Warning: There are Game of Thrones season five spoilers within this article.
It’s almost been a month since the season five finale of Game of Thrones, and while many are still shocked by the apparent death of Jon Snow, many also doubt its validity. Whether or not we’ll see more of Ned Stark’s brave and similarly impolitic bastard remains to be seen, but with the premiere of Kit Harrington’s HBO mockumentary Seven Days In Hell and the SDCC Game of Thrones panel, it seemed like a good time to look at Jon Snow’s best moments (so far) and remember all that that little sh*t Ollie took away from us.
“Sam’s no different from the rest of us. There was no place for him in the world, so he’s come here. We’re not gonna hurt him in the training yard anymore. Never again, no matter what Thorne says. He’s our brother now, and we’re going to protect him.”
After befriending Samwell Tarly, who’s not the most physically fit fellow in the bunch, Jon steps up to defend him from being bullied by other members of the Night’s Watch.
“Those are giants riding mammoths down there!”
Looking back, it’s hard to remember that there was a time on Game of Thrones where mythical creatures were still mostly the things of legend. Then we got 20 foot giants riding mammoths and that all went out the window. From then on, anything was possible.
“I need him, more than I need you.”
When we first met the Stark children, they were each given their own dire wolf, sigils of their house. Jon was even given the all-white runt of the litter as a lighthearted metaphor for his place in the family. Ever since that day, Ghost has always been by his side, which is why Jon sent Sam to get him during the greatest battle he had faced at the time. It also helped keep Sam out of harm’s way.
“First lesson: stick ’em with the pointy end.”
Even if he may have sometimes felt like an outcast in his own family, Jon was a good brother. As a parting gift to his youngest sister, Arya, he had a small sword named Needle made for her to learn how to defend herself.
“You know nothing, Jon Snow.” – Ygritte
Okay, so Jon didn’t actually ever say this, but it’s one of the most famous lines from the show and mentions his name. The catchphrase of his late lover, Ygritte, has gone on to live a life of it’s own as a running joke and can be seen on memes everywhere. Also, that little sh*t Ollie killed her too. What a little sh*t.
“I never met my mother. My father wouldn’t even tell me her name. I don’t know if she’s living or dead. I don’t know if she’s a noblewoman or a fisherman’s wife… or a whore. So I sat there in the brothel as Ros took off her clothes. But I couldn’t do it. Because all I could think was what if I got her pregnant and she had a child, another bastard named Snow? It’s not a good life for a child.”
This could be Jon opening up about his place in the world and the seemingly bad hand he was dealt, or it could be a long-winded excuse as to why he’s still a virgin. Maybe both? Either way, this was a revealing moment for him.
“Are you refusing to obey my order?”
A commonly known lesson in leadership is to start out strong so that no one tries to take advantage of you. So while Jon was enjoying his new position as the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, there were still those that didn’t take him seriously and had to be dealt with. Unfortunately, he had to take extreme measures to show that he had every intention of being a strong leader.
“I swore a vow to the Night’s Watch. If I don’t take my own word seriously what sort of ‘Lord of Winterfell’ would I be?”
There’s no doubt that Jon inherited Ned’s sense of loyalty and pride. Even when the thing that he’d wanted all of his life, to belong to his family, was dangled before him, he remained true to his vow to be a member of the Night’s Watch
“Grenn came from a farm.”
Game of Thrones pays a lot of attention to nobility and legacy. Even the free folk that live north of the Wall care about lineage. When Mance Rayder tried to place extra importance on the death of a giant that had been killed in battle, Jon quickly responded by explaining that the man that died fighting him was simply from a farm, showing that there’s not as much value on where you come from as there is on what you do.
“They were born on the wrong side of the wall. That doesn’t make them monsters.”
After spending some time deep undercover, Jon came to understand the ways of the wildlings. He even came to love a wildling woman and respect their leader. Consequently, he quickly tries to correct Davos when he attempts to dehumanize them just like everyone else tries to.
“I do know some things. I know I love you. I know you love me. I have to go home now.”
Finally, a rebuttal! Jon Snow may not know a lot of things, but the few things he does know are important, like how he loves Ygritte and how she loves him in return. But, wow, this was a really messy breakup.
To make you feel better about it, here’s a video of Kit Harington singing “Wild Thing” to Rose Leslie.
“I’m sorry to see you leave, Lannister.”
While it didn’t last long, Tyrion Lannister’s time at Castle Black was welcome after he got to connect with Jon over their collective drawing of the short straw with one being a bastard and the other being a dwarf. After a while, they even became as friendly as an unofficial Stark and a Lannister could.
“….Olly?”
Come on, you knew this was coming. Season five of Game of Thrones ended with the sight of Jon Snow getting the Julius Caesar treatment from members of the Night’s Watch that he upset with his decision to protect and harbor wildlings. The last thing we heard Jon say was the name of the final person to send a blade going through his body, Olly. That little sh*t.
The future of Jon Snow
I’d normally go by the rule of “If you see a body, they’re dead,” but my optimism and appreciation of Jon Snow won’t let that fly this time around. It just can’t happen. Also, this is a world where dragons, man-sized wolves and giant-sized men exist. It’s not all that hard to believe that Jon could come back in future episodes, especially after you spend hours on the Internet looking up conspiracy theories like I have. So, to be continued?
