Now that the dust has settled on Game of Thrones (no pun intended), it’s time to sort through the rubble (pun definitely intended) on this season’s defining moments.

One of the season’s most talked about, and controversial scenes, occurred in episode five, “The Bells,” when Jaime Lannister finally met his demise à la a big pile of rocks from the ceiling of the Red Keep burying him, and his twin sister, Cersei Lannister.

This pivotal scene, in which the two lovers helplessly try to escape Daenerys’ newfound wrath and penchant for destruction, only to realize their exits are blocked and their death imminent, was a powerfully heart-wrenching and tragically told way of saying goodbye to two of the most complex characters on the show.

Cersei and Jaime dying by series end seemed to be an inevitability, with many fans theorizing that Cersei would die by Jaime’s hands, fulfilling the witch’s prophecy that stated, “When your tears have drowned you, the Valonqar (or, ‘little brother’) shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you.” Since the same witch had already successfully predicted the deaths of Cersei’s three beloved children (Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen Lannister), it seemed likely that Jaime (or Tyrion) would be somewhat involved in her death.

Even a line by Jaime in an earlier season alluded to a shared sibling death, when he tells Bronn that he wishes to die in the arms of the woman he loves. Well, it looks like Jaime got what he wanted in the end, though, the problem most fans and critics seem to (justifiably) have with his death is not just his ultimate choice of “the woman he loves,” but the subsequent abandonment of one of the series’ most complex and intriguing character arcs.

Now that the series is over and Jaime’s death has been made official (thanks to Tyrion finding his golden hand and mourning the last of his Lannister kin), it seems as if the fans have concluded that his character’s final act of abandoning a sobbing and newly de-flowered Brienne of Tarth to rejoin his sister, and one true love, Cersei, has totally negated the progress he had made throughout the series to break from his family’s tainted legacy, distance himself from his labels as an “oathbreaker” and a “king slayer,” and to live with integrity as a “good man.”

I think that despite some clearly rushed and sloppy dialogue, Jaime’s final act of going back to King’s Landing and dying with Cersei does actually make sense in the scope of his character’s development. Now, Jaime Lannister is my absolute favorite character on the show, not just because of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s stellar performance and chiseled jawline, but because he is the epitome of Game of Thrones’ best attribute, which is the show’s ability to portray complex characters, and abolish any idea that morality is as simple as “good” and “bad” by highlighting the vast spectrum of human emotions and experiences. Therefore, I may be slightly biased in my approach to this question, but I do believe that Jaime’s final act actually reinforces his character’s series-long trajectory, and proves that, in the end, if we were to distill human personalities down to dualities, his final act still solidifies him as a “good man.”

First off, let’s just re-cap Jaime’s character arc through the seasons, one which had many fans cheering for him in his quest for righteousness, despite having the last name Lannister. At the show’s start, Jaime is a pretty arrogant, sarcastic, and self-centered man. He is also not prone to such unthinkable acts as pushing an innocent child out of a tower window in order to keep his incenstuous relationship with Cersei a secret (a secret that every person in Westeros already knows about. C’mon Jaime, really?).

The deed of killing Bran Stark, however, is unsuccessful, so somebody (presumably in the Lannister camp) pays an assassin to kill poor, crippled Bran, an attempt which also fails. Jaime is taken prisoner by Catelyn Stark, whom he insults consistently, mocking her recently beheaded beloved, Ned Stark, for having an affair and forcing his wife to raise his bastard, Jon Snow. Catelyn ends up releasing Jaime back to King’s Landing, in exchange for her daughters, Arya and Sansa, who are unsafe at the capital after Ned’s death. He is escorted by Brienne of Tarth, whom he teases mercilessly about her looks and her apparent lack of femininity.

It is in the company of Brienne, though, that Jaime seems to soften his hard exterior, and begins to show compassion for the “big woman.” He saves Brienne on multiple occasions. First, from getting raped by Locke and his cronies, a decision that ultimately costs him his right hand, then again, a few episodes later, when he saves her from being torn apart by a very irate bear. The last time he saves her is at the sacking of Riverrun and subsequent surrender of the Blackfish, when he lets Brienne and Podrick sail safely down the river. It is no secret to GOT fans that Jaime acts most selflessly when in the company of Brienne of Tarth. Jaime, the man who tried to kill Brandon Stark for Cersei, shows mercy for Sansa Stark, begging Brienne to take her away from King’s Landing after Joffrey’s death, knowing she is no longer safe. Do you think he did this because he suddenly became a Stark fanboy? Absolutely not. He does it for Brienne.

Brienne’s influence on Jaime throughout the series drastically contrasts with that of Cersei’s, and the juxtaposition between these two relationships perfectly encompasses his series-long moral dilemma. Jaime loves Cersei, but as the series progresses, this relationship seems more an act of convenience than anything else. In a way, Cersei provides comfort to Jaime, because of the familiarity of his feelings for her, and how those feelings influence his behavior.

Even though Jaime begins to question their relationship when he does finally get back to King’s Landing, he would rather fall back on Cersei than deal with the messiness of his newfound fondness for Brienne. But Jaime can’t deny that meeting Brienne has shown him the kind of man he can be without Cersei, and that idea terrifies him. When he confessed to Brienne in season three’s “Kiss by Fire” his true motives for killing Aegon Targaryen, he admits that he knew no one would believe him if he told them the truth about the Mad King because he already had a reputation. He was branded with an identity the second he was born, his Lannister heritage coming with labels and judgements that he had no control over. So even when he acted in a way that he knew was just and moral, he kept silent about it, not believing that he deserved the praise and honor of his good deed when his family, and himself, had relished in so many bad ones.

And this is the real reason why he left Brienne. Not because he didn’t love her, or that she was a bad lay, or that she wasn’t exactly his shade of blonde. He left her because he didn’t think he deserved the life of a “good man.” That, and his unwavering loyalty to his family.

Now, let’s take a closer look at that penultimate scene between him and Brienne in “The Last of the Starks.” The catalyst for Jaime’s decision comes from Sansa, who tells Jaime of Euron Greyjoy’s ambush of Daenerys’ fleet and the death of Rhaegal, and suggests Cersei’s impending death at the Dragon Queen’s hand. This seems to surprise and concern Jaime (I’m still not exactly sure why, nor why he hung back at Winterfell in the first place, but that’s a different issue entirely). Jaime attempts to leave Winterfell unannounced, but is caught by Brienne, who tearfully begs him to stay with her.

Now, I believe Jaime’s first instinct in leaving Winterfell is loyalty to his family. Jaime Lannister might not be the first Game of Thrones character people think of when they hear the word “loyalty,” but his track record confirms it. He’s stayed loyal to Cersei, even as she becomes increasingly unhinged, his children, saving Myrcella from Dorne and tolerating Joffrey’s hideous behavior, and Tyrion, defending and protecting Tyrion from day one, even when every person in Westeros, including his own family, dismissed him for his appearance. Jaime even goes as far as defying Cersei, the love of his life, to save Tyrion from execution.

Tyrion and Jaime’s relationship was arguably one of the show’s most heartfelt, with much of that credit going to the chemistry between Coster-Waldau and Peter Dinklage. Their final conversation in “The Bells” was incredibly moving, and highlighted the strength of their brotherly bond. Jaime could have followed the path of Tywin and Cersei, belittling Tyrion and blaming him for their mother’s death, but he didn’t. He treats him exactly like a big brother should, despite Tyrion’s shortcomings (no pun intended).

It is this loyalty, more than his love for Cersei, that sends Jaime back to King’s Landing. To him, it’s just a matter of life and death at that point, and his sister is right in the middle of it. Despite her flaws, despite her sending Bronn the assassin to kill him and Tyrion, he goes to her. I don’t believe Jaime has any real idea of what he’s going to do when he gets to King’s Landing. The dialogue between him and Brienne is so sloppy and vague, that most fans assumed that he went back to fight alongside Cersei, against the very people he had just been drinking with not two nights ago. But his character is too complex, and has gone through too much transformation, to have such a simplistic motivation. Jaime is acting instinctually. He knows he needs to be at King’s Landing for whatever ensues, and whether he will decide to forgive Cersei and stand by her side, confront her, try to persuade her to see reason, or stand back and watch as she is defeated, will ultimately be decided when he gets there.

This loyalty to his family above everyone, even Brienne, is what causes Jaime to finally confront his own moral questioning and succumb to his Lannister legacy. He knows that leaving Brienne after finally acting on his feelings is a difficult, and questionable decision. You can see it on his face before he exits her bedroom. But it isn’t until Brienne, pleading with him to stay, mentions that he is a good man, that he finally admits to the internal war he’s been fighting ever since he met her, and answers the ultimate question of his moral dilemma.

Coster-Waldau’s acting in this scene is brilliant, for you can see the frustration and resign on his face when he reacts to Brienne’s statement. Jaime Lannister does not believe that he is a good man. This is the narrative that he has had on autopilot in his mind for his entire life. Despite all of the work he has done to change this story, abandoning his sister to fight against the dead and in turn, saving many innocent lives once again, he still thinks he doesn’t deserve a life with Brienne. He doesn’t think he is worthy of her love, a love that is pure and brings out the best in him. Brienne loves him for who he really is, and sees him for all he is, even with his flaws. But his shame prevents him from accepting that kind of love. That’s what I believe when he tells Brienne that “Cersei is hateful, and I am too”, as he rides off into the night.

Due to the muddled dialogue of this scene, however, Jaime’s motivations are completely open to interpretation, and I can understand why many fans hated him after the episode ended. One of the most common complaints I’ve heard about the season as a whole is that it felt rushed, and certain storylines needed further explanations to justify their character’s decisions. Such a monumental moment in the show should have warranted further dialogue between Jaime and Brienne, or at least a few more minutes of Coster-Waldau staring broodingly into the fire, contemplating his decision. The scene as it aired just felt too abrupt, and the dialogue didn’t do justice to the complexity of Jaime’s choice. Still, I felt that a true fan of the show, and the character, could see beyond this misstep, and still make a case for Jaime’s behavior being consistent with his story arc (see: this article).

But, instead of building on Jaime’s decision and using his conversation with Brienne as a means of showcasing the gray area of human morality that George R.R. Martin had so brilliantly created, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (known to fans as D&D) further desecrated his character in the next episode “The Bells,” where he admits to Tyrion that all he really cares about is saving Cersei, and couldn’t care less about saving the innocent citizens of King’s Landing getting torched. This piece of dialogue is so egregiously out of character it is almost painful to acknowledge its existence on such an incredible show.

Jaime Lannister doesn’t care about the lives of the innocent? The man who killed his own King because he threatened to burn every last person with wildfire. The man who fought against the Night King’s army to save the entirety of Westeros from an eternal winter, even when he could’ve been safe at home with Cersei and their unborn child. This man would never have uttered those words, because then his character development would surely be negated. Maybe D&D were trying to show that you really can’t break the wheel, and that no one ever really changes at heart. But considering how the show ended, that seems unlikely. Was it some sort of fan service for the handful of Cersei/Jaime shippers out there, to have Jaime come back to heroically save his true love, only to be buried alive with her? Possibly. Whatever their reasoning was behind this scene, it was poorly executed. If D&D were trying to contribute something substantial to Jaime’s storyline, they failed either way, because Jaime’s reasoning behind returning to King’s Landing, and Cersei, just felt cheap.

No matter what motivated Jamie to go back to Cersei, when he heads into a crumbling Red Keep, his only instinct is to get his sister out safely, and the ensuing scene which ultimately ends in their deaths captures both his and Cersei’s humanness, flaws and all, with heartbreaking beauty. Barring his confession to Tyrion in “The Bells” (which I will from now on refuse to acknowledge ever happened), Jaime’s final actions ultimately continued his character’s trajectory towards that of righteousness. Despite his love for Brienne, the bond between him and Cersei was too strong to overcome in the end. No matter how toxic their relationship had become, when it came down to life or death, he went to her, because his loyalty and need to protect her overcame his contempt for the monster she had become.

In their final moments, Jaime, mortally wounded by Euron Greyjoy and fully aware of his imminent demise, consoles Cersei, attempting to keep her calm before the ceiling gives way. This is the death that a character like Jaime Lannister deserved, and I am forever grateful to D&D that he wasn’t charred by that dragon back in season seven. But still, the gap between Jaime leaving Winterfell and arriving at King’s Landing was marked by rushed, shotty dialogue and a complete breach of character, leaving many fans disappointed. This major misstep, among the seasons many, threatened to unravel the complexity of one of the show’s most captivating characters. But despite the showrunner’s mistakes, Jaime Lannister’s final act dutifully highlighted his series long battle with his morality, and ultimately propelled him towards the lighter side of that gray area, the one we know as “good.”