As if things weren’t complicated enough going into the eighth and final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones, series stalwart Peter Dinklage has admitted that his on-screen Lannister has the hots for the Mother of Dragons.
Chatting with Entertainment Weekly, the actor, best known for his ongoing role as Tyrion Lannister on the hit fantasy drama, spoke at length about his character’s peculiar reaction to the infamous (and indeed incestuous) Jon/Dany love scene from Game of Thrones season 7.
To recap: just as Dany closes the door, the camera cuts to a solemn-looking Tyrion, who stares on longingly before retreating into the ship’s shadows. Fast forward to now, and Peter Dinklage has addressed that very scene while speaking with EW.
A lot of the time with Tyrion, it’s professional and personal. Obviously, he has feelings for Daenerys. He loves her, or thinks he does. She’s awe-inspiring. He’s questioning that because he doesn’t have a good track record for falling in love. There’s jealousy wrapped up in there. And he loves Jon Snow, too. They’re the two people he has the most in common with, in a way. They’re both outsiders in their own families who have refused to follow the path their family has taken, and hopefully for the better. He’s wondering how smart of a move [Jon and Dany’s romance is], because passion and politics don’t mix well. He knows the two of them getting together could be very dangerous.
So it seems Tyrion is torn between his love (?) for Daenerys Targaryen and his undying respect for Jon Snow Aegon Targaryen, two characters who were ostensibly cast out of their respective families – not unlike Tyrion himself, who was loathed by his sister Cersei and effectively bullied by his late father Tywin Lannister, whom he killed towards the end of season 4.
All of this combines for a pretty dramatic eighth season of Game of Thrones, though we hope that the series doesn’t call upon a clichéd love triangle when the shit inevitably begins hurling towards the fan.
Though it likely won’t please everyone, HBO’s six-part Game of Thrones finale has been described as everything from heartbreaking to satisfying to straight-up brilliant, and we’ll be able to see what all the fuss is about next year.