Next Stop: Lannister Family Drama

We all saw it; you likely can’t stop hearing it: the Mountain crushed Oberyn’s skull with his bare hands, winning the trial-by-combat for Cersei, or more precisely, losing it for Tyrion. Now, death is headed for Game of Thrones ' most beloved character. From every angle, it is finally time for Tyrion to die at the hands of his father and sister for a crime at least one of them probably knows he didn’t commit. But will Tywin's evil grin come to fruition by Season 4's end? Perhaps not in the way he intended.

Spoiler alert, non-book folks (seriously, turn back now if you thrive on Game of Thrones' surprises and major shocks to the system). If you’ve read the Song of Ice and Fire series, you may have noticed a tiny little glance between Jaime and Varys (or just random camera work for those not abusing their TV remote's “Slow” button to acquire every hint they we get). That’s because those two are about to bust Tyrion’s ass outta jail.

But not without s little heartbreak and murder first. You didn’t forget which show you were watching, did you? Here's how Tywin and Co. will (most likely) round out Game of Thrones' season finale:

Jaime Lannister's Brotherly Betrayal

Since birth, Jaime has been Tyrion’s only real ally, and in most ways, his performance has been more Participant-Ribbon-worthy at best. Sure, he stepped in when Cersei tormented infant Tyrion, but only at the point when Oberyn Martell thought she might pull his little baby parts right off. And, here again, Jaime steps in right in the witching hour, the night before Tyrion is to be executed. He forces Varys to help him plan Tyrion’s escape, but as they’re exiting the dungeons, he can’t send his brother off for potentially the last time without one confession he’s been holding onto since they were teenagers.

When Tyrion was 16, he secretly married the first girl he ever slept with, a girl he and Jaime saved from being raped: Tysha. On the series, we heard him tell this story to Bronn and Shae while they played drinking games the night before going to battle in Season 2. In the story, he told them how shortly after they were wed, his father found out about it; Jaime informed Tyrion that Tysha was a prostitute he has hired, and the whole rescue and subsequent bedding has been a set-up; Tywin had her raped by all his men as he forced Tyrion to watch on. Jaime’s present-day confession was that he'd lied: Tysha wasn’t a whore. She was the crofter’s daughter, as she said, and truly fell in love with Tyrion, but Tywin told Jaime to lie and say she was a whore he hired.

Tyrion's Rage

Tyrion does not take Jaime’s news well. He considers it the ultimate betrayal, likely one of the more formative moments in his life in the worst way possible — all a lie. In his parting words to Jaime, he promises retribution to his brother, Cersei and Tywin, and in one final act of payback, informs Jaime of Cersei’s affairs with Lancel and Osmund Kettleback, and falsely claims responsibility for Joffrey’s death, Jaime’s true son, and the crime for which he’s risking his life in the belief that Tyrion is innocent.

And that brings us to…

Tywin's Worst Father's Day Ever

Filled with rage and a new mission for vengeance, Tyrion forces Varys to take him by the Tower of the Hand on his escape route, where he finds Shae in Tywin’s bed. He strangles Shae with his father’s chain and confronts Tywin on the Westeros equivalent of the toilet, demanding to know what happened to Tysha. When Tywin responds that she “[went] wherever whores go,” Tyrion shoots him through the bowels with a crossbow, leaving him mortally wounded, and forever disproving the theory that Tywin Lannister “shits gold.”

Tysha avenged, but Tyrion none the happier, and with no real allies, he boards a ship across the Narrow Sea to an unspecified location chosen by Varys. I, for one, hope every bit of this storyline stays exactly as written. The three main performances alone could last me until Season 5.

Image: HBO (2)