It’s no secret that House Lannister is sort of the worst, which is why it came as no surprise that they were in cahoots with Team Green in House of the Dragon. Now, season 2 has given us a closer look at a little-known Lannister—and he’s actually hilarious, I fear.
House of the Dragon has officially concluded its second season to mixed reactions from fans and critics, with many speechless over the fact that we haven’t actually seen the Blacks, loyal to Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), and the Greens, loyal to King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), erupt into all-out war over the Targaryen succession crisis yet despite eight episodes of setup. But one thing the finale did get right was the handling of an often overlooked member of the Lannister dynasty: Tyland, played by Jefferson Hall, who gets a kind of baffling amount of screentime here—and for a good reason.
Who is Tyland Lannister, and why does he matter?
Ah, the Lannisters. Always good for a laugh! Whether they’re guzzling up all of King’s Landing’s wine stores or flaunting their ridiculous amount of wealth, prestige, and so-called “intellect,” this great house has a long and storied history of being not-so-great. In House of the Dragon, the focus is on two Lannisters in particular: twins Jason and Tyland, who are both played by the same actor. The brothers have some strong ties to Game of Thrones, with Jason being the great-great-great grandfather of Tywin (Charles Dance). Try not to be confused by all these “Ty” names—this is one hell of a confusing family tree.
In the show, Jason is the lord of Casterly Rock, the lions’ ancestral seat. Although Cersei (Lena Headey) kind of takes the cake for being the worst of her bloodline, Jason gets pretty close—he’s a chauvinistic pig who resents Rhaenyra for her royal standing, and is often depicted as the laughing stock of the Red Keep. Deserved! Meanwhile, his brother Tyland sits on the Small Council as the Master of Ships, and gets sent on a very important mission to Essos at the start of the House of the Dragon season 2 finale.
Warning! Spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 8, “The Queen Who Ever Was.”
Tyland Lannister gets a fun arc in the House of the Dragon season 2 finale
Although we haven’t seen much of the Triarchy yet, this alliance could shift the tides in the Targaryen Civil War. If Tyland, acting under the orders of Prince Regent Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), can recruit the Free Cities to fight for the Greens, they might finally be able to break the Sea Snake’s blockade. But if Tyland is to raise the Hightower banner here, he must best the Lysene admiral Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thron) in combat first. Cue literal mud-slinging.
It’s always a treat seeing a Lannister getting clocked by a certified girlboss like Lohar, and their flirting is, dare I say, a season highlight. Tyland is unintentionally hilarious, especially when he’s thrown off-guard by Lohar’s candor (“I want you to f*** my wives”). An added bonus is that the mud wrestling scene is pretty much the only action we see in the finale, which … isn’t saying much, but it’s silly and makes for an entertaining watch.
TBH, Lohar is the best comic relief character we’ve seen on House of the Dragon in quite some time, and I’m excited to see how her dynamic with Tyland plays out in season 3 now that the latter has earned her respect. Together, these two could be a serious threat to Team Black—I just don’t need to see what these two get up to during their downtime, thank you very much. And does this mean there’s about to be a whole gaggle of Lannister-pirate bastards running amok?
In the closing montage, we see factions from all corners of Westeros preparing for a large-scale battle: Starks, Hightowers, and Velaryons marching into war. It’s not exactly surprising to see that House Lannister will play a role in the coming events, given we’ve seen Jason and Tyland corroborating with the Greens since season 1. And I can only assume that “The Battle of the Gullet” will kick off House of the Dragon season 3, begging the question: will Tyland make it out alive? Your guess is as good as any.
Published: Aug 5, 2024 05:10 pm