Alright folks, you asked for an essay. We all know Jade Claymore is your quintessential knight archetype. As such, she is extremely dedicated to the path she’s set out for her life. She is bound to the oaths that she’s made and while we don’t know what those oaths are, it’s easy to assume that she is entirely commited to Tir Asleen and Sorsha and, by association, the entire Tanthalos family. Due to the restrictions set upon her as servant of the crown, Jade is wound rather tight. You know what else is bound and wound up rather tight at the beginning of the season? Her hair.
Note the way her hair is constantly close to her head, making it seem rather small. She’s got these ties running through her curls for half of the journey, keeping everything neatly in place. It’s very Jade, a character for which things are rarely out of order (unlike Kit, whose hair typically flies about everywhere). There are two physical attributes Jade gets rid of over the course of the season, both of which we’re introduced to her with: her mask and her bound curls.
Jade's different styles in episode one. Even when her hair is out, there's always a section bound or twisted.
When we meet Jade, her mask is on and her hair is braided back. This Jade is at her most duty and honor bound and the unforeseen adventure ahead will evolve her beliefs about what it means to be those things. By the way the mask is made, it almost forces Jade to keep her hair pretty low, due to the head strap in the back. In episode three, after her mask is knocked off of her face, she never picks it back up again. The mask represents an identity that she ties to Tir Asleen and Ballantine (it’s paralleled with his helm). Kit offers to return it to her, but Jade refuses it and begins her crisis of faith and journey to discovering who Jade Claymore really is. We never see it again. This Jade Claymore died in the Pitiless Pass with Ballantine.
Episode two is where Jade's signature style truly begins through the next few episodes. Note the ties in her hair and how they hold it down.
In episode five, something similar happens with her hair. After Scorpia tells her the truth about her history, that she is a Bone Reaver stolen by Tir Asleen, her hair is never bound again. She loses all of the ties and strings holding it. Instead, her Bone Reaver look consists of Bantu knots that crown her head like her sister’s and fully freeing the rest of her hair. She’s accepted her Bone Reaver heritage and gone is the orphan girl always searching for family. Also important, she finally allows herself to be honest about her feelings to Kit, something that has been forbidden by the duties she’s bound herself to.
Episode 5: before and after her Bone Reaver heritage is revealed.
And as the season goes on, she continues to allow her hair to freely flow, even if it’s tied back. With every episode, it seems to get bigger and bigger until we have the ponytail she’s wearing in episode seven and eight that sits high on her head. I would argue that, despite the life threatening quest they’re on, at this point, Jade is at her happiest and most liberated. Note that she is the only one that doesn’t appear as broken down by the Shattered Sea like everyone else. She’s found her family, discovered her purpose, and has Kit.
Jade's styles, post-Wildwood.
Episode eight is where she breaks her final chain: she’s finally able to admit she loves Kit in front of other people. Willow basically gives her the permission and it leads to Jade’s most important quote of the series, the purpose of her journey. From bound and restrained to a knight who understands that duty and honor means nothing without love. By unbinding her hair, Jade unshackles herself.
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