Season 7 of Game of Thrones is shaping up to be a wild one. While this season is shorter than any previous season of the show, the show runners are giving us intense episodes that are jam packed with suspense, information and savagery that’s making us feel better about leaving out three episodes to the season.
So far, we’re three episodes into the seven episode span and – things are heating up faster than Dany’s dragons. All of the Game of Thrones storylines that we’ve long watched in separation are all finally colliding – Dany and Jon Snow’s meeting, Samwell Tarly curing Jorah, Yara, Ellaria and Olenna Tyrell all teaming up with Dany – there’s basically a lot going on.
But – with all of these crossovers will come some drama and betrayal – as we all know, nothing in Game of Thrones is sacred. Even, a love between a brother and sister.
In the first episode of the season, Euron Greyjoy comes to King’s Landing and proposes to Cersei Lannister. He basically says he has a f*ck ton of ships and Cersei needs him as an ally and – well – he wants to be King essentially. Cersei denies his proposal, making Jamie – her twin brother/lover/baby daddy to three dead children – very happy.
And, yet, you can tell by the look on Jamie’s face that he is still worried.
Cersei may love Jamie – sure. They had three children together. She lied and cheated and betrayed dozens of people to make their incest-relationship work. But, there is one thing that Cersei loves more than Jamie and that is power.
Cersei has been dying to sit on the Iron Throne for years – which is the reason she’s killed so many damn people. She has this hunger, thirst and drive for power and it has outshines her love for anything else – even her children and even Jamie. Of course, if she wasn’t so power-hungry, her children may very much still be alive.
With Euron’s proposal, Cersei knows that she can have a more secure seat on the Iron Throne. Jamie has always protected her – that we know – but he only has one hand now and, he doesn’t have a fleet of Iron Island ships the way that Euron does. Plus, Cersei has only gotten this far with Jamie’s help – and she knows Dany is coming for her with three dragons and an army bigger than King’s Landing within itself.
After episode three of the season, we see that Cersei looks at Euron with a newfound excitement. He promised her a gift and boy, did he deliver. Ellaria Sand had killed Cersei’s only daughter in revenge against the killing of her love, Oberyn. Ellaria swore to get revenge on Cersei and – she did in the most cut-throat way, by killing her child.
Cersei’s thirst for power also comes for a thirst for revenge. When she was able to finally get revenge against Ellaria Sand and the people of Dorne for killing her daughter – she glowed on screen with pure satisfaction and happiness. And – who made that happen for her? Not Jamie Lannister. Euron Greyjoy.
Euron’s character has been set up to be just as wild, power-hungry and cunning as Cersei so far this season. And, Jamie has become more of an empathetic and soft character. Such can be seen in the final scene in the episode, where he tells Olenna Tyrell that Cersei wanted her to suffer the most painful of deaths – but he advised her out of them.
In that moment alone, we see the differences in Jamie and Cersei and how they have grown – not together – but separately throughout the series. Cersei has become much harder, vicious and cut-throat. Jamie, on the other hand, has become softer, more patient and understanding.
These two characteristics don’t match up well and – after seeing how Cersei’s actions have severely impacted his children and his family, Jamie is becoming conflicted in his relationship with Cersei. Sure, he loves her – but all three of his children were taken away from him because of Cersei’s actions.
If Cersei is to wed Euron Greyjoy – and consummate the marriage – Jamie will not stand by aimlessly and watch. He did it with Robert Baratheon in the beginning of the show and now that their relationship it out in the open, he will not stand by and let it be taken advantage of.
Here’s to hoping Jamie’s the one who kills Cersei after all.