And the WiCnet Award for Best Dramatic Moment in Season 4 goes to…
…Tyrion Lannister’s confession at his trial in “The Laws of Gods and Men”! This one was never much in doubt, as it received almost 40% of the vote. Tyrion’s confession joins Theon’s Winterfell takeover and The Red Wedding as a WiCcie winner in the drama category. These were the defining scenes of their season, and worthy winners.
Tyrion was also involved in the second-place result, when Oberyn Martell visited him in prison and agreed to become his champion. Arya Stark leaving Sandor Clegane to die took third place.
Watch the speech, see the results, and see why this was such a powerful scene, after the jump….
The “confession” marks the climax of Tyrion’s main story so far. From the moment he and Bronn arrive at his father’s camp toward the end of Season 1, this has been his trajectory. He builds relationships with Bronn and Shae, and he works and for his father and the good of the realm. At the start of Season 2, he arrives in the capital with his two friends-for-hire and a mandate from Tywin. From the apparently objective viewpoint of the show, as well as from Varys, he succeeds admirably. Yet he’s hated by the court, by his father, by the people, and most important, by King Joffrey–which culminates in him being imprisoned for Joffrey’s death.
Remarkably, he’s put up with it for over two seasons–saving King’s Landing, and accepting a lesser role upon his father’s return. He even goes through the farce of the trial without more than cursory complaints…until Shae shows up. At this point, Tyrion breaks. All the unjust attacks he’s faced, and the one that finally causes him to snap is the repeat of the defining event of his adolescence.
I was worried about this scene since well before Season 4 even started, to be honest. The way the Shae-Tyrion relationship was portrayed on the screen seemed far more real and lasting than it was in the books–making Shae’s betrayal likely to feel unearned. To a certain extent, I was right–the words spoken and the overt text didn’t make the situation work. But the actors did make it work.
There’s something almost theatrical about the entire scene. You can see it in the way the audience roars disapproval at Tyrion insulting them–it’s artificial, set to heighten the sense of unreality in the scene. And that sense comes primarily from Dinklage’s face, particularly the crushed, betrayed look as he says “Shae…no.” He sweeps through a range of emotions, one for each line. There’s faux-innocence as he traps his father into saying “You’re on trial for being a dwarf,” pure hatred as he tells the audience that he should have let them die, and the petty triumph as he demands trial by combat. It’s not subtle, and it’s not naturalistic–but Game of Thrones threw out naturalism a long time ago. It’s about creating moments, and none was more dramatic than Tyrion’s confession.
Stay tuned for the next vote, for Best Special Effect in Season 4! But first, the results.
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