It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. There is something quite Dickensian about being a Game of Thrones fan in 2019. The HBO fantasy series had long since surpassed George R.R. Martin’s source material, and though the popularity of the series never waned, there is a big asterisk next to the series finale. Without the blueprint for the resolution of Game of Thrones, showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff had to finish the series themselves. This task was almost too great to take on, and the finale left many fans feeling cold.
Azor Ahai was never confirmed satisfactorily and the Starks are once again separated after trying to reunite for the entire series. Perhaps the biggest complaint was the sudden turn that Daenerys Targaryen took in the last episodes of the series. Her turn as the Mad Queen detracted from some of the elements of the episode that worked in the show’s favor. Despite these missteps, however, one character never veers from the path that he was set on from the beginning. Fans may have had many expectations, but no one can say that Jon Snow didn’t stay true to himself.
Jon Snow Remains Steadfast in Game of Thrones
If there is a hero in Game of Thrones, it is Jon Snow. Played by Kit Harington since the first episode of the series, Jon remains a moral paragon, even to a fault. This trend starts in his first appearance as Ned Stark’s overlooked bastard. Allegedly conceived by Ned and a mystery woman during the fall of the Mad King, Jon is punished for his unroyal blood by Ned’s wife, Catelyn. His treatment leads him to yearn for a family of his own, which motivates him to join The Night’s Watch. A lifetime appointment that would exile him to The Wall, Jon takes this oath with the utmost sincerity even when he is too young to make such a drastic decision.
Even though he shows regret momentarily after discovering the realities of The Night’s Watch, he comes to be a true brother and a leader for many of his cohorts. So much so that The Lord Commander selects him as his steward so he can be prepared to take over one day. He undergoes more pressure than any young man should when he has to infiltrate the Wildling camp and kills a mentor, Qhorin Halfhand. Even after falling in love with Ygritte of the freefolk, he does what is expected of him and returns to his brothers with the information he has gathered. Through and through, Jon is a man of honor at heart, and that seals his fate in his finale episode of Game of Thrones.
Jon ends the series the only way he knows how: by maintaining his honor. The final season shows him aligning himself with Daenerys, mainly because of his feelings for her, to immediately be horrified when she takes the turn for the worst. Dany burns King’s Landing to the ground, showing none of the restraint she promised in previous seasons. As she turns into her father, the Mad King, Aerys, Jon sacrifices everything to do what he knows is right. He assassinates Dany with the knowledge that his fate is sealed. Dany’s forces are furious and demand justice for Jon’s act. Book-ended with the first episode, Jon accepts his sentence by taking the black going back North. While this betrays the promise of him ascending the throne due to his Targaryen lineage, it falls in line with who fans have come to know Jon to be this entire time.
Jon Snow’s Fate Is Anti-Climactic But Consistent
Jon’s final moments received a lot of flak from fans for a decidedly unheroic ending. Jon stabs Dany in the chest after following her lead for the last arc of the season. But even though this choice sends him to perhaps the last place he intended, it is one of the only endings in Game of Thrones that stays true to the character. Jon has always been humble to a fault, taking on huge responsibilities even though he never intended on them. But he is a Stark at his core, and he can’t help but do the right thing. Jon accepts the mantle of bastard, traitor, and eventually Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. He never wanted any of these titles, but that is particularly why they were granted. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Unlike those vying for The Iron Throne just for the sake of power, Jon is the right choice for a leader. He doesn’t lust for power; he only ever wants to do what is right.
Jon is the Lord Commander for not that long of a stretch before his assassination, but what he is doing is important. He understands that the Wildlings are not so different from the Southerners. They just happened to be born on the wrong side of The Wall. Jon also understands that The Long Night is coming, and quibbling about who has stolen whose lands will ultimately be pointless when the Night King travels south. Jon’s commitment to doing the right thing costs him his life when lifers at the Night’s Watch kill him for simply trying to combat the oncoming onslaught of the dead. That makes Jon one of the best protagonists on Game of Thrones. His insistence that he doesn’t want this kind of responsibility may become tedious, but someone has to be good in Westeros. Someone has to see the straight and narrow path that leads the world to save itself from destruction. Regrettably, all this gets Jon is killed, judged, and exiled.
But as unfair and grueling as it is to not see Jon earn his Targaryen birthright, no one can say that this ending doesn’t make sense for the character. Jon has always taken on too much to better other characters while he is left with the consequences. He does his best to battle Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon), while Sansa comes in at the last moment and claims victory. He returns to the Night’s Watch only to watch the women that he loves skewered by an arrow. Try as he might to better the world he lives in and show everyone the Wildlings are more than just savages, all he gets for his trouble is a knife in the belly. So, when his final sentence is passed, it is no surprise that Jon takes it with dignity. He has been to The Wall before, and it doesn’t hold the same weight as it once did. This time, he enters into it with no fear. After his sentencing, Jon elects to go North of The Wall with Tormund, his one and only friend at this point. While the cold is bitter and his loneliness even more so, this final episode adds to the characterizations laid in place for eight seasons.
The Jon Snow Spin-Off Still Could Have Added to His Arc
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The Game of Thrones finale had very little support, which should come as no surprise. George R.R. Martin had not finished another A Song of Ice and Fire book in the past decade, and it seems unlikely that a half-time save would rescue the series. That is what made the Jon Snow spin-off idea so attractive. The Game of Thrones showrunners made some controversial decisions, to say the least, but another series could rectify that, at least in some ways. Jon going beyond The Wall is a burden he has undertaken, but it doesn’t mean that is the end of his story. The Walking Dead has gone on for over a decade, with many weary and wizened characters returning. A continuation of Jon Snow’s story could still respect his characterization while giving him more to do in a new series.
Jon certainly remains consistent during the series, but he would still benefit from a more substantial character arc. Jon’s main change in the series is gaining confidence and understanding that he will one day make a good leader. He never gets that chance in Game of Thrones. A new series featuring Jon Snow in the driver’s seat could give him the ending he always deserved. While in the North now, the story of Jon Snow could lead him South again and find a way to give meaning to all the missed opportunities.
| Portrayed By | Number of Episodes | First Appearance | Last Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kit Harington | 63 | Season 1, Episode 1: “Winter Is Coming” | Season 8, Episode 6: “The Iron Throne” |
There is also not a lot keeping Jon North of The Wall. While the Unsullied demanded punishment to be delivered to the man who killed Dany, they don’t stick around to see if this ever reaches fruition. The Unsullied leave, and anyone could have propped Jon on the throne. This doesn’t happen, but it leaves even more potential for the future. Jon could rise as his lineage suggests, even though the series didn’t want to make good on the character being a Targaryen. Unfortunately, the possibility of this show is, at the very least, on hold. The once-fruitful idea of a Jon Snow spin-off has been canceled for the time being. HBO claims that they couldn’t find a topic to drive the series. The Jon Snow show was dead even before it began, but if there’s one thing that Game of Thrones does well, it’s revitalizing the dead in the strangest ways possible. There could be room to give Jon a more triumphant ending than the one he deserved – as long as it keeps his noble character intact.
