Despite The Winds of Winter taking so long, it will be a chance to put that right – or so it’s hoped. Dany may still turn to the dark side in George R.R. Martin’s novels – indeed, it seems a given, in some way – but with more time and its point-of-view structure, it could and should do it better. That will be helped by another momentous event in the sixth A Song of Ice and Fire book, one that’s long been expected and is finally going to happen when Martin finishes the story.
Daenerys Targaryen Will Finally Meet Tyrion Lannister In The Winds Of Winter
The Pair Met On-Screen In Game Of Thrones Season 5
While A Song of Ice and Fire has a lot of major characters – including 24 regular POV characters, excluding prologues and epilogues – it’s Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, and Tyrion Lannister who stand as the three most important so far. Each influences the story in a myriad of ways, and while Jon and Dany are expected to be the two main characters when it really narrows to its endgame, Tyrion actually has more POV chapters so far than anybody else. And yet, of the three, only Jon and Tyrion have actually met.
Daenerys’ story has been isolated a world away from Westeros, but that’s going to change in The Winds of Winter, as her and Tyrion are finally set to meet – an event that, in Game of Thrones, took place in season 5. After A Dance with Dragons, Tyrion has arrived in Meereen… although, ironically, Daenerys is not there as The Winds of Winter begins, having escaped the fighting pit on Drogon and ended up back with the Dothraki.
Daenerys & Tyrion’s Story In The Winds Of Winter Can Fix Game Of Thrones’ Mistakes
Game Of Thrones Mishandled Tyrion’s Arc Alongside Daenerys
Tyrion and Daenerys is an epic meeting of minds and status: the ultimate Hand and the ultimate Queen, together at last. They should be perfectly matched: in Dany, Tyrion has a ruler he can truly support, and who will help him take revenge on his family; in Tyrion, Daenerys has an advisor who knows the political landscape of Westeros and the weaknesses of its current monarchy better than anyone. And yet, it wasn’t such a sweet symphony in Game of Thrones.
Tyrion was often reduced to a pastiche of his former self, telling jokes, drinking, and not actually knowing things.
For a long time, Tyrion was among the smartest characters in Game of Thrones. Him running rings around political opponents in King’s Landing was a high point of season 2, in particular. And yet once he arrived in Meereen and, eventually, started working with Daenerys, much of that was lost, and he appeared, at times, to be a bit of an idiot. Tyrion was often reduced to a pastiche of his former self, telling jokes, drinking, and not actually knowing things. His plan to capture a wight is among the dumbest ideas in the entire series.
However, it’s not just that Tyrion changed that was a problem… it was also how he didn’t change. In the books, Tyrion becomes increasingly dark and bitter of mind; his thoughts are murderous, vengeful, and vile. It’s a fascinating shift, but would’ve taken him away from being the fan-favorite of the show, and Thrones steered well-clear. But this Tyrion – who is as smart and shrewd as ever, but also hell-bent on destroying his own family – is perfect for Dany in The Winds of Winter.
The version of the team we get in the books should have a much greater strategy for taking the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. This could be helped, perhaps, by Tyrion’s knowledge of Young Griff, whom he knows is really Aegon Targaryen, and who might actually take the Iron Throne before Daenerys.
If Dany’s path is one of destruction in order to achieve her destiny, Tyrion will be the one who leads her down it. Whereas in Game of Thrones he was aghast at the horrors she unleashed, in The Winds of Winter, he’ll more likely be encouraging her, making the turn much more satisfying and better set up.
