Jon's resurrection came after months of misdirection by HBO and the showrunners following the character's death in the fifth season finale Mother's Mercy (2015), claiming the character was indisputably dead. Even Kit Harington himself stated, "I'm dead. I'm not coming back next season". Fans who did not settle for this explanation quickly pointed out that Harington was spotted in Belfast several times while the show was being filmed in Ireland, and that he kept his hair long all the time (he had famously said that he would get a haircut as soon as he was done on the show). Also, a series of action figures was released of characters who had died, and Jon Snow was not included. Harington later explained this away as that he would only appear in the sixth season as Jon's corpse. All of his filming for the sixth season was done in secret, with cast and crew having to sign non-disclosure agreements, the use of the name "Jon Snow" being forbidden, and the character referred to as "LC" (Lord Commander) in all production documents. Jon was only shown in the sixth season trailers as a corpse, though the first promotional image released for the sixth season was of of Jon with blood running from his shadowed eyes. After the airing of this episode, Harington told Entertainment Weekly, "I'd like to say sorry for lying to everyone", as well as expressing his appreciation for the fans' love for his character.
The first episode to include Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright), Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick) and Hodor (Kristian Nairn) since The Children (2014). Their plotline was left out for more than a season because it would mostly involve Bran receiving training. The writers also wanted to give the other storylines in the already crowded fifth season the opportunity to catch up, as compared to the books, Bran's story was already running ahead of the rest; the only chapter that had not been adapted involved Bran having numerous magical visions of the past (none of which included Hodor), which was expanded over the sixth season and also included some flashbacks from other characters in the books (like Ned Stark) with new material.
The first appearance of Ned Stark's sister Lyanna, though in a flashback. She is introduced while riding a horse and wearing boy's clothing, referencing the books where it was mentioned that she was a tomboy not unlike her niece Arya, and one of the best riders in the country, male or female. Cordelia Hill was cast due to the fact that she had a passing resemblance to Maisie Williams; in the books, one of the few things that Ned Stark said of his deceased sister was that she closely resembled Arya at the same age.
During Bran's flashback to Winterfell, a young Ned Stark advises Benjen to "keep your shield up, or I'll ring your head like a bell." Jon repeats this line to Olly in The Wars to Come (2015). The hands' positions on the respective characters' heads mirror one another. In the novel, Jon repeats the warning to the brother Satin.
With Balon Greyjoy's death, all of the five kings after whom the War of the Five Kings is named are now deceased: Renly, Joffrey, Robb, Stannis and Balon. In the novels, Balon was the second to die, after Renly, while Stannis is the only one alive as of the fifth novel. Additionally, all three "usurpers" whom Melisandre named during the blood ritual to cause their deaths in Second Sons (2013) - Balon, Robb, and Joffrey - are now deceased. In the books, Balon was the first of those three to die, preceding Robb. Balon's death may have been specifically postponed on the show because the Greyjoy subplot was put on hold somewhat after the second season. His death curse is now fulfilled, at a time where even Melisandre doubts her own powers but then successfully resurrects Jon.