(CAUTION
- spoilers ahead!)
Over
the last year, Kit Harington has staunchly denied that he is returning in season 6.
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| Jon Snow meets his fate, season 5. Photo: MTV |
It’s
common knowledge that Harington hates his long hair and has claimed in the past
that he’ll be cutting it as soon as he’s finished with GoT. Has he chopped his legendary locks yet? NOPE. That fact alone is enough
to satisfy some of his imminent return!
On
top of that, though, the actor was spotted in Belfast numerous times while season
6 was being filmed on location there. Naturally, as the airing date has drawn
nearer, Harington has changed his story, claiming he will be a part of the cast, but only for a few scenes where he'll play a corpse.
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| Kit Harington filming in full Stark attire - FameFlynet |
Then an absolute clanger of a grainy photo turns up,
snapped by a fan in Belfast, which shows Jon Snow out on a battlefield, dressed
not in the black outfit of the Night’s Watch, but in typical Stark clothing.
Hold on though…. How can that be the case, when he swore an oath to the Watch, right?
The
binding oath in question begins thus (and take especial note of the last part
here): “Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death.”
Well,
Jon has definitely died already, so, if he is brought back, he technically wouldn’t
be held to his oath any more, which means he’d be free to head south of the
Wall and reclaim Winterfell for the Starks. Plus, I’m pretty sure things would
be a smidge awkward between him and his former brothers of the Watch anyway - y’know,
with that whole stabbing thing.
Now
comes perhaps the strongest evidence of all that Jon Snow will be back. And it begins
with a fan theory that’s become hugely popular in recent years, a theory that goes
by the name of R+L=J…
But
hold your Dothraki horses just a minute! Before we go any further, we need to
rewind a little for those of you who haven’t read the novels yet, back to events
that take place in George RR. Martin’s books and are set before the TV series plot begins...
Bear with me – this is really important!
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| The crests of House Stark and House Targaryen . Photo: HBO |
Lyanna
Stark – mentioned only occasionally in the HBO series – is Ned’s beautiful sister,
betrothed to Robert Baratheon, who is kidnapped by Prince Rhaegar Targaryen,
son of the Mad King and eldest brother of everyone’s favourite Mother-of-Dragons-to-be,
Daenerys. This unspeakable act sparks a rebellion, leads to the murder of the
king and, ultimately, to Robert sitting on the throne.
After
the war has ended, Ned and a small group of allies travel far to the South to
locate his sister who is locked away in a place called the Tower of Joy.
At
this point in time, Rhaegar has already been killed during the many battles for
the throne. Yet, for some reason, Ned and his men find three knights of the
Kingsguard (in their distinctive white cloaks) guarding the tower in which
Lyanna is held. After fighting his way through them, he discovers his sister lying
in a “bed of blood” and, before she dies, she makes him promise her something,
though exactly what that promise is we are never told.
Still
with me? It was a bit longwinded I know, but it is so, so pivotal! Just consider
this for a moment: what if Rhaegar didn’t kidnap Lyanna at all? What if they eloped
together and she bore his child? Rhaegar + Lyanna, R+L…
Let’s
review what happened, again: in a tower protected by Targaryen knights – the
royal family’s own personal guard, no less – Ned finds his sister dying in a
bed drenched with blood; she asks him to make her a promise, then he returns
home with a baby that he raises as his own.
“Never ask me about Jon,” he tells his wife, Catelyn, “He is my blood,
and that is all you need to know.” It doesn’t take much to connect the dots and
guess who the J in the theorised equation
might be, does it?
So,
If Jon Snow really is the son of Lyanna and Rhaegar, then that would make him half
wintery Stark and half dragon-blooded Targaryen, not to mention an heir to
the Iron Throne - no wonder Ned would have to keep the baby’s true identity
safe! What’s more, if Jon has potentially inherited the magic from both
bloodlines too, he could have the power to warg and withstand fire. He might even be the fabled Song of Ice and
Fire to which the title of the book series is referring. So, R+L
= J. Mind = blown.
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| A young Ned Stark prepares to rescue his sister, Lyanna. Photo: HBO |
Imagine
then how eagled-eyed fans in favour of the theory must’ve hyperventilated when
they watched the latest trailers for season 6 and actually spotted what looks
very much like a young Ned Stark and a group of men, all dressed in Northern
clothing, fighting a soldier in armour that bears the Targaryen three-headed
dragon crest.
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| A Targaryen knight fights Ned Stark and his men . Photo: HBO |
And
don’t forget that the scene in question
has to be a flashback, since no Targaryen knights have existed in Westeros since
the rebellion. Also add to this the footage taken secretly by an eager fan that
hiked to a GoT filming location in Spain and saw the same actors shooting a
scene outside a solitary tower perched on a rocky outcrop…
Of course, what this almost certainly means is
that the Tower of Joy storyline is being told; and, if that’s the case, it seems practically impossible to deny that R+L=J
is correct. All of this is near irrefutable
evidence that Jon Snow will be brought back from the dead. After all, what on
earth would be the point of revealing the grand, game-changing revelation about
Jon Snow’s parentage, if he’s going to remain dead as a doornail? Enough said!
Earlier this week, a select
few ware invited to attend the LA premiere of episode one, where guests were
sworn to absolute secrecy about what unfolded.
Kit Harington was a total
no-show at the event, which is not surprising given how much he’s
been harassed about whether he’s staying dead or not!
Hinting at what’s in store,
though, HBO have released this episode one premise for us: “Jon Snow is dead.
Daenerys meets a strong man. Cersei sees her daughter again.”
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| Carice Van Houten as Melisandre. Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO |
We also know that the episode kicks off where we left off last season: namely with Jon Snow’s
corpse. We also know that the episode is called ‘The Red Woman’, which has many
fans convinced that Melisandre will be resurrecting our murdered hero.
In an interview to Empire
Magazine earlier this year, however, Carice Van Houten, the actress who plays the
red-haired priestess, hinted otherwise. "I’m afraid I’m gonna disappoint a
lot of people,” she declared. "Why so much pressure on my character? I
mean, I understand that he’s the good we want in this crazy world. And me and
my mother and my sister want him to come back very desperately. But Melisandre
has never brought anyone back to life. Why does it have to be me?"
Following the premiere
screening, The Telegraph has revealed
a tantalising morsel about how “Melisandre – who was left at Castle Black along
with Jon Snow’s corpse as season five closed – in no way dominates the action,
but by the hour’s end, with a luridly surprising twist, sets the scene for some
powerful sorcery to come.” Perhaps Melisandre won’t directly be the one to
bring Jon back after all? But, if not her, who then?
We know that actor Ian
Mcshane is cameoing as a Red Priest this season, who, he has already teased, is
“responsible for bring somebody back that you think you’re never going to see
again.” Could it be Jon? Is that too obvious?
Others speculate that the
person McShane will be resurrecting is in fact Lady Calteyn Stark. This storyline
has been absent from the television series so far, but it is true that, in the
books, Catelyn is brought back from the dead and becomes the formidable Lady
Stoneheart, hellbent on avenging the bloody betrayal that took place at the
infamous Red Wedding. Could this finally be brought to the screen?
All resurrections aside, for
a moment, what else do we actually know about this season?
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| Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark. Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO |
Well,
elsewhere in Westeros, after enduring season five locked away in Winterfell
with her newly wedded husband and psychopath, Ramsay Bolton, actress Sophie
Turner describes how her character, Sansa Stark, becomes a totally ‘bad ass
bitch’. After examining a promotional image of the Stark heroine from HBO (right),
some fans are even conjecturing that she is pregnant with Ramsay’s baby. Now
that would be some serious leverage for a freshly escaped and sassy Sansa!
Across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys,
as we’ve seen in the trailers, will be a prisoner of the Dothraki, with Sir
Jorah leading the mission to track her down. Excitingly, VFX supervisor Joe Bauer has confirmed that, although they’re already enormous, all three of
Daenerys’s dragons are set to be double in size. Expect some serious fire
power!
In Meereen, meanwhile, a
Red Priestess will visit Tyrion and Varys to proclaim Daenerys as the Lord of
Light’s saviour that will fight against the coming Long Night.
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| Maisie Williams as Arya Stark. Photo: MTV |
Back in Kings Landing,
Cersei
and the stubborn matriarch of house Tyrell, Olenna, are due to clash on a titanic
scale, according to actress Dame Diana Rigg. Natalie Dormer has let slip that
Cersei will be ‘the least of her problems’ in her role as Margaery Tyrell this season, as she and her brother remain imprisoned by the armed sect, The Sparrows. Cersei's attention will also be turned to the religious cult, as she uses her newly reanimated and terrifyingly Frankensteinian body guard, The Mountain, to get her own back for the infamous walk of shame they inflicted on her last season.
Intriguingly, it’s whispered amongst a few
that The Hound, who Arya left for dead back in season 4, will be back, after
fans allegedly caught sight of actor Rory McCann in Belfast during filming.
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| Bran encounters the terrifying Night's King. Photo: HBO |
Isaac Hempstead-Wright, who
plays the paralyzed, young Bran Stark, revealed in an interview earlier this
year that his character is set to have “some interesting visions,” returning after his notable absence from season 5. From HBO behind the scenes interviews, it's obvious that the actor filmed at the presumed Tower of Joy location in Spain, so it's likely Bran will be the one getting a supernatural glimpse of Jon's true parents. With trailer
footage clearly also showing the young star standing once again – standing, I should say, face to face
with the White Walker Night’s King – Hempstead-Wright isn’t lying when he says “it’s
going to get particularly interesting with Bran.”
Speaking of the ominous beings
from the frozen North, rumblings have also been heard that claim the harrowing
Hardholme massacre we saw in season five will have nothing on the massive White
Walker offensive set to hit screens this time around.
With the promise from
producers that this season will hit the ground running, it is clear that we
are in for an incredible and unforgettable season. Episode one of Game of Thrones season 6 will be aired
24th April, 2016.
Watch trailer 1 and 2 below:
(Post banner image courtesy of MTV)
