5. I Know How the Game Is Played
Episode Three: What is Dead May Never Die Commentators: Episode writer Bryan Cogman and director Alik Sakharov Bryan Cogman admitted during Season 1 that the Small Council scenes were his absolute favorite scenes to write because, in his words, 'that's where the game is played.' With Ned Stark dead, an immature king on the throne and Grand Maester Pycelle (Julian Glover) expelled to the black cells for a time, there are no Small Council scenes to be written for Season 2. But that doesn't mean that Cogman wasn't able to find a suitable substitute. The scene in which Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) unveils separate, individual lies to Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen), Varis (Conleth Hill) and Pycelle about Myrcella's (Aimee Richardson) betrothal to different suitors in an effort to see who will leak it back to Cersei (Lena Headey) is not only an ingenious scheme on paper, but also in how it plays out on screen. Similar to the tense scene in
Silence of the Lambs in which both viewers and the police on screen realize that the house they've invaded is not Buffalo Bill's where Clarice is currently stranded, the unveiling of the different potential suitors plays out with both a visual and dialogue coherence and congruity that would lead a first-time viewer to believe that a cut during conversation between Tyrion and Littlefinger will remain within the conversation between the two of them. However, as Tyrion steps over to the wine, pours two glasses and continues uninterrupted with his plans for Myrcella's marriage to House Martell of Dorne, the screen cuts back to find Tyrion handing the second glass to Varys and vowing the Spider to secrecy about a plot to wed Myrcella to Theon Grejoy. Then, when reminding his partner he must vow to tell no one, Tyrion spins around and we see Littlefinger asking what exactly it is that he's not supposed to be telling. It's a brilliant composition in how it defies the viewer's expectations while making the game that Tyrion is playing with his fellow Small Council members quite clear. But it didn't initially play out that way. Just like the aforementioned scene in
Silence of the Lambs, Tyrion's trickery was written, shot and initially edited together sequentially so that all 3 conversations played out fully and heterogeneously. It was director Alik Sakharov who took a look at the edit and suggested that all of the conversations should be blended together into one scene. Not only did this hybrid scene save run time, but it also emphasizes just how well suited Tyrion is to 'play the game.'