For many seasons now, we've been lead to believe that Jon Snow knows nothing. Well, after Sunday night's epic Game of Thrones White Walker battle, I think we can finally say this boy just got a crash course in the knowledge department, at least regarding what kind of horrors really live beyond the Wall. Shortly after arriving at Hardhome, Jon Snow and the Wildlings are attacked by White Walkers. And I'm not talking about one or two of them, but rather an entire army that literally just appeared right out of what I first mistook as an unfortunate avalanche. (Note to self: The avalanche would've probably been better.)
This 15-minute battle will easily go down in GoT history as one of the most action-packed scenes of all time, which is really saying something considering Season 4's Castle Black and Season 2's Battle of the Blackwater were both pretty impressive in their own right. And, yet, it really can't get more epic than seeing men take on the rarely seen horrors of the North. In fact, Jon had a rather close encounter with one of the main White Walker leaders. (At least he seemed like a bigger deal than some of the others.) But thanks to Longclaw's Valyrian steel, our favorite bastard was able to make it out of that ordeal unscathed. The same can't be said, however, about the majority of the Free Folk, who rose up as freshly new White Walkers-in-training as Jon and his fellow survivors sailed away. I'm sure that won't lead to any trouble for them in the future…
However, there was another thing that made this particular battle stand out among the others, given that this little face-off didn't actually happen in the GoT books, at least none that Jon Snow was apart of. (Book spoilers ahead, FYI!) Those of you who have read the fifth book in the series, A Dance With Dragons, know that Jon's fate looks pretty grim by the end after men of the Night's Watch stab him and leave him for dead. There's never any mention of him going off Hardhome to broker a deal with the Wildlings, which means he had no part in any kind of White Walker battle. But, if you ask me, this is a very welcome change up.
Many of us have feared for Jon Snow's safety throughout this season. But, given this latest change-up in his story where he actually encounters the White Walkers in such a big and direct way, perhaps there's still hope for him yet. After all, now that he's seen firsthand what this monsters can do, the Night's Watch is going to need his guidance now more than ever if they hope to make it out of this winter alive.
Image: Helen Sloan/HBO (2)
