Dialogue Dive: Tywin vs Jaime- Dan and Dave's Best Writing

this video is sponsored by extra when people ask me how i get so many views all i can say is i don't know i just keep putting tywin and stuff and it keeps working but really on a more serious note tywin is my favorite character from game of thrones as i have probably said a dozen times by now and from the look of things papa lannister seems to be tickling your guys's fancy as well which is fine by me as long as you guys continue to find interest and value in looking at tywin's time on what once was the most popular show in the universe i will continue to oblige for those of you who are new to this channel let me give a quick rundown of what to expect from this video creating dialogue is probably one of the most difficult aspects of writing mainly because it is so subjective and ever-changing while i would be completely content to just gush over the early seasons of game of thrones as a consumer the dialogue dive series gives me a chance to dissect them from a professional perspective since my day job is being an editor for novels and manuscripts i'd like to use the next 25 minutes or so to break down some of the more subtle nuanced writing techniques used in this scene between tywin and jaime now i know that nearly half an hour seems like a lot to devote to a four minute scene but that is actually a testament to just how much skillful subtle writing is included within my hope is that by highlighting some of the dialogue techniques that might have gone missed or unnoticed i could be a bit of a help to you aspiring writers out there seeking to master dialogue yourselves now there are two reasons why i chose this specific scene between jb and tywin first it is a near-perfect execution of a character introduction mainly accomplished through informative organic dialogue this video will be similar to my joker dialogue dive which also focused on character introduction secondly even though game of thrones is based on the song of ice and fire book series this scene never appeared in the novels that means this excellently written conversation along with everything else in this episode was written by dan and dave well danny kind of forgot yeah those guys the reason that i think this is important as a subject of study is that it showcases how d d capitalized on the opportunity of writing completely original material for two of their central characters they made a lot of good decisions with what information is included and i like to give credit where credit is due so this is the rundown of how the rest of this video will progress i will play the clip from tywin and jamie's conversation and when i find significant dialogue to comment on i will pause the clip and do my best to give an educative breakdown of why and how that writing was used before we get to that though if you want to refresh yourself on the scene and watch the clip all the way through without my interruptions i will include a link for that in the description i wish i could show the full clip in this video but youtube won't allow that anyway without any further babbling from me let's get into tywin's introductory scene uh all right within the fortnight i'll be branded an enemy of the crown hornet stark brave man terrible judgment attacking him was stupid lannisters don't act like fools oh boy i can already tell there's going to be so much to unpack in this scene which is a sign of great efficient writing first let's get an understanding of what this scene is meant to accomplish character introductions generally should plant the seeds for the major character traits and developments that will appear in the narrative from a writer's perspective this means your character's first scene should be indicative of how their personal journey will progress luckily we already know tywin's full character journey from beginning to end which means we can judge this introductory scene by how well it sets up that journey so what are tywin's key traits and developments that occur within the narrative well taiwan's most consistent and immediately recognizable trait is his domineering intimidating nature tywin seeks control in everything he does whether it is family or warfare and this is maintained throughout all four seasons he's in another portrait of tywin is his ruthlessness and how he exploits weakness from orchestrating the red wedding to ordering tyrion's execution tywin does not show mercy and he will not hesitate to target another character's weaknesses and finally tywin's most major trait is his obsession with the lannister legacy tywin's decision-making is almost completely centered around the continued empowerment of house lannister now as a caveat this is not an exhaustive list of all of tywin's traits or developments he is a very complex character with a ton of nuance however these three aspects along with the fourth that i will mention later on stand as the core of his character so knowing that let's pay attention to how this scene caters to establishing these aspects of his character through dialogue let's roll it again from the top uh arrive within the fortnight i'll be branded an enemy of the crown hornet's dark brave man terrible judgment attacking him was stupid lannisters don't act like fools broken down the central aspects of tywin's character you actually might have recognized how the scene is already establishing tywin's traits one of the first things out of his mouth is a statement about what house lannister does or doesn't do to maintain authority lannisters don't act like fools that sentence also establishes his domineering intimidating nature by having his initial words be insults and condemnation attacking him was stupid tywin's character introduction is all about showing dan and dave had to consider what dialogue can we use to show tywin's traits without explicitly stating them this is the heart of all good dialogue and really all good writing but something that should also be focused on is what happened before this conversation between tywin and jaime in many cases what precedes dialogue is almost as important as the dialogue itself and this is actually where we will turn our attention to jaime from the outset of episode 1 jaime and his sister have basically been set up as the antagonists the boy won't talk and if he does i'll kill him him let's start the king the whole bloody lot of them until you and i are the only people left in this world and along with being antagonists they are incredibly powerful antagonists cersei is the queen jaime is a hyper-skilled kingsguard and they are both from the richest most influential family on the continent as i have said before conflict in a narrative is only as good as the antagonists that it represent and the greater the antagonist the greater the conflict ned stark and the rest of the main cast have had to tread very lightly because they understood how dangerous jaime and cersei were as opponents and it's because of this establishment of their threat that i believe it was a purposeful move to introduce tywin so late in the first season a great writing technique to use if you want to make a new character intimidating during their character introduction is to make that new character superior to an already established antagonist since we already know the danger and threat of jaime tywin's dominant manner of speaking to him comes across as even more intimidating due to this context and this is specifically meaningful considering jaime this is a man who pretty much said whatever he wanted to whomever he wanted give my regards to the night's watch i'm sure it will be thrilling to serve in such an elite force and if not it's only for life jaime even sassed the king to his face at one point so for this same jaime to be in complete verbal submission to tywin for their entire conversation speaks not only to their character relationship but tywin's stature as an antagonist in the narrative aside from just the dialogue the main power of the scene comes from tywin in comparison to jaime dan and dave could have easily had tywin speaking to some random general or soldier or lord but by having tywin stand superior to a powerful character we already have acquainted ourselves with the dialogue of the scene becomes much more impactful so and this is only because there is so much great nuance to unpack in these opening lines let's listen to them one more time to highlight yet another strength of the dialogue last time i promise uh arrive within the fortnight i'll be branded an enemy of the crown hornet's dark brave man terrible judgment attacking him was stupid lannisters don't act like fools so jamie calls ned stark a brave man with terrible judgment which then prompts tywin to immediately question jaime's judgment by calling him a stupid fool for attacking ned the content of this dialogue while a bit innocuous at first glance is actually very informative and i believe meticulously chosen let's keep our focus on jaime a running theme for him throughout the early seasons of the show is jaime's self-perceived exceptionalism more or less he thinks he is superior to everyone else and stands apart from them but while this is made explicit in later seasons there are no men like me only me it is merely foreshadowed in season 1 through action and dialogue since jaime believes he is smarter and superior he also believes he is in a position to objectively criticize ned stark's judgment while it might seem small little dialogue moments like this match jaime's later established character traits which goes a long way in forming the feeling of a consistent compelling character but that really leads us back to tywin who uses jaime's perceived superiority against him attacking him was stupid lannisters don't act like fools tywin essentially tells jaime that he has just as poor judgment as ned stark this accomplishes two things first it shows tywin's ruthlessness and exploitation of weakness in this case he is targeting jaime's insecurity tywin basically says hey that guy you think is so stupid for acting rashly yeah you're no better than him and while that might not seem too bad for jaime that is very significant again since jaime believes in his own exceptionalism tywin saying you're just as dumb as everybody else attacks and destroys that fragile part of his identity but the second narrative aspect this dialogue accomplishes is setting up tywin as the superior figure which is very important to his character going forward in this conversation tywin establishes that he has the clarity to truly understand what proper judgment is by calling jaime a fool tywin cements that he has the authoritative position not only in the conversation but in life in general this therefore makes anything jaime says going forward subject to harsh criticism because of this look how difficult it is for jamie to respond after lannisters don't act like fools you're gonna say something clever come on say something clever i absolutely love this line and it's for two reasons first it's just about as close as you can get to a fourth wall break without actually doing it generally whenever a character in a fiction recognizes the conventions of their fiction it creates a sense that they are distinct from or even above all other characters in their setting it makes them special allah frank underwood or malcolm insert name but of course those are overt fourth wall breaks through narration what tywin does here is more subtle instead of directly addressing the audience tywin comments on a trope of jaime's character it's really similar to this great moment from the incredibles you slide dog you got me monologuing i can't believe it because the audience expects jaime to be clever and witty when tywin also expects it it creates a sense that tywin is ahead of the whole situation it's another way of establishing his superiority in the conversation the second reason i love this is because it continues on with showing tywin's character trait of exploiting weakness tywin knows that jaime's defense mechanism is witty comebacks but by heading him off at the pass and inviting witty comebacks he completely destroys jimmy's ability to use his coping mechanism and from there on tywin is in complete control of the conversation notice how going forward jaime doesn't try to be clever or witty at all again and it's now because he is playing by the conversational rules that tywin has established catelyn stark took my brother why is he still alive tyrion let's start super quick this dialogue is really just great subtle foreshadowing for the relationship and events that will come to pass between tyrion tywin and jaime tyrion's prospect of death is a huge plot point in season 4 mainly involving tywin and jaime so having a reference to that here even if small is great in hindsight one of our men interfered speared him through the leg before i could finish him why is he still alive it wouldn't have been clean again this is excellent establishing of character and while this doesn't specifically relate to dialogue i feel that i have no choice but to mention how this pairs with the current action tywin is skinning a stag literally showing the action of getting his hands dirty he scoffs at jaime's notions of doing things in a clean way to tywin there is no clean or dirty right or wrong there was only winning or losing but we will get to that in a bit and this section of dialogue also has significance to jaime just as much as tywin jaime saying that the kill wouldn't have been clean speaks to a code of honor that he holds himself to of course as viewers this is contrary to everything the show has told us so far about him because of him pushing a kid out of a tower having an incestuous relationship with his sister and siring secret bastards that his king has to raise but what the dialogue does is show that jaime is not completely morally bankrupt and that he does have some honor and the growth of that honor is a huge part about how his character develops in the future you spend too much time worrying about what other people think of you i could care less what anyone thinks of me you know that's what you want people to think of you it's the truth a lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of the sheep this is basically tywin in a nutshell and goes to show why jaime has his early season superiority complex with jaime being tywin's son and hearing this throughout his childhood it's no wonder jaime is as screwed up as he is one more thing this is where we can focus on tywin scoffing at the idea of a clean kill this section of the conversation really showcases that ruthless exploitative side of tywin's character since tywin takes no consideration of honor when committing his actions this ideology directly relates to tywin's planning and execution of the red wedding explain to me why it is more noble to kill 10 000 men in battle than a dozen at dinner tywin has a completely legalistic transactional view of behavior if he thinks that something benefits him he does it and that is set up here elegantly in the first scene i suppose i should be grateful that your vanity got in the way of your recklessness another really quick thing to note tywin demeans jaime's honor code by labeling it vanity and then he goes on to insult him for it what this dialogue continues to do is affirm tywin's black and white view of the world tywin considers restrictions based on honor to be weakness which is indicative of his character going forward i'm giving you half of our forces i didn't realize you played such a high value in my brother's life he's a lannister he might be the lowest of the lannisters but he's one of us and every day that he remains a prisoner the less our name commands respect you probably already know what i'm going to comment on here this dialogue revisits tywin's obsession with the empowerment of house lannister what it also does though is establish the nuance behind this outlook we've worked through the night my lord perhaps we'd profit from some sleep yes i think you would reginald and because you're my cousin i might even let you awake from that sleep if your name was in lannister you'd be scrubbing out pot in the cook's tent tywin loves house lannister not the lannister family tywin couldn't care less that tyrion was a war captive tywin only cares that the war captive happens to be a lannister how can someone so consumed by the idea of his family have any conception what his actual family was doing while a first-time viewer might not recognize this distinction in the moment it is extremely important to have this be part of the character introduction so the lion does concern himself with the opinions that's not an opinion it's a fact if another house can seize one of our own and hold him captive with impunity we are no longer a house to be feared this might be the most important line in the entire exchange jaime essentially calls tywin a hypocrite to his face and tywin gets incredibly defensive and passes off his statements as objective and undeniable on a character level the reason for this is tywin is doing his best to keep himself elevated above and superior to what he perceives as jaime's emotional impulsive identity but what this dialogue does is also set up the fourth big character trait that i said i might get to later tywin's hypocrisy if there is a weakness tywin has especially concerning his family it is hypocrisy this is what actually contributes directly to tywin's death for months he badgered and ridiculed tyrion for sleeping with the [ __ ] but then he does the exact same thing he demands his children bend and adapt for the betterment of the family but never makes any concessions himself hypocrisy is literally tywin's fatal flaw and all the way from the beginning in this introductory scene the seeds of this major character trait are established it's the family name that lives on it's all that lives on not your personal glory not your honor but family do you understand and there we basically have tywin's character thesis statement this section of dialogue encapsulates everything you need to know about tywin going forward and while it may seem more explicit than some of the other more subtle lines of dialogue i believe there's a good reason for it unlike book tywin show tywin never receives backstory we don't dive into his ruined friendship with the mad king we don't investigate his destroyed relationship with his father and we only hear about the reigns of castamere in passing and for a character this complex and this significant to the plot that is pretty incredible almost every major iconic villain has some sort of backstory introduced so that the audience can understand their motivation and end game but for those characters that do not have a provided backstory like the dark knights joker it is incumbent upon a writer to establish motivation through dialogue and action a character lacking a backstory especially a villain must have a clear easy to follow goal that explains their actions in the narrative for the joker it was revealing the true underlying chaos and evil existing in all people for tywin it's the empowerment of the lannister legacy you're blessed with abilities that few men possess you're blessed to belong to the most powerful family in the kingdoms and you're still blessed with youth and what have you done with these blessings huh you've served as a glorified bodyguard for two kings one a madman the other are drunk one of the best ways to impress a character's personality on an audience is to have them speak upon their worldview seeing how a character interprets facts and events in the world allows the audience to understand how their mind works on an objective level jaime's status as a kingsguard is highly enviable in westeros even if we don't look at it from the chivalrous perspective of a knight being able to protect their king we can view a spot on the kingsguard as living in complete luxury you have a quarters in the royal castle you eat from the royal kitchen your name is literally written in the history books and you barely ever have to actually risk your life one could say nearly objectively that this is an impressive station to attain in life and this is why creating the dialogue that interprets that information through taiwan's worldview is so informative this section of dialogue sees tywin praise jaime for the first time in the entire conversation you're blessed with abilities the few men possess you're blessed to belong to the most powerful family in the kingdoms and you're still blessed with youth but he only does it to accentuate how much of a failure he believes jaime is what have you done with his blessings huh you've served as a glorified bodyguard for two kings one a madman the other a drunk this accusation showcases the important central aspects of tywin's character no matter what you do if it's not in service to the lannister family it's not good enough being a king's guard means devoting yourself completely to the king which is a decision tywin really cannot even fathom and is immeasurably disappointed by i need you to become the man you were always meant to be not next year not tomorrow make no mistake this is tywin blatantly asking if not demanding jaime to put the lannister legacy before the duty of the kingsguard really this whole conversation has basically been tywin bullying jaime into submission in order to pocket jaime as an asset to house lannister first he demeaned him attacking him was stupid then he made himself conscious about being demeaned you spend too much time worrying about what other people think of you then he called him a failure i suppose i should be grateful that your vanity got in the way of your recklessness then he gave him an army i'm giving you half of our forces 30 000 men so that he could redeem himself from failure with said army for house lannister i need you to become the man you were always meant to be say what you want about dan and dave's writing during the final season and i have but this show only exchange between tywin and jamie really is a master class in introductory dialogue it's tight efficient and shows why tywin is the most powerful wealthiest lord in westeros and speaking of tight efficient wealth let's take a quick look at the extra wallet i know it's not the usual thing i endorse on this channel but one everyone needs a wallet and number two i try to hook you guys up with stuff i genuinely think is cool before i recommend anything to you guys i always try it out for myself for a quality check and after a few weeks of using an extra wallet i'm pretty much in love with a thing this thing is honestly the smallest sleekest wallet i think i have ever seen and what's best it caters to my near destructive laziness there is a tracking chip for the wallet so that i never have to freak out looking for it all the cards are kept in this rift sleeve that you can pop out like your double 07 trust me it's as cool as it looks but it's way better to actually do it yourself and that is easier now because of discounts anyone who uses my link below in the description will get 20 off their extra purchase so if you need a wallet or if you really just want something cool go check it out anyway thank you guys for watching all the way to the end these dialogue dives are always super fun for me and i will continue to take any excuse to talk about tywin moore as always it was a pleasure and i will talk to you all again soon you

Channel: Savage Books

Views: 72,000

Rating: 4.9499545 out of 5

Keywords: game of thrones, season 4, scenes from game of thrones, tywin lannister, dialogue dive, savage books, writing tips, how to write dialogue, tyrion lannister

Id: oFtoW3REBvk

Length: 26min 12sec (1572 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 15 2020