Oh the cliffhangers and the endings. Everyone knows by now that Martin loves to kill off characters. Jon Snow died in A Dance With Dragons, and yes it happened at the end of the book. I was wondering if the show was going to end there and sure enough it did. But here's why I think Jon Snow's death is going to be different than all of the other deaths in the show:
1) The men of the night's watch swear vows, and the only thing that can release them is death. During burial, the men of the night's watch send off a brother by saying the words, "...and now his watch is ended." Jon Snow was Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, and not Stannis Baratheon or anyone else was going to cause him to derail his vows. The only reason he allowed himself to deviate from them with Ygritte was because he was trying to blend in as a wildling so he could get close to Mance Raydar. With his death, he is released from the vows and free to be king if he could just come back from the dead.
2) And about that pesky "death" thing...Melisandre of Ashai is probably going to resurrect Jon. Earlier in the series, they came across another priest of R'hllor named Thoros who had the ability to resurrect Beric Dondarrion over and over. These two priests are powerful and admittedly, they see the practice of their religion in entirely different light. However, their magic comes from the same source, a.k.a., the Lord of Light, and I think Melisandre is going to raise Jon so that he can become "Azor Ahai Reborn."
3) Azor Ahai Reborn comes from a prophecy that is told to us through the lips of Melisandre. She says, "I pray for a glimpse of Azor Ahai, and R'hllor shows me only snow." Hmm. That's interesting, don't you think?
4) The smartass author George R.R. Martin responded to a question about Jon Snow with this remark: "Oh you think he's dead do you?" I think this pretty much means that the character is going to come back with a vengeance.
5) The rumor mill on the internet says that Kit Harrington's contract has been renewed for seasons 6 and 7 (the last season). Hmm. I wonder why they would do that?
5) The rumor mill on the internet says that Kit Harrington's contract has been renewed for seasons 6 and 7 (the last season). Hmm. I wonder why they would do that?
Sure, it's just a theory, but do any of you who've read the books and saw last night's episode actually believe that Jon Snow is dead and joins the rest of the "dead" characters littering the series? I think Martin's going for a twist here. By now we expect characters to die. It's time we saw one survive.
Watched it this morning and I don't think he's dead either.
ReplyDeleteI'll take your word for it.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think he was really dead when I read the book but kind of felt like he actually is on the show. Hope you're right though. I can't see the point of the great battle against the North King and Jon's sword working against the Whitewalkers, etc if Jon is gone now.
ReplyDeleteI don't think he's dead either. Just mostly dead...But yeah, I agree with you.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to believe in the prophesy stuff but my guess is he's dead. I get the feeling that Kit Harrington believes it to be true. Here's a quote from an interview:
ReplyDelete" I had a sit-down with Dan and David, we did the Tony Soprano walk [letting an actor know they’re being whacked]. And they said, “Look, you’re gone, it’s done.” And as far as the salary thing goes, that angered me when that story came out. I don’t know where it came from, but it was inaccurate in many ways. It’s going to put questions into your head and into fans’ heads that things are not what they are. Quite honestly, I have never been told the future of things in this show, but this is the one time I have. They sat me down and said, “This is how it is.” If anything in the future is not like that, then I don’t know about it – it’s only in David and Dan and George’s heads. But I’ve been told I’m dead. I’m dead. I’m not coming back next season. So that’s all I can tell you, really"
Another clue is Kit Harrington grew out his hair for the character the past few years but cut it short after filming the last episode. I think he believes he's dead. It will be interesting to see if they can hide it if he's included in the production of season 6.
There are so many clues he will be resurrected and from most authors I'd trust them. I wonder if many of the viewers that have gone out of their way not be spoiled will read the book to find out the truth. If that's the case then maybe it's just a genius marketing plan by GRRM.
Kevin: I agree that Jon is dead. I just don't think he's "permanently" dead. I think that in the interview, Kit indicated that his character is dead (which indeed he is). But it's not a lie if he also gets resurrected by Melisandre. She is (after all) there on site at Castle Black. In a way, it's almost like we are arguing about Schrodinger's Cat. Both of us won't know until next season (which will come out before The Winds of Winter). Also, I heard that Kit's new hairdo was a really well-done wig.
DeleteSo many of my friend are mad at this show today. Makes me kinda glad I never got into it.
ReplyDeleteI hope he isn't permanently dead, and with a witch on the scene anything can happen. The actor playing Snow says he isn't coming back, but situations change and actors don't always tell the truth. We do seem to be running out of Starks. What ever happened to the cripple little boy Stark?
ReplyDelete#4 & #5 are good enough reasons. #4 especially.
ReplyDeleteKit said he isn't coming back, but I wouldn't listen to that remark. That guy knows nothing.
ReplyDeleteHe could still become "king" as a Night Walker. I have not even finished book one yet (grrrh, I would like to just sit and read them all!!) so I'm not sure what exactly is in store. Yet, I am enjoying the series, and I would not bet against your above theories. So in the end, who do I hope to take the Iron Throne: Dany, Jon, Tyrion? Hmm, perhaps Queen Sansa has a nice ring; if Breanne doesn't get her killed too.
ReplyDeleteI once had a super developed theory about this that I now can't remember, which is one of the many reasons I need to re-read the series this fall. But I don't think he's gone, either. There's just so much built around him (including R+L=J) that I don't believe he could be disposed of. He's like the one indispensable character.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Snow is gone. Mostly because of the way they focused on his eyes when he was dying. I thought the way he dies - et tu brute thing- was funny.
ReplyDelete