Arise, Ser Brienne of Tarth!
Game of Thrones ended its final season earlier this year and one aspect of the endless controversy around its end was the handling of the relationship between noble knight Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) and disgraced kingslayer Jaime Lannister ( Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ).
Brienne lost her virginity to Jaime after he made her a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, but their romance came to an abrupt end when he left to reunite with his twin sister and lover Queen Cersei Lannister ( Lena Headey ).
The female knight was left heartbroken but found solace in her duties.
Actress Gwendoline Christie has now revealed why she supported the consummation of the Jaime/Brienne romance and also her character's own ending.
Christie explained to People : "Personally, I’m glad that Brienne elected to have her first sexual experience. It was something that she consents to and I’m glad we see her leaving herself open and having an honest, emotional response to that — and recovering from it. And, ultimately, superseding her expectations and no longer being in service and protecting someone else but being in control."
On the way that Brienne's story in the finale ended and closed on her sense of duty and not primarily her romantic storyline with Jaime, Christie was full of praise.
She added: “I love that Brienne elects to have this romantic moment with Jaime Lannister and that it’s her choice to have that. And, ultimately, what was my favorite point was that she gets the promotion that she’s always wanted. She is Lord Commander of the king’s guard. And how it ends is not about her relationship with a man, but about her fulfilling her destiny and her work. And that’s delighted me. That the woman goes back to work!"
Christie also discussed nominating her own work for an Emmy Award, in which she will compete against her co-stars Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, and Sophie Turner.
"I just really wanted the possibility of the opportunity. I wanted the possibility of that opportunity because of everything I believe the character Brienne of Tarth represents: a woman outside of the patriarchy," she revealed. "Of course, she is abused due to the way that she looks, because she’s not deemed conventionally attractive. She overcomes that and she remains her own person."
We couldn't agree more!
Did you support the end of Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones? Let us know in the comments below.
