Let's Talk About Ser Brienne of Tarth

So, I didn't hate the handling of Brienne on this weekend's Game of Thrones (8x4), "Last of the Starks."

Even though I obviously would prefer Brienne to be with a woman, it is also meaningful to see a butch woman's romance with a man, if only because it is such a rarity on screen.

I think the romance itself, which was subtextual for at least the last several seasons, was somewhat of a surprise to both characters. The surprise for Brienne was perhaps not just the obvious - that Jaime would be sexually attracted to her, after a lifetime of men mocking her for her looks and demeanor - but that she would be sexually attracted to someone whose dishonor and cruelty had once so repulsed her. For Ser Brienne, honor is everything, and Jaime was - is - the Kingslayer.

The surprise for Jaime was perhaps not just that he would be attracted to someone so unlike his sister in nearly every way, but that Brienne is a peer, a fellow knight, and undoubtedly his moral and martial superior. It's hard to imagine Season One Jaime's ego being okay with that, let alone attracted to it, but a lot has changed for a lot of characters since Season One.

I didn't love the scene that left Brienne in a sobbing, post-coital mess begging Jaime to stay, but it's also not inconceivable that Jaime would go back to Cersei and that Brienne would be momentarily wrecked. It's not clear what Jaime's going back to Cersei to do, exactly - fuck her, kill her, marry her? - but we have to remember that he has had a dysfunctional, co-dependent relationship with his twin sister since childhood. Those patterns do not break easily.

And, one of Brienne's most defining characteristics thus far is that she has long been the knightliest knight of all the knights, long before they technically made her one. She has mostly related to people in a stiff, formal manner, staying somewhat emotionally detached from those she has sworn to protect. Sure, it's a cliche that Jaime would pull an Angelus after they had sex, and "become evil" again, but it doesn't make Brienne weak to be upset about this. She let her guard down for once and got hurt. She's human. She'll shed her tears and move on, at least if the creators let her keep her dignity.

While we're at it, she'll preferably move on to a Stark lady, although Gwendoline Christie - the actor whose portrayal of Brienne has come to perfectly embody the character - would prefer Dany, and that would do as well.

That said, it does chap the ass that the creators of Game of Thrones seem hellbent on ensuring that every female character suffers the most degrading humiliation befitting to her unique vulnerabilities.  It's hard not to wonder what the show would look like with more women and people color making creative decisions.