Game of Thrones MVP of the Week: Brienne Episode 2, Season 8

She Stands Up For Jaime, Even Though He's Up Against Her Lady

Brienne has never been afraid to stand up for justice, even when it puts her in the eye of danger. She proves this when she stands up for Jaime during his trial after he arrives in Winterfell. Jaime is up against the heads of two households he has irredeemably wrecked: Daenerys Targaryen and Sansa Stark. Daenerys tells Jaime that she used to talk with her late brother about what they would do to the former Kingsguard when they reclaimed the throne, but her issue with him is kind of moot since no one else has a problem with the death of the Mad King. Sansa initially agrees with Daenerys, since Jaime was directly involved with the capture of her father before he was killed by Jaime's son, Joffrey. Enter Brienne.

She cannot stand by as Jaime is raked over the coals for his past, standing up to ask that the two other women trust Jaime. "He is a man of honour," she swears before Sansa, Dany, and Jon (who looks like he'd rather be anywhere else, honestly), telling the Lady of Winterfell specifically that without Jaime, she would have never been able to protect Sansa when the time came. Brienne reveals to Sansa that both she and Jaime swore an oath to her mother, Catelyn Stark, that they would bring her daughters back home to Winterfell. It's only after Brienne assures Sansa that she trusts Jaime with her life that the younger woman backs down.

Not only is this a boss moment for Brienne, standing up for the Dragon Queen and the woman she pledged her sword to, it's also a touching moment that sheds light on how deeply Sansa trusts Brienne. As the Lady of Winterfell later tells Dany, she trusts Brienne with her own life and that means a lot coming from a woman with Sansa's past. Brienne isn't just a loyal friend, she inspires the same sort of loyalty from those around her, which is the mark of a truly good woman.

1 / 5

She's Become a Worthwhile Leader

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As long as she's been in Game of Thrones, Brienne has seen herself as a loyal guard to someone — first King Renly Baratheon, then Catelyn Stark, and then her Stark daughters. But what she doesn't realise is how she's become a leader in her own right; she's a leader that has made a fumbling squire into a brave knight (we see you popstar-in-the-making, Podrick), who inspires respect in all who fight against her, and who manages to bring the arrogant Jaime Lannister to heel more than once.

In episode two of season eight, Jaime tells Brienne that he would be honoured to serve under her command, which I choose to interpret in all the ways possible. But mostly, it's Jaime showing how much he respects and trusts Brienne as his commanding officer. The gesture immediately overwhelms her because she's always been the one in awe over him and now the shoe is on the other foot.

2 / 5

Ser Brienne of Tarth Rises

SHE'S BEEN KNIGHTED B*TCHES!!

Ahem. The moment that Brienne realises that Jaime is not joking around and is completely serious about knighting her, is one of the best moments of Game of Thrones, period. Though the moment was hilariously brought on by Tormund's fervent vow that if he was a king, he would knight her "10 times over," it got real serious when Jaime revealed that knights can honour other knights and beckoned Brienne to kneel before him. If there was a dry eye in the house when Lady Brienne knelt down and stood back up Ser Brienne of Tarth, those dry eyes belong to one of those shadow demons that emerged from Melisandre's birth canal and should be banished!

It was a beautiful moment, made even more spectacular by the beam that breaks out across Brienne's face. In that singular moment, the world felt really good and Game of Thrones let a little sunshine into the cold that is the anticipated misery that is season eight.

Of course, this also makes us terrified that Brienne's legacy ends here and she dies by the end of the season because we can never have anything good for long, but I digress.

3 / 5

So, MVP of the Week Goes to . . . Ser Brienne!

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Brienne really takes us on a ride over the course of her screentime in this episode. We're always rooting for her, but she really shows out in the season's second episode, just by being the caring and inspiring woman she naturally is. Truly a legend among knights. Ser Brienne definitely wins this round.

4 / 5

P.S. — Our Runner-Up of the Week Goes to . . . Arya Stark!

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You thought we were going to forget about Miss "Make My Weapon Better Than His???" Look, we all know that Arya did the damn thing this episode. The Stark kids have steadily been killing it with their interactions and the youngest played no games when it came to her blacksmith. Not only did she let him know that she wasn't the same little girl he tried to protect way back when, but she also put it down on him so smoothly that I had to take a moment for the whiplash to settle.

For the first time in a very long time, Arya Stark made a decision wholly for herself. It wasn't about revenge or violence or pulling a con for the long game. Here was a young woman faced with a young man that she's had feelings for since they were children and she wanted to know what it felt like to be loved before she possibly faced her death. This was Arya making the decision to experience true affection with someone who wanted nothing from her than whatever she wanted to give him. It was a boss ass move and I'm so proud of our young wolf for spending her (possible, but not probable) last night with a bang!

5 / 5