22 best moments from Game of Thrones season 8

21. The Trial of Jaime Lannister

Throughout the entirety of Jaime Lannister’s story, one consistent theme is that those around him don’t truly understand him, or the reasons he’s made the choices he’s made. Jaime is introduced way back in the first season as an arrogant, antagonistic knight who seems utterly undeserving of the title. It’s only as we get to know him better that we come to understand that he is to some extent a victim of circumstance. You find yourself thinking, “if only so-and-so knew this about Jaime, they wouldn’t think so badly of him.”

Yet that hope gets denied over and over throughout the series. When Jaime shows up at Winterfell and is immediately put on trial, we’re once again thrust into a situation where we can empathize with Jaime — who just wanted to do the right thing and uphold his oath — and wish that all the other characters would just see him the way we do.

The snappy dialogue in this scene is wonderful, as is the way that Jaime deflects Daenerys’ accusations while shouldering responsibility for his past deeds. But what really elevates this scene is when Brienne rises to defend Jaime. Brienne tells the story of how Jaime lost his hand, and how he worked behind the scenes to try and save Sansa and Arya. She says that she would fight beside him…and that is enough to convince Sansa, at least, to absolve him.

The surprise on Nikolai Coster-Waldeau’s face is absolute gold. Jaime does not often get the benefit of the doubt, and has come not to expect it. That he gets this support from the person who he arguably admires the most is such a validating moment for one of the most fascinating characters in the series.