Game Of Thrones: 5 Winners And 5 Losers In 'Mockingbird'
The Losers:
5. Jaime
Every time Jaime takes one step forward to becoming a better, nobler man, he seems to take two steps back. Last week, Jaime made an offer to his father to relinquish his position on the Kingsguard and take up his inheritance at Casterly Rock in exchange for a guarantee that Tyrion would not face execution given the inevitable guilty verdict whether deserved or not in the trial of King Joffreys murder. In the current circumstances, this offer represented at significant act of selflessness for Jaime, since he had recently found a new respect for the dignity of the oaths he had previously sworn, and was intent on keeping the last one he had not broken. Taking his seat as the lord of Casterly Rock, whilst beneficial in many other ways, would force him to break that last vow.
Jaime is now willing to make this sacrifice on behalf of his brother, and is set to do so, until Tyrion ruins the plan by demanding a trial by combat, surrendering (we assume, as they never actually state it) any clemency in his sentence if judged guilty of his alleged crimes. So, fair enough, Jaime is a little ticked off about that, but hes still going to fight on Tyrions behalf right? After all, hes all about duty and honour now, right? Wrong. Jaime does not offer to be Tyrions champion, and instead excuses himself when Tyrion alludes to the prospect. Tyrion jokes that if Jaime were to give his life in Tyrions defense it would be worthwhile just for the look on their fathers face when his beloved legacy dies in a scheme of his own making, and were inclined to agree, even though it would result in the deaths of two favourite characters. OK, so Jaime has his reasons for turning his brother down: hes useless without his good sword hand, and some would say thats a valid enough excuse, but isnt it the meaning of sacrifice to give yourself up to a cause that you know you will lose? It also doesnt alleviate our frustration to see Jaime constantly flit back-and-forth between his growth as a character and his relapses into his old selfish ways.