Remember that one time when Jaime shoved Bran out of a window? He attempted to kill a ten year old in the very first episode, and yet somewhere along the line he's become likeable. Jaime's transformation is the most inexplicable, since he still maintains many of the traits of his former self, including his incestuous love for his sister. Yet it's Jaime who feels most out of place in King's Landing. He's mocked by Joffrey, rebuffed by Cersei and dismissed by Tywin in a series of uncomfortable conversations, and eventually returns to speak with comrade-in-arms Brienne, who only chastises him for his failure to protect Sansa Stark. It's unlikely that Jaime will remain in King's Landing for much longer, whether because Tywin forces him to go to Casterly Rock or because he leaves of his own accord. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau captures Jaime's silent frustration and altered physicality so well that his pass at Cersei seems like a relic of another character we once knew, and sparks fly again whenever he's onscreen with Brienne. Jaime's arc ties the episode together, as he's physically and mentally changed so much that he cannot return to the norms of the past no matter how hard he tries. If the premiere is any indication, season four of Game of Thrones may shake up the status quo all over again.
