Many Game of Thrones fans were left incredibly bereaved when Jaime Lannister decided where he wanted to make his last stand. As the series finale approached, it seemed that Jaime would end up with Brienne of Tarth. Following years of friendship, the pair consummated their relationship in Episode 4, but then everything changed. He left Brienne to go back to Cersei.
Despite Jaime’s abrupt breakup with Brienne, she commemorated her friend/lover by writing about him in the White Book. Well, some fans noticed that a “wedding” theme played as part of the song that framed that moment. The song in the scene is “The White Book.” There were few weddings of the happy variety on Game of Thrones, so let me take you back to narrow the field.
It is the song that played when Robb Stark married his wife, Talisa. The music that played during my favorite Game of Thrones couple’s wedding ceremony is titled “I Am Hers, She Is Mine.” So, when Brienne of Tarth is writing about Jaime, the theme from Robb and Talisa’s wedding is playing. Game of Thrones’ incredible composer, Ramin Djawadi, explained why he put it in there, telling Insider:
It's just a hint of what their relationship — if they had stayed together, if he was still alive — what it could have been. What they could have become. That's why I put that in there.
Could there have been wedding bells in their future? Maybe. Jaime and Brienne’s relationship went from friends to lovers to exes within a very brief period. Due to Jaime’s choice, fans will never know what could have happened if he stayed. Thus, the score paid tribute to what could have been.
Realizing that his sister/lover Cersei was facing certain death, Jaime decided to leave his potential happy ending with Brienne in the North, opting to go out swinging alongside Cersei. The pair died holding each other during Daenerys’ rampage. A conclusion that meant Arya not killing her longtime nemesis.
Game of Thrones ended with Brienne as the leader of King Bran’s Kingsguard. As for Jaime, she did not appear to bear him any ill will for their breakup, during which he shared some startling revelations. Whatever her real feelings, she clearly wanted his braver actions known.
Ramin Djawadi revealed in a separate Insider interview that Jaime and Brienne’s relationship is musically documented with the “Honor” theme. Hence, the music that plays while Brienne is chronicling her fallen flame’s exploits is a marriage of their theme and Robb and Talisa’s wedding song.
Ramin Djawadi continued explaining his thought process behind adding in the romantic riff to play amidst the scene. A scene that I think acted as the perfect bookend to their dynamic, with Jaime’s honor restored and Brienne writing about him from a perspective that only she could have. Djawadi said:
I just threw that in there because I thought it would be a subtle nod to their relationship. When she sits there and she thinks about him and writes down all the things he had done, the second half is the 'Honor' theme, but yeah a big chunk of that [song] is the wedding theme.
That scene was one of the most moving of the Game of Thrones finale in my book and Ramin Djawadi’s score largely contributed to that. He created a lot of emotional subtext without needing any words to do so. Playing the “wedding” theme during the last scene built around Brienne and Jaime's relationship helps provide a sense of closure to their bond.
Of course, a ten-year reunion to check in with everybody works for me, too. Game of Thrones may be over, but there are tons of summer premieres to keep you busy.
