Does Brienne Die in Game of Thrones Episode 3?

The knighting of Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" has some Game of Thrones fans worried the fan-favorite will meet her end as the series approaches the Battle of Winterfell.

"Yes, I think there was a bit of that. Because people's response mainly in the past has been, 'I love the character, she's so pure of heart that, for that reason, she's probably going to die,'" Christie told Vulture when asked if she feels the knighting put a mark on Brienne.

"But going back to that scene, it operated on many different levels. A character that was good actually got something good for a change. And on a personal level, it really spoke to me. As someone that's been very open about the struggles of my past, that many actors have had — and many people, full stop — about not fitting into a normal society. It's being allowed, being credible, being given the incredible opportunity to play this part that I truly love, that's true to me. It really touched me."

Until that point, "Brienne of Tarth hasn't had much reason to smile," Christie added, pointing to Ser Brienne's beaming grin.

"The position she's been given in society has not been one automatically of power. She has not been naturally appreciated by the patriarchy. She's a woman that's really forged her own path, on her own terms in service of an idea larger than herself. Of wanting to protect and restore the Stark girls for their mother. So that's been her reason for living.

"And within that, she hasn't really sought out personal joy. She's never been a creature of her own desires — other than the desire to serve others. Brienne has one of the few pure souls in the world of Game of Thrones. She's one of the few truly good characters from what we've seen so far."

As big a game-changer as it was, Christie "didn't throw that [smile] away easy.

"In the final [season], I was thinking as I received the scripts, I wonder if there will be occasion for that, I wonder where that can be placed, I wonder if that actually will live?" she said.

"For Brienne, it's the achievement of something that she wanted. And she's achieved it on her own terms. She's not used anything other than her sense of honor. It felt incredibly personal for me, for Brienne to be knighted, for her to be given this, for her to be made a Ser. Because, yes, she is a woman, but she isn't interested in fitting into any kind of norm whatsoever."

New episodes of the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.

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