Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have shared more details about the controversial final moment between Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie). At the start of this year, the eighth and final season of the HBO juggernaut was highly anticipated by fans all over the world. However, as the show finally came to a close, many felt it did not stick the landing, and the final episodes of Game of Thrones became the subject of a great deal of criticism. Fans were displeased with the rushed season (with it only being six episodes long) and the conclusions of several characters’ storylines, including Jaime’s.
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Initially one of Game of Thrones most reviled characters, Jaime was cruel, selfish, and regularly slept with his sister. This began to change when he met Brienne in season 2. While on their journey back to King’s Landing over the course of the next season, the two gradually moved past their hatred of each other to a place of trust and respect. Though they were separated for a few seasons after, their bond remained crucial to both of them and was adored by fans. When Jaime left King’s Landing and Cersei (Lena Headey) to fight in the North, fans were thrilled and hoped this signaled a major change for his character. This was further proven when he and Brienne slept together in the fourth episode of season 8, though that very same episode ended up changing things in a negative way.
When Jaime hears Cersei is in danger, he decides to leave Winterfell and return to her. He ends up breaking Brienne’s heart in a scene which, at the time, greatly upset fans. It turns out, though, the show’s script had that scene going much worse. According to Entertainment Weekly, a new audio commentary from the season 8 home video offered more insight onto Jaime and Brienne’s harsh goodbye. Benioff and Weiss admitted the script featured a secret line to “help provoke Brienne’s grief.” Jaime would’ve reverted back to his cruel ways by saying, “I don’t love you. No one loves you.”
Scripts often have lines and details that don’t make it into the final product but can further enhance what is seen on screen. This show was no exception, and in the months since Game of Thrones ended more details have emerged about what was written between the lines. None of the new information has lessened the backlash the show received, however, with many still upset about how Thrones reached its conclusion.
It’s a good thing this secret line was cut from Jaime and Brienne’s last scene together because it would’ve broken fan’s hearts completely and made Jaime look even worse than the scene already did. His end in particular was one of the most disappointing, as it had Jaime losing all of his character development and dying under a pile of rubble. To have him say unnecessarily harsh words to Brienne, one of the most honorable characters, would’ve been the final nail in the coffin. Plus, it would have undone all the beautiful moments they shared throughout the series, including the scene where Jaime knights Brienne before the Battle of Winterfell. Game of Thrones made a lot of mistakes in the final season, but at least they avoided this one.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
