' I think, that if I touched the earth,
It would crumble;
It is so sad and beautiful,
So tremulously like a dream.'



17/04/2016

Winter is coming… back? The return of Jon Snow and what we know about GoT Season 6 so far

(CAUTION - spoilers ahead!)

  So, the countdown to the eagerly-anticipated, new season of Game of Thrones has finally begun. With only 7 days left to wait, and after a handful of tantalising teaser trailers, fans are in an utter frenzy. Of course, the number one question on everyone lips is: after his shocking murder in the season 5 finale, will Jon Snow be back from the dead? Read on to learn the answer, and the facts that will change everything.

  Over the last year, Kit Harington has staunchly denied that he is returning in season 6.

Jon Snow meets his fate, season 5. Photo: MTV
  Hordes of fans, however, have not been so easily convinced and are adamant Jon Snow will be brought back to life to save Westeros from the menacing White Walkers and their army of the undead.

  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.

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!

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.

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. 

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.”

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?

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. 

Maisie Williams as Arya Stark. Photo: MTV
  Arya, we're told, will remain blind throughout the coming season, and will encounter a troupe of actors, amongst whom will be real-life actor Richard E. Grant, during her mysterious training at the House of Black and White. 

  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.

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)


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