Most Important Tyrion Lannister Episodes

Highlights

• Tyrion Lannister’s defiance towards cruelty is evident when he slaps Joffrey and shows his disapproval of his family’s villainous ways.
• Tyrion’s strength and strategic thinking are showcased when he becomes the Hand of the King and fearlessly stands up to Cersei and Joffrey.
• Despite not being a warrior, Tyrion’s bravery shines through in the Battle of the Blackwater as he saves King’s Landing with his ingenious defense plan and rallying the men to victory.

There are many characters with amazing moments and episodes in Game of Thrones. The show crafted wonderful characters with amazing stories, and many of them had fascinating arcs throughout the eight seasons. Tyrion Lannister was one such character, one of the faces of Game of Thrones who helped shape the history of Westeros across these vital years.

From his beginnings as the hated son of a famous house, Tyrion’s nature forced him to try and help after half a lifetime of drinking and sleeping around. Going through the Hand of the King or Queen to several leaders, Tyrion served many masters, always attempting to do what he genuinely believed was right, leading to him being one of the few characters that got a perfect ending.

8 The Kingsroad

Showed His Defiance Towards Cruelty & Slapped Joffrey

• Season 1, Episode 2
• Took Place On The Kingsroad

Tyrion slaps Joffrey Baratheon many times throughout the early seasons of Game of Thrones. After the first episode of the series established the Starks as heroes and the Lannisters as villains, the second continued to complicate that initially black-and-white view by showing that Tyrion did not approve of his family’s villainous ways.

At this point, Tyrion hadn’t been established as the truly great strategist and thinker he was. But audiences would get to know him quickly based on his morality, which almost always pointed in the right direction. This accolade is something very few characters in the show can lay claim to and helped audiences take to Tyrion as a favorite very quickly.

7 The North Remembers

His First Time Showing Strength By Becoming Hand Of The King

• Episode 2×01
• Took Place In King’s Landing

Tyrion had problems that he handled in the first season, but it wasn’t until the second season that he saw a real position of power. He was placed by his father in the role of acting Hand of the King, and in the first episode of the season he arrived in the capital to immediately show how different he was from Eddard Stark.

Showing with his frankness in speaking to Cersei and his lack of fear towards Joffrey that he would not be pushed around, Tyrion immediately re-established himself to fans as a force to be reckoned with, as opposed to the bumbling, powerless member of his family. This new role showed Tyrion’s might, whereas his goodness had been in the forefront previously.

6 Blackwater

Defying All Expectations At A Crucial Moment & Saved King’s Landing

• Season 2, Episode 9
• Took Place Around King’s Landing

Tyrion came to the forefront in combat infrequently. He never professed himself to be a warrior, and it was with a heavy heart that he stepped out with the soldiers of King’s Landing to defend in the Battle of the Blackwater against the invading army of Stannis Baratheon.

However, with Tywin absent, Stannis probably would have succeeded in taking the city if Tyrion hadn’t been there to lead an ingenious defense. Not only did he hatch a plan to save the fleet and immediately ruin many of the enemy ships, but he later rallied the men to a final charge that proved key in holding the city long enough that Tywin was able to return with the main Lannister force. This defined Tyrion’s bravery and the unthankful nature of his family in the face of his grit and bravery.

5 The Laws Of Gods And Men

Showed Every Inch Of His Character Within His Trial Speech

• Season 4, Episode 6
• Took Place In King’s Landing

The abuse Tyrion suffered at the hands of all around him came to the forefront when he was put on trial for the murder of Joffrey. His relationships with his family had deteriorated, and it was easy for Cersei to use her son’s death as an excuse to turn on him. Tyrion was asked to confess to his crimes and instead unleashed a tirade on the people of King’s Landing.

Proving that, even in his lowest moment, he is capable of outsmarting his father, Tyrion proclaimed that he wished he was the monster they all thought him to be. But, realizing that he would get no justice in that room, he demanded a trial by combat instead. This ingenious move, stunning performance by Peter Dinklage, and a confluence of all Tyrion’s frustrations made this one of the most memorable moments and episodes in Game of Thrones.

4 The Children

Finally Put His Demons To Rest By Murderign The Father That Hated Him Most

• Season 4, Episode 10
• Took Place In King’s Landing

After Tyrion’s trial by combat failed him, he was doomed to be killed for a crime he did not commit. However, Jaime releases him, giving him a chance to escape Westeros and survive. He couldn’t resist getting his final revenge though, and earning the exile from his family that he’d already been given.

So he crept into Tywin’s room and found Shae there, having betrayed him utterly in favor of his father. He killed her and then found Tywin on the toilet, where his father showed no remorse for his actions towards him, so Tyrion shot and killed him with a crossbow. Some viewers found this moment underwhelming, but it was hugely significant for Tyrion to finally end the father who hated him.

3 The Gift

Meeting Daenerys & Finding Someone He Could Serve

• Season 5, Episode 7
• Took Place In Meereen

After leaving his family and Westeros, there was only going to be one direction for Tyrion. He believed in goodness and wanted someone to end the reign of his family in King’s Landing, so he turned to Daenerys Targaryen, eventually finding her and proclaiming himself to be a gift.

He was, as usual, correct. His usefulness to Daenerys was massive. The way he managed, as a member of the family she had most reason to hate, to find a way to gain her trust, was most impressive, and this long-awaited meeting between characters from separate worlds was a huge moment for Tyrion and for the show.

2 Battle Of The Bastards

Proving Himself Better Than Daenerys By Saving Meereen

• Season 6, Episode 9
• Took Place In Meereen

Much of Tyrion’s time in the fifth and sixth seasons was spent gaining the trust of Daenerys. Still, he didn’t get to fully show how much sway he’d gained over her, and how sharp his wits remained, until she got the idea of destroying her enemies utterly into her head when the Slavers laid siege to the city.

Tyrion was able to convince her that she should be more measured in her response to this latest crisis. With that, he saved countless lives, assured himself the position of Hand to Dany, and showed his ambition to do the right thing was unfaltering. Unfortunately, he didn’t see that Daenerys wasn’t quite as set on doing the right thing as he was in this situation.

1 The Iron Throne

Convincing Jon As His Final Act Of Good-Natured Manipulation

• Season 8, Episode 6
• Took Place In King’s Landing

Tyrion had to watch, and worse, watch blindly, as Daenerys slowly lost her sense of right over the seventh and eighth seasons of Game of Thrones. She’d always had a vicious streak, but this evolved into something far more terrifying after the Long Night when she unleashed her wrath upon King’s Landing, an ending which inevitably left many viewers unsatisfied.

Tyrion finally realized, too late, what she was becoming. He was locked away and had only one option; convincing Jon Snow, the only one who could get close to her and the only one as obsessed with doing the right thing as Tyrion was, to kill her. Miraculously, Tyrion once again escaped imprisonment after the death of his previous Monarch and became Hand to another leader, Bran Stark. With this, he was finally in a position of power where he could do good without being hindered by the ambitions of those around him.