Jaime Lannister: I’m Still Mad About It

Out of all the characters in Game of Thrones, Jaime Lannister is one of my favorites. At least… he sometimes is.

Throughout the entire show, there is probably no character more polarizing. There is surely no character who was assassinated as horrendously as Jaime.

The Beginnings

In the early seasons, Jaime is a polarizing and enigmatic character. Jaime’s character almost completely depends on the situation and who he is surrounded by.

In King’s Landing, Jaime is one of the Kingsguard and as such is very well respected. He is a Lannister, always strutting around with his arrogant smile. He is also one of the best swordsmen in the entirety of the Seven Kingdoms. To most people he interacts with, this is the Jaime they see.

This arrogant version of Jaime is the version that the Starks see in the beginning. It’s the one who mocks Jon for joining the Night’s Watch. It’s the one who sits in a pile of his own excrement and trades verbal jabs with Robb Stark. Most people only get to see the arrogance, the armor, and the hair.

Around the King, Jaime maintains his composure, but is constantly subjected to taunts and insults. He has to constantly deal with the moniker of the Kingslayer. He takes this insult in stride, but there are moments when we can see how much his pride is wounded.

Around his father, Jaime is nothing like the pompous and arrogant man that we have come to know. Tywin is a figure of mythical coolness. Tywin commands attention and respect in every room that he is in. When Jaime is around his father, he is just like everyone else, completely at the mercy of Tywin Lannister.

Jaime’s family is very complicated. Cersei is the Queen, but that title does not bring with it much power. Tywin is the head of House Lannister and holds practically more power than the King. Tyrion is an imp whose role evolves as the show goes on.

Jaime should have been the heir to Tywin. Instead, the king made him a Kingsguard to rob Tywin of his heir. Jaime also is in love with his sister. This brings about a whole host of problems, not the least of which is his bastard son (future) King Joffrey.

Character Evolution

Everything changes for Jaime around Season two and three.

In season one, Jaime is captured and maintains his arrogance while in captivity. In season two, Jaime kills his own cousin, Alton Lannister in order to escape. The act is specifically malicious because Alton Lannister had just finished explaining to Jaime that squiring for him was the best day of his life.

Jaime is recaptured soon and Brienne of Tarth begins to escort him back to King’s Landing. When he is with Brienne, Jaime’s character is at its best. He is the perfect foil to her extreme sense of honor. He has broken his vows by killing his king, so she despises him. He is also everything that she has ever wanted to be, but she is denied it only because she is a woman.

Jaime keeps up his arrogance until he loses his hand.

Lord Bolton’s man, Locke, finds Jaime and when Jaime attempts to bribe him, Locke cuts off Jaime’s sword hand.

Jaime’s entire identity up to this point has been tied to his ability to kill any man in the Seven Kingdoms. Jaime is able to insult any man at will because no one is more powerful than his father and no one is a better warrior than him.

When Jaime loses his hand, he is disgraced. He also has no idea who he is without that hand.

Character Revealed

One of the best scenes in the entire show comes when Jaime and Brienne are in the bath house. Jaime finally reveals the origin of his nickname the Kingslayer.

Everyone watching the show already knows that Jaime killed Aerys Targaryen, the Mad King. There have been hints that it might have been a good thing and no one misses the Mad King, but everyone has disdain for Jaime. His only oath as a Kingsguard is to protect the king. In Game of Thrones, it doesn’t matter who that king is.

All we know is that Jaime doesn’t seem to care for oaths.

In season two, he says:

“So many vows. They make you swear and swear. Defend the King, obey the King, obey your father, protect the innocent, defend the weak. But what if your father despises the King? What if the King massacres the innocent? It’s too much. No matter what you do, you’re forsaking one vow or another.”

His sarcasm veils his true motivations. In Season three, with Brienne, they become clear.

Jaime calls out Brienne for hating him like everyone else has hated him for seventeen years. He explains that the Mad King had planned to burn the entire city when Tywin Lannister arrived to sack King’s Landing. Jaime was ordered to kill his own father while the entire city burned.

Jaime had even warned the Mad King that his father would betray them if he was let into the city. As a result, Jaime decided to break his oath in order to save the lives of everyone in King’s Landing.

When “the honorable Ned Stark” found Jaime, it was already too late. He was judged guilty immediately.

Back At King’s Landing

By season four, Jaime is back at King’s Landing, but without a hand. Bronn attempts to train him, but it is clear that Jaime does not have the ability to be a great warrior without his right hand.

Jaime’s love for Cersei is still a poisonous thing to him, but he still entrusts Brienne with the task of securing and protecting Arya Stark. This signals that he is beginning to change. He does an honorable thing and attempts to keep his promise to Catelyn Stark, even after her death.

Jaime helps his brother Tyrion escape when he is wrongfully convicted. Jaime has evolved from a pompous and arrogant person concerned with nothing but his image to a much more complex character. He is tormented still by his love for Cersei, but his love for Tyrion and his honor still exist as well. He is slowly beginning to change.

Over the course of seasons five, six, and seven, Jaime takes more of a backseat, but he slowly begins to realize that the realm is in danger. Jon Snow convinces him that the Army of the Dead is real and Jaime finally abandons Cersei to save the Realm.

Jaime’s character endured a brutal seven season progression to finally become the man he wants to be. He is finally an honorable knight willing to do whatever it takes to protect the Realm. He has thrown off his toxic love of his sister to join the ultimate fight.

Yeah… Forget All of That

I would like nothing more than to just act like season eight didn’t happen. It was probably the most insulting TV creation ever created. Jaime Lannister is nowhere near the biggest casualty. I am not, however, going to spend the requisite novel-sized number of words to explain why season eight is so bad. This article is about Jaime.

So far, in season 1–7, Jaime is complex and he has grown consistently. He has given up Cersei and chosen to become a good person.

In season eight, they systematically assassinate every piece of his character. First, they tackle his relationship with Brienne. They have always had respect for one another, but there were hints that there might be something more. In season eight, Jaime finally chooses to be romantically involved with the most badass and loyal woman in the entire show.

Then he ditches her in the very next episode.

Beyond that, Jaime ditches Brienne to go be with Cersei. In doing so, he even says that he “never really cared for” the innocents in the world. This is extremely insulting because he sacrificed his entire reputation twenty years prior to kill the Mad King and save the people of King’s Landing. It is beyond insulting to think that we, as the audience, should believe that all of a sudden Jaime does not care about innocent people.

Jaime’s entire character arc revolves around escaping the toxic “love” he has for Cersei. Then, when all the chips are down and the world is ending, Jaime runs right back to her.

Then he gets killed by freaking falling rocks.

I understand the visual imagery of Cersei being literally consumed by the crumbling kingdom. I’m just upset Jaime is with her. It’s a massive backslide on his character and throws out almost everything that happened after season three.

Final Verdict

In spite of the way that it all ends, I believe that Jaime is one of the best characters in Game of Thrones.

Jaime’s lines are sharp and witty, especially in the early seasons. For the first three seasons, he is almost never caught off guard. Then, when he loses his identity, he must rebuild himself. He also gives us massive insight into the world and history of Game of Thrones.

Jaime Lannister is my second favorite Game of Thrones character. RIP my man, Robb Stark. #Gonebutnotforgotten