In Game of Thrones, sons often repeat the mistakes of their fathers. Robb's pride—like Ned's—led to his ultimate downfall. Entire lines of men have been cursed by fatherly misdeeds, like the Targaryens whose incestuous lineage eventually drove king Aerys I Targaryen mad. Even the Lannisters have generations of baggage. As we know, they are defined by their striking blonde hair, their wealth, and a little phrase about paying their debts.
And though Tyrion Lannister and his father Tywin hated each other—remember, Tyrion killed his father—they have more in common than fans might realise.
One user on the Game of Thrones Reddit pointed out that Tyrion is consistently dressing like his father.
Now, this certainly isn't because Tyrion idolised his father's sense of style. As we know, in this show, the costumes tell everything. Daenerys's and Sansa's hair often offers clues into the plot. Fans have also noticed that in early Season Eight photos, Jaime is looking quite a bit like a Northern man.
So what does it mean when Tyrion dresses like Tywin? The most obvious answer is that Tyrion certainly learned a master ability to strategise from his father. He even learned a little bit of his ruthlessness when it comes to battle and politics. In this Reddit thread, another fan pointed to a passage from A Feast For Crows, where a character who only appears in the books notes to Jaime the similarity between Tyrion and Tywin:
"Jaime," she said, tugging on his ear, "sweetling, I have known you since you were a babe at Joanna's breast. You smile like Gerion and fight like Tyg, and there's some of Kevan in you, else you would not wear that cloak . . . but Tyrion is Tywin's son, not you. I said so once to your father's face, and he would not speak to me for half a year. Men are such thundering great fools. Even the sort who come along once in a thousand years."
But, Tywin was only loyal to the game and to family.
Seeing as Tyrion doesn't have the same legacy to fight for, is it for Daenerys he fights? Let's consider another possibility: Fans have a theory that Tyrion made a deal with Cersei to betray Daenerys. What if Tyrion is dressing like Tywin because he still shares that sense of maintaining the family line? If he truly believes his sister is pregnant with another Lannister baby, will he betray Daenerys to protect the line as his father would have?
There's another option here, too. Another popular Tyrion theory says that he might also be the third head of the dragon, a.k.a. a secret Targaryen. Is it possible this wardrobe choice points to a coming reveal about Tyrion's real father? Remember, Tywin's final words were "You...you are no...no son of mine."
Matt Miller is a Brooklyn-based culture/lifestyle writer and music critic whose work has appeared in Esquire, Forbes, The Denver Post, and documentaries.
