There is an obsession with TV series these days, particularly amongst the youth. New seasons are being awaited with much anticipation, especially popular ones like Suits, House of Cards, Scandal and, of course, Game of Thrones.
You would find trailers of upcoming seasons on your newsfeed and much discussion on the storyline, quotes and characters shown so far, along with predictions of what might happen next. Quizzes such as “which character of a particular series are you”, and the likes, are common sight.
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The euphoria grips everyone.
As for me, my most favourite TV series thus far is Game of Thrones (GOT). While initially I had to be very patient with the graphic content of the show (as there is much violence) and its confusing storyline (as there are a lot of characters and kingdoms), eventually I was able to make sense of it. And once that happened, I fell in love with it.
GOT has it all: drama, suspense, perfect locations, colourful costumes, northern accents, dragons and a lot more. There are some very likeable characters – like the Starks – and some popularly evil ones too – like the Lannisters, Peter Bailesh, Theon Greyjoy, Melisandre and Ramsay Bolton to name a few. But the one character which I believe is the life of the show is Tyrion Lannister. Those who see the show would perhaps agree with me. He is my most favourite character, apart from the noble Starks and Daenery Targaryen, of course.
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Though most Lannisters are portrayed negatively, Tyrion is different. He is practical and knows how to achieve his targets and while he isn’t noble per se, he is a man of conscience nonetheless. This was highlighted when he made a special saddle for the injured Bran Stark, saying
“I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples, bastards and broken things”.[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"]
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Tyrion has lived a difficult life as he is a dwarf and his mother died while giving birth to him and for this, he is disliked by his entire family – particularly his sister Cersei, who is the queen, and wife of King Baratheon, the custodian of the Iron Throne.
For those who do not follow the show, this might be a bit confusing. It was the same for me, when I started watching it. But once you get a grip on it, the show seeps into you and you just can’t wait to get more of it.
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Peter Dinklage plays the lovable Tyrion and his performance is marvellous, to say the least. Tyrion’s shrewdness, intelligence and witty comments make him very likeable. But he is never respected by his family, even after all that he has done for them. Be it him saving his nephew, King Joffrey’s kingdom from an attack by Stannis Baratheon (one of the perspective kings) at the Battle of Blackwater or his wisdom in handling the affairs of the realm as Hand of the King, nothing is appreciated.
In fact, to top it all, in the last season he is labelled as a traitor and murderer (by his own sister) and is arrested for Joffrey’s murder.
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He has the tendency to harm those who deserve it, as the “Lannisters always pay their debts” but on the inside, he has a heart of gold. His marriage with the terrorised Sansa Stark is a testimony of that. He is kind to her and doesn’t do anything against her will. Tyrion is also honest and usually offends people, especially his sister, with his straight forwardness.
“A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you’ll know the debt is paid.”This quote is one of my favourite from him. It is very effective and makes the audience feel Tyrion’s power. Same goes for:
“I wish I was the monster you think I am. I wish I had enough poison for the whole pack of you. I would gladly give my life to watch you swallow it”.[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="419"]
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And,
“I have a realistic grasp of my own strengths and weaknesses. My mind is my weapon. My brother has his sword, King Robert has his war-hammer, and I have my mind… and a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge. That’s why I read so much, Jon Snow”.Undoubtedly Tyrion has faced much mockery because of him being a dwarf but he doesn’t let that become a hurdle in his ambitions and goals – and this is what I admire the most. He exemplifies the idea that your physical shortcomings can never affect your success, if you just learn to work with it. He accepts his reality as a ghost and advices John Snow, the illegitimate son of Ned Stark, to,
“Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armour, and it can never be used to hurt you”.[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"]
Source: Metro.co.uk[/caption]
And also,
“Once you’ve accepted your flaws, no one can use them against you.”These words are inspirational and instill in you a sense of hope. For me, Tyrion is the perfect leader and an amiable character – he has ambition but he is conscious of his actions; he has wisdom but he understands when to use it; he is pragmatic and upfront and takes a problem head on. He is not good to the extent of being naïve and not knowing how to deal with his enemies, but he is good enough to remain just. After all, it was Tyrion who had the honour of slapping the spoilt and vicious Joffrey – twice. Those scenes always put a smile on my face! [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"]