Last season, Diana Rigg's Olenna Tyrell proclaimed her disappointment in Tyrion, claiming that having expected someone quite debauched, she couldn't help but be underwhelmed with the brow-beaten book-keeper that stood before her. And to an extent, the audience could sympathise comfortably the series's MVP for seasons one and two, the Little Lion seemed off his totemic game. Sure, he was still excellent, but cowed by his father's presence in the capital, the script seemed to deny Peter Dinklage scenery-chewing opportunities. Not so this season. As we're all aware by now, if you give Dinklage the acting ball and tell him to run with it, he's going to put points on the board. And so it proved here while season-opener Tyrion was still as meek as ever, the events of The Lion And The Rose saw him thrown from pillar to post for the remainder of the season, spacing out his arc with heartfelt, emotional dungeon scenes and in his brief forays away from confinement, grandstanding dramatic tour-de-forces. It's no secret that his post-trial tirade in the King's Landing courtroom will probably stick another Emmy on his mantlepiece, but what was so good about Dinklage this year was that his presence seemed to raise everyone's game. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Pedro Pascal are brilliant actors in their own right, but their pairing with the Half-Man took them to greater heights. Disregarding the skull-cracking fireworks of the Mountain And The Viper, one of Oberyn's most effective moments was his speech about when he and his sister visited Casterly Rock, and the fraternal bonhomie between Jaime and Tyrion will be one of the most greatly-missed aspects of season 5. It remains to be seen if Tyrion's now peaked as a character where else can you go after strangling your lover and shooting your father on the toilet? but people will certainly tune in to find out. Basically, just give him the Emmy and be done with it. Which characters do you think were the best in Game Of Thrones season 4? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.
Durham University graduate and qualified sports journalist. Very good at sitting down and watching things. Can multi-task this with playing computer games. Football Manager addict who has taken Shrewsbury Town to the summit of the Premier League.
You can follow me at @Ed_OwenUK, if you like ramblings about Newcastle United and A Place in the Sun. If you don't, I don't know what I can do for you.
