My thought as well. Sam leaving, and Jon dying, wipes out a lot of knowledge.
And Melisandre could bring Jon back…if Davos doesn’t kill her first, when he finds out what happened to the princess. Which would be just like GRRM. Irony! Hah!
So with Stannis’ death, the civil war is basically over, right? (not counting Dany, who is planning a war but not ready yet)
According to the showrunners, in the “Inside Episode 10” featurette — he just wants to sleep and heal.
And by the way, I just loved the exchange between Tyrion and Varys—especially the Han-Soloing: “I really did miss you.”—“I know.” 
The “trick” or the attraction of Martin has never been the fact that beloved of heroic characters simply die before the end of the story. It’s that being heroic or beloved or good doesn’t protect a character from consequences. There’s no automatic escape.
This, these deaths flow from the story. They don’t randomly end the stories of beloved characters simply because they were beloved.
Ned Stark’s story ended because his story really was at an end. Everything he had done had led to his death. There were no guns in the first act that remained to reappear in the final act. It had all been done. Same with Robb Stark. There was nothing left over.
That’s what seems different about Jon Snow. His story doesn’t seem over because of all the non-reappearing guns—his parentage, his being the sole character trying to deal seriously with the threat of the White Walkers. That look that the Night’s King have him. Everything imied “this is not over.”
If her death was pointless, her existence (as a character created for story purposes) was pointless. She existed to be the last, worst act in Stannis’ fall. As others have said, she had to be sweet and likable to make the audience feel the same sense of awfulness that most of the characters felt – half of Stannis’ army left, Selyse did a 180, and you know Stannis must have hated himself. And then he got what he asked for, but at the cost of everything else.
The point is, she existed in the story in the first place. If she wasn’t burned, she would just starve to death hanging out in the snow, or be captured by Ramsey after Stannis’ defeat (which would surely be worse, can you imagine?). If either of those were her fate, her existence and death would be pretty pointless. As it was, it was the point where Stannis sold his soul and in classic fashion got exactly what he asked for but it came accompanied by tragic side effects.
So who gets Jon Snow’s sword … and who does Mad Mel latch onto …
You’re right, it was a classic Faustian bargain; and this makes me wonder even more if the religion of the red god isn’t supposed to be an allusion to Christianity (at least in being a monotheistic religion replacing older, ‘pagan’ faiths), but to its opposite—after all, there’s also the name ‘Lord of Light’, which could be read as alluding to Lucifer, i.e. Lightbringer. Or am I just slow for only catching on to that now?
Books. Books books books. Books book booky book-book. Books books. Books! Books books books books books.
Books.
Not convinced Stannis is dead, whatever the producers say – if they wanted everyone to be sure he was dead, they would show him dying. They chose to cut away for a reason – either to keep him alive, or to have the audience think he might still be alive.
Producers and actors lie all the time. Why wouldn’t they? With Melisandre at the wall and the memory of Thoros resurrecting Beric, they wrote the story at least to preserve this hope/chance for resurrection. Everything is written and shot for a purpose – Mel went to the wall for some reason, and arrived before Jon was stabbed for a reason. We’ll see, but I don’t take the word of the producers and actors on things like this at all.
Some interesting information about that scene:
Jon had to fail one way or another, the white walker threat was not going to be stopped at the wall. If they are sticking with the seven seasons plan then season six seems about right for the main threat to finally show up in the rest of the world.
I think Ser Alliser realized he needed time to conspire with other NW men and find a less-public place to do in Jon Snow.
Me too! It’ll be interesting to see them working with Missendei and Grey Worm to keep the city running while Dany’s gone. Ser Jorah and Daario are also in for a buddy adventure. Woohoo!
All good questions. Her crisis of the faith - especially if it leads to her resurrecting Jon Snow - could be an important subplot in the next season.
Yes! Those eyes… brrrr.
No mob that I saw. They all turned their backs and were walking away. Davos, the Red Priestess or someone else could scarper with the corpse.
Amen. We’ve been over this before. Read and heed the OP, please, folks.
I think she is battered and bent but not broken. She’s gonna open up a can of whupass just as soon as she can.
I suspect they will lock up Jon’s body along with Mel in an ice cell together beneath the wall.
At some point, someone will come along to check on them, find Mel’s mummified body, the cell door open and Jon gone. (no imagery there!)
Yes, things pretty much turned to shit for Stannis, didn’t they? But I have to think that we were not shown him slain for a reason. Perhaps Brienne will stay her hand, reasoning that she doesn’t have the lawful authority to execute him, or respecting him for his candor in admitting killing Renly through blood magic, and his true-to-form last words, “Do your duty.” Or realize he might be a valuable bargaining chip to get Sansa from the Boltons…? I dunno. It would certainly be truer to her character for her to kill him.
Yes, for the reasons I stated in that week’s thread. Under those dire circumstances, and without 20/20 hindsight, it’s understandable that he permitted the sacrifice. Of course it now seems to have been tragically futile (and thus par for the course for GRRM).
Yeah, that was just mean.
Jaime might realize, in his grief (or Bronn might point out to him), that no good would come of going back, confronting the Dornish prince and disturbing the fragile peace between the Crown and Dorne - and likely losing Trystane as a hostage.
Did his eyes change color? I couldn’t be sure - sort of looked to me like they were getting darker.
Yes. When the Faith Militant thugs were messing up the marketplace, the goldcloaks on a nearby roof ignored the merchants’ calls for help.
So seriously… are we just like “fuck it! Book spoilers everywhere!!!”
All quite possible. I agree.
Psst: It’s “Meereen.”
Agreed. She is an honorable person (one of the most such on the show) and it’s important to her that she have been in the Kingsguard of the rightful king, even if others might differ with his claim.
I agree that Theon and Sansa are certain to survive their plunge into the snowbank, although one or both might be injured. They could get a horse or horses somewhere on the battlefield and make tracks while Ramsay is dragged into a post-battle meeting with his dad, or while he deals with finding Myranda’s body (having no reason yet to suspect either Theon or Sansa for her death), or while he parties with his men after the big win over Stannis.
Err…Lena. You’re taking this ‘method acting’ too far dear.
Stannis is dead, dead, dead.
Some kind of wordplay or semantics is going on with Jon. Maybe he comes back like Gandalf did. Or simply doesn’t appear in season 6. I do hope that whatever he comes back as isn’t recast.
Both of which needed not involve the resurrection power…so narratively, why introduce that these unimportant character have this awesome power…if its not going to be important.
Having said that–Martin has made it his business to subvert narrative necessity, but I agree he usually does so once a character’s personal story is at a logical end point or leads to more story for other characters. With Jon it seems like the story is ended just as it started.
Not every bit of storytelling is allegory - far from it. And I have no reason to think the WW represent anything other than an existential threat to the living characters we know.
We don’t know yet. But a blind assassin (temporarily or permanently) might have certain advantages, either in training or in action.
Yeah, jeez, he’s been pierced with spears and then flew who knows how many miles with the heaviest load he’s ever carried. I’d say he’s earned a little shuteye.
I like the cut of your jib, PYD.
Ooo, good catch. I missed that entirely.
IM IN UR RED KEEP RULIN UR KINGDOM!
Oh, I don’t know. Maybe Fortinbras will drop by King’s Landing…?
Probably Whitecloaks. Margaery is Queen Consort, after all.
I’d be very sorry to see some beloved character die (it’d hit me hardest to have Tyrion, Brienne or Jaime snuff it), but I wouldn’t stop watching, or reading. The story’s that good.
Well said.