Game on! ‘Thrones’ returns to HBO tonight
For season six, HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ goes into uncharted territory beyond George R.R. Martin’s novels
The sixth season of the HBO juggernaut “Game of Thrones” is venturing into a land no king, queen or dragon has gone — a place that goes beyond George R.R. Martin’s books as a guide.
“A Dance With Dragons” — the fifth and so far latest of Martin’s epic fantasy series “A Song of Ice and Fire” — ended with the seeming death of Jon Snow, slaughtered in an ambush by his own men. Last year’s finale of the HBO series ended the same way, with the eyes of the popular character played by Kit Harington staring blankly heavenward.
Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss insist that Jon Snow
is dead, telling Variety that they spent a lot of money making the character look dead, although Martin left the scene somewhat ambiguous in the book. Since last season, fan sites have been rife with rumors and speculation about Snow’s possible return, even claiming sightings of Harington on the”Game of Thrones” set. However, coming off an Emmy win for best drama last September, the only thing we know is that nothing is certain in the new season. HBO did not make early screenings available. Some are betting that looking dead doesn’t mean actually dead. Snow was thought to be the bastard son of the late Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell (Sean Bean), who was among the first of the many characters killed off on the series. Later, though, questions about Snow’s parentage have led some to speculate that he may secretly be heir to the Iron Throne of the Kingdom of Westeros.
Once he was old enough, Snow joined the Night’s Watch, the men