Who is the Night King, exactly?
It’s arguably one of the biggest questions still lingering over HBO’s Game of Thrones, even as we approach the series finale. We know he was created by the Children of the Forest and has a particular fondness for circular patterns, but what are his true intentions? And why does he continue to spare Jon Snow Aegon Targaryen?
Could it be because he, too, hails from the house of fire and blood? That’s the latest rumor kicking around online, after HBO’s Inside the Episode promo for last Sunday’s “Winterfell” strongly hinted that the Night King is, in fact, a Targaryen. Or, at least, he was…
Here’s what series director David Benioff had to say when asked about the moment Jon Snow climbed aboard Rhaegal:
No one has ever ridden a dragon [on the show] except for Dany. Only Targaryens can ride dragons and that should be a sign for Jon. Jon’s not always the quickest with the uptake but he gets there.
Pretty innocuous, right? Read it again. Benioff suggests that only Targaryens can ride dragons, which begs the question: how is the Night King capable of riding the undead Viserion? The counterargument to that is, of course, that Viserion is no longer a dragon per se; it’s a reanimated, flame-spitting abomination that seeks to destroy everything in its path.
How will the Northern Lords of Winterfell defend their Stark Stronghold from the oncoming threat? Well, they have two dragons of their own, but we suspect Thrones‘ centerpiece – the Helm’s Deep of TV battles – takes up most of episode three, by which point we may know a little more about the Night King and his mysterious origins.
Game of Thrones season 8 continues this Sunday with the so-far untitled episode 69.
Published: Apr 18, 2019 07:01 pm