in one single episode than The Walking Dead in an entire season. And ... we could say

that a LOT happened in this episode. So in this very quick and very unconventional Monsters

of the Week, I want to talk about maybe the most seminal moment of that finale. If you've

seen it - you know what I'm talking about.

So, before I go on, be warned loudly and clearly - if you have neither watched the Season finale

or at least completed "A Dance with Dragons", then PLEASE consider twice before watching

this video - because it is one big, massive spoiler.

So here's your chance to leave and come back as soon as you've caught up.

Still with me? Cool.

So Game of Thrones did it again, right? Without any warning, they brutally and mercilessly

killed one of the protagonists, a guy that everybody's rooted for and that literally

noone expected to bite the dust. Even though everybody should be wary by now, they pulled

the rug from under everyone's feet once again. Because at the end of Season 5's finale - Jon

Snow gets stabbed by a handful of Watchers that didn't completely agree with his Wildling-friendly

policy - and dies.

Or does he?

Because I - alongside with many of the book's readers since 2011 - are far from convinced

that Jon Snow stays that way.

And here's why.

First of all, Game of Thrones have shown us on numerous occasions that in Westeros, being

dead doesn't necessarily mean that a person has to stay this way. Aside from people who

die north of the wall that get turned into White Walkers, there's even another case of

resurrection that happened right in this very episode. The Mountain. The gigantic being

that gracefully carried Cercei to safety after her walk of shame is Ser Gregor Clegane, who

has most likely been resurrected by Qyburn through the use of blood magic after the mortal

wounds that he got from his fight with The Red Viper in Season 4.

But if we think back a bit - in Season 3, Arya Stark meets Berric Dondarrion, the leader

of the Brotherhood without banners. And we learn and even see after his brutal demise

in his trial by combat with Sandor Clegane aka "The Hound", that he has been killed and

revived several times already - by Thoros of Myr, a red priest who invokes the powers

of the "Lord of Light" to bring Berric Dondarrion back from the dead.

And there is yet another MAJOR character that has been revived by Thoros of Myr. But this

is something that happened only in the books so far. So if you want to avoid another major

spoiler - click this link to skip this part.

I'm taking of course about Lady Stoneheart - or none other than Caitlin Stark, who is

thought to be deader than dead after the Red Wedding, but reappears in "A Feast for Crows".

So yeah - these people prove that priests of the Lord of Light have the power to bring

back the dead. And who is another, no - not just another - but THE most prominent Red

Priest on the show? That's Right - Lady Melisandre, the fiendish

redheaded woman at the side of Stannis Baratheon who's favourite activity is to burn people

- and even children alive. And we even see her in Season 3 being in cahoots

with Thoros of Myr and the Brotherhood without Banners.

And conveniently, just about a few minutes before the stabbing of Jon Snow, she reappears

at the wall - having left Stannis Baratheon's side for the first time in many many seasons.

And she even has a very strong incentive to resurrect the Bastard of Winterfell.

First, there's the question of Jon's significance to the overall story. The mystery of who Jon's

mother is has long been teased, and most fans think they've figured it out - check this

video by The Film Theorists for more details on that. The gist of it is, that his parents

are Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. George R.R. Martin has promised the answer will be

revealed eventually. But - What would the answer matter if Jon was already dead? Nothing.

In addition to that, the books have extensively set up a prophecy believed by followers of

the Lord of Light � that a promised hero, Azor Ahai, would return and save the world

from darkness. Melisandre thinks most of the time that this hero is Stannis � but in

one late chapter of "A Dance With Dragons" she searches for him in the magical flames,

but can't find him - and says "All I see is Snow" � and it's written with a capital

S. If Jon's father is in fact Rhaegar Targaryen, that would mean he's the blood of the dragon,

as well as a Stark � a fitting lineage for a mystical hero in a series called A Song

of Ice and Fire.

And Melisandre shows on another occasion that she is aware that there's King's Blood in

Jon's veins. Because throughout the series, she has seduced pretty much every person with

King's Blood she came across - she even showed that she's able to sense Robert Baratheon's

blood in Gendry - noone, not even Gendry himself knew about his father at that time - and in

the Episode "Sons of the Harpy" in Season 5, she tries to seduce Jon - coincidence?

I think not. So, will we see Jon Snow being revived by Melisandre in Season 6?Who knows?

But there is yet another way that George R. R. Martin has teased in the book, through

that a person can escape death. And that one is: Warging. In The prologue

of A Dance With Dragons a wildling, Varamyr Sixskins, who could enter the minds of animals

was killed and his consciousness simply transcended into his wolf. Readers believe that Martin

focused on this character in the prologue to establish what happens to a warg when he

dies - for later reincorporation. Even The show depicted this already, when the eagle-controlling

wildling Orell was killed by Jon back in season three � his eyes turned white, and the eagle

suddenly began attacking Jon.) And in the books, Jon had numerous dreams

in which his mind entered his direwolf Ghost's body � just like his brother Bran. He can't

do it consciously, but it shows that he does indeed possess the powers of a warg - a skill

that is often associated with Starks. And, conveniently, when Jon is killed, Ghost is

nowhere nearby � Jon had left him in his room for some contrived reason. And the last

word he says in the book is "Ghost".

So, yes, there are two very plausible ways in which the show could resurrect Jon Snow

- and as you see there's a lot in the series that points to that very fact - that Gam e

of Thrones' fifth season finale isn't the end of Jon Snow.

But even more than that, it's George R.R. Martin, that mischievous, backstabbing trickster

himself - who enjoys spreading confusion among his fans more than anything else. Right after

the release of "A Dance with Dragons", we was being asked by fans: "Why did you kill

Jon Snow?" To which he responeded: "Oh, you think he's

dead, do you? - I'm not going to address whether he'd dead or not." And then I picture him,

rubbing his hands and chuckling, amused like The Bridge Troll in Monty Python and the Holy

Grail.

Now, this could all be completely wrong. Because in the end, it's just a theory. A TV show

theory... (okay, I'm sorry about that)

So thanks for watching Monsters of the Week. And remember - the truth - is out

there.