Cersei, Jaime Lannister Best ‘Game Of Thrones’ Moments

They have been perhaps the most complicated couple in “Game of Thrones” history and their loyalties have never been to truly anyone except themselves. Now, following Cersei and Jaime Lannister’s fates on the penultimate episode of “Game of Thrones,” the time has come to remember the siblings and the best moments they’ve had.

Spoiler Alert: The events of “Game of Thrones,” Season 8, Episode 5 are discussed in great detail below.

After not only losing the battle against Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) but also losing as she made the war personal by attacking King’s Landing with Drogon and her army even after the Lannister armies surrendered, Cersei (Lena Headey) and Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) were reunited one last time after he was set free by Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and made his way to his sister and lover. As they tried to make their escape from the Red Keep and found their only way out was blocked by rubble, the pair died in the way Jaime always wanted to—in the arms of the woman he loved, as they became buried under more rubble.

It was an unexpected end for the pair, who fans always believed would die together in some way, but because of the bond they shared, it was all poetic and fitting for them as well. As we say goodbye to the Lannister siblings, here’s a look back on their greatest moments throughout the series’ run.

Cersei’s Warning To Ned Stark (Season One)

Cersei proved she was much more than just the wife of a queen when she said perhaps the most fitting line of dialogue to come out of the show. As Ned Stark (Sean Bean) confronted her about her incestuous relationship with her brother, she told him that power was a literal “Game of Thrones,” and there were only two ways you could play it—play to win, or play to die. It was a motto she lived by until her final day.

Jaime’s Kinder Side Is Revealed (Season Three)

At first, Jaime Lannister was someone who was so easy to hate. Not only was he arrogant beyond belief, but he had tried to kill Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) to make sure the truth about he and Cersei didn’t get out. However, in Season Three, as he and Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) were taken hostage by the Bolton men, he showed his kinder side for truly the first time, sparing Brienne from a brutal rape by lying that her safe return to her father would give the men riches beyond their wildest dreams. That decision was one she later remembered when saving him from execution after his arrival in Winterfell, but it also saw him pay a major price, as he lost his fighting hand immediately after she was saved.

Jaime Reveals The Real Story About His Nickname (Season Three)

Also while with the Boltons, Jaime finally revealed the truth about his unfortunate nickname of Kingslayer. While the fact that he had stabbed Daenerys’ father in the back was always known by those in Westeros, the reason he did it was far nobler than anyone could have imagined. It was another way of showing that there was more to him than someone who just loved his sister—there was a decent man underneath there too.

Cersei Exacts Perfect Revenge (Season Six)

Cersei was always scheming when it came to getting what she wanted, but her first true sign of madness came in the Season Six finale when she managed to execute perhaps the most perfect revenge possible on all who had wronged her. Not only did she refuse to show up for her trial with the High Sparrow, but she managed to kill him, the advisors she felt had wronged her and her son, and the entire Tyrell family (with the exception of Olenna) in one fell swoop by letting the Sept of Baelor succumb to Wildfire. Though it also cost her Tommen (Dean Charles Chapman), who killed himself after realizing his wife had been blown up, it truly was the best vengeance anyone had ever gotten on the show—and paved the way for her to finally take over as Queen.

Jaime Stands Up To Cersei (Season Seven)

Though it was the moment that led to their separation until the end, Jaime’s biggest moment was by far when he finally stood up to his sister at the end of Season Seven. After learning she had not only planned a secret strategy with Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk) without telling him but that she had lied about sending her armies to help fight against the Dead, Jaime finally stood up and left her behind. Though he wound up back with her again in the end, it was also the moment that showed his true ability to be his own person, even if it was short-lived.

“Game of Thrones” will air its final episode on Sunday, May 19 at 9 p.m. EDT on HBO.