"Okay first of all I just want to say that I absolutely love(d) Game of Thrones, but I will not watch Game of Thrones ever again after this episode."
Talk about a juxtaposition.
If you're prepared to never watch a show again which you supposedly loved after watching this season's finale then you were never truly a fan to begin with.
Game of Thrones, since the very beginning, has killed off main characters without second thought: Ned, Catelyn, Robb and Talisa (and their unborn child), Joffrey, Oberyn, Ygritte, Tywin - you get the picture. People die in Game of Thrones. Nobody is safe.
I get it, it's upsetting seeing the characters you care about butchered on screen - the Red Wedding had me in ruins - but come on, you should never expect any characters to be safe on this show! Surely everyone knows that by now?
I will admit that I personally felt totally shocked by the episode. And I was entirely confused: killing Jon Snow? What? But we just built up his character for ages and he just barely survived at Hardhome so why kill him off now?
And then I thought about it, read some reviews and theories, and calmed down again.
Believe it or not, D&D (the dudes in charge) do actually know what they're doing. They set the scene up at Castle Black very particularly: Melisandre arrives looking sullen and in need of enlightenment, clearly prepared to grasp at anything, and then Jon dies. It's no coincidence - as some have already pointed out - that the two characters happen to be in the same place at the same time. Melisandre no longer has Stannis to channel the Lord of Light through, so I am confident she will seize this opportunity to reanimate Jon Snow.
All in all, though, this season is - in my opinion - the weakest of the five so far. Season four was absolutely stellar, so season five naturally had quite a lot to live up to, and therefore unfortunately I don't believe it matched the quality of the preceding season. I feel that they tried to fit too much into too few episodes - we never saw anymore of Margaery or Loras, the Dorne storyline was dragged out, and the battle at Winterfell was skipped entirely. However, this season was by no means a poor season, just a season with a rougher start than the others, and perhaps too many story lines to juggle at once.
Whether you loved this episode or hated it, loved this season or hated it, you have to admit that there is a lot to look forward to next season: Tyrion and Varys ruling Meereen (temporarily); Daenerys and the Dothraki; Cersei, Loras and Margaery's trials; Littlefinger's plans now that Stannis' army is gone; Brienne's plans; Sansa's fate; Arya's future serving the Many-Faced-God; the White Walkers army; the Wildlings and the Night's Watch; and Melisandre's future in relation to Jon Snow.
Unfortunately, though, we have to wait quite some time before we can see where these story lines end up. And likely by the time April 2016 comes around, those who are frustrated and devastated just now will have forgotten their pain and be lured back into Westeros once again.
Until then, Valar Morghulis.
Talk about a juxtaposition.
If you're prepared to never watch a show again which you supposedly loved after watching this season's finale then you were never truly a fan to begin with.
Game of Thrones, since the very beginning, has killed off main characters without second thought: Ned, Catelyn, Robb and Talisa (and their unborn child), Joffrey, Oberyn, Ygritte, Tywin - you get the picture. People die in Game of Thrones. Nobody is safe.
I get it, it's upsetting seeing the characters you care about butchered on screen - the Red Wedding had me in ruins - but come on, you should never expect any characters to be safe on this show! Surely everyone knows that by now?
I will admit that I personally felt totally shocked by the episode. And I was entirely confused: killing Jon Snow? What? But we just built up his character for ages and he just barely survived at Hardhome so why kill him off now?
And then I thought about it, read some reviews and theories, and calmed down again.
Believe it or not, D&D (the dudes in charge) do actually know what they're doing. They set the scene up at Castle Black very particularly: Melisandre arrives looking sullen and in need of enlightenment, clearly prepared to grasp at anything, and then Jon dies. It's no coincidence - as some have already pointed out - that the two characters happen to be in the same place at the same time. Melisandre no longer has Stannis to channel the Lord of Light through, so I am confident she will seize this opportunity to reanimate Jon Snow.
All in all, though, this season is - in my opinion - the weakest of the five so far. Season four was absolutely stellar, so season five naturally had quite a lot to live up to, and therefore unfortunately I don't believe it matched the quality of the preceding season. I feel that they tried to fit too much into too few episodes - we never saw anymore of Margaery or Loras, the Dorne storyline was dragged out, and the battle at Winterfell was skipped entirely. However, this season was by no means a poor season, just a season with a rougher start than the others, and perhaps too many story lines to juggle at once.
Whether you loved this episode or hated it, loved this season or hated it, you have to admit that there is a lot to look forward to next season: Tyrion and Varys ruling Meereen (temporarily); Daenerys and the Dothraki; Cersei, Loras and Margaery's trials; Littlefinger's plans now that Stannis' army is gone; Brienne's plans; Sansa's fate; Arya's future serving the Many-Faced-God; the White Walkers army; the Wildlings and the Night's Watch; and Melisandre's future in relation to Jon Snow.
Unfortunately, though, we have to wait quite some time before we can see where these story lines end up. And likely by the time April 2016 comes around, those who are frustrated and devastated just now will have forgotten their pain and be lured back into Westeros once again.
Until then, Valar Morghulis.