HELEN SLOAN/HBO
Well, folks, it’s here — Game Of Thrones week.
We are officially less than one week away from the premiere of Thrones’ seventh season, and because of that, the hype is at an all-time high. So, with that in mind, I decided to go with some Christmas-In-July vibes by creating what I call the ‘7 Days Of Thrones’.
Every day, from now until Sunday, COED will take a look at some of the biggest questions heading into Thrones’ seventh season, and how we expect those questions to be answered.
For our second article in the ‘7 Days Of Thrones’, I wanted to take a look at how Jaime Lannister, one of the show’s most complex characters, will fair in season seven. With Cersei, his twin sister and lover, sitting on the Iron Throne, how will this affect Jaime’s duty as the Commander of the Kingsguard? With Cersei growing increasingly evil, how will this affect the relationship between the two? With enemy soliders and dragons descending on King’s Landing, does Jaime even have a chance of surviving?
Potential spoilers below.
What Will Happen To Jaime Lannister In Season 7?
In a show renowned for its vast array of confounding characters, Jaime Lannister, The Kingslayer, may be the show’s most complex. From the second we meet Jaime, all the way back to the pilot, he’s positioned as a villain. After all, it’s his dastardly action–pushing Bran Stark from the tower and paralyzing him–that sets the show in motion.
At first, Jaime is everything a fantasy villain should be: rich, handsome, cocky, vaguely Aryan looking, and, oh yeah, he f*cks his sister. Couple all that with him tossing a small child from a multi-story tower and you have one seriously reprehensible lord.
But that was back in season one when Ned Stark was still alive, the dragons had yet to hatch, and Jaime had two hands. A lot has changed since then, Jaime especially. Now, here we are, seven seasons in, and Jaime is one of the most likable characters remaining on the show. And that’s exactly why he’s destined to die — because of how drastic his character arc has been. The once villainous, vile, incestuous pretty boy is now the rather heroic, morally correct … incestuous pretty boy (no one is saying he’s perfect.) His growth on this long and winding path of redemption makes him a prime time candidate to end up as one of the show’s most tragic figures when it’s all said and done.
The last time we saw Jaime, he finally had returned home to King’s Landing after the Lannister’s attack on Riverrun, only to learn that his son Tommen was dead as shit and Cersei’s crazy ass was now Queen. Now, I’m no body language expert, but I did major in communication in college (shout out Rutgers) and Jaime’s nonverbal cues are screaming confusion, resentment, and anger:
HBO
So now what for ole’ Golden Fist? Let’s check the tape:
We get a couple of shots of Jaime, all of which indicate he’s going to be a key player in the defense of King’s Landing, which, when you consider dragons are likely en-route, is objectively not good:
HBO
And as the trailer clearly shows, the Lannister’s don’t fair to well in this battle, ya know, based on all the fire and dead bodies and stuff:
HBO
Which leads us to the main question of this article: does Jaime survive the battle against Daenerys’ army, and if so, what does he do next? While I have been convinced for quite a while that Jaime is marching towards a tragic end, I don’t think that fate finds him in this particular battle. The reason? A death on the battlefield would be far too straightforward for a character as complex as Jaime Lannister.
Given the emotional rollercoaster this character has been through — from detestable villain to redeemable hero — getting chopped down by a Dothraki or burnt to a crisp by a dragon wouldn’t carry the same emotional weight, as, say, him being betrayed by one of his siblings or sacrificing himself for the greater good. But the question remains: if all of Jaime’s allies were burnt alive in battle, then how did he somehow survive? Simple.
HBO
That dragon is being flown by his brother, Tyrion.
I believe that what you see above you is an image of a defeated Jaime Lannister attacking a Tyrion flown dragon, thus explaining how he makes it out of this battle alive. From this point, Tyrion and Jaime will negotiate a deal that involves Jaime killing Cersei.
At this point, Jaime knows Cersei has become far too evil for him to control, and as Commander of the Kingsguard, has the ability to get closer to her than anyone, especially with Zombie Mountain lurking around. Combine that with the fact that Jaime has previously slain a King for threatening to blow up the city — something Cersei has already done — and you have the makings of the Kingslayer becoming the Queenslayer.
Whether or not Jaime bites the dust this season or the next is irrelvant — it is going to happen — what matters is what he accomplishes before that day comes, and that’s going to be brining an end to Cersei’s reign.
Why Is Jon Snow Going North Of The Wall In Season 7?
