5. Jaime Jumps Into The Bear Pit ("The Bear And The Maiden Fair")
After a brief stint at Harrenhal, Jaime is sent to King's Landing while Bolton departs to the Twins and leaves Brienne behind with Locke. As soon as Jaime learns that Locke was not satisfied by Brienne's ransom, however, he turns around and drags his Bolton escorts right back with him. When they arrive, Jaime follows the chorus of "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" to the bear pit, where he sees that Locke and his men have thrown the gowned Brienne to the mercies of an angry grizzly, armed only with a wooden sword. Furious, Jaime declares that he'll pay whatever Locke wants. "All you lords and ladies still think that the only thing that matters is gold," sneers Locke, then gestures at Brienne in the pit. "That makes me happier than all her sapphires." The bear rakes Brienne with her claws, and Jaime looks horrified as she cries out. It's a bummer, but with no leverage and only one hand, surely there's nothing more for him to do. Well, maybe not "nothing." With his skills of negotiation failing him, Jaime takes the natural next step and leaps down into the bear pit. From his expression, he immediately regrets this decision, but he recovers quickly enough to order Brienne to move behind him as the bear rears back to strike once more. Fortunately, his gamble pays off, and the Bolton men--determined to return Jaime to his father alive and spare themselves Tywin's wrath--loose their crossbows on the bear and pull Jaime and Brienne to safety. Filthy, weak, and weaponless, Jaime pushes his--and Brienne's--way through the crowd, snarking an apology about the sapphire ransom over his shoulder as the haunting strains of "The Rains of Castamere" swell up behind him.
Fiction buff and writer. If it's on Netflix, it's probably in my queue. I've bought DVDs for the special features and usually claim that the book is better than the movie or show (and can provide examples). I've never met a TV show that I won't marathon. Follow on Twitter @lah9891 .
