(Ahead: Spoilers for Sunday’s finale of Game of Thrones)
Fans of Game of Thrones are probably a little shaken today after Sunday’s season five finale delivered a few shocking moments. If anyone doubted that the show could top the shock and awe of a zombie attack or the emotional gutpunch of the execution of an innocent child, Sunday’s finale proved that the show was saving the worst for last. It’s never a good idea to get for viewers to get attached to a character, as there is a very simple rule to life in Westeros: if you choose to play the game of thrones, you win or you die. Still, there was predictable outrage on the Internet after one of the series’ marquee names was dispatched in a moment that deliberately recalled the murder of Julius Caesar. SPOILER!!! Jon Snow, he of the luscious curls and perpetually glum expression, proved that he really does know nothing, as he was stabbed to death by his fellow members of the Night’s Watch, including young Olly, the boy he took in as a protege.”It’s the Julius Caesar moment,” actor Kit Harington tells Vulture. “‘Et tu, Brutus?’ It’s lovely. It’s like, ‘Not you! Anyone but you! I could take all the stabs from all the other people, and I’ll look them in the eye and I’ll understand. But not you! Not innocence!’ So it has to be Olly. It wouldn’t have the impact if it’s not him.”
The final shot of the episode was of Snow’s face staring up at the sky with dead eyes, blood pooling in the snow beside him. While fans might be angry, Harington is actually relieved. He says that keeping quiet about Snow’s death was tough. “It’s like I’ve been sitting on this big f***ing secret. I’ve had to watch what I say, but it’s a big moment, it’s a beautiful ending, and it’s how I wanted to go.” But is he actually, you know, dead? Shortly before the assassination, Melisandre conveniently showed up at Castle Black, leading many fans to hope that the red priestess will use blood magic to resurrect Jon Snow. Fans will have to wait until next year to find out: in the meantime, it appears that now his watch has ended.
