defining episodes for Tyrion in the show's first season, he was held captive and put on trial by Lysa Arryn. Tyrion decided to confess, but instead of admitting to murdering Jon Arryn, he listed some of the various pranks he pulled as a youngster.
As funny as the moment was, some of the things Tyrion confessed to painted him as a disgusting jerk. From framing an innocent stableboy to doing unspeakable things to his sister's food to stealing the clothes of a naked serving girl, Tyrion sounded like quite a jerk.
His First Battle
As brilliant as he was, Tyrion was no warrior so it was quite worrisome when he was named the leader of the Mountain Men tribes as they went into battle. It was the first moment audiences saw Tyrion gain some respect even if he was knocked out before the battle begins.
However, looking at the moment now, it's hard not to see it as a lame cop-out. The show would go on to deliver huge action scenes later in the series, but they clearly didn't have the budget for it in season 1. Having Tyrion simply wake up when the battle is over comes across as lazy writing.
Wedding Night With Sansa
Despite Sansa and Tyrion becoming somewhat friendly, their forced marriage to each other was a very awkward affair. But Tyrion understood that this was not something Sansa wanted and respected her during their brief time as husband and wife.
However, it is easy to forget that Tyrion's decision to respect Sansa's discomfort came at the last minute. On their wedding night, he was reluctant yet insistent they consummate the marriage and even made a joke about her age. Though he changed his mind, it was still a surprisingly creepy moment.
Dealing With The Slavers
Tyrion was one of the great political players in Game of Thrones and outsmarted many fellow schemers. So when the slavers came to Meereen to challenge Daenerys as the new queen, Tyrion seemed like the perfect person to handle the situation.
Tyrion's plan ultimately didn't work and Daenerys had to take care of the slavers by force which was entertaining to watch. But the show glosses over the fact that Tyrion's plan was to allow slavery to remain legal which is a pretty terrible thing for a hero to do.
Suddenly Becoming Incompetent
Tyrion's failure to solve the Meereen situation may have been a hint at things to come. Though Tyrion was once a brilliant strategist, he suddenly became incompetent and was outsmarted at every turn.
The show seemed to do this to set Tyrion up as this flawed character who would need to dedicate himself to making up for his mistakes. However, given what fans knew of Tyrion, it didn't make any sense that he would suddenly lose his intelligent mind.
The Supposed Love Triangle With Jon And Daenerys
The romance between Daenerys and Jon was awkward enough given the revelation that they were relatives. However, fans can be forgiven for forgetting that there was another strange aspect to this relationship as Tyrion was meant to make it a love triangle.
This is likely something that would only be remembered upon rewatching the show. There are just quick hints of Tyrion's feelings for her and then a shot of him looking sad when Jon and Daenerys spend the night together. It was likely meant to be a much bigger deal in the final season but turned into an awkward storyline that goes nowhere.
Betraying Varys
Among Tyrion's best friends on the show, Varys was perhaps the one he was closest to. That made it quite disappointing that it was Tyrion who condemned his friend to death when Varys decided Daenerys must be killed before she did some real damage.
However, it was almost comical how quickly Tyrion was proven to be wrong in this case. He was loyal enough to Daenerys to have his friend killed and days later he was the one plotting Daenerys's death.
Telling Jon To Kill Daenerys
After Daenerys burnt King's Landing to the ground, it was up to Jon and Tyrion to stop her from further destroying Westeros. As Tyrion attempted to convince Jon to kill her, he talked about them putting aside their love for her as she was an evil person who needed to be stopped.
It was meant to be a moment that makes Tyrion the hero again, but he was very much to blame for what Daenerys did. He talked about how she was always destined to be evil, but that was just Tyrion avoiding taking any of the blame for the situation and acting as though he was the one to save the day.
His Reasoning To Name Bran King
There were many controversial aspects of the way Game of Thrones ended but naming Bran Stark as king was certainly a major one. However, given Bran's powers and proving himself to be a fair-minded person, he is actually a good choice for the position.
The thing that doesn't hold up is Tyrion's reasoning for naming Bran as king. Saying the people want to follow someone with a good story is unfounded. Why would that qualify Bran? Why would that convince enemies of the Starks to suddenly want Bran to rule? It feels like the show trying to be profound without thinking their idea through.