Brienne's character comes full circle in ‘Game of Thrones' season 8 episode 2, fans worry about her fate
This article contains spoilers for 'Game of Thrones' season 8, episode 2.
One of the most wholesome moments on this week's 'Game of Thrones' season 8 (episode 2) had to be Lady Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) becoming Ser Brienne of Tarth, knight of the Seven Kingdoms - an honor that was bestowed upon her by Ser Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau).
Not only was it precious to see the beming, teary-eyed smile of Brienne upon being knighted by the one man in Westeros that she honors and respects beyond anybody else, in a way, this knighthood also brought Brienne's character arc full circle - from warrior to the knight she had wanted to become as a child. And that has the character's loyal fans very worried since the show is notorious for killing off the most beloved characters.
i just cant get over brienne's smile after jamie knighted her, this was a dream she had since she was young and something she never thought was possible to happen LOOK AT HER NOW IM SO PROUD pic.twitter.com/8JPTNuLBq7
— rita (@lidiasaguilar) April 22, 2019
We were introduced to Brienne on the show as the "big woman," always mocked and chided for her un-feminine appearance. But that didn't stop us from rooting for the absolute bad*ss, especially after we saw her fighting in the bear pit and her fierce loyalty once she gave her word. From being Renly Baratheon's (Gethin Anthony) Kingsguard in season 2, Brienne swore her allegiance to Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley), something that changed her entire character arc, as that lead to her being acquainted with Jaime.
Brienne went from being a bystander to an important character on the show, whose loyalty, bravery and devotion to Jaime proved to be a twist in the tale. Her significance as a character grew further when she proved to be a savior to both the Stark sisters - Arya (Maisie Williams) and especially Sansa (Sophie Turner).
Brienne's loyalty also earned her the respect of Jaime, and her fighting skills made Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivju) - a wildling in the North - develop the biggest crush on her. From being mocked as an un-feminine woman, she now has two men arguably attracted to her, Sansa trusting her with her life, and as the trailer for the upcoming episode 3 revealed, she will also be marching one of the squads in the impending great battle at Winterfell, where the North will be fighting against the deadly enemy - the White Walkers.
The real icing on the cake with a cherry on top was Brienne getting knighted by the one man she is devoted to and quite evidently in love with - Jaime. The honor she received was not only deserving, but also something no other female character on the show has been bestowed with, and her tears spoke for her in that one scene where she is finally smiling for the first time on the show.
The best part is it had been a life long dream of Brienne's to be able to rise to such levels of honor and respect, and none of that stemmed from hunger for power. Brienne just wanted to be recognized as a warrior and so she was, and as mentioned before, this brings concern to fans over her fate. Deeply adored characters on 'Game of Thrones' have not survived something really wholesome happening to them without getting killed off the very next moment. And considering the fact that the battle against the enemy is arriving soon, it only makes us fear the prospect of Brienne losing her life doing the one thing she has always wanted to do, fight in battle.
Fans took to Twitter to raise an alarm over her story coming full circle with one of them pointing out "It’s almost like her character arc is complete...You know what happens next right?" Soon, a slew of comments expressing concern poured into the replies section. "They practically gave her a goodbye party," one wrote, with another refuting that with the solid argument about how, "Gwen (Gwendoline Christie, who plays the character) said that this season we get to see more of Brienne the woman and that she follows her own desires rather than serving someone else. Doesn’t sound to me like her character arc is done in the slightest. She’s been validated as a warrior, but there is so much more to her arc."
As for the rest, most of them poured in with reaction gifs expressing tears and sadness as the unfortunate realization hit them, while some of them even pointed out that Brienne is not going out until she finally has sex with either Tormund - the man possibly in love with her - or Jaime - the man she is possibly in love with. Might look like wishful thinking, knowing the show's track record, but at this point, all we can do is keep our fingers crossed and hope the newly knighted bada** lives longer.
