A lot happened in the second episode of ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ – aka the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones. Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) embarked upon his redemption arc. Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) and Gendry Baratheon (Joe Dempsie) had SEX! Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) attempted to reconcile their differences – and failed. Jon Snow (Kit Harington) decided to tell his girlfriend that she’s actually his aunt. Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) did a lot of staring. Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) was finally, finally knighted.

Oh, and Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) found out that he’s a Targaryen. Apparently.

“I think a secret thread we never got to see in the series was Tyrion’s piecing together hints of his true lineage,” says Reddit user Nisensegar.

“Think of the moment he set the dragons free and isn’t burnt to death, that moment outside the door as Jon and Daenarys bang like he knew something more than we’ve seen, [Tywin’s last words were], ‘You’re no son of mine’, Tywin’s last words (These are all well cited in the Tyrion-Targaryen theory stuff online).’”

So that moment with Bran and Tyrion? Well, Nisensegar reckons that conversation – which, in an uncharacteristic move for GOT, took place entirely off camera before Tyrion staggered into the Main Hall with a new urge to drink himself into a stupor – saw Bran confirm the truth about Tyrion’s heritage.

“A lot was mentioned about Tyrion’s intelligence and his challenged loyalty,” notes Nisensegar, adding that “there is also an ominous, secretive shot of him in the next week teaser giving a side glance half concealed”.

The Redditor continues: “I believe that Tyrion has a truer claim to the throne than even Jon, and the dialogue about him thinking ‘he knew his sister’ in regards to missing Cersei’s betrayal, might end up being to symbolic to his half-sister Daenerys.

“Remember his shock and disappointment when she torched the Tarly family like any other ruthless queen? That might be evidence to him that she isn’t going to break the wheel like he thought she would.

“Now he has it confirmed that he has a truer claim to the throne, [we have everything set for] a betrayal.”

It’s a compelling theory – especially when you consider that a GOT insider recently informed us that Tyrion will be arrested by an Unsullied soldier at some point during the eighth season of Game of Thrones.

Could it be that Tyrion is going to do something… well, something bad? And that Daenerys, or her followers, will be forced to try and bring him back to heel?

Well, Peter Dinklage has certainly hinted that’s the case. Indeed, he has said that Tyrion is 100% jealous of Jon and Daenerys, explaining that things for the trio are “complicated”.

“A lot of the time with Tyrion, it’s professional and personal,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “Obviously, he has feelings for Daenerys. He loves her – or thinks he does. She’s awe-inspiring. He’s questioning that because he doesn’t have a good track record for falling in love. There’s jealousy wrapped up in there.

“And he loves Jon Snow, too. They’re the two people he has the most in common with, in a way. They’re both outsiders in their own families who have refused to follow the path their family has taken, and hopefully for the better.

“He’s wondering how smart of a move [Jon and Dany getting romantically involved is], because passion and politics don’t mix well. He knows the two of them getting together could be very dangerous.”

Intriguing. Especially because (as noted by Redditor Nisensegar) the final shots of ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ goes “from Daenerys and Jon (Targaryen 1 & freshly learned Targaryen 2) to Tyrion looking out from the ramparts (still secret Targaryen 3) possibly having the musings of a potential new ruler.”

“It’s a very strange and wild family dynamic,” adds the theorist, “but as Sansa famously said, ‘Families are complicated.’”

Given how popular the theory has become over the years, we aren’t sure how likely it is to come true: after all, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss hate to be predictable. However, we can’t deny that these clues are pretty compelling.

Fingers crossed that we find out what Bran and Tyrion were talking about before everyone is wiped out in the Battle of Winterfell, eh?

Image: HBO