Jaime Lannister is one of the most compelling characters in that entire series. He's a bit of an arrogant horse's rear, but you start to see some deep steel in the man as the story unfolds. Cersei is just there for the viewer to hate and to watch the Train Wreck happen, in my opinion.

 

One sad bit though is the fact that Tywin is no longer in the story. His murder by Tyrion was a monumental moment, but his absence is going to be felt in a lot of ways.

 

I will say this though; where the story is right now was when I really started running out of patience for the books. The story just seemed like it was petering out and there wasn't a whole lot of thought put into it other than to just keep it going. But, I am cautiously optimistic that the show will keep me involved.

---