Of all the characters in HBO's Game of Thrones, none stand out more so than Tyrion Lannister, played by Peter Dinklage. Among the fantasy-rich elements of the show, Tyrion is the most grounded character of them all, especially amongst his own family. He's the show's greatest source of comedy, and calls everyone out on their wrongdoings, even at his own expense. Tyrion's the character that most people rooted for, as his intentions were almost always good and he seemed to have the best interests of everyone in mind.
Throughout Game of Thrones' eight seasons, Tyrion had plenty of noteworthy moments, but here's a handy list of some of his absolute best moments throughout the show.
Any and Every Time Tyrion Slapped Joffrey Baratheon
Any avid fan of Game of Thrones would know how absolutely detestable Joffrey Baratheon was -- he was spoiled, entitled, violent and demanded everything of everyone, including his family. He treated Sansa Stark horribly, as well as his later love interest, Margaery Tyrell. So when Tyrion Lannister went out of his way to slap Joffrey, it was extremely satisfying, and also well-deserved. Joffrey's family and surrounding royal staff, especially his mother, Cersei, just fed into Joffrey's lust for power and control. His uncle, on the other hand, refused to give in to Joffrey's madness. Instead, he would often give Joffrey a quick slap on the face.
He first slaps Joffrey in Season 1, Episode 2, starting off the series on a great note. Again, in Season 2, Episode 6, Tyrion lands another slap on Joffrey. Both times that he slaps him it's in the presence of other people, and yet Tyrion feels no fear. His anger at Joffrey outweighs the fear of consequences, and it makes for a very well-deserved moment of punishment. Tyrion simply did the thing that many fans wanted to: slap Joffrey right in his smug face.
Tyrion's Victory at the Battle of Blackwater Bay
By far one of the most impressive moments of Tyrion's career as the Hand of the King to Joffrey Baratheon was his success during the Battle of Blackwater Bay in Season 2, Episode 9. Stannis Baratheon, Joffrey's uncle, attempted to take King's Landing for himself after Joffrey took the throne following his father's death. Initially, the battle seemed like it was in Stannis' favor, considering he had the numbers after using the help of Melisandre, a red priestess from Asshai, to secure Renly Baratheon's forces after assassinating him. Tyrion's sister, Cersei, had been acquiring a highly-flammable substance called wildfire in order to level the playing field, and Tyrion had the supremely intelligent idea of sending the wildfire out to sea.
While Cersei and the women and children of King's Landing hid in Maegor's Holdfast, Tyrion sent out an empty ship filled with nothing but barrels of wildfire. While Stannis is initially confused by the empty ship, he soon sees the trail of wildfire leaking from the vessel. Commander Bronn of the City Watch then sent a flaming arrow flying into the water, quickly igniting the wildfire and anything that it touched, soon bringing Stannis' fleet of ships crumbling into the flaming waters. Without Tyrion's quick thinking, they surely would have lost the Battle of Blackwater Bay, but thankfully, Tyrion kept his head on his shoulders and was able to navigate a successful battle. It was incredibly impressive and a huge testament to Tyrion's intelligence in battle -- even though he never got the recognition he deserved.
Tyrion's Speech at Joffrey's Murder Trial
Another huge moment for Tyrion was in Season 4, Episode 6, when he stood trial for the murder of his nephew, Joffrey Baratheon. This moment is so important for Tyrion because he gets to be incredibly honest about not just his nephew, but his entire family and the nobles attending the trial. Though he openly admits that he was not the one to kill Joffrey, he continues by saying that he wished he had. He mentions how Joffrey's death brought him a tangible sense of relief, considering how vile and loathsome he was in life.
The content of the speech was ruthless, honest and very much needed, but the acting on the part of Dinklage in this scene was outstanding. Viewers could feel his frustration at both his family and his current situation. What's worse is that his father, Tywin, was one of the judges at the trial, making Tyrion's place as the accused all the more awkward and upsetting.
When Tyrion Kills Tywin Lannister on the Toilet
In Season 4, Episode 10, possibly one of the biggest shocks in Game of Thrones takes place when Tyrion kills his own father, Tywin Lannister. After Tyrion is put on trial for the murder of his nephew Joffrey, he is sentenced to death by his own father after his trial by combat finishes with Tyrion's chosen representative, Oberyn Martell, getting crushed by the Mountain, Gregor Clegane. The pain and shock of his own father sentencing him to death were too much for Tyrion to bear, so when his brother Jaime releases him from prison, Tyrion takes his full revenge. Tywin had always lessened Tyrion in comparison to his other children due to his stature, and despite him being the most intelligent child, he was never given opportunities or respect from his father.
First Tyrion strangled Shae, his love interest, after finding her in his father's bed. From there, he brings a crossbow into the bathroom to find his father in the midst of relieving himself. Ultimately, Tywin remained a gruesome father right until the end, so Tyrion rightfully shot him with the crossbow. This was a huge moment for Tyrion as he finally got to let Tywin know exactly how he felt and manifested all of the anger, resentment and bitterness in one fell swoop. It was a much-deserved moment for Tyrion.
Tyrion Frees Viserion & Rhaegal in the Catacombs
Arguably one of the most surprising and biggest moments in Game of Thrones belongs to none other than Tyrion when he releases Viserion and Rhaegal from the catacombs in Season 6, Episode 2. In an effort to help the dragons start eating again, Tyrion unchains the dragons from their depths in the catacombs. Though he was anxious as he approached them, the dragons were surprisingly calm around him. As soon as he unchains them, they slither back into the darkness, unbothered by Tyrion's actions or presence.
This is a huge moment for Tyrion as no one else besides the Targaryen family has been able to associate with or even be near dragons in a safe capacity. So for Tyrion to not only approach the dragons safely but actually release them from their chains without being eaten or burnt to a crisp only means that the dragons didn't mind him. Of all the characters in Game of Thrones, only Tyrion was able to survive such a close-encounter with dragons that don't even belong to him.