This Shocking ‘Game of Thrones’ Moment Was a Turning Point in the Show

The Big Picture

• The loss of Jaime’s hand didn’t just make him a lesser fighter, but it weakened his entire house.
• Jaime Lannister was introduced as a villain of the
  Game of Thrones
  series after he pushed Bran Stark out of a window.
• Ultimately, losing his hand made him a better person, turning him into a hero who would protect the realm.

Game of Thrones is notorious for providing jaw-dropping twists that change the entire game in one fell swoop. One of the most shocking twists in Game of Thrones that ranks alongside the Red Wedding and Ned Stark’s (Sean Bean) beheading, is Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) losing his hand. This event was a catalyst, marking the beginning of the end for House Lannister and allowed other houses the opportunity to overthrow them. If Jaime hadn’t lost his hand, no one would have dared to challenge his house after his father, Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance), died. Jaime was the best swordsman in the kingdom, but without his right hand, he was vulnerable for the first time in his life. However, after losing his hand, this infamous knight was forced to gradually learn empathy, compassion, and honor, which paved the way for his redemption. This shocking twist changed his character entirely, causing him to evolve from a villain to a hero, starting with defending Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) from the Boltons, and ending with him fighting alongside the Starks in the Long Night.

Jaime Lannister Lost His Hand in ‘Game of Thrones’ After a Selfless Act

Painted as a villain in the very first episode of the series after pushing the ten-year-old Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) out of a window, Jamie’s continuous arrogance and entitlement leads him to his eventual downfall. Jaime was considered to be one of the best swordsmen in the realm — as well as one of the most handsome men in the Seven Kingdoms. Coming from enormous wealth and power thanks to his father, Tywin Lannister, Jaime’s inflated ego made perfect sense. He had everything. And yet, he became known by everyone as a “man without honor” after stabbing his own king, Aerys II Targaryen (David Rintoul) during Robert’s Rebellion (Mark Addy). The nicknames of “oathbreaker” and “man without honor” bothered Jaime, whether he wanted to admit it to himself or not.

For a man who supposedly had everything, what he truly wanted deep down was to be a hero, to be an honorable and noble knight. While traveling to King’s Landing with Brienne of Tarth (one of the most noble characters in the entire series), the two of them are kidnapped by Bolton soldiers. These vicious men plan on raping Brienne, and Jaime uncharacteristically comes to her rescue by turning on the charm and lying to Locke (Noah George Taylor), the ring leader of the Bolton men, in hopes of convincing him that Brienne was valuable and should not be harmed. This is the very first moment Jaime does something selfless, compassionate even. This heroic moment backfires terribly, leading Locke to cut off Jaime’s right hand, his fighting hand.

The Lannisters Could Have Stayed in Power if Jaime Hadn’t Lost His Hand

House Lannister seemed nearly unstoppable in the first few seasons of Game of Thrones. They ruled Westeros with an iron fist. Respected by many and feared by all, House Lannister wasn’t just the wealthiest house in the kingdom, it was one of the most powerful. Twyin Lannister was single-handedly responsible for the Lannisters’ success. He orchestrated the annihilation of House Reyne, a house that once opposed them. He cut off the head of the Stark army, by killing both Robb (Richard Madden) and Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) at the Red Wedding. He was fixated on the idea of legacy and ensuring that his house would rule for hundreds of years after his death. But thanks to his arrogance over the years, Jaime had very few allies.

Losing his hand put a giant target on his back for the vultures of Westeros to come pick their bones clean once Tywin Lannister died. No one would have dared to oppose them while Tywin was still alive, Cersei states this, and she’s right. But Tywin did not account for the possibility of Jaime losing his hand. As one of the most skilled warriors in Westeros, any other house would have been foolish to oppose them with Jaime at his full strength. Cersei always said that Jaime was the stupidest Lannister. After Jaime lost his hand and gradually gained a conscience, she began to see him as weak as well. Jaime losing his hand made his family weaker because he lost some of the blind loyalty he had for his family.

Losing His Hand Made Jaime Lannister a Better Person

After Jaime loses his hand, he begins questioning Cersei’s Lannister’s (Lena Headey) decisions, even opposing her, and eventually abandoning her by leaving her to fight alongside the Starks during the Long Night. Jamie tries to reason with Cersei after witnessing the mass destruction dragons are capable of while traveling through the Reach. He knows that fighting Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) is futile and that even if they do hire the Golden Company to fight, Daenerys and her dragons would still surely kill them all. Cersei however, is stubborn and incredibly power hungry, and refuses to accept the gravity of the situation.

Jaime isn’t a fool and he knows his siters well. As he describes it, she is a ‘hateful woman’. But he loved her anyway, because we don’t always get to choose who we love. But he knew that he could never become the honorable man he wanted to be if he stayed alongside Cersei during her descent to madness as Daenerys threatened to steal her throne.

Returning to Winterfell and fighting alongside the Starks was a full-circle moment for Jaime and a satisfying conclusion to his arc. The Starks had always been their enemies, and Cersei still saw them that way in the final season. But for Jaime, this was different. He had changed.Brienne taught him to be a good man by scolding him and constantly questioning his decisions and re-framing his mindset to think with compassion and kindness. With her help, Jaime finally became the noble and heroic knight he always wanted to be. Losing his hand was the best thing that ever happened to Jaime Lannister, and when he died, yes, it was by Cersei’s side, but he died with honor.

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