There are a huge number of characters in Game of Thrones, and they all have to make complicated decisions over the course of the series. Westeros is a complicated world, where even the bravest and most selfless characters often find themselves in impossible situations that are likely to hurt people whether they like it or not.
Jaime Lannister is not, in general, thought of as one of the most selfless characters in the show. His somewhat bizarre character arc features a lot of warmongering and several true atrocities, but among those are his very worst mistakes from across the eight seasons of Game of Thrones.
7 Sneaking Off With Cersei
Season 1, Episode 1
Making her first, but not her final, appearance on Jaime’s worst mistakes, Cersei Lannister is a horrific blind spot that complicates everything in Jaime’s life. Whether or not pushing Bran Stark out a window was a mistake, after what Bran had seen, is perhaps questionable.
However, the way to avoid being caught in an unfamiliar location in the act they were engaging in, as brother and sister, is to not do it. Even if Jaime and Cersei were secretly together, they must have known how much bigger a risk it was to sneak off somewhere random in Winterfell, a castle they don’t know well, to be together. This move was especially stupid on both their parts.
6 The Ambush On Eddard Stark
Season 1, Episode 5
During the first season, Jaime is mostly represented as a foolish hothead in love with his sister. The prime example of his hothead moves was when he attacked Eddard Stark and his men in King’s Landing after Catelyn Stark took Jaime’s brother Tyrion as a captive.
Jaime wanted to do something to rectify the situation, since it was his actions that had ignited the feud between the Starks and the Lannisters. However, as his father later told him, attacking Eddard was a ridiculous move, and then leaving him alive was another bad one. Jaime’s indecision at that moment was what really hurt the standing of the Lannisters, and it had to be cleaned up later by others, like many of Jaime’s mistakes.
5 His Battle With Robb Stark
Season 1, Episode 9
Jaime should have remained the top leader in battles for the Lannister family throughout the war. The whole thing might have gone differently if he’d been there to continue leading their armies. However, his journey was very much changed and disrupted by his foolishness and overconfident nature.
When he went into battle against the Starks, Jaime was easily ambushed. Though his father and Tyrion were also caught out by this maneuver, Jaime should have known he needed to remain alive. He could have escaped and instead was taken prisoner, changing the entire course of his role in the war, while Robb Stark’s role would be another that ended tragically.
4 Pushing A Madman
Season 3, Episode 3
Much of Jaime’s journey towards becoming partially redeemed happens after he is put in the care of Brienne of Tarth and journeys with her towards eventually being traded in King’s Landing. However, they are captured by men loyal to the Bolton family, including an insane man named Locke.
After showing his more chivalrous side by convincing Locke and his men not to assault Brienne, Jaime should have known when to stop. He didn’t, and next, he tried to convince Locke to release them, which obviously was going to have repercussions, in the form of Locke cutting off Jaime’s hand and forever severing his role as the best swordsman in Westeros.
3 Everything In Dorne
Season 5, Episode 10
Jaime’s trip to Dorne was ridiculous, frankly. Everything about his endeavor, sneaking into the palace and relying on taking out an individual guard to steal their uniform, felt extremely cartoonish. There was very little planning, and yet he managed to escape with Myrcella anyway.
Unfortunately, in the process, he trusted Ellaria Sand, a woman who had already attempted to kill Myrcella and would, by most people, be expected to try it again. However, Jaime isn’t always shown to be the brightest character in Game of Thrones, and he accepts her help, ending in Myrcella being poisoned and dying just as they escape, not the perfect ending for the innocent character.
2 Charging The Dragon
Season 7, Episode 4
One of the better things that Jaime pulled off in the later seasons of Game of Thrones was to successfully take Highgarden and gather the Tyrell gold, which could be used to pay off the debts that the crown owed to the Iron Bank. However, he was caught out on the way back.
As his army and the caravan of gold approached King’s Landing, Daenerys was able to attack with her dragons, destroying everything. Jaime, brave but foolish as usual, tried to ride directly at Daenerys, even though she was standing next to a dragon, and if not for Bronn pushing him down, he would have been killed by the dragon’s fire, and not even made it to the Battle of King’s Landing.
1 Choosing Cersei At The End
Season 8, Episode 5
Jaime’s constant struggle was whether to stay with Cersei, and he even had a final triumphant moment where he left her at last. Unfortunately, this was followed by him returning to her, and leaving Brienne right at the end of the series, which wasn’t the ending that anyone wanted for Cersei or for Jamie.
Jaime was a doomed character. Despite years of overcoming his previous nature and seeming more grown-up, in the end, he remained a childish man with a deep love for his sister that he could never overcome, despite how toxic it was for him. In his final moments, he merely expressed his love for her, the same love that had led him to an unimportant, meaningless death, a sad end for the reign of the Lannister family.
Game of Thrones
- First Episode Air Date
- April 17, 2011
- Where to watch
- HBO Max
