‘Game of Thrones’ season 5: Looking at Peter Dinklage past, present, and future
Obviously, we will start this “Game of Thrones” article with yet another significant warning: There are enormous spoilers ahead, so do not continue reading unless you have already read the books or seen the finale.
It is fair to say that the show did its fair share of doing away with characters during the finale “The Children” tonight. We saw the death of Jojen Reed and The Hound, but then also Tywin Lannister in the toilet of all places. Given how huge a character this is, the muted way that this story ended was certainly shocking. But somehow, the way Tyrion murdered Shae was the most brutal of all, given their past.
This is why show executive producer David Benioff said the following to The Hollywood Reporter after the show, as he discussed the perception of Peter Dinklage’s character now, and the differences that existed with this major scene between the show and the book:
“The murder of Shae, in particular, is emotionally much different than in the book. In the book Shae is a gold-digging prostitute from the beginning. She never loved Tyrion and betraying him came easily for her. But we knew our Shae would diverge from book Shae the moment we saw Sibel Kekilli audition. Sibel brought such life and intelligence to the part; her intensity inspired us to make the character more complex. Our Shae loves Tyrion, and Tyrion loves her. For us the tragedy is watching these two people trying to kill each other when they love one another. If only Tyrion had taken Shae up on her offer at the end of season two, they could be living a wonderful life in exile right now.”
This entire sequence with Tyrion and Shae was difficult to watch, but we feel like the two pivotal words here were “my lion.” That may be what caused the reaction, and what caused us to feel such a jumble of emotions.
What did you think about the finale, and do you understand or feel with Tyrion? Let us know your thoughts below, and head over here to read our full review from tonight’s episode. Also, sign up to get even more good stuff on all we cover via our official CarterMatt Newsletter.
Photo: HBO
LivingDragonitis
June 16, 2014 @ 2:44 am
Excellent on all accounts. I’ve read the books (and sometimes regret it) but I love how the writers have spun the storyline. I know a lot of people were hoping for a resurrection of a previously dead character but I like it this ending way better with Arya’s Bravosi training next season to be particularly delicious. One question, was Varys leaving the city? That was different from the book.
WardenofGamedayBox
June 16, 2014 @ 5:17 am
Yes, once Varys heard the bells he realized what Tyrion had done so he had to gtfo of there. It’s the same in the books except he actually watches Tyrion climb the latter to Tywin’s chamber, etc, and it’s not explicitly written that he hops on the boat (or whatever) but is implied instead seeing as he would be the one to question about smuggling Tyrion out and secret passages and what not.