Why Tyrion was looking so concerned during *that* scene at the end of 'Game of Thrones'

It’s happened. It’s finally happened – and we all sat on our sofas and cheered as it did.

Game of Thrones

And while the fans loved it (people can’t stop talking about Kit Harington’s butt), Tyrion, skulking in the darkness – almost like a tribute to Littlefinger – caught Jon sneaking into Dany’s chamber, and really did not happy.

But why? Surely Daenerys’ Hand should be delighted about the solidifying relationship between her and the King in the North? After all, he’s devoted a lot of time to finding Daenerys allies, and to gaining Jon’s support in particular.

There is not one definite reason Tyrion disapproves of this sexy development, but there are – I think – four key possibilities. It could be one of them, it could be a combination of a few, but we’re going to break them down for you here, so you can decide which you feel is most likely. Here we go…

Theory 1 – Tyrion thinks the relationship will make Daenerys weak

This first theory is the simplest, and is purely the idea that Tyrion thinks Daenerys falling in love with Jon will cause her to make rash or stupid decisions that will both endanger her and their plans to win the Iron Throne. 

In Tyrion’s mind, she already made one such decision when she flew off north of The Wall to save Jon and his band of merry men when they got themselves into a spot of bother with the White Walkers, and next time, she could lose more than a dragon.

Love causes people to do stupid things, maybe Tyrion thinks romance should wait until after the war is done?

Theory 2 – Tyrion does not want Daenerys to have a child

The subject of Daenerys’ fertility has really risen to the fore towards the end of this season, and was mentioned again in the finale, when Jon was essentially like,“So some old witch you killed told you you couldn’t have kids like, years ago? Cool, bet I can prove her wrong winky face winky face winky face”.

Tyrion questioned Dany about the succession – who will rule after her if/when she dies – in Episode 6, and Daenerys refused to answer the question. “We will discuss the succession when I wear the crown,” she tells him.

But why wouldn’t Tyrion want his queen to have children? Well, because one of the reasons he is so attracted to her as a ruler is because of her assertion that she wants to “break the wheel” – which would provide an opportunity to build a system that does not merely mean the throne passes down through a single family. Instead, some form of democracy could be installed. If Daenerys were to have a child, that could tempt her to to name them her successor, essentially changing nothing in Westeros in the long term. Just because Daenerys may be a good ruler does not mean her child would be, or her child’s child, and so forth. We’d eventually end up with the same tyrants and constant wars as before.

Daenerys has told Tyrion that she’s infertile, and currently he has no evidence that would make him disbelieve her. However, he’s also not the most trusting in witches’ ramblings, so probably has not fully ruled out the idea of her having a child.

There is another arm to this theory, which I am not going to give its own section, as I feel it is far too unlikely, but that is the idea that Tyrion wants to be named Dany’s successor. However, Tyrion has never expressed a desire to rule, and having total power seems like something he would actually actively dislike. He is much happier and more comfortable as an advisor, and his concerns over Dany’s succession are nothing more sinister than concerns for the future of the realm.

Theory 3 – Tyrion made a deal with Cersei

Could Tyrion have betrayed Daenerys to form an alliance with his sister? No chance – while Tyrion did manage to walk out of his meeting with Cersei unharmed – a huge achievement in itself – the pair still hate each other’s guts. Neither likes nor trusts the other enough to ever be on the same side again.

However, what is possible is that Tyrion formed some kind of deal with Cersei behind Daenerys’ back – one that he may believe is best for Daenerys in the long term, but that she’d still be very angry about if she found out. Remember, we didn’t see the ending of Tyrion and Cersei’s meeting, so we do not know how he managed to convince her to rejoin the negotiations in the Dragonpit.

What if Tyrion told Cersei to lie, and tell Daenerys and Jon that she would call off her bannermen and send her forces north to fight the Night King, but knew that actually, she would do no such thing? That’s why he looks so uncomfortable when Jon and Dany head off to happily bonk the night away – he feels like he has betrayed his queen, and knows it won’t be long before all the land they have worked so hard to take will soon be back in Cersei’s hands again.

Theory 4 – Tyrion is in love with Daenerys

Maybe Tyrion’s look in that scene is a look of jealousy and heartbreak? So simple, and yet so totally possible. Think about it, any man who spends any significant amount of time with Daenerys – Drogo, Jorah, Daario, Jon – falls in love with her, why should Tyrion be any different? In fact, he has a history of falling in love with women who treat him kindly, and don’t just see him as the useless dwarf his father always did. Remember Shea? And before that, the prostitute Tysha he lost his virginity to and eventually married, who it turned out Jaime had actually hired for him.

Daenerys treats Tyrion with love and respect – perhaps the most love and respect of anyone he has ever met. It’s possible that Tyrion has fallen for his queen, and harbours some secret ambition for them to one day be together (probably knowing that in reality, it would never happen).

Him loving Dany could explain a lot – such as his repeated poor decision-making this season. Perhaps he has been blinded by love, his desire for her to stay to far out of harm’s way leading him to think up overly far-fetched plans or overlook key details in his plotting because he is too concerned with keeping her safe – something it is obviously vital to do, but maybe he is being too overprotective?

So what do you think? Which theory do you feel is most likely? Is Tyrion really in love with Dany? Does he just want democracy in Westeros? Or is his concern about the boinking to do with something different altogether?