'Game of Thrones': What a new poster might tell us about Jon Snow
-
Molly Driscoll Staff writer
Will Jon Snow return on 鈥淕ame of Thrones鈥�?
HBO, the network behind 鈥淭hrones,鈥� recently released a poster for what is presumably the next season of the show. The poster reads only 鈥淎pril鈥� (the month in which the past seasons of 鈥淭hrones鈥� have traditionally debuted) and features supposedly deceased character Jon Snow front and center.
Jon (Kit Harington) appeared to be gone for good after this past summer鈥檚 season finale. Jon had become the leader of the military group the Night鈥檚 Watch but after he put various controversial rules into place, some of his men attacked and appeared to kill him.聽
Harington himself said of his character鈥檚 fate following the season finale, 鈥淚鈥檝e been told I鈥檓 dead. I鈥檓 dead. I鈥檓 not coming back next season.鈥� (Back when the book in which Jon apparently meets his end, 鈥淎 Dance with Dragons,鈥� was published, gave a slightly more ambiguous answer. 鈥淥h, you think he鈥檚 dead, do you?鈥� he asked, then said, 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to address whether he鈥檚 dead or not.鈥�)聽
So the poster seems to indicate that Jon will be involved somehow in the upcoming 鈥淭hrones鈥� episodes, either as a character who is still alive or perhaps in flashbacks of some kind.聽
鈥淭hrones鈥� is by now a cultural institution as it heads into its sixth season. It has become HBO鈥檚 most popular show of all time, surpassing early hits like 鈥淭he Sopranos鈥� and 鈥淪ex and the City,鈥� and 鈥淭hrones鈥� recently became the first fantasy series to win the Emmy Award for best drama series.聽
However, 鈥淭hrones鈥� has had its troubles. There were always complaints from viewers over the show鈥檚 depiction of some female characters and of sexual violence, but the complaints increased even more last season after a plotline involving sexual violence that many found troubling was included on the show. Some said they were finished with "Thrones."
Unlike past seasons, viewers don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 ahead. While those who had read the books knew ahead of time what stories would be told in upcoming episodes 鈥� and whether they were stories that would be disturbing to viewers 鈥� the fact that the show has reached the end of Martin鈥檚 written material means the story is a mystery to everyone. The show will be able to truly surprise everyone for the first time, but viewers will no doubt be wondering what kind of stories those behind the show will choose to tell following last season鈥檚 episodes.
