HBO’s long-running fantasy series Game of Thrones has a major body count. Worse,the show forces its audience to invest in a diverse range of interesting characters, then snatches them away; usually in some horrific, grizzly death scene. With the death of Eddard Stark at the end of the first season, and the ‘Red Wedding’ claiming a wealth of Stark lives in season three, the political and narrative landscapes of the show were dramatically altered, and our expectations were drastically undermined.
However, it was the final episode of season five that really shocked me, as fan favourite Jon Snow was brutally cut down by a conspiracy within his own brotherhood; the Night’s Watch. Jon, played by British actor Kit Harington, wasn’t a particularly interesting character for a long time; an archetype in the fantasy genre, he was the unsung hero – more than capable in everything he tried his hand at, the Stark bastard was a stalwart warrior whilst still in his late teens, compassionate despite limited world experience, and broody without the psychological trauma.
It was only through the burden of responsibility that Jon Snow became someone to truly engage with, tempering his heroic spirit and forcing him into a political sphere. And just as Jon began to unite the Night’s Watch and the feral Wildlings from beyond the wall; just as my new favourite character was forging an alliance that could bring hope the the chaotic Seven Kingdoms, he was cut down by petty, fearful men.
There have been rumours circulating since Harington’s departure from the show, that he may return for season six. Images seemed to show the actor on set in Ireland, then Harington himself blurted out some hints to Belgian magazine Humo, yet we have had no confirmation from the tight lipped folks over at HBO. Until now. The network’s twitter account lit up with a new poster for the upcoming season, and guess who takes centre stage?
https://twitter.com/GameOfThrones/status/668821378544570368/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
This seems about as definitive an answer we’re going to get on the matter, however, with a show as unpredictable as Game of Thrones, we’ll have to wait an see. The new series will air on HBO in April next year.
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