Just this morning I wrote a piece about people’s relationship with television characters - a phenomenon that falls under the psychological term names “parasocial”. As you might derive from the name it is a kind of social impairment, this one being a one-sided relationship. But “phenomenon” is the wrong word - it’s actually really common and reminded me of another study that suggested we build close bonds with highly-visible celebrities because our brains tend to treat them with the same rules as it does with all other people: the more you see someone, the higher the likelihood that they are part of your social circle.
Our brains generally don’t always tell real-world acquaintances apart from fictional ones and as such applies the same criteria. This is why you might not grow to like the person at your work’s lobby (even though you see them every day), but you take a real shine to certain characters in your weekly show. They exhibit characterisitics that you hold as check-points for a possible friendship. Well, your brain does - there is no clear active participation from us as beings, other than doing the watching and enjoying.
And I have taken a real shine to Tyrion Lannister, the imp from Game of Thrones.
Of course he’s not really an imp. This character in the fantastic HBO series Game Of Thrones instead suffers from dwarfism, earning him the unflattering nickname (“Wear it like armor,” he tells Jon Snow, the bastard son of Lord Stark, “And it can never be used to hurt you.”). In the modern age such a person hardly raises an eyelid, but in the pseudo-fantasy medieval world of this series he’s lucky to be alive. As he admitted himself, it’s his good fortune to be a Lannister, the golden-haired dynasty with lots of money, more ruthlessness and cunning, to to mention with a finger in the royal pie. Literally - Tyrion’s Sister is the queen of the realm, an arranged marriage with King Robert to stabilize the realm after a bloody coup.
But Tyrion was never a fool and soon learned that he was lucky to be alive - he can’t rely on anything else. Yet he is also an opportunist, hedonist and gambler. The jury is still out on whether he is a fatalist - his musings with Jon Snow also reveals a notion that destiny is what you make of it. It makes for an intriguing character in an intriguing epic. Yes, he resembles your average rogue - I imagine that if it weren’t for his family ties he’d have become a great thief. In some ways he’s like Conan The Barbarian, a fun-loving, life-for-the-day individualist with just enough heart not to be a total bastard, but enough self-preservation to not do something stupid. As Conan wields his sword, Tyrion swings with words. (Some side trivia: Jason Momoa, who plays Khal Drogo in the series, is also the titular character in the new Conan movie).
This past episode, the sixth, was a momentous one and much of that went to Tyrion’s predicament. He used persuasion, cunning, then outright gambling to save himself. As fate (or Tyrion’s ability to make friends) stepped in, it made for a “best of” moment in the series.
But why is Tyrion such an attractive character? It’s not just my opinion - Tyrion has fast risen as one of the reasons why people keep watching, if not the reason. Sure, his rougish ways have a lot to do with it. Everyone loves a charming, wise-ass and totally underestimated underdog. Actor Peter Dinklage also deserves a lot of credit for bringing the character to life. The books probably reveal more as well, but I’m holding off on reading them until the first season is done. But I don’t need that to see more to Tyrion. There is the obvious: Tyrion is the other face of the Lannisters, a group that vary from cruel and deadly (Jaime and Queen Cersei) to thoroughly unlikable and creepy (the prince Joffrey). In contrast Tyrion is cunning and uses pride only as a cloak, not something of real substance, embodying any redemption the audience might give the Lannisters.
He is also much warmer and more approachable than the uptight Starks. The other big post-revolution family, the Starks tend reflect the realm’s bleak northern reaches where they hail from. They aren’t as cold as that part of the world, but they must seem like that to many onlookers. If it wasn’t for the series’ figurehead character, Lord Ned Stark (perfectly cast to Sean Bean - if this show signs up Robert Carlyle, I might never watch another show again) - if it wasn’t for Ned, the Starks would probably have struggled to grab a hold of the audience either.
Pretty much all the major characters are also still developing. Each episode gives us yet a new view on the king and at least a few characters grow each time we meet them. Others (Jaime Lannister, for example) show a ferocious one-dimensional quality that is necessary for now. We accept him as the swaggering, provocative weasel who does actually live up to his dangerous reputation as a fighter. Another is Khal Drogo, who really just needs to be a badass barbarian type who facilitates the rapidly evolving character of Daenerys, one of the wildcards.
In fact, that is the real reason why Tyrion is awesome. He and Daenerys are the two obvious wild cards in a very engaging show. The choices they make will impact the storyline most. But while we had to take a journey with Daenerys, we met Tyrion playing with a naked girl in a brothel. We immediately got an inkling of what to expect from him. And he’s yet to disappoint. Hell, it might take a dragon to dethrone him.
And I have taken a real shine to Tyrion Lannister, the imp from Game of Thrones.
Of course he’s not really an imp. This character in the fantastic HBO series Game Of Thrones instead suffers from dwarfism, earning him the unflattering nickname (“Wear it like armor,” he tells Jon Snow, the bastard son of Lord Stark, “And it can never be used to hurt you.”). In the modern age such a person hardly raises an eyelid, but in the pseudo-fantasy medieval world of this series he’s lucky to be alive. As he admitted himself, it’s his good fortune to be a Lannister, the golden-haired dynasty with lots of money, more ruthlessness and cunning, to to mention with a finger in the royal pie. Literally - Tyrion’s Sister is the queen of the realm, an arranged marriage with King Robert to stabilize the realm after a bloody coup.
But Tyrion was never a fool and soon learned that he was lucky to be alive - he can’t rely on anything else. Yet he is also an opportunist, hedonist and gambler. The jury is still out on whether he is a fatalist - his musings with Jon Snow also reveals a notion that destiny is what you make of it. It makes for an intriguing character in an intriguing epic. Yes, he resembles your average rogue - I imagine that if it weren’t for his family ties he’d have become a great thief. In some ways he’s like Conan The Barbarian, a fun-loving, life-for-the-day individualist with just enough heart not to be a total bastard, but enough self-preservation to not do something stupid. As Conan wields his sword, Tyrion swings with words. (Some side trivia: Jason Momoa, who plays Khal Drogo in the series, is also the titular character in the new Conan movie).This past episode, the sixth, was a momentous one and much of that went to Tyrion’s predicament. He used persuasion, cunning, then outright gambling to save himself. As fate (or Tyrion’s ability to make friends) stepped in, it made for a “best of” moment in the series.
Pretty much all the major characters are also still developing. Each episode gives us yet a new view on the king and at least a few characters grow each time we meet them. Others (Jaime Lannister, for example) show a ferocious one-dimensional quality that is necessary for now. We accept him as the swaggering, provocative weasel who does actually live up to his dangerous reputation as a fighter. Another is Khal Drogo, who really just needs to be a badass barbarian type who facilitates the rapidly evolving character of Daenerys, one of the wildcards.
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