Jon Snow's (Kit Harrington) brief stint as Lord Commander of the Night's Watch marks a high point in his character's story. After the death of his predecessor, Jeor Mormont (James Cosmo), Ser Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) serves as acting Lord Commander until the Watch is able to elect someone new. Both the books and the show depict the election as a tight race, but ultimately, Jon comes out on top. Sadly, Jon proved to be an unpopular leader due to his sympathetic stance towards the wildlings, resulting in his death at the hands of his fellow brothers in black.
While Jon's time running the watch plays out similarly in both A Song of Ice and Fire and its TV adaptation, Game of Thrones, each medium depicts his election completely differently. In shortening the voting process from the books, Game of Thrones also robs Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) of one of his finest moments to date.
Sam the Slayer becomes Sam the Schemer
In the books, the Night's Watch's choosing begins with a crowded field of candidates. Luckily, Ser Alliser has worked with and abused too many men to stand much of a chance of becoming Lord Commander, but his new lackey, Lord Janos Slynt (Dominic Carter), emerges as a strong contender. Other candidates include Ser Denys Mallister (J. J. Murphy), Cotter Pyke, and Bowen Marsh (Michael Condron), though Marsh soon withdraws in support of Slynt. Jon and his friends agree that Slynt's becoming Lord Commander would doom the Watch, and Jon himself, who Slynt considers a traitor for failing to kill Mance Rayder (Ciarán Hinds).
With Slynt, Mallister, and Pyke still in the race, it becomes clear that if Mallister and Pyke, lifelong enemies, cannot put aside their differences, Slynt will ultimately win the election. Knowing this, Sam convinces both Mallister and Pyke to withdraw in support of a new candidate: Jon Snow. Both contenders reluctantly agree, wanting to do anything in their power to prevent both Slynt and their foe from becoming Lord Commander. During the next round of voting, it boils down to Slynt and Jon, and, with an assist from Lord Commander Mormont's raven, Jon wins in a landslide.
Game of Thrones gives us much speedier election results
The Night's Watch's choosing of a new Lord Commander takes up much less space on Game of Thrones than it does in the books. The election, condensed to season 5, episode 2, "The House of Black and White," only lasts one round of voting. Additionally, fewer candidates are put forward for the position in the show, with only Ser Alliser (instead of Lord Janos) and Ser Denys as nominees before Sam suggests Jon.
From the get go, this choosing proves to be a close race. Thorne and Jon seem tied, with Ser Denys only receiving a small handful of votes. Finally, Maester Aemond (Peter Vaughn) casts the final vote in Jon's favor, giving him the win. Notably, this version does not include Mormont's raven in any capacity.
How the show's choosing hurts Sam's character
Ultimately, shortening the choosing is a disservice to Samwell Tarly. In the books, his perspective on the election is one of his strongest storylines. The POV chapter hopping between Sam and Jon acts as one of the best utilizations of Martin's third person limited perspectives throughout the entire series, with audiences taking what Sam learned into Jon's immediately subsequent chapters, and vice versa.
Additionally, this marks one of Sam's first major successes by means of his signature skillset: His intellect. Throughout Sam's time in the Night's Watch, he is constantly bullied for his lack of bravery and skills with a sword. Although Sam has saved the day a handful of times by this point, including rescuing Gilly (Hannah Murray) from Craster's Keep and killing a White Walker, he did so as any man of the Night's Watch would have. Sam, a timid yes intelligent man, deserves to succeed using his own skillset as well.
Removing Sam's schemes also eliminates a connection between his storyline and the King's Landing plot. In his play with Ser Denys and Cotter Pyke, Sam paints himself as a narrative foil for the likes of Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), Varys (Conleth Hill) and Littlefinger (Aiden Gillen), whose plots and schemes keep the political storylines fascinating. While Sam would likely find himself eaten alive in King's Landing, he showcases that he can keep up with the likes of Littlefinger, and ultimately proves that it is possible to use this gift for the greater good.
For more from the world of Westeros, make sure to tune into House of the Dragon season 3, airing on HBO Max on Sundays.
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