Game Of Thrones: 5 Things About Jaime Lannister That Would Never Fly Today (& 5 That Would)

Jaime Lannister, for better and worse, is one of the most beloved characters in Game of Thrones. It’s hard to say why, exactly. After all, it’s not as if he didn’t do some pretty terrible things in his time, ranging from having an affair with his sister to throwing a boy out of a window to protect their incestuous secret.

Nevertheless, fans did seem to love him, from the moment that he appeared until he met his death crushed beneath the crumbling Red Keep. While there are quite a few things about him that stand up to the test of time, quite a few definitely wouldn’t fly today.

10 Wouldn’t: His Death

One of the most loathed aspects of the final episodes of the show was the sloppy way in which both Cersei and Jaime were dispatched. Rather than getting a dramatic death, they were crushed beneath the Red Keep as it collapsed around them. While the writers clearly intended this to be a sort of soft farewell, with the two of them dying in one another’s arms, it’s pretty clear that if the show were made today that is one thing that would definitely have to change.

9 Would: How He Treats Tyrion

Tyrion is one of those people who seems to never be able to do anything right in his family’s eyes. Both his sister and his father routinely disparage him, and both explicitly blame him for the fact that his birth killed Joanna Lannister. Jaime is an exception to this, and he really does seem genuinely fond of his younger sibling. In fact, their scenes together are some of the best in the entire show, and they’re the ones that best survive the passage of time (and the vitriol directed at the final season).

8 Wouldn’t: His Inappropriate Relationship With His Sister

Of course, one of Jaime’s most noteworthy character arcs is his relationship with his sister, Cersei. Obviously, their incest was a source of no small amount of titillation, and it led in some unexpected directions, including one in which it was pretty clear that Jaime raped his sister.

Their incest is one of those things that definitely seemed acceptable in the television world of 2011, but it’s pretty unlikely that it would pass muster in the writing room today (and one can think of a number of people he should have been with other than Cersei).

7 Would: His Attempts At Being A Better Person

Unlike so many other members of his family, Jaime really does seem to put a lot of effort into becoming a better person. When he first appears at the beginning of the show, he comes across as something of a brat, and he seems to take an inordinate amount of delight in being a complete jerk to the Starks. As the story goes on, however, his innate nobility and good nature seem to become more and more evident, and this is one of the things that still remains appealing about him.

6 Wouldn’t: Constantly Failing At Actually Being One

On the flip side of the coin, his constant waffling between his good and bad tendencies is one of those things that does begin to wear thin after a while. For the most part, his inability to really move beyond his limitations seems to be a function of his foolhardy devotion to his sister Cersei, no matter what horrible things she does. Thus, this is one of those things that perhaps a new set of writers would work to change in a rebooted version of the series.

5 Would: His Kindness Toward Brienne

When she’s first introduced in the second season, there’s no reason to think that Brienne will have any sort of lasting relationship with Jaime, yet that’s exactly what happens. In fact, their relationship is one of the most important aspects of both of their characters.

While most men in the Seven Kingdoms treat Brienne with scorn (including Jaime himself at first), gradually he comes to respect her, and his deep affection for her is one of the best things about the series.

4 Wouldn’t: Promptly Leaving Brienne After She Finally Lets Her Guard Down

Unfortunately, the flip side of this is that, for some reason, the writers decided to give into the temptation to have Jaime and Brienne consummate their relationship with a sexual encounter. This probably wouldn’t be so bad, except for the fact that almost immediately afterwards, he abandons her to go running back to his sister. It’s quite the betrayal, and it’s one of those moments that definitely lands with a colossal thud (and doesn’t make a lot of sense) and would definitely need to be rewritten.

3 Would: Pulling Himself Back Up After Losing A Hand

Obviously, losing a hand is one of the worst things that happens to Jaime during the course of the series, and it radically changes his relationship to his body and even as a man. However, one has to give him a lot of credit for not just being willing to pull himself up after this terrible event but even, against all of the odds, managing to become a great fighter again. It’s a tale of surprising strength and survival that would definitely still sell today.

2 Wouldn’t: Tossing A Child Out A Window

Everyone remembers how the first episode ends: with poor Bran thrown out of a window because he happened to catch sight of Jaime and Cersei together (definitely one of the worst things Jaime ever did). While this was quite dramatic when the show came out, it’s unlikely that it would survive any attempted reboot of the show. The simple image of having a child thrown from a very high tower is one that a lot of people probably wouldn’t want to see again, even in a show known for its depiction of brutality.

1 Would: His Genuine Care For People

Poor Jaime. It really is unfortunate that he happened to be born into a family as notorious for its cruelty and ruthlessness as the Lannisters. Along with Tyrion, he’s one of those that really seems to care about others, who has a  genuine desire to see some good done in the world. This is certainly one of those things that fans would love to see should the show ever get something of a reboot.

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