Well, this is it. The end of the road. At last. A bit conventional, perhaps, but there’s really no way around it. That man carried the second season, just as Tyrion carried the Lannisters through the Battle of Blackwater Bay.
Incredible presence. Amazingly wide range of interpretation, from bombastic to withdrawn, from snark to tears. A very human performance. Dinklage taking first prize should be entirely expected, and expected it was. The guy deserves all the praise he gets, and then some more.
Now that we’re done throwing (entirely deserved) heaps of praise on Dinklage, let’s try to figure how he does it. Tyrion, obviously, is a very peculiar character in the show. He’s extremely likeable (from a reader’s standpoint), funny, charming and a blast to read. He’s also one of the most fully fleshed-out characters in the series. All of that means he’s got an abundance of material to work with – probably the best material out of all the characters. Don’t get me wrong, though: Tyrion is by no means an easy role.
See, it’s one thing to be snarky and witty. Tyrion has great lines, and I’m convinced many, many professional actors could give quite a memorable performance just running on that. It’s actually quite tempting to just give in on the ham and play Tyrion as a full-fledged comic relief, sort of the only sane man in the midst of snakes and power-hungry madmen. That’s not Tyrion, however. See, the half-man’s role in the series isn’t just to be comic relief (although he is one of the funniest characters): it’s also to bring an incredibly human and personal touch to an array of political manoeuvring and backroom dealings.
Tyrion’s a character you can empathize with: brought to life without a mother, constantly degraded and reprimanded by a father who resents him, scorned and mocked by a bitter older sister, not to mention the world at large (demon monkey!). Where sons of lords are usually given land, a sword or a battalion to command, Tyrion was awarded the drains of Casterly Rock. We’ve all seen just how much recognition he got from Tywin and Cersei for his courage and sagacity during the events of the second season. Basically, strip all the witty lines/snark armour away from him, and you’ve got a distraught human being craving for his father’s and the world’s approval. Don’t let his spiels from the first season about embracing his “dwarfedness” fool you: I’m convinced that at the core, he’s just a guy who wants to be loved.
(cont'd in next post)
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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore