【rap and the eroticizing of black youth】

With only six episodes remaining in the upcoming final season of Game of Thrones,rap and the eroticizing of black youth no one is safe and anything can happen. But we're still holding out hope that the character who underwent the most heartfelt redemption arc in the series will find his happy ending.

Let's be real: Hope for happy endings in Westeros usually means you haven't been paying attention. And actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau doesn't sound all too hopeful for his character, either.

In a recent Vanity Fairinterview, Coster-Waldau spoke on the huge shift for his character in the final episode of Season 7 when he finally split from Cersei, while also teasing the possibility of a truly depressing conclusion to Jaime's story in Season 8.

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To recap, when last we left the incest-y It Couple of Westeros, their relationship was rockier than ever. After learning that his sister/lover planned to deceive Daenerys and company instead of joining forces to battle the undead, Jaime finally decided enough was enough. The last shot of him that season found the fallen Golden Boy of House Lannister riding North to fight the good fight, just as winter came for King's Landing.

Most fans -- particularly those who read the books, where Jaime and Cersei's split happened much earlier in the story -- were relieved that he'd finally escaped the clutches of his evil twin. But Coster-Waldau has now sown doubt about whether that decision was permanent.

“Can we redefine ourselves? Most people have moments in their life where you go, ‘Can I really, fundamentally change?’... The core of him has always been Cersei,” Coster-Waldau said. "When that’s taken away, what are you then? What’s left? Is there anything left? When he leaves, obviously he has no idea. He doesn’t know the answer to that question."

The real kicker was Coster-Waldau's suggestion that Jaime's condemnation of Cersei could turn out to be just meaningless words said in the heat of the moment:

“That’s, of course, said in a moment of passion. Who knows if it’s true?... I’ve almost been married 20 years—June 6th will be our 20th anniversary—and I’m very, very lucky. I have a wonderful wife. But over 20 years, there are times where you have fights. You can be so angry that for a second in your passion and anger you can go, ‘Oh, fuck this.’ Of course, three seconds later, you go, ‘No, no, no. What am I doing? What am I thinking?’... I think the fundamental emotions are the same in every relationship. As a setup for the season we’re shooting now, it was just amazing.”

Say it ain't so, Jaime boy!

Of course, Coster-Waldau could be pulling the old Jon-Snow-Is-Definitely-Dead trick on us. The cast and creators of Game of Thronesare known for openly lying and misdirecting the press in order to preserve the show's twists.

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He also dished on his interpretation of Jaime and Cersei's break up scene in Season 7, and it certainly sounds like an irreparable turning point. "She’s actually almost ready to kill him, it seems for a second, and that breaks his heart, because his whole life has been about her,” Coster-Waldau said.

During the scene, Jaime's response to Cersei's threat is a resolute, "I don't believe you." Coster-Waldau read that simple declaration as his character saying, "I don't love you anymore... I’m calling your bluff, and, you know, you can’t hurt me now because my heart has been destroyed by you. You can’t hurt me anymore than you already have.”

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From both a story and fan theory perspective, there's a lot to support the split between the two being permanent.

"She’s actually almost ready to kill him."

For one, returning to Cersei would negate the incredible growth of Jaime's character, particularly his transformative and fan-favorite relationship with Brienne.

Can the man who gave Brienne a Valyrian sword he named "Oathkeeper" really betray her and the vows he swore? During that last scene with his sister in Season 7, which takes place right after he reunites with Brienne, Jaime tells Cersei, "I made a promise... I pledged to ride North. I intend to honor that pledge." Then there's Tyrion. It's hard to imagine Jaime leaving his beloved brother for dead in the North like Cersei plans to.

Not to mention that Jaime betraying Cersei is the cornerstone of not one but two major and popular fan predictions for Game of Thrones' end game.

To briefly summarize the complex Valonqar theory, Cersei dying by Jaime's hand (the gold one that she expresses open disgust for) would fulfill an important prophecy given to Cersei as a young girl.

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Everything from the witch's prophecy has come true, except for her final assertion that, "The valonqar [aka Valyrian for 'little brother'] shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you." While Tyrion is the most obvious "little brother," an increasingly likely twist points to it being Jaime -- who was the twin born afterher, so technically her "little brother."

Another more tin foil-y but well-supported theory even suggests that Jaime (rather than Dany or Jon) is actually the prophesied Prince Who Was Promised, Azor Ahai, and will be the one to vanquish the White Walkers. That too requires him killing the only woman he's ever loved.

Killing Cersei would bring his character full circle, too. He'd go from being the dishonorable Kingslayer (who broke his vow only to protect the people from the Mad King, though nobody knows it), to the Queenslayer who saves and redeems himself in the eyes of the realms.

All that said, this is Game of Thrones.It's totally in line with George R. R. Martin's intentions to do a total reversal of Jaime's redemption arc, subverting the usual fantasy tropes.

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Also, if we're to believe the predictions of the savagely wise Lady Olenna Tyrell during her death scene with Jaime, we should expect Cersei to be Jaime's ultimate undoing.

"She's a monster, you do know that," she tells him. While avoiding her (accurate) assessment of the Queen, Jaime paints Olenna a picture of how he justifies his support of her. Sure, Cersei's approach is harsh -- but when the realm is finally safe and at peace, her evil will have been warranted.

"You really do love her, you poor fool," Olenna replies, giving that all-knowing look. "She'll be the end of you." Jaime relents with a sigh. "Possibly."

With a show likeGame of Thrones, it's hard to say definitively how any character's story will end. And with a character as morally ambiguous as Jaime Lannister, it's practically a fool's errand to try.

But whichever way Jaime goes, Coster-Waldau is confident fans will feel satisfied.

“The boys have done an amazing job with ending Game of Thrones.It’s definitely been the toughest season — by far — that we’ve shot, ever. But it’s also been the most fulfilling.”

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Topics Game Of Thrones