Game of Thrones Director Responds To The Theory That Tyrion Is In Love With Dany

A good love triangle can be the source of deliriously entertaining drama, but there are times when it makes you want to run out the room screaming "NOPE NOPE NOPE." Tyrion/Dany/Jon is one such triangle that should remain firmly in the realm of nonexistent. Our own Anne Cohen explained why such a dynamic would ruin the story: Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) already has a Jorah (Iain Glen) firmly in the friendzone, and we really only need one man pining for her unrequited love in the story. It would also minimise Tyrion's devotion to her strength as a ruler if it just became about love. Why can't Dany have men around her that follow her simply because she's the best person to rule the Seven Kingdoms?

Which made Tyrion's lurking during the season 7 finale episode, "The Dragon and the Wolf," all the more exasperating. We caught two distinct shots of Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) standing outside Dany's door while she was having sex with Jon Snow (Kit Harington); the music even changed keys into a darker, gloomier theme when the camera was on his face. The Daily Beast spoke with the director of the finale, Jeremy Podeswa, to ascertain the Hand of the Queen's motivations.

"Well I think there’s jealousy, but it’s maybe not romantic jealousy, in the way that it is for Jorah, for example. I think that for Tyrion, it’s more complicated. I think he has a very special relationship with Dany and he really believes in her as a true leader and has invested a lot in her." Okay, so Podeswa splits this hair between romantic love and general love and devotion, but we're not convinced. We've seen that face on scorned lovers before, and it's the face of pure insecurity.

He also mentions that Tyrion sees himself as a strategist who is always steps ahead, and he's uneasy at the thought that he may be unable to predict the outcomes of this new variable. "The consequences of Dany and Jon getting together are completely unknown," Podeswa says of Tyrion's thought processes. "Is she gonna make decisions now based on this new relationship? Is she gonna be able to separate her personal [interests] from the interests of the greater group?"

If Tyrion was truly devoted to Daenerys, absent of romantic emotions, he should also respect her sexual agency. The way he lurked outside of her room, ostensibly listening to her and Jon Snow's sex moans, was straight-up creepy. It doesn't indicate that he is puzzled over their romance from a strategic standpoint; Tyrion has coveted Dany's love and is roiling with resentment that someone else has her heart instead. It's a tale as old as time.

Another reason why Tyrion should get his feelings together? There's fan theories that wonder if Tyrion is also a Targaryen, and the absolute last thing this show needs is more incest. Let's see some characters fall in love who aren't related, please.