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'Game of Thrones' can sideline Tyrion Lannister at their own risk, but fans are still rooting for him

From drinking and knowing things, Tyrion Lannister went to being dissed by none other than Sansa Stark, showing how much he has been sidelined on the show recently

This article contains spoilers for 'Game of Thrones' season 8 episode 1

There was a time on 'Game of Thrones,' where Tyrion Lannister was regarded as the evil mastermind with the best of strategies when it came to fighting the enemy. Sadly, from being the man who proudly claimed "I drink and I know things", Tyrion has reached a point on the show where Sansa Stark disses him saying "I used to think you were the cleverest man alive." And she isn't entirely wrong if you look at the youngest Lannister sibling's plot arc over the last few seasons.

Ever since Tyrion became the Khaleesi, Daenerys' advisor, he has been rendered as somewhat inconsequential on the show. But while 'Game of Thrones' has sidelined one of the most important characters and a personal favorite of author George R. R. Martin, the show needs to remember that they are doing it at their own risk. Actively amidst action or not, Tyrion is still a top fan favorite character, and his fans are constantly hyping him up and expecting more from a man who's visibly reduced to a prop on the show.

With the last and eighth season of the HBO drama premiering this April 14, there has been a lot of buzz from fans about how Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) is definitely not the character he used to be. It all started with Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) making him the hand of the queen back in season 7. While his position calls more for him to advice to the queen than be a ruthless warrior, there was no need to reduce the charismatic character into one addled with jealousy.

That Tyrion is capable of jealousy is no secret, because he killed his own father, Tywin Lannister, for backstabbing him with a prostitute that Tyrion had fallen in love with, and as if that wasn't enough as revenge, he killed the prostitute too. But that was under intense rage for what the two did to him, despite knowing how deeply he had fallen for the woman. In more recent times, Tyrion's jealousy has not only been evident but also managed to come across as a shallow layer to his multifaceted character.

In the season 7 finale, we see a sulking Tyrion standing outside the door where Daenerys and Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) are consummating their budding romance, and that is enough to reveal that he has a crush on the Khaleesi. Later in this season, Varys, and Sir Davos are overlooking at Daenerys and Jon from the balcony, Davos remarks how a potential marriage between the couple would be good for the realm. Now, the older Tyrion would grind his minds to make that happen, while ensuring it benefits their plans. The newer Tyrion however only ends up remarking: "They do make a handsome couple."

Not just that; the new Tyrion is also more readily believing in his cruel monster for a sister, Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) — the reigning queen of the Iron Throne. Knowing his sister's hatred for him, the older Tyrion would have never believed his conniving sister, let alone brag about gaining her and the Lannister army's support in their fight with the White Walkers. But the new Tyrion actually goes seeking Cersei's help through a private meeting, which he talks about so convincingly to Sansa (Sophie Turner). This naivete coming from the one Lannister who had to bear the anger and wrath of other Lannisters is not only shocking but also demeaning because Tyrion is supposed to know better. He deserves better. Which is probably why fans are still rooting for 'the imp' who was outcasted from his own family.

With just five episodes left for the show to wrap up for good, the showrunners are dabbling in everything from cheesy romance to shallow jealousy to keep fans intrigued and give them the best of both worlds. But sidelining Tyrion Lannister after all he has done for the show's plot to progress is a trope that shouldn't have been incorporated. Not just that, but Tyrion is also George R. R. Martin's favorite character from the series, signifying just how crucial to the whole plot he is. As fans, most of the time the blood and gore on the show got overlooked by us only because of Tyrion's character.

As he tells in one of the very initial episodes, "My brother has his sword, and I have my mind. And a mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone. That’s why I read so much." So the man is not only a gallant fighter rising quickly to action every time the situation demands, but he's also an extremely intelligent and well-read man who could quite possibly — if he grills his mind — come up with the most foolproof plan for taking down both Cersei and the White Walkers. But instead, he's busy being jealous and cracking eunuch jokes — something that fans aren't all happy with. 

That is exactly what the show needs to grasp. True, the hand's duty is just counsel, but there's so much more to the character who used wildfire to take out an entire fleet marching to fight the Lannister. He knows things which the show could use to make his character arc more interesting if it wasn't busy showing his brooding demeanor just because Jon and Daenerys are having accidental incestuous sex. Especially since the amount of fan following this character has garnered over the years.

Tyrion has always been the only Lannister who has been unanimously adored since day one, so sidelining his charismatic aura is something 'Game of Thrones' is doing at their own risk. There's more to Tyrion's story to be told than him being a heartbroken man coming up with the most naive strategies. And it's about time the show realized that.