Game of Thrones season six: Seven questions after Jon Snow reveal
Episode two of Game of Thrones series six was full of tense drama and grisly deeds - but ended with the moment for which many fans had been waiting.
However, the gripping events raised more questions than they answered. Here are seven of them:
Has Jon Snow changed?
So, Jon Snow is alive, brought back by Melisandre, the Red Priestess, at the behest of Davos. After some tense moments, in which both Melisandre and Davos believe she had failed, direwolf Ghost stirred at his master's feet and Snow opened his startled eyes. But what are the implications? Will the fans' favourite become like Beric Dondarrion, the "Robin Hood-esque rebel knight" of the Riverlands who has been repeatedly brought back to life by his own Red Priest, asks Erik Kain at
Forbes. "Or will he be changed in some other, perhaps darker, way?"
What does it mean for the Night's Watch?
One of the most important aspects of Snow's revival is the fact that he was "legitimately, unquestionably dead", says Rebecca Hawkes in the
Daily Telegraph. In theory, that means the vows he took when he joined the Night's Watch - to take no wife, hold no lands and father no children - may no longer apply. The wording of the pledge specifically states: "Night gathers and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death." The title of episode three is Oathbreaker, so perhaps that gives us a clue as to whether Snow will abandon his post for another mission.
What is the significance of the Hodor flashback?
Episode two wasn't all about Snow. North of the Wall, Bran Stark had visions of his father, uncles and aunt Lyanna as children play-fighting in Winterfell. Hodor also appeared in the vision, but he was called Willis and was able to speak normally. What was the event that left him unable to say anything but "Hodor"? And, is it a coincidence that we see Lyanna, rumoured to be Snow's real mother, just before Snow is brought back from the dead?
Will Ramsay get away with murder?
Ramsay Bolton is still as savage as ever, murdering his father Lord Roose, stepmother Walda and newborn brother in yesterday's instalment. While the Northerners might not be too upset about Roose's death, will Ramsay's cold-blooded murder have deadly consequences? Huw Fullerton in the
Radio Times points out that Walda's family have a "history of dastardly revenge".
Who will lead the Iron Islands?
Well done if you remembered Balon Greyjoy, says Fullerton. Patrick Malahide's King of the Iron Islands has scarcely been seen in recent series, making his sudden reappearance and subsequent death less dramatic than it might have been. Nevertheless, his killer is "definitely an interesting new addition – Pilou Asbaek's Euron Greyjoy, a pirate and younger brother to Balon with a ruthless attitude and a God complex". Now Euron looks set to challenge his niece Yara for Balon's throne and the results might have serious consequences on the future of Westeros.
Is Tyrion a Targaryen?
In more interesting developments, Tyrion Lannister appeared to win over Daenerys Targaryen's two dragons, locked up in the Meereen dungeons, by unshackling their chains. Tyrion believes he has a bond of understanding with the animals, telling Varys: "Dragons are intelligent… They have affection for their friends and fury for their enemies. I am their friend." His rapport with them fuels speculation he is actually the son of Joanna Lannister and the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen rather than Tywin Lannister – meaning he is actually a Targaryen. The family, which has a three-headed dragon as its sigil, has the ability to successfully bond with and ride the fire-breathing beasts. This gives credence to the popular fan theory that Tyrion could be one of the prophesied figures known as "the three heads of the dragon and will eventually be one of the three people who rides Daenerys' dragons to retake Westeros, notes
Time magazine.
Can it get any better?
"Make no mistake, this will go down as one of the most seismic 60 minutes in the annals of the show," says Ed Power in the
Daily Telegraph. It's definitely up there with the Red Wedding and last year's epic White Walker battle at Hardhome. Seeing Ramsay calmly eliminate his family was "wrenchingly gruesome" and even after months of speculation, Snow's resurrection had a "bolt from the blue" quality. So the real question this season is: "How can Game of Thrones possibly top this?"
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