Jon and Daenerys' relationship lacks the fire and passion that Jamie and Cersei's love had in 'Game of Thrones'
The 'Game of Thrones' season 8 recent episode 'The Bells' has been receiving a lot of backlash for bad writing. It includes using Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) for shock value and citing mental illness as a blanket reason for Daenerys' actions with no substantial trigger among other things. However, the episode, in a subtle manner, of course, did show us that Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Daenerys' relationship is nowhere close to their counterparts Jaime Lannister (Nicolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei (Lena Headey). The similarity ends with the fact that both the relationships are incestuous, but beyond that Jon and Dany's relationship was a lot about 'bending the knee' in reverence and loyalty over love.
Spoilers ahead for episode 5, season 8
In what was one of the most emotional scenes that fans now blame as unfair for Cersei Lannister, the show captured the essence of what Cersei had always wanted - the best for her children. Be it when she did everything in her power to bring Joffrey to the throne in the initial seasons, or how heartbroken she was over her daughter Myrcella's death. She only played the Game of Thrones because she realized the alternative here would be death. Throughout it all, she had the support of Jaime, the only man she truly loved. So when he left her side to stand for humanity before the Battle of Winterfell, she decided to shoot him down with the help of Bronn. Both Cersei and Jaime have had their fair share of affairs - for Cersei, it was more physical and all about manipulation but for Jaime - he considered giving up on his obsessive love for Cersei to stay with Brienne of Tarth. It was only for a moment, however. But when he heard that Cersei could be beheaded by Daenerys' army, he had to go to her. After all, as he had once famously said, “The things I do for love...”
And considering all this, it is definitely a lot more than what Jon or Daenerys have done for each other. And, no! Riding a dragon to save someone who could become an ally in the future to help you take the throne doesn't count. Jaime crippled a young boy to keep his lover safe. He did regret what he had done, but this only shows the extent that he would go to for the sake of Cersei. While many lamented that Jaime's arc deserved better, that all the layers that we saw him build over the seasons were lost in the moment that he embraced Cersei, we need to understand that there never was anything more to Jaime than Cersei. Everything else was a byproduct in the absence of Cersei. Every layer that we saw built over seasons was despite Cersei. His core character was always connected to his twin sister and lover.
In fact, in an interview with Variety, actor Coster-Waldau had said, "Most people have moments in their life where you go, ‘Can I really, fundamentally change?’ . . . The core of him has always been Cersei. . . . When that’s taken away, what are you then? What’s left? Is there anything left? When he leaves [King’s Landing at the end of Season 7], obviously he has no idea. He doesn’t know the answer to that question."
Headey also seemed to be disappointed at not having a major confrontation and she spoke about this to Entertainment Weekly where she said, "I wanted her to have some big piece or fight with somebody." Initially, she seems to have reacted just as many fans did after they saw her modest ending, brought on by rubble. But then she discussed the end with her co-star and things changed. She said, "The more we talked about it the more it seemed like the perfect end for her. They came into the world together and now they leave together. I think the important thing is that Jaime had a chance at freedom [with Brienne] and finally liberated himself from Cersei, which I think the audience will be thrilled about. I think the biggest surprise is he came back for her. Cersei realizes just how much she loves him and just how much he loves her. It’s the most authentic connection she’s ever had. Ultimately they belong together."
Then she made an most important revelation, "It’s maybe the first time that Cersei has been at peace."
Now, let's talk about Daenerys and Jon Snow's relationship in view of this. It started quite unassumingly, with no pomp or drama. Throughout the relationship, Jon had only two things to say - "You are my queen" and "I love you." Both were used mostly to ensure that Daenerys had someone to love. The conflicts always had to do with the power struggle between them as a result of Jon's family and people in the North. There was a spark, but there was just no fire. Not the kind that we see between Jaime and Cersei. There was no real soul to their love story. Especially towards the end, when things cooled off between them, it didn't seem important or anything of consequence.
When Daenerys said, "Fear it is," all we knew that there was no Jenny here, and neither was there a prince who was promised.
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