I’m as excited about season 8 of Game of Thrones starting Sunday as anyone. I’ve watched from the very beginning and am wildly invested…
I’m as excited about season 8 of Game of Thrones starting Sunday as anyone. I’ve watched from the very beginning and am wildly invested in the fates of Arya Stark, Brienne of Tarth, Jaime Lannister and Jon Snow.
But my favorite character is long gone. Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal) was just too good for that world.
Oberyn — nicknamed the Red Viper — came into King’s Landing like a whirlwind at the start of season 4. The prince from the southern Dorne region seemed exotic, mysterious and dangerous in his first scene, which saw him stabbing a Lannister goon through the hand and pinning him to a table after being dissed.
From here, we learn Oberyn seeks vengeance for the death of his sister Elia and her children at the hands of Gregor Clegane, the horrifying unit better known as The Mountain and one of smug jerk Tywin Lannister’s bannermen.
He’s itching for payback against The Mountain and Tywin, who ordered Elia’s death. Since the Lannisters are basically the show’s bad guys at this point, this pretty much sets Oberyn up as a hero.
This sense is reinforced by his compassion — unlike the rest of Westeros, he never judged Tyrion Lannister (another beloved character and the only member of his family who hasn’t done anything horrible) for his small stature. He smoothly charmed all in his path (but me most of all) while maintaining a razor-sharp focus on his enemy.
As the season wears on, Tyrion finds himself in a spot of a bother — he’s put on trial for the fatal poisoning of his jerk-in-chief nephew, King Joffrey.
