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Jaime
and Brienne first come face-to-face in Game
of Thrones’s second season (I haven’t read the books, so this is gonna be
strictly TV.) Jaime has spent most of
the year held prisoner by the Stark family’s Northern army, and Mama Stark gives
Brienne the task of escorting him on a cross-country trek to exchange him for
the captive Stark daughters. Brienne is
to return Jaime to his family, the unscrupulous Lannisters, and bring the girls
back to their mother. Since Mama Stark
doesn’t have the go-ahead to actually do this, the North is filled with
soldiers thirsty for Lannister blood, and Jaime is contrary by nature, Brienne’s
work is cut out from her.
Right
away, these two brimmed with storytelling potential. While handsome, charismatic Jaime is the
Lannisters’ closest thing to a golden boy, he’s a “man without honor.” Years ago, he killed “mad” King Aerys,
toppling the dynasty and acquiring the name Kingslayer. By contrast, Brienne is sullen, homely, and,
as a female knight, considered an utter freak.
She’s one of the most genuinely good
characters on the show; she holds honor and the ideals of knighthood above all. Watching Brienne brusquely manhandle Jaime as
he tries to get under her skin is a riot.
But
that’s not the end of the story. Jaime’s
infamy comes with his eyes wide open, while Brienne’s principles root in
naivety. On their journey, both
characters reveal new complexities.
Brienne’s derision Jaime wanes as he defies her assumptions of him. Her black-and-white notions jar with the
grayness of the world, and that’s strikingly apparent in Jaime. It’s easy for her to look down on the
Kingslayer, but when she hears the story of what really happened that day,
she’s forced to reassess her rigid ideas of honor. Jaime, for his part, has spent years embracing
his black reputation, being the treacherous rouge he’s believed to be. Brienne’s integrity, I think, reminds him of
the knight he once was. His own
convictions were eroded long ago, but looking at Brienne, he sees a glint of
hope that he could again be more than a villain.
It’s an
intricate relationship that’s evolved at every step. Both characters’ view of the other has grown
far beyond their initial impression, but the change is slow enough that there’s
still lots of drama to be had. Each
challenges the other, and each is most interesting in the other’s company. I loved Brienne as soon as I clapped eyes on
her, but I had almost no interest in Jaime until his storyline intersected with
Brienne’s. Now, he’s one of my
favorites, and, not including the Giant! Shocking! Moment! scenes, his scenes with
Brienne are my favorites of any episode.
I’m not sure if I
want the relationship to end up romantic.
For the positives, it’d be nice for Brienne to get some lovin’, I’d
appreciate seeing the Hot Guy fall for the Ugly Girl, and of course it’d be way healthier than Jaime’s current
romantic entanglement. Still, their
relationship is excellent as is, and I’m not sure they need to change it (like
I said, no book knowledge, so I have no spoilers on that front.) Great friend/ally dynamics have been ruined
by romance, and female characters have a tendency to wind up becoming more
generic “girlfriend types” instead of the rich characters they were to start
with. I’d hate to see that with
Brienne. I dunno – for now, I’ll just
adore them and hope the showrunners keep giving these two nothing but the best.
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