Jaime Lannister is possibly the most complex character on Game of Thrones. The character was a brilliant creation as he was so easy to hate in the first two seasons of the show before more layers to the character were revealed and he became a fan favorite.
As Game of Thrones went on, the possibilities for the character seemed endless and his journey was completely captivating. But like many aspects of the series, Jaime's character began to suffer in the final seasons. Though the performance by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau remained effective, the character of Jaime Lannister declined in quality, leaving a disappointing end to an iconic character.
Jaime And Bronn
Game of Thrones has often done a great job of finding unlikely character pairings. After Tyrion Lannister fled Westeros, the show found a clever way of keeping his best friend Bronn in the story by making him Jaime's new partner.
While this pair worked well in the beginning, it soon seemed like the series wanted to turn these two into a buddy-cop duo with them trading repetitive jokes and one-liners while on adventures together. Bronn is an entertaining character, but he didn't help Jaime grow in any meaningful way.
His Relationship With Tyrion
Despite the rest of the Lannisters hating Tyrion, Jaime has always looked out for his younger brother. When Tyrion is to be executed for killing Joffrey, Jaime breaks him out and saves his life. But on his way out of the castle, Tyrion kills his father for years of abuse. In the aftermath, Jaime vows to kill Tyrion if he sees him again.
This is an interesting new dynamic to their relationship that is wiped away almost immediately. Upon meeting again, they share one tense conversation then go back to being best friends.
The Loot Train Attack
One of the most intense battle sequences in the show's history was the so-called Loot Train Attack in which Daenerys unleashes the Dothraki and one of her dragons on the Lannister army.
After surviving countless battles, Jaime finds himself completely outmatched and scared for the first time as a warrior. But the thrilling sequence ends with Jaime getting miraculously saved, which lessens the impact of the overall battle. If Jaime had been captured, seriously injured, or lost someone significant, the moment would have landed better.
Losing His Hand
Jaime was known in Westeros as one of the greatest fighters around. It is a source of pride and arrogance about him, which makes it all the more shocking when that ability is taken from him. While being held captive by Bolton men, the sadistic leader Locke cuts Jaime's sword-hand off.
Jaime immediately knows his life will never be the same as his greatest skill is now gone. But while it would have been fascinating to see Jaime seek a new identity outside of being a warrior, the show just makes him a pretty good one-handed fighter.
Stalled Development
Seasons 3 and 4 are massive in terms of Jaime's growth as a character. So much is revealed about his past and there are signs of his desire to do good and redeem himself as a knight.
It was such a disappointment then to see his growth stalled for so long following these two phenomenal seasons. As Jaime began to teeter on the edge of being a good guy, the show decided not to move him forward or backward. He was just off on silly missions for Cersei without making any new progress.
Rivalry With Euron
Despite everything that was going on in the last two seasons, the show decided it needed a new villain to hate. Euron Greyjoy was brought back into the show but rebranded as a cartoonish psychopath. To make the character seem all the more unnecessary, he developed a senseless rivalry with Jaime.
Euron seems like an immature troll the way he mocks Jaime with tired and vulgar jokes. The fact that Jaime is actually riled by this man makes him look immature as well. It all leads up to a final fight that feels like a frustrating waste of time.
Relationship With Brienne
When Jaime and Brienne of Tarth come together, they seem like two people who will never get along. Gradually, they reveal more about themselves to each other and form a bond of trust, respect, and perhaps even love. She seems to be his path to redemption to either accept or decline.
However, the show made the terrible mistake of having Jaime and Brienne come together romantically before having him return to Cersei. It made Jaime's decision to be with Cersei seem less genuine and was a betrayal to the character of Brienne, who was used as a pawn then barely seen in the series after that.
Redemption
When Jaime goes North to fight the White Walkers, that was meant to be a huge moment for him. He was on his way to becoming a true knight while forced to confront his past when he meets Bran again.
Once again, the show squandered the opportunity with the dullest possible solution. Bran immediately forgives Jaime with some vague idea that what he did led them to this moment. Then during the battle, Jaime does nothing of note to help the cause.
The Truth About The Kingslayer
One of the defining moments for Jaime in the series is when he reveals the truth about his murder of King Aerys. While most people saw it as a cowardly act, Jaime explains that Aerys planned to burn King's Landing with wildfire and he killed him to prevent that.
This is the moment when fans began seeing Jaime in a new light. However, there is so much that could have been done with this revelation. Did that make him a good knight? Would he do the same thing to Cersei when she was on the Iron Throne? Instead, the secret fades away.
Addiction To Cersei
The incestuous relationship between Jaime and Cersei is shockingly revealed in the first episode of the series. While it is clearly a disturbing relationship, it is also one of the most fascinating ones in the show as well as a pivotal aspect of Jaime's journey.
It was clear that he would eventually have to choose if he was going to become the hero he wanted or stay by her side. But the show miscalculated that moment and his leaving her comes too late. He excused so much from her that it no longer means much when he does turn his back on her. That moment is made even less impactful considering how quickly he returns to her.