Maisie Williams on Jon Snow: “It’s a great twist” 

London Film Critics’ Circle Awards this weekend, hitting the red carpet and accepting the award for Young British Performer of the Year for her role in

At the awards, the actress chatted with reporters and teased

While speaking with The Upcoming, Williams discussed the difference between filming

her role on the scifi show, her experience playing Lydia in

On last year’s storyline, the actress agrees somewhat with fans who were wondering, “Why am I still sweeping floors?” through the early part of season 5’s Arya story. “But it kind of all builds up to the betrayal, and the kill ultimately which was so much fun to do.” The season ended with Arya being blinded by the Faceless Men who had taken her into the House of Black and White to learn their assassin ways.

As for the question every cast member gets asked these days, Maisie says about Jon Snow’s potential return that, “I feel so mean because I speak to people and they’re all like ‘Jon Snow, is he back?’ and it’s like really heartbreaking because people are like ‘yeah, but he’s coming back though?’ It’s a great twist but I can’t say he’s going to be alive.”

Williams also says that she loves shooting

and that, “Everything is now sort of wrapping up and slotting into place for the finale. I love that all the pieces are coming together.” She says we have some really cinematic shots to look forward to in the new season, based on the scripts she’s seen.

Check out the complete interview with The Upcoming below:

Maisie also chatted with the people at HeyUGuys, and discussed the work that goes into creating the look of Blind Arya-specifically her white eyes.

“I was so confident that the contacts, ‘they didn’t hurt, it’s fine,’ and then I got on set, and destroyed my eyes. And there’s a picture on my Instagram of my eyes where they’re all puffy and awful, and I was such a wuss about it. It’s quite bad. But it looks cool on camera and that’s really all that matters!”

She says her story arc this year was “fun to do” and that it was fun to read.

The latest CV updating for Staz Nair shows that his season 6 character will be named Qhono. The actor’s casting was uncovered in October and presumed to be playing a Dothraki based on his filming dates and locations and his look.

In the second large casting list of new roles for season 6 that we shared back in June, the show was searching for actors to play a pair of “successful young warriors” named Qhogo and Akrat. The overall descriptions made it apparent the roles were for Dothraki men. Given the similarity in names, it’s safe to guess Nair is this character, and the show either slightly changed the name or misspelled it in the casting notice.

Another casting has popped up: Deon Lee-Williams will be playing a Young Warrior, according to his agency CV.  The title ‘young warrior’ is used often in GoT casting notices, it’s fairly generic, but it does always point to Dothraki men.

Given his youth and size, he might fit the bill for the Young Warrior role that we saw in September. At that time, the show was casting a Dothraki man, age 20-25,  who is “quirky, intelligent, and quick-witted” and unusually slight for a warrior.

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I really hope we do not have a semi-dead Jon Snow walking around like a zombie that would seriously suck in terms of character development and overall story arc.

Jon Snow is dead. Bran wargs into him. Guaranteed.

Well, its not like anyone on the cast can actually come out and say “Yes he’s dead, but he is resurrected.” Just like Maisie here, says she can’t come out and say “he’s alive”, breach of contract.

The twist, that I can see happening is…Mel does her thing, revives Jon…but he doesn’t appear to be alive. Like a body without a soul. Which is because he is inside Ghost, cue Bran telling Jon to go home or some such thing a few episodes later and we have Jon back in his body.

Or the twist is just him being revived…I can’t believe the amount of people (I call them the average viewer) that haven’t seen his resurrection coming. When I remind them about Thoros/Beric, I always get a blank look back and a “Who the hell is Thoros?”

To be fair, it was like 4-5 years ago. And if I hadn’t read the books, and had only seen the show once I might not remember that the Red Priests can revive people either.

Just a little problem,bran cant warg into a corpse

Would that mean that Bran has to stay warged into him all the time though? If he’s not being driven around by Bran would he just kind of collapse in a boneless dead-Jon heap?

i really hope they don’t up his character like stannis and ellaria sand i also don’t want a zombie jon

I don’t understand why people think Jon is more important than Bran. I believe Bran will have his own mission, his own role in story. His role is not to be a simple tool for Jon storyline.

Jon should stay dead. I really don’t care about this boring character.

If you think Jon Snow isn’t a part of the ASOIAF endgame, you haven’t been paying attention.

Mark: The twist, that I can see happening is…Mel does her thing, revives Jon…but he doesn’t appear to be alive. Like a body without a soul. Which is because he is inside Ghost, cue Bran telling Jon to go home or some such thing a few episodes later and we have Jon back in his body.

Jon will not suffer the effects that Beric suffered from (“…thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread”) because his full consciousness didn’t actually die.

I’d like to see a “cold” opener this year with Ghost hunting.

He is, but I just don’t care about this character.

It!s likely, Jon is going to be very different, but please no zombified version of him walking around.

“Jon should stay dead. I really don’t care about this boring character” so wrong there

Guys… Obviously, Jon Snow’s corpse is going to be used only as an Avatar and will be a lifeless vessel when not in use… until the Wildlings take him to the great tree and perform the ritual to mend his avatar body with his human mind… Oh wait a minute… wrong story. I can’t believe we are even having this conversation…

why coming here if you don’t care about him?

if he was boring why people want to know so much about him? you are ridiculous…

Yes true, but if Mel revives him while he’s still in Ghost wouldn’t he be like…a husk? lol I don’t know what other word I can use, and I refuse to use zombie. By that though I meant, his body would be a alive but no ones inside driving, until he leaves Ghost that is to go back.

I can see the opening scene being Ghost howling, maybe Mel or Davos opens door and Ghost runs to Jon.

Because if Jon stays dead that would be a waste of 20 good years.

I find Jon’s journey one of the most compelling in the series, and given all the clues we having been getting via the series that he’s a part of the very heart of the whole series. I know that not everyone agrees about everything but to say he’s boring and you want him to stay dead, like damn. Cold.

jon will be more dark and ruthless next season we can’t say he is alive because he is no more the dude he was before he get stab

If it was anyone other than Maisie ..I will be worrying that jon is going to be a zombie…but since its Maisie I don’t care she always toys with the fans ..

Still a trailer can help us prevent some torment …. Sue do you got any reports about something happening …

I can’t wait until jon gets ressurrected because seriously I’m so done with this subject. Same about R+L=J I’m glad we might have a confirmation this season so we can finally move on to another questions and discussions.

I can’t wait for Game of Thrones, Jon is one of my, if not my favorite character

Really can’t wait to watch these cenamatic scenes they are talking about

The most interesting story in the series is Bran, in my opinion. So many important and well-written characters died, why his death would be an issue? I cannot understand.

I respect all opinions… But Jon Snow boring? (Watchers on the wall, season 4, Hardhome, etc, etc, his lines with Mance, Stannis, Kit’s acting…) Come on!!!!

I think it’s a character with a great evolution and can’t wait to see the “new” Jon in the season 6.

Like I said in the other post, she likes to mess with reporters. No surprise there. And I STILL want that damn choker, it’s so pretty! Very glad she won, and that she loves indie films so much. She’s quite beautiful.

Already three comments about three different people of dislike, boring or stay dead. Wow. I have to wonder where these people are coming from. Maybe disgruntled with where they usually post and come here? Just speculation, but it is odd at this late stage of the “Game”.

Anyhoooz. Bran can’t warg into a dead body. So that is out at least for a time. For Jon wargging into Ghost…it has been repeatedly brought up that Jon Snow (as far as the TV version is concerned) has never shown the ability or desire to warg anything. Odd for him to start now. I go with the Mel rezzie, but rezzied to what or whom, that is the question.

I am also wondering why Maisie said that she “loved” making the show, as in the past tense. Also she mentioned that so much of her stuff was filmed out of sequence. I wonder if they have already filmed Maisie for season 7. Just a thought. I believe it is easy to take a word said here or there by one of the stars of GoT’s and make it into something it is not…or maybe is.

I’m always here. I’m just expressing myself because bother me the way that some people have referred to Bran as if he is not important. He is equally or more important than Jon and his story is one of the best.

I have nothing against solid criticism with a logical explenation, but this is only appears as blind hatred towards him and without no logical explanation why. “Just boring and should stay dead.” If Jon should stay dead. Why to spend 5 books on him and then to kill him just before the final stage of the story? Since they’ve been building him up for a while with white walkers and his story is a lot about them. No need to mention Grrm hard work. He is simply not goig to kill one of the main character for the sake of shock value. To let wildlings through the wall? That was it?

Nothing more to say really, but I’ve seen many of these comments towards Daeny in the past.

Still a trailer can help us prevent some torment ….

If for some reason a certain website disappears into the void, meet up at fleabottom.net to await further instructions. Bring snacks.

maisie like to play with fans first she say he is “absolutly” dead and now she is saying something else people should’t listen to her she do that for months now…

I have this crazy theory that the Night’s King and Melissandre both try to resurrect Jon at the same time…

Speaking of Jon…where’s Kit? Has he been to any events at all because there’s been nothing on him.

The only twist that Maisie is talking about, most probably, is that Jon will be dead but he will be resurrected. That’s it, people are just reading too much into this. This is the same actor who has enjoyed trolling people about Jon’s fate in the past too.

Jon Snowed: I really hope we do not have a semi-dead Jon Snow walking around like a zombie that would seriously suck in terms of character development and overall story arc.

Where is the like button? Yeah, it could seriously nuke the story. Let’s cross our fingers: there are a lot of “truths” consistent with what Ms. Williams said, and not all of them are Zombie Jon.

geralt de rivia i am not the one who said that i was only showing how much this quote write by a another look ridiculous

Doesnt need to see him .but a trailer can give us a basic idea. A line or a glimpse of anyone at the wall is enough to guess what’s happening …

Just the other day I dreamt Mel and EDd Jon’s supporters are being burned by aliser thorne and olly .

I know its not going to happen but geez this is really getting gruesome… Just end it already I agree with kargaryen its time we get answered about this and move on to other characters.

I completely agree either have him or dont. Hopefully at worst he is Jon Stark/Targaryen

Geralt of Rivia: “Just boring and should stay dead.” If Jon should stay dead. Why to spend 5 books on him and then to kill him just before the final stage of the story? ….

Nothing more to say really, but I’ve seen many of these comments towards Daeny in the past.

I’ve often wondered why people who feel like this about either Jon or Daeny read the books or watch the show. I mean, if you dislike the two #1 protagonists in a story that much: what is in it for you?

JCDavis: For Jon wargging into Ghost…it has been repeatedly brought up that Jon Snow (as far as the TV version is concerned) has never shown the ability or desire to warg anything.

Ditto that for Book!Jon. Another warg recognizes that Jon actively resists warging. Of course, the book also notes that wargs who “jump” into an animal in the last moment rapidly fade into that animal: it does not becomes, say, a wolf with a human mind, but a wolf with a trace of the human. Both of these seem to get ignored by the “Pro-Warging” advocates!

By the way, I got Blackstar this weekend. It was a really solid final effort. It’s disturbing as hell, but there is some really beautiful music on it, too.

Maisie’s little Instagram video from yesterday about her dress was hilarious (if you haven’t seen it, go have a look).

The SAG Awards are coming up, so we’re about due for a big spate of cast interviews.

Bran has not been as important to the narrative of the story as Jon has. The proof is the amount of chapters and screen time each has received. Jon has 42 POV chapters in the books, just behind Tyrion for the most. Bran has 21 POV chapters. Of course Bran is an important character,

, but if he was supposed to be the most important character, George should have wrote more chapters for him. Personally, I didn’t find Bran interesting until he reached Bloodraven ‘s cave, so I am looking forward to his material in the books and show. I agree with you that Bran warging into Jon’s body is just fucking ridiculous and would be awful. I would rather see Jon stay dead than see that, and Jon is my favorite character.

Last anyone saw he was getting drunk making out with women in Brazil. At least according to some locals who snapped some camera shots. And that right there is why I personally think he’s tired of Game of Thrones and the fame it brought him. I wouldn’t expect to see Kit much anymore. Not unless he’s forced to say something or make an appearance by HBO. He seems very much done with the whole thing.

I go with the Mel rezzie, but rezzied to what or whom, that is the question.

If that audition tape of the red priestess was legit, we will dive into the whole Azor Ahai prophecy and R’hollor stuff a bit more this season.

So if Jon gets revived that means that after having died he had been to the other side or the darkness, as Dondarrion put it. I guess it could be possible that this experience together with him learning that the resurrection had been performed by Mel will direct him towards the Lord of Light a bit more. Probably Mel will try to convince him that he is the One who was promised? So with Daeny coming over from Essos, we will have two rival Promised Ones in S7

This is wrong, because it has been demonstrated by MOST of the fan base on this website that Bran is important.

D&d have over used the ‘only death can pay for life’ ploy a lot in the show. I think the game was up when they revealed the burning of shereen will happen in the books. The likely scenario will be Mel using the sacrifice to pay for Jons resurrection, combined with some sort of weir wood magic to show him his true parentage. That game was up when george rr said in the past. “Jon will learn who his mother is” plus the inclusion of six skins in Dance, and the entire explanation of the weir wood network. Obvious. However, The slight grin on my face when I saw Mel ride through the gates on the show, sealed the deal in my opinion. I believe maisie’s “twist” is the use of the weir wood network.

Sure. I believe that Mel will revive the body, but she’ll be confused as to why he is alive, but unresponsive. Her fires will have shown her a live Jon Snow, so she’ll continue to monitor him until he wargs from Ghost, with full mental capacity, back into his body.

Last anyone saw he was getting drunk making out with women in Brazil. At least according to some locals who snapped some camera shots. And that right there is why I personally think he’s tired of Game of Thrones and the fame it brought him. I wouldn’t expect to see Kit anywhere he’s not forced to be by HBO, ever again.

The red carpet premiere interviews are going to be so redundant. Everyone will be asking about Jon. Is Kit not going to attend the premiere either?

Only differennce is while one is described as one time thing and unique miracle …other is happened numerous times ..if Mel does proclaim jon I would love to see all the reaction …how it will be taken now as legit and everything.

its funny you say bran is the most interesting character. because I still can remember that most people said afte season 4 that they dont like his storlyine, especially casual viewers. But season 6 will be a different thing.

That’s ridiculous Sorry, but Kit is nothing with out Game of Thrones. And I don’t mean regarding fame. I LOVE KIT And Jon.. theyre my favorites

Mysterious. There is probably a never ending story that would explain it tho. *runs*

Anyway, I second most of the comments here. I hope that if he does come back, he is a normal person, and not a zombie. That would be so lame.

Imagine the reaction, not only are the NW all gasping he is alive, but he is running around calling himself bran stark.

Not only is he alive, but would sound crazy aswell, it sounds like a crap Si-if channel plot.

this single theory would completely undermine GRRM as a decent author.

I’m always here. I’m just expressing myself because bother me the way that some people have referred to Bran as if he is not important. He is equally or more important than Jon and his story is one of the best.

Actually I wasn’t just referring to you in my comment. 😉 But I too like Bran and am very anxious to read his continuing story this coming season. I am quite and if not more anxious to find out what actually DOES happen with the Jon Snow character. I think I am just in love with the whole thing really.

Wylie: So with Daeny coming over from Essos, we will have two rival Promised Ones in S7

And if the prophecy is correct, then there is still one more to be uncovered!

I’m betting on Obara Sand, myself…. 😀

Tyrion Pimpslap, I always think of Bran and Arya as “one step below Jon & Daeny, a half step below Tyrion”: but what the hell is a half step, anyway? Bran shares the most similarities with Arya in terms of how they contribute to the story. Both are becoming “legendary” entities (an Old God and a Faceless Man). Arya definitely is fighting to remain Arya Stark while becoming No-One and Bran (hopefully!) will be fighting to remain Bran Stark while being an Old God. Both have actively used warging to get where they are. And both have spent a bit of time wandering seemingly aimlessly to get where they need to be.

Wimsey: I’ve often wondered why people who feel like this about either Jon or Daeny read the books or watch the show.I mean, if you dislike the two #1 protagonists in a story that much: what is in it for you?

Oh, come on, that’s simple. These people fell for the ‘Martin is subverting things’ shtick, and hope that one of the things that will be subverted is the existence of protagonists. So: Jon stays dead, Dany becomes evil, Tyrion drinks himself to death, and the real hero of the story turns out to be… dunno, Stannis probably.

I share the view of ‘get it over with the resurrection and RLJ already, I want to know what’s next’, personally.

“By the way, I got Blackstar this weekend. It was a really solid final effort. It’s disturbing as hell, but there is some really beautiful music on it, too.”

I know. I have only listened to a few tracks, but especially Lazarus was most haunting to me. Oi and a very big Vey. I plan on down loading it soon to hear the whole thing. I fear I will just weep through it all. *sigh*

Hmmm….. interesting. The way all the cast have been singing “Jon Snow is dead” tune consistently, followed by Maisie’s “great twist”, does suggest a zombie-like Jon to me. Not that zombie-like beings are unheard of in GoT. For sure, something to look forward to next seson.

BeautyBrinne: Would that mean that Bran has to stay warged into him all the time though? If he’s not being driven around by Bran would he just kind of collapse in a boneless dead-Jon heap?

Kudos to you for that image! 😀 (btw, I think Bran will have a distinctly non-Jon storyline next season).

Kargaryen: I can’t wait until jon gets ressurrected because seriously I’m so done with this subject. Same about R+L=J I’m glad we might have a confirmation this season so we can finally move on to another questions and discussions.

Me too!!! Yes, please, not another year of R+L = J, or Jon’s life/death status. Let’s get the answers and move on towards the end-game of this series, which I hope will be, at least, slightly more surprising than fandom speculation presently suggests.

There have been a couple of hints that Bran would warg into Jon Snow. But would that even work if he’s dead or is that just false assumption?

As I am reading these comments I just sit her and smdh…. most of them sound like something from a Charlie Brown tv show… “bwah bwaaaaaah bwaaaaaaaaaaaah bwah” ….

as far as this whole debate going down on who is more important Bran or Jon I’m personally sick of it. Each character is weighed out on their own merit and each character has its pro’s/con’s side to them. To me personally Jon at this stage in the story has obviously way more importance than Bran but if Jon dies for real and is no longer a part of the story than someone else will have to step in and take over that role.. be it Bran, Sansa, or Arya (for the Stark family). I don’t value one more important than the other, but value the sum of all equations and just try and enjoy their storylines. Imho… which doesn’t amount to a hill of beans ….

Of course Kit will stay out of this. or any other got event. It would spoil it for many other fans, because not everyone is in the know, as we are. A lot of people are trying to stay out of this for a good reason.

I wish to know the answer for it. Maybe they want George to subvert another trope by letting him die and stopping out bastard hero to save the world and getting on with a beautiful girl. Daeny to fall from Drogon or Tyrion slip from the stairs.

Weird dream. 😀 I think they’ll drag this all the way to the bank and his fate is what get many people to talk about the show. I’m tired of it, but it is what it is. So something vague about him, but nothing worth of breaking news banner.

I like Maisie’s dress and necklace. She looks wonderful. She may not be a classical beauty, but she is beautiful in her own unique way (which I prefer).

I think the twist will be that Jon is dead, but will be resurrected by Mel (and/or someone else). That’s already enough twist for the casual watcher (I sometimes think the people here are sometimes over analytic).

Yaga: Oh, come on, that’s simple. These people fell for the ‘Martin is subverting things’ shtick

lol…. OK, yeah, that would completely explain it!

That written, I’ve seen this in other fandoms with long drawn-out plots and over-arching mysteris (B5, BSG, HP, Lost): you always get the “conspiracy theorist” fans who think that the primary characters are red herrings and that some minor character really is the key to it all! Well, maybe the 5th series will pay for all….

JCDavis: But I too like Bran and am very anxious to read his continuing story this coming season.

What makes Bran interesting to me (and maybe only me) is that he is the closest thing to a Frodo analog in this series of stories. Obviously, it’s a stretch of an analogy, as Lord of the Rings and Song of Ice & Fire are completely different stories in just about every sense. However, Bran is the small helpless one who’s carried deep into enemy territory and possibly with a very important power for ending the war. In this case, the power probably is going to wind up being information via the Weirnet, not some Ring analog. And the challenge might well be to communicate that successfully to anybody.

I agree that the narrative has been a bit less exciting than it could have been: but I suppose that the intrigue about the end-goal (for some reason I always thought it involved Children and Old Gods: I think that idea had been around for a while before Dragons) kept me going.

Maisie is really lovely, with a fresh style (is the pattern on her dress meant to show us, again, that she’s a true fighter?), always so happy to talk about her films. Everyone who likes her, watch

IceSpider: as far as this whole debate going down on who is more important Bran or Jon I’m personally sick of it.

Here is how I look at it. Was Paul McCartney more important to the Beatles than Ringo Starr? Yes. Without Ringo Starr, was it the Beatles? No.

Bran might be a Ringo (or really a George) to Jon’s & Daeny’s John and Paul, but it’s not SoI&F without Bran. Most of the characters “below” Bran are more like the sound and engineering guys on an individual album: yeah, they were important, but it was still the Beatles in the next album.

(Just in case people were tired of David Bowie references!)

Jon’s not going to be that different. Maybe more angry, maybe a bit vengeful, but nothing outside the pall of character development. It’s not gonna be “someone else” in Jon’s body. The reason no one believes he’s done, despite being intimately familiar with the chance of anyone dying, is that we haven’t seen the payoff to all the development that has been invested in the character. Magically changing the character wastes this as much as killing him off.

Even Beric talking about diminishing with each resurrection didn’t sound like some magical transformation; more the PTSD you’d completely expect from someone who has lived through their own murder a bunch of times. Stoneheart might be very different, but it’s pretty easy to attribute most of that transformation to witnessing [what she thought was] her last remaining [free] child’s murder; the whole vengeance remnant thing is entirely in-line with a character who was almost completely defined by protecting her family.

For a story that is so sparing and efficient with magic, it would be monumentally sloppy to waste a resurrection on someone who’s not going to be consistent with their prior development. Bitter former Night’s Watch Jon? Sure. Evil and/or amnesiac Jon? No.

Yeah, I see what you are saying. Actors/actresses comments are probably directed to the general viewer

Geralt of Rivia: I wish to know the answer for it. Maybe they want George to subvert another trope by letting him die and stopping out bastard hero to save the world and getting on with a beautiful girl. Daeny to fall from Drogon or Tyrion slip from the stairs.

Well, the first thing GRRM needs to do is publish 15 books with those things happening so that they can become tropes to subvert! That should only take a century or two…. 😀

I know everyone is “hype[d]” for the trailer, but there is zero chance that the trailer answers any questions regarding Jon. If anything, it will present even more questions. For the record, I don’t believe we’ll even know about Jon’s fate by the end-credits of episode 601 . . .

Sure looking forward to it, though. I hope no spoilers worm their way out before the premier.

Why do people get so bent out of shape when someone doesn’t agree with them? I know we are all passionate about the show and our favorites but if someone says something negative about a seemingly popular character, people will do everything to damn them. It’s just opinion, it’s not going to influence the legion of fans. Either you respond to a character or you don’t. I am not a huge Dany fan. Definitely has grown on me but still not one I am invested in (in show-verse). What does it matter in the grand scheme? We are so lucky this show has such a dynamic variety of characters. There are plenty of characters to love-on. What is popular, or the obvious popular choice, to some, just don’t do it for everyone.

This site is far more “fan friendly” than some others I have been on but it still feels, at times, that opinions need to mirror or you will be belittled. A critical thought will be bombarded with posts of how they are wrong for feeling that way. It’s very “my way or no way”…just unfortunate.

ETA: Love Maisie’s dress. And I love when she screws with the media.

In my experience, people who dislike one or both of those characters didn’t start out that way. Rather, they don’t like how their stories developed (Dany having by far the most vocal dissent, particularly in relation to perceived stagnation in her story and/or people who dislike her handling of things in Meereen). By that point, they’re invested in everything else.

Hardly unusual in any sort of serial fiction with a decent-sized cast; even if, given the nature of the property, they’re unlikely to get much satisfaction out of much of the denouement.

I’m amazed we’re still having the debate of “is he or isn’t he”. You would have to be living under a rock, be the most staunch spoiler free person in the universe, or simply not care enough (which if you’re commenting on a website, you care enough) to not know that Jon will be involved in the rest of the story. We have pictures of him on set for crying out loud!

Is there any news Rhaegar is gonna be in this season?

That’s sort of like being interested in the contents of a wallet for the coins rather than for the large bills! More than any other two characters (and more than most of the rest put together), Jon & Daeny

Did they announce the latest episode Jon snow would come back ? Because it can’t be to early and it can’t be to late.

They’re not the #1 protagonists. Even in the show, Tyrion or Cersei are more important than them.

No, not that I’ve heard of, maybe next season ? Or maybe he is as a surprise, that would he fun.

Selina: They’re not the #1 protagonists. Even in the show, Tyrion or Cersei are more important than them.

They’re not one step above. They’re all in the same step. I don’t measure the importance of a character by the number of lines, but by their importance for the whole story.

Selina: They’re not the story. They’re PART of the story.

Hence the qualifier “more than any other two characters”!

Selina: They’re all in the same step. I don’t measure the importance of a character by the number of lines, but by their importance for the whole story.

Nor do I. However, Jon & Daeny contributed more to “kill the boy/girl, let the man/woman be born” than did Bran or Arya. They contributed more to conflicted love/hate than did Bran or Arya. They contributed more to conflicted loyalties than did Bran or Arya. They contributed more to conflicted values than did Bran or Arya. This is not to say that Bran & Arya did not make substantial contributions – they most certainly made huge contributions to those four stories – but it is to say that Jon & Daeny still made bigger contributions.

In any ensemble, you will have your Johns & Pauls, and your Georges and your Ringos. The ensemble needs all of them: but that does not change that some contribute more than do others. It is unavoidable.

Tyrion comes up right behind those two. Cersei is not even in the same league as any of those characters. If nothing else, then her character has been much too static to really contribute anywhere near as much to the stories. Unlike Tyrion, Jon, Daeny, Bran or Arya, Cersei simply has not evolved much at all.

But each on their own (Dany, especially; most people who dislike dislike one, not both) they’re a comparatively small part of any given book (as are most characters). In ASOS, for instance, if you don’t like Dany, she only has 6 of about 80 chapters. If you like everything else, it’s easily overlooked. Of course, the biggest source of dislike of that character came after that, in ADWD.

If there’s a common theme between the two, it’s people whose favourite part of the books is the more real-world political intrigue (which did indeed, to a great extent balloon in the telling almost to the point of swallowing the whole series, if you compare GRRM’s outline to what he actually wrote) and thus came to dislike the idea of the more fantastical elements intruding on it. You could see that with some of the show’s audience, actually, if you look at reviews, reactions, etc.

I expect there will be some dialogue regarding his ‘death’ in the trailer. I think I am most interested in seeing a better glimpse of the TOJ sequence and perhaps a look at a new and(hopefully) improved Bloodraven.

What’s to stop him from warging into a corpse? A pulse? That’s what The Others are for. It all works hand-in-hand. Or warg-in-warg.

Let’s see: He’s one of the few characters left with high commanding skills, who understands de big picture, and who has a possibility to communicate effectively with people from different sides -as he has done before-, specially if his parentage theory is true.

I hope they have the good sense to make it beginning of episode 1.

Many characters who have died also had important skills and knowledge. If he is dead, other characters can grow, learn and acquire these skills as well.

We have gotten through the beginning and middle: and it’s the characters that have those major beginning -> middle parts so far (Jon, Daeny, Tyrion, Arya, Bran and maybe Sansa, although Sansa was absent from the middle) that can have the beginning -> middle -> end arcs that will make the entire tale complete.

For me some stories are more advanced than others. Everyone should culminate in the same ending, but I would not say, among these, that one has more importance than the other.

Of similar importance/skills/knowledge/accomplishments/knowing the real problem is the WW and not some dumb war?

Edit: Not disagreeing with you, curious to know who you are referring to that has been demonstrated to be a main pillar of the story overall as is JS Who?

Wimsey: Was Paul McCartney more important to the Beatles than Ringo Starr? Yes. Without Ringo Starr, was it the Beatles? No.

In that case, The Cavern, The Kaiserkeller and The Top Ten Club are lucky they never got done for false advertising over all those times The Beatles performed there with Pete Best.

I believe Bran is very important in the end game, in a different way from Jon, but important as well.

In the books, Bran’s chapters, though not the easiest to read, always included important stuff to allowed us the readers to better understand the backstory as well as possible future outcomes.

Tyrion is definitely the closest thing the show has to a main character (hence, why there has been occasional talk of submitting him for Lead Actor awards). Cersei isn’t in that league since until Season 5 she didn’t have a storyline of her own, but I believe the people who have done the math on dialogue put her in second place below Tyrion, so you can see why people might think that. The Lannisters as a whole are more prominent in the show that in the books. There are various reasons for that; writer and audience interest being one, the popularity and skill of the actors another, and they fit more with the image HBO wants to present for the show as an adult prestige drama. See, e.g., those big magazine covers from a few years ago that have Dinklage, Headey and Coster-Waldau alongside Clarke and Harington as the faces of the show. That also suits the interests of the magazine. Based solely on the show itself, there’s really no justification for Maisie not having been a bigger part of the show’s promotion all along (she got her own

Not an only person, but a series of characters. Jon is not irreplaceable. I do not understand the consternation with his fate, really.

Yes, Bran is very important. I dare say that only watch the show because of him (I just watched some parts of Season 5, for example, because I don’t have interest for some parts).

This story, clearly has many important characters that are key to the end game, whatever that may be.

Are you saying that you don’t think that Jon is one those that are key to the end game?

Selina: If he is dead, other characters can grow, learn and acquire these skills as well.

That is true if you are concerned only with plot. However, all of the things that GhostCR mentions are vital for the overarching story because they have so strongly affected the way in which Jon has grown/changed as a person from the boy in Thrones to the undercover agent in Clash/Swords to the empathetic Lord Commander in Dragons is going to be key in whatever the final “gag” or “gags” GRRM has had up his sleeve for all of these years. When this finally happens, we have to be able to look back at how Jon (and Daeny and Tyrion and Arya and Bran) has evolved, and point to a few key changes in their person so that we feel “ah, this all ties together.”

Guns fired late must be hung early, after all: and that’s just as true for story as it is for plot. GhostCR is dead on: GRRM has left Jon as one of the few people with those skills for a reason!

We actually haven’t gotten through the “middle” as GRRM conceived it. The literal middle, perhaps, but what we’ve read to date is mainly a massive expansion on Martin’s “book one”. Whatever his notions were for the second and third books are still to come, presumably. Which lends the series as a whole a bit of an odd structure.

He will be important, as well as others, but he is not only hero (or villain?) of story. I’m saying that if he was definitely dead, his role could be replaced by other characters.

Well, if it helps, I have long speculated that GOT is actually not one story, but three: the story of Jon, Dany, the WW and the War for Dawn; the story of Jaime, Cersei and Brienne (which is actually a high romance in the best Tristane-and-Iseult fashion – just think of the song that will be made of it, of the Kingslayer and the Maid of Tarth!); and finally the story of Arya and Sansa, ie the story of vengeance for Cat and Ned. I find that dividing it this way, however formally, simplifies things a lot.

Thats because Kit can’t just show up everywhere because that would kinda spoil that Jon Snow will really return in S6. Everyone who knows the full S6 scripts can’t simply say “Yeah, Jon will return this season and btw, sorry for that huge spoiler”. What Maisie and all other actors answer who got asked about Jon Snow said is a very simple way of secretiveness and building excitement for upcoming seasons.

Sergei Walankov: The Beatles performed there with Pete Best.

Evolution! As John, Paul and George all later asserted, it was when Ringo joined that they really became The Beatles as opposed to the Beatles. (When Ringo threatened to leave the group in 1968 because the group was not touring anymore and because he felt that the musical experimentation was relegating him to the sidelines [and possibly because his compositions were always rejected], the other three bent over backwards to placate him: it would not be The Beatles anymore without Ringo.)

At any rate, Bran is analogous: he’s not the “lead” of SoI&F the way that Jon and Daeny are, but he is indispensable. Perhaps Bran is more like a pre-Revolver George, whereas Tyrion is like the post-Rubber Soul George, if that works better!

(And almost everyone under 40 is going “Who the hell are these people, anyway? How do you make a soul out of rubber?” 😀 )

Every character on the show is replacable except for Jon, Bran, and Daeny

Anyway considering you didn’t watch most of season 5 (still don’t get it), you missed out on Jon’s most importance scenes I bet! LOL

Arguing the “importance” of characters is just generally futile. Most would say the quarterback is the most important position in football, but then you’ve got the folks who like to argue the left tackle is most important because he protects the QB, or the people who say “Offense wins games, but defense wins championships,” or those who point out that place kicker is the highest scoring position. It goes on and on, and some arguments are more convincing than others, but in the end you’re just going to lose if you don’t fill every position.

ASoIaF/GoT are what they are because of the ensemble. There are bigger roles, and removing them would drastically change the story, but so long as the rest of the ensemble is in place there’d still be a story to tell. But for this story, the one that is actually happening and happens to have us all enthralled, each and every character is of vital importance. It just wouldn’t be this story otherwise.

version of GoT where Clarence takes Jon around to see Westeros without Jon. There could be other versions for Tyrion, Dany, and Br…

At the most, the trailer may have dialogue among the Watch relating to Jon’s murder or perhaps a missing body, but we won’t get any money-shots of a reanimated Jon. The art of the trailer is always ambiguity.

Maybe we get Davos reacting to the news of Jon’s death . . . Maybe we get Ramsey smiling at the news . . .

I know it’s absurd but is it possible that the whole Jon stabbing scene may be a dream or a flashback-A bit twilight-esque..lol Destroy the theory please..haha

Yaga: I find that dividing it this way, however formally, simplifies things a lot.

Huh, that is an interesting and useful way to look at it. I can certainly see the distinct stories to Thrones, Clash Swords and Crows/Dragons. Perhaps a useful way to unite our two views is look at your three threads as the basic plot threads that serve as the background for creating the different types of character development?

What is almost too tempting to note is that, yet again, it’s another “three.” That also goes back to the Babylon 5 comparisons: the truth has three sides of yours, theirs and the actual truth! GRRM seems to love the three-sided conflict as much as JMS did. (It must be some embittered ex-Catholic thing….. 😀 )

I’ll have to think on this more, but I like this basic way of looking at it!

In season 6? After spending 5 season honing his skills.. it does not make a lot of sense.

Yeah, sure other people can pick up the torch and learn some skills, but there is not much time with what is looming on. Or maybe it becomes a comunal effort: some will have the charisma to lead and strike deals, some will have the intel and the intelligence to use it… but it does not seem to be a lot of time left…

Sean C.: We actually haven’t gotten through the “middle” as GRRM conceived it. The literal middle, perhaps, but what we’ve read to date is mainly a massive expansion on Martin’s “book one”.

That really was Thrones + Clash + Swords. Almost everything in the original Book I plot synopsis is covered by those three books, whereas almost nothing (if not just nothing) from Crows/Dragons is. Crows / Dragons was in part the 2nd planned book, and also in part a filling of a planned 5 year gap in the narrative. So if we are not past the middle (and I suspect that we are), then we definitely are in it.

But we can also see a distinct difference in the stories. Thrones, Clash & Swords were all stories about conflicted emotions: opposing values (Thrones), mixed loyalties (Clash) and love/hate (Swords). It’s easy to see how GRRM could have “specialized” those from an original story about conflicted emotions in general, which seemed to be to what the plot synopsis pointed. Crows/Dragons was very different: it was almost a Bildungsroman with the boy/girl -> man/woman story. And I can certainly see why that is a useful “middle” story in a series of stories: after the realization that the simple “truths” we learn as children conflict with each other (the first three stories), why not follow up with a story about graduating mentally from child -> adult?

Yes! I was reading the comments to see if anyone else loves it!

Cumsprite, Surely we will dine on selections of New Mexican con-queso, anything with lingonberries and for the bold some Surströmming.

Then wash it all down with a good Arbor Gold and Mountain of the Dew.

Arguing the “importance” of characters is just generally futile. Most would say the quarterback is the most important position in football, but then you’ve got the folks who like to argue the left tackle is most important because he protects the QB, or the people who say “Offense wins games, but defense wins championships,” or those who point out that place kicker is the highest scoring position. It goes on and on, and some arguments are more convincing than others, but in the end you’re just going to lose if you don’t fill every position.

ASoIaF/GoT are what they are because of the ensemble. There are bigger roles, and removing them would drastically change the story, but so long as the rest of the ensemble is in place there’d still be a story to tell. But for this story, the one that is actually happening and happens to have us all enthralled, each and every character is of vital importance. It just wouldn’t be this story otherwise.

version of GoT where Clarence takes Jon around to see Westeros without Jon. There could be other versions for Tyrion, Dany, and Br…

Good lord, be careful when talking common sense like that! 😉 Could not agree more….who is ‘important’ depends on who’s point of view you’re looking from, or which storyline, if you’re looking generally or specifically, or for xyz reason…..

I wish people would quit trying to sound like their analysis of the situation is anything but their own view. Heck, any season/book could throw in some tangent or event that none of us even consider, then what? After all, this is fiction we’re talking about. There really are no rules.

Think of reading a book – I definitely add details or attributes in my mind that the author probably doesn’t envision in the same way. That’s not wrong, that’s the imagination’s way of tailoring the same words into different people’s minds. For book readers, I’m sure we all imagined the characters’ appearances somewhat differently. Watching the show, I may think “Gee, so and so doesn’t look like I pictured in my mind”, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have the ability to cast ‘my’ version aside and appreciate someone else’s.

I mean, my degree is in ancient civilizations, and I still enjoy movies that are so far from ‘historically accurate’ that may only have the name of a city or a person in common.

Stop taking everything so seriously. Especially ourselves!

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