Unfortunately the show Jamie is probably around average, if not less so. There has been absolutely no indication of him proving himself to be even an average swordsman after losing his hand. Sadly, it appears the show has completely avoided this aspect about him. It could be because ever since losing his hand, he has been on this strange redemption arc as people like to call it, which can only be possible if is he who he is now, weak and dependent.
Every battle sequence or duel he has had since losing his hand has been on the losing side. It's quite sickening to see for me, as part of his allure was his fighting ability. In fact, the most jarring moment for me was when Jamie lost his hand. It was absolutely gut wrenching because it represented so much more than just a maiming.
If I were to put a number on it, and I've considered this quite thoroughly, I would say putting Jamie at ~50% in terms of ability when compared with all of the other characters would be quite generous. In reality, he's likely closer to average if not less than average (~25%). He never trained enough to really build up any sort of skill/ability with his left hand. All he has is his repertoire of techniques, but he hasn't been able to utilize them for some years now (~5 since losing his hand?), and he likely won't anytime soon given his limited strength and fine motor ability.
My hope has always been, ever since Jamie lost his hand, that he would somehow persevere and prove himself to be the worthy swordsman he had always been alleged to be, but it has been four seasons now and that isn't where the show took the character.
The consensus is that Jamie is so bad he will need to be saved by Brienne in battle. As much as it pains me, I have to agree that this is the likely scenario moving forward.
The only way for Jamie to really come back to #1 is if he is, as some people say, Azor Ahai, or if Melisandre somehow makes his golden hand functional.
reply
share
chrisjdel (2714)
6 years ago
Yeah, I remember Jaime giving up in frustration saying something to the effect that it would take years just to get back up to an average solider's level of competency. But he strikes me as the sort who would go back to it again no matter what. This show follows enough different characters and plot threads that saying he's trained offscreen is no great leap. I think he's made sure to be by Brienne's side though, because he's just good enough to fend off the dead briefly and sacrifice himself to save her, if it comes to that.
Some people will actually experience a dominant hand switchover when their dominant hand is lost due to injury, and they start learning to use the other in its place. With other amputees this never happens. Apparently Jaime wasn't one of the lucky ones.
reply
share
ATG6 (3000)
6 years ago
I broke my right elbow in college. Got pretty good with my left hand at ping-pong and basketball while it healed. Helped me a lot to have a good left hand in hoops afterward. But at best I was about 75% a good as with my natural hand.
reply
share
eYeDEF (5050)
6 years ago
That's actually pretty good! You got to 75% with your left hand after just a few months of having a cast on your right elbow?
I've broken my dominant hand/arm a few times, and I can't say I ever got anywhere near 75% with my other hand before it healed.
reply
share