There was certainly a lot to unpack in Sunday night’s Season 8 premiere of Game of Thrones, but perhaps no moment in the episode came with more subtext or discussion points than the very final shot. Jaime Lannister finally arrived in Winterfell to join the rest of the living forces in their fight against the Night King and he was met with the one face he never wanted to see again. Bran Stark stared across the courtyard at Jaime, the man who pushed him out of a window all those years ago, confining him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
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The shock on Jaime’s face instantly became a meme online, as did Bran’s creepy gaze. But there was much more behind that look than just a fun Internet joke. During an interview with EW after the episode, Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau explained what was going through his character’s mind amidst that ominous exchange.
“First of all, I don’t think wheelchairs are a normal thing in Westeros,” Coster-Waldau said. “I think it’s like: ‘What the hell?’ and then, ‘Oh my god, that’s the kid.’ I think he knows Bran didn’t die, but he doesn’t expect to meet him.”
As we saw in the preview for next Sunday’s episode, this doesn’t bode well for Jaime going forward. There are plenty of people in Winterfell who want him dead, including Daenerys Targaryen. Long before Jaime left Bran Stark with a broken back, he killed King Targaryen to help Robert Baratheon take the Iron Throne.
So what does this mean for Jaime as the series continues?
“His mission changes once again,” the actor continued. “It goes from: ‘I know my brother Tyrion is there and I’m going to fight the good fight’ to ‘I’m in deep sh– now.’ Because this is the Lord of Winterfell that I tried to kill and I’m sure he wants revenge. That’s what Jaime expects.”
What do you think will become of Jaime Lannister next week? Will he make it through the final season? Let us know your predictions in the comments!
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