How do politics work - Or why the endgame doesnβt make sense - Part II Tyrion as Hand
In my first post on the endgame of GoT, I spoke about how Bran does not make sense as a king because he is too magical. In this post I want to talk about how Tyrion as Hand does not make sense, because it would be too close to actual politics, too realistic and not in tune with some of the themes GRRM set up. It would be more in tune with a mobster story than with a fantasy story. I am speaking from the perspective of the books as they are now. I fully realise, that we still have two books to go, but tbh, like with Bran I do not see, how Tyrion as Hand can be considered a bittersweet ending, or in any way a satisfactory ending.
First, I want to remind everyone, that Tyrion is a rather dark grey character, if not black. The show has whitewashed him from early on. I always suspected that this might mean that in the books Tyrion will have some kind of redemption towards the end and that the show cut short on his downward arc by simply omitting it, but as things stand now, Tyrion has certainly much to answer for, and several of these things are things that are punished in-world.
What do we know about what Tyrion has done? (as an aside, please note, that I do not claim that some of these things are not explainable from what we see in his PoV, but his PoV is very misleading, and explainable is not the same as excusable)
He raped Tysha because his father told him to. He sowed unrest in the Vale by arming the mountain clans with Lannister gold as part of his revenge on Lysa Arryn. He essentially bought Shae as his personal sex-worker. He worked for Joffreyβs rule against Stannis knowing full well that a) Joffrey was a very bad king and b) Joffrey had no claim to the throne whatsoever. He let Bronn kill the singer Symon silver-tongue because he made eyes at Shae and cut to close to the truth in his songs and then poor Symon was served up in a stew to the starving population of Kingβs Landing. He wed Sansa Stark knowing full well, she does not want to marry an enemy of her house. He groped her in their wedding night. He killed his lover Shae when he caught her in his fatherβs bed (knowing she was a sex-worker who was probably paid for being there). He killed his father on the privy. He raped a serving girl in Illyrioβs house. He set up fAegon for a probably doomed expedition to conquer Westeros. He has frequently announced that he will rape his sister Cersei. He signed a number of fake contracts with no money behind it, because he wants an army. And this is just what is at the top of my mind when I think about what Tyrion did. I donβt even mention the fact that his thoughts in ADWD are very disturbing.
Now, Tyrion is not stupid and he usually is sensitive to the fact that he cannot rule simply by fear. So, he knows, that a hungry smallfolk in the capital is bad news, that he needs to appease them. He is not a tyrant like Joffrey, he is careful not to hurt people, if he needs them. He cares for the payment of his soldiers and their well-being and safety, in so far he needs them in fighting shape. He is ruthless and cunning. His greatest wish is to be acknowledged as his fatherβs heir, not only in the literal sense as heir to Casterly Rock, but also in the sense that he wants to match Tywin in politics. Tyrion seems like the perfect copy of Tywin at least when it come to politcs, and his aunt Genna even says so in AFFC, when she talks with Jaime. So, you could argue that just like his father he is not a good person, but he is an effective politician.
Nevertheless, Tyrion is not as clever as he thinks he is: In ACOK he sets Littlefinger, Varys and Pycelle against each other to find out who works for Cersei and he makes a deadly enemy out of Littlefinger who later plots to frame Tyrion for Joffreyβs murder.Β Tyrion in ACOK is still on a learning arc for ruthless politics so to say, and it might well be, that the does not make a mistake like that ever again.
Apart from his personal record, there is the problem of the Lannister legacy. The legacy of House Lannister and of Tywin is that of a ruthless politician. Tywin destroyed two entire houses because their heads did not respect him enough, he had no qualms about sacking Kingβs Landing in Robertβs rebellion, he had no scruples to let the Mountain kill Elia and her children, because he knew that Robert would be thankful to him for eliminating this problem. He instigated Walder Frey to murder King Robb - a man who had repeatedly bested Tywin on the battlefield - at the Red Wedding. The Lannister rule is described in-world as being quite effective even over a rather long period of time, but there can be no doubt that it does inspire wary respect but no love. The Stark rule, especially Nedβs is set up as a foil for this. And while the show made nothing of it, we can see the loyalty House Stark inspires even when they are on their lowest point in ADWD. I do think that this is ultimately the difference : House Lannister has to stay strong, once they fall nobody will raise a finger for them.
Now, In-world Tyrion is accused several times of things he didnβt do and we as readers know this. We tend to be on his side in this, because someone getting death penalty for something he did not do seems incredibly unfair. And yet, Tyrion has done several things that should be punished. We are told multiple times how the βkinslayerβ is cursed, and we hear In-world stories in legend and history how that curse always strikes. Always.
I would also argue that Tywinβs legacy is bound to be destroyed one way or the other. The Reynes and the Castameres cry for revenge. If House Targaryen is punished for generations of βexceptionalismβ then House Lannister is due for a reckoning as well. And we have seen the start: Cerseiβs children - the only children in the next generation of the main Lannister lineage - will all die in the books as they did on the show. The punishment for Cerseiβs and Jaimeβs incest and for the power hunger of the Lannisters. We can be sure about this. Genna βs children are Freys and will die in the Red Wedding 2.0. Lancel, Kevanβs son will die as well.
So, how does that all fit into Tyrion as Hand at the end? It would mean that the rule that kinslayers are punished which GRRM hammered into our minds suddenly does not adhere to one person? It would mean that the Fall of the Lannisters GRRM set up will not happen? It would mean that poetic justice and a reckoning hits Tywin himself, Cersei, Jaime, the Freys, Ramsay and Roose Bolton, Theon Greyjoy, possibly Victarion Greyjoy but not Tyrion?
Now, you could argue that Tyrion does not need to be a good person to be a good ruler. You could argue that Tyrion is smart enough to rule with a modicum of justice because he knows that this works better in the long run. You could argue that he could stay unmarried and that this is how the Lannister legacy dies.
But I would argue that he will always look for loopholes and further his own agenda in secret. It is just how he plays the game and how he learned it by his father. Tyrion as Hand could work out for a majority of the people, but only if Tyrion letβs go of his resentment he accumulated over the years and which is so prominent in ADWD. Imagine someone with that much bottled up hatred in a position of power! Imagine someone criticising Tyrion - and if he rules as Hand he will be criticised. That someone would probably vanish over night - at least if you consider how Tyrionβs mind works in ADWD. Tyrion would still continue to just buy the women he wants and probably heβll be just as awful about it as he is in ADWD.
You could argue that Tyrion as Hand is 'realisticβ. That ruthless politicians get offices and stay in office all the time. That is certainly true enough, but would it work together with Bran, the most magical of all persons bring chosen as King because of his almost omniscience?
In addition, Tyrion would get what he always wantedβ¦. He always wanted a standing sufficiently high so that people could not hurt him. He wanted to stand in his fatherβs shoes. He wanted powerβ¦. GRRM usually does not hand out anything one of the characters (or his readers) want and if he does, only with a twist. How would this work in Tyrionβs case? Only if he gains the ability to reflect on his choices and mistakes much more than he does right now, only when he realises that he made mistakes and suffers for it. I donβt see him becoming suddenly all reflective and full of remorse. Not if he is the one to bring Dany to Westeros in the books as well.
To sum up, Tyrion as Hand does mean: Tyrion getting away with kinslaying, Tywinβs legacy alive and well at the end with the person who is most like Tywin in charge, Tyrion getting all he ever wanted, a ruthless politician as a successful de facto ruler.
I would argue that this does not fit into how GRRM handled themes up until now. To break his own rules he set up over five books once might work, but to break all? And in addition it does not fit with other parts of the endgame. Bran as a king with magic when we virtually have next to no magic? And at the same time Tyrion as the 'realisticβ politician that is needed to run the country? Targaryen legacy finally put to rest for all eternity, but Lannister legacy thriving? Tyrion just getting all he ever wanted? Tyrion not getting punished for any of the crimes he did?
The books might prove me wrong if they ever come out. And there might be a way how GRRM reaches Bran as king and Tyrion as Hand at the same time. I just canβt see it. Tyrion as Hand has its problems in itself, just as Bran as king has. These are not insurmountable, but honestly I canβt think of a way how GRRM could strengthen magic enough to make Bran as king satisfying and heighten the realism to make Tyrion as Hand plausible.
I mean I always expected that old Lord Walder Grey will just die in his bed and that it will only be his family who suffers for his sins, but I would expect a little bit less 'realismβ and more adjusting to themes the author set up himself in regard to one of the POVs.
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