How Game of Thrones’ Epic Jon Snow Reveal Changes Everything! (Nerdist News w/ Jessica Chobot)

- We're breaking down the deeper meaning
behind Jon Snow's reveal
and how it changes everything in Game of Thrones,
so let's go ahead and get that spoiler warning
out of the way.
One, two, three, go.
(dragon roaring)
(screaming)
Get rid of all of those Jon Snow bastard jokes,
because in what might have been one
of the most comedically timed info dumps in the series
we finally found out his status as a true born Targaryen,
and it was all revealed in the middle
of an extended poop joke.
(grunting)
You might just say it was a huge nugget of info
that floated to the surface
until Samwell flushed it away
with his ranting about his crappy bosses,
and that entire paragraph was (murmuring).
(farting)
But while he may have ignored this info,
we did not.
While counting steps and shits,
Gilly uncovered that Prince Rhaegar Targaryen
had his marriage to Elia Martell annulled
so that he could marry Lyanna Stark,
changing our preconceived notions
about the history of Robert's Rebellion
and Jon Snow's past.
Now Jon's true parentage was pretty much confirmed
back in season six
when one of Bran's psychic strolls to the past
took him to Ned and Lyanna Stark's tragic reunion
at the Tower of Joy.
Up until now, everyone thought Jon Snow
was just still a bastard with different parents,
so what does this detail of Rhaegar's annulment
and his secret Dorne marriage to Lyanna mean,
and how does it change things
for the rest of the series?
First, if Rhaegar and Lyanna were married
in a secret ceremony,
then Robert Baratheon's rebellion
was stoked under false pretenses.
One of the major sticking points of the rebellion
was Rhaegar Targaryen kidnapping Lyanna Stark,
who was betrothed to Robert Baratheon,
but we all know that history
is written by the victors,
so there was definitely more going on there.
In fact, now we know for sure
that Rhaegar and Lyanna ran away to be secretly married
by the High Septon,
which is basically like going to the Pope
to tie the knot.
Lyanna didn't need Robert to save her.
Bro, take a hint.
She chose the Targaryen over you,
and unfortunately, in hand to hand combat,
Robbie B took out Rhaegar with his giant war hammer.
This sucks for, well, everyone in Westeros
because Prince Rhaegar was well liked
and people believed he would be
a more level headed leader
than his mad father, King Aerys.
So even if Robert hadn't gotten his feelings hurt
over Lyanna's rejection and started his rebellion,
it's possible that Jamie Lannister
still might have killed the Mad King eventually.
Then the kinder Prince Rhaegar would have taken the throne,
ushering in some peace and quiet for once,
but that would make the history section
of the Citadel archives much less interesting,
and Samwell and Gilly would be reading less about war
and even more about bowel movements.
- Steps.
- Now the other clearly game changing revelation
that Rhaegar and Lyanna's secret marriage brings to light
is that Jon Snow is a legitimate Targaryen
and is the rightful heir to the Westeros throne.
No one besides Bran knows about Jon's actual heritage yet,
but they may be getting some very subtle hints
like Jon's super sweet moment with Drogon,
a moment that could foreshadow
his actual dragon riding abilities,
but Jon's claim to the throne
has some major implications for the future.
How might things play out
once Jon Snow's truth is revealed
and he's known as a true Targaryen?
Well, the biggest question right now
is how Dany will take the news.
She's gained some momentum in the war
and seems to have found confident footing
in her bend or burn policy
to the chagrin of her right hand man Tyrion.
If part of what motivates Dany to take back the throne
is the notion that she's the last remaining Targaryen,
she might be glad to hear
that she's not the last of her kind.
She may even support Jon's claim
since she's all about honoring rightful heirs,
but it's also possible, maybe even likely,
that she will see Jon as a threat to her claim
on the throne.
Jon, on the other hand,
might be perfectly happy letting Aunt Dany rule the South,
as long as he can remain King in the North,
but Dany hasn't been willing to split up the kingdom,
so we're not sure she'll be more keen to that idea,
even if she's splitting it
with a long lost Targaryen.
But what do you folks think?
Will we see Jon Snow ride a dragon,
and how will Dany react to her new relative,
and do you think they're still gonna hook up now?
I mean, they are Targaryens.
Answer, I really hope not.
Let's discuss.
(upbeat electronic music)

How Game of Thrones’ Epic Jon Snow Reveal Changes Everything! (Nerdist News w/ Jessica Chobot)

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