Why Kit Harington Believes Jon Snow's 'GoT' Ending Was More Uplifting Than You Thought

His watch may have ended, but Kit Harington is still sharing his thoughts on Jon's Game of Thrones ending. The divisive finale saw the former Commander of the Night's Watch kill Daenerys for the greater good, before being sent off to what was left of the Wall. Still, Harington believes Jon Snow's ending set the character free — and he's not wrong. Venturing off into the unknown with the Free Folk wouldn't be a happily ever after for many characters, but for a young man who spent his entire life feeling like he didn't quite fit in, it's practically a fairy tale.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Emmy-nominated Harington shared his thoughts on Jon's final season arc and in the process, he summed up why he was satisfied with his character's ending. "But as far as an ending for Jon Snow, this character that I loved for so many years and had grown so close to, and had meant so much to me … seeing him go beyond the Wall back to something true, something honest, something pure with these people he was always told he belongs with — the Free Folk — it felt to me like he was finally free," he explained.

Despite the revelation that Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark were his biological parents, Jon remained Ned Stark's son through and through. Some fans were frustrated that his Targaryen lineage didn't lead to a bigger payoff — like Jon taking his place on the Iron Throne — but for Harington, it was more important that the story stay true to the character's roots. "His loyalty is with the people and the part of the world where his roots are, the people who raised him," the actor told THR. "As much as he was an outcast from that group as a bastard, and even though Jon became the legitimate heir to the throne, he will always be of the North."

Tyrion's compromise with Grey Worm that Jon be allowed to live out the rest of his days in exile felt a bit odd since it seemed as if the Night's Watch was over. Since the White Walkers and the Wildlings no longer posed a threat to the Seven Kingdoms, sending Jon off to stand watch felt like a bizarre choice. Thankfully, the Free Folk were waiting for their favorite Crow to make his transition into exile easier.

From Harington's viewpoint, Jon's "punishment" for killing Daenerys actually paved the way for the character to find peace. "Instead of being chained and sent to the Wall, it felt like he was set free," he said. "It was a really sweet ending. As much as he had done a horrible thing [in killing Daenerys], as much as he had felt that pain, the actual ending for him was finally being released."

Jon's joy over being allowed to return North is clear in his reunion scenes with Tormund, and most poignantly, Ghost. In Game of Thrones' final moments, Jon ventured beyond the Wall without the weight of a kingdom on his shoulders, and for Ned Stark's perpetually brooding son, that has to count as a win. And Harington seems to agree; Jon's happy ending may have been an unconventional one, but at least the beleaguered character found peace at last.