Season 8 of Game of Thrones kicked off last Sunday with the usual “table setting” episode. They like to start off each season with a pretty lowkey story that puts all the pieces on the board, so to speak. And, while it did have a few long-awaited reunions and payoffs from scenes from the Season 7 finale, it was rather uneventful.

Jaime pushed Bran from a tower window in hopes that his “accidental” fall would protect his secret relationship

Jaime vs. Bran

But, the final shot of the episode entitled “Winterfell” was a reunion we’ve been waiting for since the end of the pilot when Jaime Lannister pushed poor little Bran Stark out of a tower window to protect the secrecy of his incestuous relationship with his twin sister, Queen Cersei. This is but one of many awkward reunions awaiting Jaime within the walls of Winterfell.

Jaime vs. King Aerys II

Since the events of Robert’s Rebellion (about 16 years before the show starts), Jaime has been known throughout the Seven Kingdoms as The Kingslayer. He earned this title by betraying his vow as a member of the King’s Guard and murdering King Aerys II Targaryen, father of Daenerys and now the grandfather of Jon Snow. He admitted to Lady Brienne that he killed King Aerys only to protect the people of King’s Landing. The Mad King, as he was called, had planned to burn the entire population of his city in lieu of letting his kingdom fall to the rebellion.

But, his king slaying came at a crucial moment. For just moments later, his father Tywin’s men had murdered Areys’ wife and two of her young children Rhaenys and Aegon. Daenerys has undoubtedly been awaiting an opportunity to collect a debt of blood from the Lannister family for the deaths of her parents and siblings. And, we know all too well that the Lannister family always pays their debts. But, Jaime’s sins don’t stop with House Targaryen. He has traveled far and wide across the Seven Kingdoms and has made enemies with many people, namely relatives to the Stark children who now reside in Winterfell, where he now seeks refuge.

Ned Stark and his men, trapped by Jaime and the Lannister forces following King Robert’s death

Jaime vs. Ned

In the days following Bran’s fall from the tower, as he laid unconscious, a knife-wielding man entered his room in an attempt to finish him off. Bran was saved by his mother, Lady Catelyn, and direwolf, Summer. After some investigation, Catelyn resolves that the Lannister must be trying to kill Bran, so she heads south to King’s Landing to consult Ned.

After meeting with Ned and her old friend, Littlefinger, she is told that the dagger used by the assassin belonged to Jaime’s brother, Tyrion. So, she leaves King’s Landing for Winterfell.

On the road north, Catelyn encounters Tyrion, and takes him as her prisoner. Because of this, Jaime confront’s Ned in the streets of King’s Landing demanding that he order Catelyn to release Tyrion. However, Ned takes full credit for the capture and refuses to comply. Jaime then orders his men to murder Ned’s men but to take Ned alive. The Stark men are all killed including Ned’s Captain of the Guards, Jory Cassel. Ned, furious at Jory’s death by Jaime’s sword, engages Jaime in a duel. But before they could finish, one of the Lannister men dishonorably stabs Ned in the leg with a spear. Jaime leaves Ned in the street with the message that he wants his brother returned to him.

This confrontation is key to Ned’s eventual beheading, because he had ordered his household to start packing just beforehand. He had intended to leave King’s Landing and return to his seat at Winterfell. After his fight with Jaime, he is forced by King Robert to retake his position as Hand of the King, which eventually results in the events leading to his beheading by King Joffrey.

“The Lannisters send their regards.”

Jaime vs. Robb & Catelyn

King Joffrey’s reign was a bloody one for the Starks. He waged war against Ned’s son, Robb Stark, by leveraging the military might of his grandfather Tywin Lannister. Jaime was immediately promoted to Lord Commander of the King’s Guard and a member of the king’s Small Council. The very same Small Council lead by Tywin as he orchestrated the infamous Red Wedding at the hands of Roose Bolton and Lord Walder Frey.

Jaime and The Blackfish trade words during his parlay at Riverrun

Jaime vs. The Blackfish

As a show of force, Cersei sends Jaime north to take the control of the ancestral home of Catelyn Stark’s family, Riverrun, held by Catelyn’s uncle Brynden Tully, known as The Blackfish. To Jaime’s credit, he attempts to peacefully negotiate a surrender, but the stubborn Blackfish is ready to weather any siege the Lannisters can mount. Having no intention of waiting him out, Jaime convinces Edmure Tully, a prisoner of House Frey since The Red Wedding and rightful Lord of Riverrun, to seize and take control of the castle and order its surrender. Once under Lannister control, the Blackfish is killed while resisting capture.

Jaime personally tried to kill Daenerys during her surprise Loot Train Attack

Jaime vs. Daenerys

After defeating House Tyrell and looting their home of High Garden, Jaime was escorting Lannister forces back to King’s Landing when a Dothraki horde attacked the loot train accompanied by Daenerys atop her massive dragon, Drogon. Thanks to a well-placed spear fired by Jaime’s best swordsman, Bronn, Jaime seizes the opportunity to kill Daenerys once and for all and to end her invasion of Westeros. If not for Bronn knocking Jaime from his horse just in time to avoid Drogon’s fiery wrath, Jaime might have used his last swashbuckling act to kill the Mother of Dragons.

It seems like a lifetime has passed since that first trip to Winterfell. Jaime reads like an open book. He’s actually a pretty honest character. While he has made some deadly decisions, he has stayed pretty true to his iconic words from just before he pushed Bran from that tower. “The things I do for love,” he said.

And true to that, many of his actions could be argued to be done out of love for his sister, his children, or the soldiers under his command. It doesn’t justify the lengths to which he has gone to protect his loved ones, but he has taken on a heroic arch of redemption since the first season.

Which brings us to Bran, now imbued with the greenseeing abilities of the Three-Eyed Raven. His ability to see everything that has ever happened and everything that is happening all over the world is remarkable, but not without its limitations. As evidenced by his discussions with Samwell Tarley, Bran needs to be guided or prompted to isolate the relevant information. Someone needs to type into the search engine.

I think Episode 2 of Season 8 will likely show us the Trial of Jaime Lannister. Bringing to bare many of his past crimes. Daenerys and the Stark children will want him to answer for his involvement in the deaths of so many family members and bannermen. And although Jaime’s brother, Tyrion, is Daenerys’ Hand of the Queen, I think his best bet at having a meaningful witness to his redeeming qualities is Bran and “whatever Bran has.”

Bran’s new role has distanced him from the cares of a normal man. He no longer seems concerned with holding lands or noble titles. And, he often references that he is vaguely even human at this point. When Jon asserted that Bran was now a man, he responded with “almost.” This detachment from his humanity coupled with his focus on the impending undead army makes me believe that he will put any personal vendetta aside, and instead try to push such squabbles away in favor of getting everyone on the same page before the Night King comes knocking.