So Game of Thrones' season finale is over and it pretty much contained more cliffhangers
in one single episode than The Walking Dead in an entire season. And ... we could say
that a LOT happened in this episode. So in this very quick and very unconventional Monsters
of the Week, I want to talk about maybe the most seminal moment of that finale. If you've
seen it - you know what I'm talking about.
So, before I go on, be warned loudly and clearly - if you have neither watched the Season finale
or at least completed "A Dance with Dragons", then PLEASE consider twice before watching
this video - because it is one big, massive spoiler.
So here's your chance to leave and come back as soon as you've caught up.
Still with me? Cool.
So Game of Thrones did it again, right? Without any warning, they brutally and mercilessly
killed one of the protagonists, a guy that everybody's rooted for and that literally
noone expected to bite the dust. Even though everybody should be wary by now, they pulled
the rug from under everyone's feet once again. Because at the end of Season 5's finale - Jon
Snow gets stabbed by a handful of Watchers that didn't completely agree with his Wildling-friendly
policy - and dies.
Or does he?
Because I - alongside with many of the book's readers since 2011 - are far from convinced
that Jon Snow stays that way.
And here's why.
First of all, Game of Thrones have shown us on numerous occasions that in Westeros, being
dead doesn't necessarily mean that a person has to stay this way. Aside from people who
die north of the wall that get turned into White Walkers, there's even another case of
resurrection that happened right in this very episode. The Mountain. The gigantic being
that gracefully carried Cercei to safety after her walk of shame is Ser Gregor Clegane, who
has most likely been resurrected by Qyburn through the use of blood magic after the mortal
wounds that he got from his fight with The Red Viper in Season 4.
But if we think back a bit - in Season 3, Arya Stark meets Berric Dondarrion, the leader
of the Brotherhood without banners. And we learn and even see after his brutal demise
in his trial by combat with Sandor Clegane aka "The Hound", that he has been killed and
revived several times already - by Thoros of Myr, a red priest who invokes the powers
of the "Lord of Light" to bring Berric Dondarrion back from the dead.
And there is yet another MAJOR character that has been revived by Thoros of Myr. But this
is something that happened only in the books so far. So if you want to avoid another major
spoiler - click this link to skip this part.
I'm taking of course about Lady Stoneheart - or none other than Caitlin Stark, who is
thought to be deader than dead after the Red Wedding, but reappears in "A Feast for Crows".
So yeah - these people prove that priests of the Lord of Light have the power to bring
back the dead. And who is another, no - not just another - but THE most prominent Red
Priest on the show? That's Right - Lady Melisandre, the fiendish
redheaded woman at the side of Stannis Baratheon who's favourite activity is to burn people
- and even children alive. And we even see her in Season 3 being in cahoots
with Thoros of Myr and the Brotherhood without Banners.
And conveniently, just about a few minutes before the stabbing of Jon Snow, she reappears
at the wall - having left Stannis Baratheon's side for the first time in many many seasons.
And she even has a very strong incentive to resurrect the Bastard of Winterfell.
First, there's the question of Jon's significance to the overall story. The mystery of who Jon's
mother is has long been teased, and most fans think they've figured it out - check this
video by The Film Theorists for more details on that. The gist of it is, that his parents
are Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. George R.R. Martin has promised the answer will be
revealed eventually. But - What would the answer matter if Jon was already dead? Nothing.
In addition to that, the books have extensively set up a prophecy believed by followers of
the Lord of Light � that a promised hero, Azor Ahai, would return and save the world
from darkness. Melisandre thinks most of the time that this hero is Stannis � but in
one late chapter of "A Dance With Dragons" she searches for him in the magical flames,
but can't find him - and says "All I see is Snow" � and it's written with a capital
S. If Jon's father is in fact Rhaegar Targaryen, that would mean he's the blood of the dragon,
as well as a Stark � a fitting lineage for a mystical hero in a series called A Song
of Ice and Fire.
And Melisandre shows on another occasion that she is aware that there's King's Blood in
Jon's veins. Because throughout the series, she has seduced pretty much every person with
King's Blood she came across - she even showed that she's able to sense Robert Baratheon's
blood in Gendry - noone, not even Gendry himself knew about his father at that time - and in
the Episode "Sons of the Harpy" in Season 5, she tries to seduce Jon - coincidence?
I think not. So, will we see Jon Snow being revived by Melisandre in Season 6?Who knows?
But there is yet another way that George R. R. Martin has teased in the book, through
that a person can escape death. And that one is: Warging. In The prologue
of A Dance With Dragons a wildling, Varamyr Sixskins, who could enter the minds of animals
was killed and his consciousness simply transcended into his wolf. Readers believe that Martin
focused on this character in the prologue to establish what happens to a warg when he
dies - for later reincorporation. Even The show depicted this already, when the eagle-controlling
wildling Orell was killed by Jon back in season three � his eyes turned white, and the eagle
suddenly began attacking Jon.) And in the books, Jon had numerous dreams
in which his mind entered his direwolf Ghost's body � just like his brother Bran. He can't
do it consciously, but it shows that he does indeed possess the powers of a warg - a skill
that is often associated with Starks. And, conveniently, when Jon is killed, Ghost is
nowhere nearby � Jon had left him in his room for some contrived reason. And the last
word he says in the book is "Ghost".
So, yes, there are two very plausible ways in which the show could resurrect Jon Snow
- and as you see there's a lot in the series that points to that very fact - that Gam e
of Thrones' fifth season finale isn't the end of Jon Snow.
But even more than that, it's George R.R. Martin, that mischievous, backstabbing trickster
himself - who enjoys spreading confusion among his fans more than anything else. Right after
the release of "A Dance with Dragons", we was being asked by fans: "Why did you kill
Jon Snow?" To which he responeded: "Oh, you think he's
dead, do you? - I'm not going to address whether he'd dead or not." And then I picture him,
rubbing his hands and chuckling, amused like The Bridge Troll in Monty Python and the Holy
Grail.
Now, this could all be completely wrong. Because in the end, it's just a theory. A TV show
theory... (okay, I'm sorry about that)
So thanks for watching Monsters of the Week. And remember - the truth - is out
there.