packersfan said:
Abrantes said:
Jon dying wouldn't make narrative sense, not only because of the hints concerning his lineage or destiny, but also because he's the only character people really care about at the Wall. If he's gone, everything at Castle Black suffers. This isn't trying too hard on my part. It's plainly evident.
This is what I said too. From purely a narrative perspective, killing off Jon now makes no sense at all. Forget all the other elements in play and potentially in play, just simple storytelling makes this really stupid and I don't think any of the primary people involved in telling this story in the books or on TV are stupid.
Okay. If killing Jon off makes "no narrative sense" then why have they killed Jon off (only to, presumably, bring him back to life somehow)?
I don't think Martin's the kind of guy to put one of his main characters in the body of a wolf permantly. It's not a good visual for either the book or show. It doesn't work for the overall story and a Jon Wolf serves no purpose. Having him switch bodies with another human doesn't work; particularly for the show. They're vested in the brand of Kit Harrington as Jon Snow....and they're not dropping that to put Jon in someone elses body (nevermind the idea that there's no real viable bodies around to do so).
Killing him off upends the narrative in the sense that he's been our porthole into The Wall.....but it doesn't kill the story. Martin has established he has no problem eliminating characters who seem to be a main focus of one of the narratives (Robb/Tywin/Joffery) and IMO, he's done a decent job of redirecting those stories when those characters have died...so to that, killing Jon upsets our established Wall narrative....but Martin could work that out. To be fair though, if Snow's dead...I don't think The Wall's long for this world. The big question to ask in regards to Jon is whether or not he has importance in the impending battle between humans and the White Walkers.
Martin's established Snow as essential in advancing the White Walker story....in both the show and book. All the extraneous stuff about Jon screams he needs to be there for the end game. Melisandre is at The Wall in the book. A point was made to get her back to The Wall in the show. If her presence at The Wall is important enough to line it up in both the book and show....the only logical reason for her to be there is to help Jon. It's been established her religion can do it.
The Jon/dead/resurrected thing works as a historical plot device for fantasy. It's been done and accepted time and time again. The problem is that it's too cliche. It's not going to be rejected as a viable piece of story telling...it's just not going to blow to doors off....unless.....
(my prediction) they don't hit us with a Wall story at all in Season 6 or they just dance around it for a few scenes here and there...a scene with Tormund and his people reacting....a scene with Davos leaving to find Rickon....that kind of stuff....and then in the last scene of Season Six they have Melisandre bring him back. That way they can tell the public truthfully that Harrington's not in Season Six....and they can build audience anticipation or resentment to the point that people really might think he's not coming back.