Season 6 of Game of Thrones premiered tonight, and for many of us, it was a moment of truth. What was Jon Snow’s fate? Was he really dead, or would he somehow come back to life through some miracle or extraordinary means?
WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Game of Thrones season 6 episode 1, “The Red Woman.”
If you are a Game of Thrones fan, or if you have been anywhere near social media since July, then you know that in the final moments of the season 5 finale, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) was last seen bleeding out in the snow.
And that was it. Until now.
Season 6 opens right where season 5 left off. The first thing we see after the recap is Jon Snow’s body lifeless in the snow. A few of the brothers of the Night’s Watch and Davos run out to grab Snow’s body, and the camera lingers on the snow darkened with blood where the body had been.
“I can’t speak for the flames, but he’s gone,” mourns Davos.
“You all know why you’rehere,” says Alliser Thorne to the rest of the brothers in the next scene. “Jon Snow is dead.”
There you have it, folks. It looks like after months of wondering and agonizing, we might have to accept that, by the looks of things, Jon Snow really is dead.
But is it maybe too soon to give up hope? What did Davos mean when he said they weren’t the only ones who owed Jon Snow their lives? Dare we hope that there may be someone or something that could bring him back?
Recently the series showrunners, David Benioff and Dan Weiss, seemed to confirm that Harington showed up on set to film this season, but he only played corpse. “People are spending a lot of time looking at his eyes, thinking he’s not dead,” Benioff told Variety.
“We’ve spent a lot of time–” Benioff said and then Weiss amended the statement. “We’ve spent a lot of money,” said Weiss, “on his eyes.”
We might hold out hope a little longer that he comes back somehow. One popular reason why fans have refused to give up hope is because we have yet to learn the mystery of Jon Snow’s lineage.
There is the possibility that the creators might simply be keeping up appearances about Snow’s fate. If he is dead, then they haven’t misled us. If he is alive, then it will have been (arguably) the best kept secret in TV history.
Too long? Didn’t read? In summary: Jon Snow is dead. At least, for now.