‘Game of Thrones’ silences Jon Snow resurrection critics with amazing character development and twist
While a multitude of Jon Snow (Kit Harington) admirers breathed a sigh of relief as their favourite character from “Game of Thrones” returned from the dead with a gasp, there were many who questioned the resurrection itself. They expected a show like GoT to do something more in showing Snow’s return, simply to match the hype created by his stabbing and death in the season 5 finale.
Since the ending of “Game of Thrones” season 5, there had been incessant spoilers, plot analyses, fan theories and wild speculations surrounding Snow’s fate. Cast members enjoyed teasing fans and Harington kept lying (later he apologised once Snow came back to life) that he would be seen only as a corpse in “Game of Thrones” Season 6. Even showrunners went to great lengths to keep Snow’s fate a secret.
[Spoiler Alert] However, when Snow did come back from the dead in “Game of Thrones” Season 6, episode 2, titled “Home,” after donating strands of hair that Melisandre (Carice van Houten) took from him to perform the resurrection, some were a bit disappointed. They may have found the easy “coming back” bit of a turnoff, especially after they saw Snow dead for quite some time. It was a bit too “textbook” and “filmy.” Many thought Snow would be a changed person. But he started right from where he left off after a few initial moments of daze, confusion and inspiring dialogue exchange with Ser Davos (Liam Cunningham).
“Game of Thrones” Season 6, episode 3, titled “Oathbreaker,” showed Snow’s reactions after his resurrection. However, the showrunners did a brilliant job offsetting any “turnoffs” with their amazing depiction and development of Snow’s character, combined with a shocking turnaround of events. It turned out that Snow remained the Snow that he was and did not turn into a zombie or a white walker. Nor did he become a Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon).
It was a tough call by showrunners to keep him as he was. But the gamble paid off.
“The Lord let you come back for a reason,” said Melisandre.
Snow went about his duties as Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, sending the traitors to the gallows (including Olly). However, just when fans were thinking that their beloved Jon Snow is back, he handed over his big, black and hairy coat to Dolorous Edd (Ben Crompton).
“Wear it, burn it, whatever you want. You have Castle Black. My Watch has ended,” Snow said before leaving Castle Black, stunning fans worldwide.
“Game of Thrones” can be gruelling, shocking, juicy, but not stupid. Instead of seeing the lifeless, glowing, antifreeze eyes, the viewers and the Men of the Night's Watch were relieved to see the Bastard of Winterfell's brown, human eyes.
