WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for House of the Dragon’s season 2 finale and George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood book, on which the show is based!
Summary
In a not-so-subtle reference to one ofGame of Thrones’ most iconic characters,House of the Dragon’s season 2 finale includes a nod to the original show’s villain Tywin Lannister. Since House Lannister only has two representatives inHouse of the Dragon, the twinsJason and Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall), the family’s presence in the prequel is far less dominant than inGame of Thrones. However,House of the Dragonstill maintains House Lannister’s penchant for arguably villainous and anti-hero family members.
InHouse of the Dragon’s season 2 finale, Tyland Lannister gets his biggest episode focus yet as he travels to convince the Triarchy to ally with Team Green. In order to gain their fleets, Tyland must win the loyalty of Tariarchy captain Sharako Lohar, who tries testing Tyland in feats of strength while continuing to call him the wrong name.While most of the names that Lohar calls him are completely made up, one mistaken moniker is “Tywin,”the name of the patriarch of House Lannister duringGame of Thronesand one of the franchise’s most compelling characters.
Lohar Calls Tyland Lannister “Tywin” Over 100 Years Before The Game Of Thrones Villain Is Born
House Of The Dragon’s Season 2 Finale Featuers A Nod To Tywin Lannister
When theTriarchy admiral Sharako Loharmeets Tyland Lannister in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 8, she incorrectly refers to him as “Tywin,” “Tyrod,” and “Tyman” until he finally proves himself to her. While there are no known Tyrods or Tymans in House Lannister’s family tree, there is one Tywin Lannister, whose story commences over 100 years afterHouse of the Dragon’s timeline. ConsideringGame of Thrones’ character is the only known Tywin Lannister in the franchise’s history, it’s possible that Lohar gave the family the inspiration for his name.
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Though the Lannisters play a less prominent role inHouse of the Dragon, the roles of Tywin and his children inGame of Thronesstill find parallels in the prequel through comparisons to House Hightower.Otto Hightower bears similarities to Tywin, Alicent Hightower’s story draws comparisons to Cersei, Gwayne Hightower is a knight in the vein of Jaime, and Aegon II Targaryen is somewhat similar to Cersei and Jaime’s son Joffrey. Meanwhile, bothTyland and Jason Lannister are very different fromGame of Thrones’ family members, as their power in the realm massively shifts with Tywin’s rise.
Game Of Thrones' Tywin Lannister Is Still One Of The Greatest Villains In TV History
House Lannister Has Plenty Of Great Villians & Tywin Stands Tall Among Them
House Lannister has no shortage of incredible villains, with Cersei and Joffrey often standing out as some of the worst villains in TV history. Even Jaime Lannister beginsGame of Thronesseason 1 as Ned Stark’s biggest adversary and villainous foe – it isn’t until he begins his trek with Brienne of Tarth that Jaime develops from an antagonist to a compelling anti-hero. Cersei remains villainous until her death towardGame of Thrones’ ending, but she’s still given some redeeming traits in her love for her children and tragic dynamic in her family as Tywin’s only daughter.
Though the other Lannisters develop varying levels of villainy and heroism throughout the show, Tywin’s status never changes ahead of his season 4 death.
Meanwhile,Tyrion isGame of Thrones’ only major Lannister who remains a heroic, sympathetic figurefrom his debut until his final moments on screen. With Tyrion being one ofGame of Thrones’ most important heroic protagonists throughout the series alongside Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, and the surviving Stark siblings, the love for his character makes Tywin Lannister’s position as a fearsome antagonist more pronounced. Though the otherlion-crested Lannistersdevelop varying levels of villainy and heroism throughout the show, Tywin’s status never changes ahead of his season 4 death.
Tywin is clearly set up as a character we should hate: he’s cruel and emotionally abusive to Tyrion, ruthless to any foe who stands in the way of his family’s power, lacks any affection or respect for Cersei despite the fact that she proves herself as his most worthy successor, and organizes the deaths of Robb and Catelyn Stark in the Red Wedding. Tywin is far from a good man and has few admirable traits, as his entire motivation in life is to enhance the status and power of House Lannister – whatever the cost.
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Regardless, it’s hard not to be captivated by Tywin anytime he appears on-screen. Unlike when Cersei or Joffrey appear and begin scheming, Tywin’s on-screen appearances don’t give me an internal reaction of anxiety and loathing for his character. Tywin is a level-headed strategist who makes ruthless decisions, buthe’s incredibly smart, calculated, and consistent in a way that no otherGame of Thronesvillains are– Littlefinger strives to be like Tywin, but he can’t compare to the tact and cleverness of House Lannister’s patriarch.
Though Tywin has no redeemable qualities,I can’t help but thoroughly enjoy his character and any scene featuring him.Tywin and Arya Stark’sGame of Thronesseason 2dynamic at Harrenhal is still one of my favorite storylines from the entire series. I still find it interesting upon rewatching that as anxiety-ridden and surprising as their scenes together are, they don’t make him any worse of a villain or better of a person.
WhenTyrion Lannister kills Tywinin one of the show’s most important moments, I was more sad that it meant his story and screentime were over, despite his fate being deserved. In my eyes,Tywin Lannister remains one of the best-written characters in TV history, with stiff competition from author George R.R. Martin’s slew of other compelling protagonists and antagonists.
How Tyland Is Related To Game Of Thrones' Tywin Lannister
Tyland Isn’t A Direct Ancestor Of Tywin Lannister
Although Lohar cheekily refers to him as Tywin in a nod toGame of Thrones’ character,Tyland actually isn’t a direct ancestor of Tywin Lannister. While Sharako Lohar informs Tyland that she wants him to impregnate her wives so she can have children by him, there’sno indication in George R.R. Martin’sFire & Bloodbook that Tyland has kids. Rather, House Lannister’s bloodline is carried on by Tyland’s twin brother, Jason. Jason’s son Loreon inherits Casterly Rock after his father’s death in the Dance of the Dragons, with their family tree then continuing through his descendants.
The Lannister family tree isn’t as fully fleshed-out as House Stark orHouse Targaryen’s family treein theGame of Thronesuniverse. It’s not entirely clear exactly how many generations there are between Tyland and Tywin, as the lineage gets a bit muddled between Jason’s son Loreon and Tywin’s great-great-grandfather Damon Lannister. However, the timeline makes it seem likely that there are only about two generations between Loreon and Daemon,suggesting Tyland is the great-great-great-great-great-great uncle of Tywin Lannister.
Twin brother of Tyland Lannister
Loreon Lannister
Son of Jason Lannister (Lord of Casterly Rock during King Aegon III Targaryen’s reign)
Tyland’s HOTD Story Shares Some Intriguing Similarities To Game Of Thrones' Lannisters
Tyland Lannister Has A Fascinating Arc In Game Of Thrones History
Tyland may not be a direct ancestor of Tywin Lannister and his children, but his story does have some overlap with theGame of Thronescharacters. For instance, both Tyland and Tywin become Hand of the King after the ruler they originally served under dies.Tyland becomes Hand of the King to Aegon III Targaryen after Aegon II is killed, whereas Tywin Lannister is Hand of the King to Aerys II Targaryen before later acting in the same position for Joffrey Baratheon.
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Tyland Lannister may be a hatable character at the end of season 1, but HOTD’s future will give him a heartbreaking, thematically fitting end.
WhileHouse of the Dragon’s timeline will likely end before reaching this part inFire & Blood,Tyland also embarks on an antihero arcthat loosely reflects Jaime Lannister’s development inGame of Thrones. Tyland goes from a usurper under Team Green and someone who advocates for the death of a young boy to said boy’s Hand and friend when he ascends the Iron Throne as King Aegon III Targaryen. Similarly, Jaime beganGame of Thronesby trying to kill young Bran Stark before amending his ways and facing his betrayals in season 8.
Tyland’s future inHouse of the Dragonwill also bear a tragic similarity to Tyrion Lannister inGame of Thrones. AfterRhaenyra takes King’s Landing, Team Black has Tyland tortured for information about the crown’s gold, which leads to the former Master of Coin being blinded, mutilated, and permanently scarred on his face.Tyland’s appearance thereafter is cruelly referred to as evil and monstrous, not unlike the horrible insults that are thrown at TyrioninGame of Thrones. Sadly, it isn’t until afterHouse of the Dragon’s war that much of Tyland’s story takes form.
House of the Dragon
Cast
House of the Dragon is a 2022 fantasy drama set in the world of Westeros, chronicling the Targaryen dynasty at its height. The story revolves around King Viserys’s controversial decision to name his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, sparking tensions and divisions within the realm.
Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones is a multimedia franchise created by George R.R. Martin. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire is the basis for the award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones, which lasted for eight seasons. After the incredibly divisive final season of Game of Thrones, the series was followed up by the prequel series House of the Dragon, which also received critical acclaim.
