The Cersei Lannister scene that went too far on “Game of Thrones” was the sex scene between Cersei and her brother Jaime Lannister ( Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) on Season 4, Episode 3, “Breaker of Chains.” The scene depicts a sexual encounter that, by all onscreen accounts, is non-consensual. As Cersei grieves the loss of her child Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson), Jaime initiates sex in the sept beside their son’s body, with an unwilling Cersei. She very clearly tells him to stop, but Jaime doesn’t listen. As if their incestuous relationship isn’t taboo enough, Jaime’s actions take their relationship to an even more disturbing place.
The scene caused an uproar, leading to debates about what constitutes rape, how the scene jumped the shark in character development, and whether the show’s creators did a disservice to the source material. Fans and critics alike had strong reactions to the rape scene on multiple levels.
Among many, one sticking point was how differently the sexual encounter plays out in George R.R. Martin’s “A Storm of Swords.” The A.V. Club published a passage from the book, and although Cersei voices objections to the time and place, ultimately, she gives in. The Daily Beast ran a piece full of evidence about how the scene was supposed to appear consensual and blamed the false perception of rape on the filmmakers. The article cites interviews with Headey and Coster-Waldau, and while both actors discuss the push-pull of the exchange being born out of grief, anger, and loss, neither used the word rape.
