One of the more controversial things to happen in Game of Thrones season eight was Jaime Lannister’s decision to leave Brienne of Tarth, shortly after making her Ser Brienne of Tarth, for his sister/lover Cersei. By the end of the next episode, they’re both dead, crushed by the crumbling King’s Landing infrastructure. Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on… for Brienne, at least. But why, after years of slowly redeeming the Kingslayer, did the writers decide to have Jaime to return to his old life? Because Cersei is too important to him, that’s why.

“In a different world, Jaime would’ve stayed with Brienne. What he has with Brienne is something different — it’s a very pure, innocent love. There is a part of him that wishes he could not be who he is,” actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau told Making Game of Thrones. But Jaime “staying in Winterfell is unrealistic. Cersei is the most important person in his life, whether he wants her to be or not. The idea that he was going to just let her die alone, is too horrible for him.”

When asked whether there was a specific moment Jaime knew he was doomed to crawl back to Cersei, Coster-Waldau responded, “Bronn appears and Jaime realizes he was sent there by Cersei to kill him and Tyrion — it’s this strange reality check. Cersei has a way of making sure you don’t forget about her…. Then Sansa says, ‘I always wanted to be there when they execute your sister.’ He knows that Cersei provoked Daenerys so much, and she’s underestimated her enemy — usually Cersei’s the one people underestimate. His whole life has been about trying to protect Cersei, and trying to be close to her. He loves her — it’s unconditional love.” Basically, he realized Cersei wasn’t going to beat Daenerys (and her dragon), so he wanted to be by her side when she lost.

It would be sweet, if not for the whole “being a jerk to Brienne” thing.

gwen exposing nikolaj for 2 minutes and 14 seconds straight pic.twitter.com/MQwNfaw0If — liv (@jaimeIannisIer) May 25, 2019

(Via Making Game of Thrones)