Game Of Thrones: 5 Winners & 5 Losers In 'Oathkeeper'
2. Jaime
The rape scene involving Jaime in last weeks episode rightly outraged many viewers. No doubt a lot of the complaints leant towards the censorship (or lack thereof) side of the issue which we arent going to get into here but others were concerned for the drastic shift in Jaimes character arc. Before that scene, Jaime had been traversing a path towards becoming a better man, and then with one act of maliciousness, he threw it all away. A key element in Jaimes transformation since losing his hand has been his developing friendship with Brienne. Shes also served as a mirror, of sorts, teaching him to see himself for the overly privileged narcissist that he is (or was).
Jaime is much humbler now at least he was until last week and this is reflected in his changing attitude towards honour and duty. Jaime has never treated such responsibilities with any respect, and his nickname Kingslayer is a mark of this. But Jaime never cared about all that, as long as he had Cersei. Now Brienne has taught him to see the value in duty and honour, as it is the filter through which others see him, and he is starting to embrace that virtue. He does this by rejecting his fathers command to step down from the Kings Guard and become Lord of Casterly Rock. He also gifts his lavish Valyrian steel sword to Brienne as a sign of his respect for her fealty to honour and duty. The sword bears the heritage of Ned Stark, who was a paragon of both.
A result of his actions in the last episode, Jaime is in danger of loosing his moral footing again, all though by the looks of things, were not even sure whether he or Cersei even remember itit certainly wasnt mentioned during their latest scene together. More importantly though, is Briennes departure from the capital. In this, Jaime has lost his truest friend and moral compass. Judging by the expression on Jaime's face as he watches her ride away, its clear that he is only just starting to realise her importance to him.