Game of Thrones has an extensive and high-quality
rogue gallery. I assume everyone probably has their own favorite
villain in the series since there are so many great options, but for this video, I’m going
to be making the case for why Tywin is the best villain in the show. I’m going to cover five main topics that
all combine together in making Tywin the best. And the first one is arguably the most important
in that, Tywin from his perspective in the story is a good guy. Now I feel like this is a topic that comes
up all the time that entices actors towards playing villains, and that’s within good
reason. Because villains that are essentially a good
guy, but just have different motivations than our main protagonist, make more compelling
characters. This definitely doesn’t downplay the Joffreys
and Ramsays within Game of Thrones because unpredictability and true evil intent can
also be terrifying. However, Tywin as an overall character is
more complex because he isn’t just causing chaos out of enjoyment. He’s making logical decisions that are deeply
tied to what motivates him. So looking at Tywin’s actions, he surprisingly
doesn’t do much bad things from his perspective. Truly the only bad acts he did, was setting
the Riverlands on fire, which is understandable because it’s wartime, and the red wedding,
but his reasoning for doing so does make sense and he saved lots of lives by ending the war. Albeit he obviously did it in a bad way. And he also hates Tyrion, but I wouldn’t
blame him from how much he disgraces the Lannister name. So because Tywin isn’t going out of his
way to cause harm and just wants a stable realm that isn’t in constant rebellion,
it makes his character more real and relatable. We establish a deeper connection with Tywin
because we understand his goal and it’s not compromised by constant heinousness. This allows the audience to build sympathy
and empathy for him and is essentially why despite being a villain, there’s a lovable
aspect to him. Part of that reason is Charles Dances’ performance
which I’ll get into later, but the writing for the character is pitch-perfect. A father trying his best to strengthen his
family name and is constantly rectifying all the mistakes made by his children and grandchildren. Like the bad things he’s done wouldn’t
have been necessary had his family not have made those issues so prevalent. I think a great set of scenes that helps with
sympathizing with Tywin and helps the audience look past some of these bad acts is his time
with Arya. Them bonding together brings out an aura of
levity for Tywin which is also ironic because he never gets this feeling when interacting
with his own children. And quite the opposite in fact. But with Arya, we peel back the curtain of
Tywin’s strict and hard persona of being a commanding leader and we see a thoughtful
and caring man who surprisingly is so interested in his cupbearer. I feel like during this showcase, if Tywin
was much more vile towards Arya maybe she would have tried to assassinate him. Even though the window was very small to do
so. I feel like it was partially ambiguous if
Arya hesitated since she kind of enjoyed her time with Tywin. She was visibly upset when Tywin left Harrenhal
without her. David and Dan actually do a great job here
in humanizing Tywin and these scenes offer a lot of value because nothing like these
scenes happen later in the show. From here on out he’s always going to be
a hard ass, primarily because going forward, he’ll be paired up with his children all
the time. So his scenes with Arya are that much more
special because we see a glimpse of the good side of Tywin. They deepen his characteristics and thus make
him a more rich villain. That’s why to me, I have a slight preference
in this field for Tywin in comparison to the other villains of Game of Thrones. He’s not just sympathetic, but he’s very
complex with justified and relatable motivations. Unlike any other villain, Tywin has a unique
set of traits that makes him very strong and a worthy adversary. Within in the show he by far has the most
influence and power. So this essentially gives him free range to
almost do anything he wants and that makes him scary to go up against. As a byproduct from this, this also makes
him very ruthless, intimidating, and he’s a very intelligent strategist given his mass
amount of experience and age. He is probably the best player in Game of
Thrones. He may not be as sleazy and maliciously backstabby
as Varys and Littlefinger, but their power completely pales in comparison. Just seeing him walk into a room and immediately
seeing everyone fold over themselves to try to curry favor with him is a sight to behold. He constantly exudes big dick energy and it’s
so much fun watching Tywin because of this power. Another reason why it’s so fun is the way
he overcomes conflict. It’s always done through him dunking on
people verbally, completely outsmarting them, and just holding so much authority over them
that they shatter into a million pieces. The only people that can sustain this crazy
beam of power that he unleashes when he speaks are his kids, but that’s just because he
can’t outright banish them to the shadow realm. Anyone else though? Good luck. Like him interacting with his random generals
in season 2 was hilarious. Any minor mistakes they made, they would immediately
get drop-kicked by Tywin. The times in which he is actually matched
in this cunning show of power also makes from some incredible moments. I said it before in another video, but Olenna
and Tywin’s scene together where they talk about marrying their kids is one of my favorite
fight scenes. It perfectly highlights Tywin’s main strength
in that he’s a manipulative figure who’s extremely intelligent and can bend political
mechanics to his will. Threatening to draft an order to make Loras
Tyrell a member of the Kingsguard if he doesn’t marry Cersei is such a clever solution that
is practically uncounterable. Along with the ramifications of this deal
being massive. So just in one dialogue scene, Tywin completely
bests Olenna Tyrell and strengthens his overall family position. This unique way of problem-solving is fresh
in Game of thrones because most characters solve their problems through combat. And to me, this type of solution to conflict
is so much more intriguing because it requires wit, and thus keeps you engaged as a viewer
without needing action. Along with it offering two other big factors
like variety in an already big show and the unpredictability of how Tywin will best someone. Because when a protagonist fights an antagonist
in a sword fight, there are only so many outcomes to that situation, and the way they carry
out that goal is always the same. But outsmarting your opponent via political
means creates a more interesting solution that is more fresh and exciting. Another situation that I love where Tywin
was matched and even bested was by Tyrion when he announces he wants a trial by combat. Throughout the show, Tywin gets his way and
his plans are always immaculate and go exactly as he wants. Jaime discovers that Tywin expected for him
to cave and to try and make a bargain to save his brother in which he’ll take up the responsibilities
of his house. So as an audience, we assume that yet again,
Tywin has won in an intelligent way. But Tyrion has one final uno reverse card
and the staredown they give each other at the end of the episode is truly iconic. It visually shows that they are true rivals,
and Tyrion, given how smart he is, can really challenge his father. Plus his added immunity of being his son allows
for this intellectual battle to be more engaging since Tywin can’t outright get rid of him. That’s why their scenes together are definitely
my favorite in the show and I’ll go into more detail about them in a bit. But briefly going into the ending of Tywin’s
character, it’s a plain and simple masterpiece from a writing standpoint. The most powerful character dying on a toilet. It’s a perfect ironic event given the character
at hand and the fact that it’s carried out by Tyrion, explodes the scene with so much
emotion and release of tension. So much buildup for Tyrion has led up to this
moment that it makes it a monumental death scene despite it happening in the shitter. I really can’t imagine a better place for
this type of villain to die. But yeah, as a villain Tywin’s characteristics
and the way he overcomes conflict with them makes him so engaging, and given those characteristics,
the way he dies is outstanding. Apart of how we quantify a villain’s worth
is how much they impact the plot and our main characters. If you look at any great villain they’ll
generally check off both of these boxes in a big way. A couple examples for the character aspect
include Ramsay torturing and thoroughly changing the genetic make-up of Theon and Joffrey tormenting
Sansa while also making Tyrion go crazy with his terrible decisions. Tywin has a major hold over Tyrion, Cersei,
and Jaime. So literally all of his scenes are so complex
and interesting because there is a rich dynamic playing out in all of them between him and
his children. Like, try to think about it, almost all of
his most memorable scenes revolve around him interacting with his children. He’s deeply attached to them and they affect
him just as much as he affects them. They are a constant stain on his legacy and
is more of a conflict to him than really anything else. Which is kind of funny given that he’s actively
fighting a war for three seasons. Now you may be thinking that Robb is Tywin’s
primary antagonist, but that is half true. On a plot basis, Robb is Tywin’s antagonist,
however, on a character basis, his children are. Tywin values his family name above all else,
so his biggest obstacle is wrangling his children. Tyrion is a constant disappointment and an
embarrassment to the Lannister name, Cersei is tired of being disrespected and no longer
wants to do as she’s told, and Jaime refuses to progress the family name with handsome
children. Imagine wasting those godlike genes, holy
shit. So because Tywin affects multiple main characters
drastically, it makes him extremely important within the story. He sends them down massive character arcs
and is the main obstacle for all of them, and in overcoming him, they evolve as characters. Like Cersei standing up to Tywin and threatening
to go public with the vile news of incest, releasing her from his grip and giving her
freedom. Tyrion killing his father and finally escaping
the emotional turmoil and manipulation ensnaring him his entire life. And Jaime finally being able to live a life
of his choosing without his father breathing down his neck. So In terms of all of the villains, Tywin
has the largest reach in terms of character impact. Because villains are generally more focused
and will specialize with challenging one character. But Tywin, he juggles three successfully while
also dealing with other characters briefly. Apart of why some villains may come across
as dull like Euron Greyjoy, is that they don’t challenge anyone on a character level. There’s no deep insights the characters
have to evaluate about themselves in overcoming him. So they never change as characters from said
conflict. He’s just there to carry out certain plot
points and to supply a superficial obstacle for the good guys to overcome. To be fair though, some villains physically
just can’t accomplish this since it wouldn’t make sense within the story to have the villain
and protagonist regularly have scenes together. That’s why I think some villains like Cersei
became shallower in season 8 because they didn’t have any protagonists to interact
with. The first 4 seasons because of this was just
writing brilliance in which you had a perfect mixture of protagonists and antagonists in
a single space. It was a constant hurricane of conflict and
Tywin was in the eye of the storm. To me that was the embodiment of what made
Game of Thrones so amazing and Tywin’s effect on everyone within Kingslanding increased
the depth significantly. Going into the other half of the statement
where a villain has to heavily impact the plot and main characters, let’s look at
how much Tywin affects the story. From an overall perspective, Tywin is a very
busy guy. He’s strategizing and leading a war, he’s
doing all of Joffrey’s work, he’s setting up crucial alliances and pairing up marriages,
and he’s always working behind the scenes like screwing over Robb Stark with the Red
Wedding. Even though he doesn’t go up against Robb
Stark, he’s actively challenging him off-screen. It definitely would have been cool to see
more of his battles with Robb Stark and him planning out different strategies, but unfortunately,
a lot of the battles during the war of the five kings arc were cut for budget. Nonetheless, though, Tywin was still heavily
involved and this made him a very important figure early on in the show. The fact that through the coarse of his screen
time that he essentially opposes almost every character is impressive from a writing standpoint. It’s like Ip Man fighting 10 black belts
at once but on a macro scale. Normally villains will just have a direct
tie to one subject at a time, which will thus increase the connection between them given
that you aren’t splitting time between a bunch of things. Tywin on the other hand, simultaneously affects
so much, but he never feels over-extended. The writers expertly utilize Tywin where it
matters most and a lot of that time is with his kids. His macro problems don’t require many scenes
or could also be done efficiently like discussing the war and then transitioning into a more
personal moment with his children like in season 1. It creates a great sense of efficiency with
the character in how they influence different parts of the show and it never feels like
Tywin is being underutilized. Like a really smart example of efficiency
is Tywin carrying out his work of hand of the king where he’s writing a letter, but
he’s doing so while Cersei is visiting. So this creates a statement that Tywin cares
more about writing a letter than his own daughter. It’s extremely disrespectful and it knocks
out two birds with one stone. Along with it returning later on in the show
where Cersei does the same tactic against Olenna Tyrell. The fact that Tywin affects so much of the
show, I think increases his value as a villain. It makes him more significant since anything
and everything he does carries so much weight and causes ripples throughout the entire world
of Westeros. The larger the impact they have the better
and Tywin created a massive tsunami with The Red Wedding. Really the only other villain that comes close
in this regard is Joffrey killing Ned Stark, and that completely shattered the realm and
the Red Wedding did the same. However, I think Tywin consistently keeps
his pressure on the whole world more than Joffrey does. Lastly and certainly not least, let’s finally
look at the performance of Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister. This is the definition of an iconic and memorable
performance. He requires lots of subtlety, gravitas, and
intimidation through sheer confidence. He isn’t a character who has a lot of emotional
outbursts, so you have to communicate a lot with subtle acting. The true gems of his performance are the minor
details that allude to certain things that he doesn’t want to say or wants to suppress. The best example of this is his talks with
Tyrion where you can see the pure hatred in his eyes. There’s so much subtext and under-the-surface
mind games in their dialogue scenes, and this also alludes a lot to their backstory as well. It’s so much fun picking up on all the small
details from these actors and it makes watching them riveting. Like Charles Dance can be extremely expressive
his eyes and eyebrows. He can go from one end of the spectrum where
he’s giving someone the death glare that makes them melt, to something that can be
more lively. I really love it whenever he squints at Tyrion
and you can just tell how pissed off he is. Charles Dance also paces character beats really
slow and allows them to build for dramatic suspense. He kind of turns it into a power play as the
opposing character awaits in fear about what he’s going to say. It allows his piercing glare to sink in longer
and get under their skin, thus breaking them down. A good example of this is whenever he puts
Joffrey in his place. He slowly tears into his soul with his death
glare and then rips out his heart when he finally delivers his gut-wrenching line. This I think elevates the menacing factor
of Tywin and makes him an even stronger villain. This slower-paced delivery also gives him
an heir of higher class, which upgrades his badass degree. He’s never groveling or breaking up to reduce
his strong overall composure, and very very rarely does he ever show his emotions. I think only once in the show does he actually
break down and that’s when he admits his true disdain towards Tyrion. The moment he releases really floors you because,
in every scene leading up to this, he’s been very serious and closed off. To me, it’s just very cathartic to see a
hardened character finally open up and Charles Dance did an outstanding job in this scene. Out of all of them, it’s probably my favorite. Another classic aspect about the character
is obviously his commanding voice. It carries a deep, confident tone that demands
attention and respect. When he speaks, his voice is always measured
and deliberate, reflecting his calculated and intelligent nature. It’s the literal embodiment of the character’s
power and he wields his authoritative deep voice as if it’s his sword. He cuts through every surrounding character
with it. You can’t help but love his voice and I
think it’s the primary reason why he’s a fan-favorite character. I can listen to his smooth voice for hours
and Charles Dance was really blessed by the genetic lottery. But still, though, the way he utilizes his
voice in the show excels Tywin Lannister into an iconic status. His overall acting is amazing and perfectly
suits the character at hand. Easily one of and if not the best casting
choice in the show. So yeah, those five reasons are why he’s
my favorite villain in Game of Thrones, and honestly, Joffrey I think is a very close
second since he also applies strongly to a lot of these categories. Or even other villains like Cersei and Ramsay. The fact that we have this many great villains
is incredible and is a part of why Game of Thrones is one of the best shows. I quickly want to announce a few big things
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