The 30 most iconic moments from Game of Thrones, ranked

25. Jaime loses his sword hand

The Jaime Lannister fans meet at the beginning of the series is a force to be reckoned with, a character with few discernible morals and lots of skill with a sword. Despite the fact that Jaime has no desire to wed and continue the Lannister line from a keep in Casterly Rock, he’s the golden child of the family. He protects his sister and her children from harm and leads the Lannister armies into battle against Robb Stark.

Even after Jaime is outsmarted by Robb and captured, he remains more or less the same. Even Robb admits that he would lose to the man if they fought one on one. Jaime’s cockiness, even in chains, makes it difficult to feel for him as a character.

Jaime’s characterization shifts significantly when the brutal Locke, Roose Bolton’s flunky, chops off his sword hand. It’s a shocking moment, and the best cut to black in the show’s history.

It’s also the moment that finally lets viewers feel just a little bit of sympathy for this sister-loving child pusher. No longer able to physically defend his family or fight his enemies, Jaime loses the arrogance that once defined him, and the Lannisters lose one of their most powerful weapons.

Losing his hand humbles Jaime and marks the beginning of his redemption arc. Only after he loses his hand does Jaime begin to forge a bond with Brienne that goes beyond antagonizing her. Only after he returns to King’s Landing unable to fight does he start to question his family’s decisions. And by season 7, he’s changed enough to leave Cersei behind and fight for the living.