Kit Harington on Jon Snow quitting the Night’s Watch

Entertainment Weekly sat down with Kit Harington (Jon Snow) to discuss his character’s story development on Sunday night’s episode of Game of Thrones: “Oathbreaker.” Obviously, if you haven’t had a chance to watch the episode, then turn back now, as SPOILERS are rife, throughout.

EW talks about what went into Jon’s decision to leave the Night’s Watch at the end of “Oathbreaker,” an appropriate title if there ever was one. Although technically, since Jon was died, he’s not breaking his oaths to the Night’s Watch by leaving. Remember the Night’s Watch vows: “Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death.” Harrington had this to say:

"He’s done with it. He’s seen the other side, seen what’s there, and comes back and realizes he needs to lead his life and get out of there. This place betrayed him, and everything he stood for has changed. Plus, he had to kill a child, Olly, and that’s what really does it. He kills an underage kid and he can’t see the point in being up there anymore. At the heart of it, he knows by staying at the Wall he can’t help the kingdoms and he’s probably going to die very quickly if he stays."

Harrington elaborated on Jon Snow’s headspace post-post-mortem:

"At first, I was worried that he’ll wake up and he’s the same, back to normal — then there’s no point in that death. He needs to change. There’s a brilliant line when Melisandre asks: ‘What did you see?’ And he says: ‘Nothing, there was nothing at all.’ That cuts right to our deepest fear, that there’s nothing after death. And that’s the most important line in the whole season for me. Jon’s never been afraid of death, and that’s made him a strong and honorable person. He realizes something about his life now: He has to live it because that’s all there is. He’s been over the line and there’s nothing there. And that changes him. It literally puts the fear of God into him. He’s seen oblivion, and that’s got to change somebody in the most fundamental way there is. He doesn’t want to die ever again. But if he does, he doesn’t want to be brought back."

This is this the first time we’ve actually seen Jon scared, not counting the time the Night’s King raised the dead at Hardhome. He now knows there is nothing waiting on the other side, should he die again, and he knows there’s a war still coming, a war for the living against the dead.

And now, since he’s no longer a member of the Night’s Watch, who will he turn to for help? Will Tormund and the wildlings follow him? Will his Stark blood gain him favor with the Houses still loyal to his family? Could Sansa help with that? As the season unfolds, I’m sure we’ll see the remaining Stark children gravitate toward each other.