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A Brief Conversation With Kit Harington About Winter Hats and Westerosi Therapy

Jon Snow is a man on a mission — all he wants to do is get everyone prepared to fight the army of the dead, and if he has to cozy up to Dany or her dragons, so be it. (They’re not so scary once you pet them).

As Jon embarks on his next adventure north of the Wall, we’re left to ponder some really big questions. Should Jon and Dany ride dragons side by side? Does he realize he’s starting to romance a relative? Why doesn’t anyone ever bundle him up properly? Kit Harington took a swing at some of these questions when we spoke to him last month in Los Angeles. Following are edited excerpts from that conversation.

Winter in Westeros is finally here. Why no hats?

I was asking for one! I wanted a hat when we were shooting in Iceland. We’ve had endless conversations about it. It’s been a big, big question in “Thrones,” about when they’re up North, whether they wear headgear or not. It seems ridiculous in cold climates not to have your head protected. But it’s a decision they made a long time ago, the decision that we need to see faces more than heads being warm. It’s very difficult when you’re filming people in that environment, to differentiate between people’s faces. I think they decided that was the most important thing. But trust me, no one wants a hat more than me. [Laughs]

One of the revelations that came at the end of last season was that R+L-J ...

Mmmm … Well ... It wasn’t revealed, actually. What we know is that Lyanna Stark is my mother. While it’s heavily implied, we don’t know who my father is. And Jon doesn’t know any of this. I think that even if he found out now, it wouldn’t really change matters, because this guy, the Night King, is on his tail, and he knows nothing matters unless they deal with this. His parentage is the last thing on his mind, really, whereas at the start of the series, it was the first thing on his mind. He’s got too much to deal with to really care about that.

Jon always has too much to deal with. He needs a moment of peace and quiet, or even some therapy. After all, he still hasn’t come to terms with his resurrection. It’s not something he likes to talk about.

Yeah, it’s a little bit weird, right? A bit weird. What we’ve seen of Jon, he’s so far from modern man, from who we are as people ... We know that psychotherapy is a very good thing, where we can go very in depth about what makes us “us,” and resolve our problems, but that’s not Jon. Jon doesn’t talk at the best of times! He definitely doesn’t philosophize over his future or his past. So a therapy session with Jon, I’m not sure how far the therapist would get. “Tell me about your mother.” “I didn’t know her.” “Go on…”

Two of Dany’s dragons are up for grabs. Do you think Jon would make a good dragon-rider? Which one do you want?

Of the two? One’s named Viserion because it’s after her brother Viserys, and the other is called Rhaegal, because it’s after her brother Rhaegar. I never really liked Viserys, so I guess it’ll have to be Rhaegal for me!

John Bradley and Hannah Murray in “Game of Thrones.” Helen Sloan/HBO

Gilly Mentioned an Annulment. That’s Important, Right?

Sam might not have understood what he was hearing when Gilly asked him about a passage in an old book at the Citadel. (Mainly because he wasn’t listening to her.) But attentive viewers (and book readers) sure did: it means Jon Snow isn’t a bastard after all!

Let’s back up — Gilly asks Sam to define annulment, because the diary of a High Septon describes providing one for a prince who then went and married someone else in a secret ceremony. She means Rhaegar, but since Gilly’s reading skills and knowledge of Westerosi history aren’t fully up to speed, she mispronounces it as “Ragger.”

All throughout this story, we’ve been getting hints that the affair between Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark might have been more romantic, even consensual, as opposed to the story that the Starks heard about kidnapping and rape. We know Rhaegar was married to Elia Martell – Oberyn’s sister. Rhaegar, Oberyn said, “left her for another woman.” The question of how, though, was still unclear. The High Septon would not likely grant an annulment unless there were some grounds. Not consummating the marriage is the usual one, but Elia and Rhaegar already had two children, Rhaenys and Aegon. (The show will need to resolve that issue.)

Somehow Rhaegar managed to secure an annulment, and married Lyanna in Dorne, where she later gave birth at the Tower of Joy. It explains why the Kingsguard would be there, since the child’s birth would make him next in the line of succession. (At this point, Rhaegar had been killed in battle, and his two children were killed by the Mountain). Daenerys believes she has the birthright, but now we know that it belongs to her nephew, Jon Snow. (Or should we make that Jon Targaryen?)

What ‘GoT’ Characters Would Be Good Dragon-Riders?

On this week’s episode, Jon Snow petted Drogon. But besides being an indicator of the King in the North’s bravery or stupidity (or both), what does it mean?

Well, it signals that he has the potential to become a dragon-rider. If Dany ever hopes to use all three of her “children” in battle, she won’t be able to control the other two unless she has a little help from some friends. Book readers recall that Rhaegar Targaryen said in a dream sequence, “The dragon has three heads,” and most interpret that cryptic comment to mean three riders.

It’s a common misconception that only those with Targaryen blood can be dragon-riders, although that certainly helps. What’s of more importance is the bonding process — spending time with them, feeding them, and otherwise gaining their trust. In George R.R. Martin’s story, “The Princess and the Queen,” a bastard peasant girl tamed a wild dragon by feeding it a freshly slaughtered sheep every morning. In Season 6, Tyrion won over Drogon’s lesser-loved siblings, Rhaegal and Viserion, by unchaining them and telling them of his dragon dreams. And now Jon Snow is slowly making inroads with Drogon, although he should spend his time with one of the other two.

Who else might be a good candidate? In Los Angeles in July, we asked members of the cast to make a case for their characters.

Richard Dormer (Beric Dondarrion): “I should have a dragon, because it’s got flames coming out of him, and I’ve got flames coming out of me. Can you imagine? It’d be lovely! We’d both have flames! And I’d be going, ‘Waaah!’ with a flaming sword!”

Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont): “You see, I know the history of dragons, and they don’t react well to strangers. I’m not a stranger, but I’m not really family, either. But I’ll take the little one, or whichever one is left over. A little friendly one.”

Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm): “Missandei and Grey Worm could ride together, back-to-back. I could take care of the back, and she could take care of stuff at the top. Or give me a unicorn. Unicorns are a big priority for me.”

Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran Stark): “Bran doesn’t have Hodor anymore, so the logical progression would be a dragon. Go on holiday on a dragon, right before things get sticky. Just pop down to Essos, or to one of the islands. Go and hang out there, and wait for it all to blow over.”

Liam Cunningham (Davos): “I think I could find a use for a dragon if I had one – going all the way up and down Westeros, looking for Melisandre, and burn her ass. ‘So how do you like it? That’s for Shireen!’”

A scene from “Game of Thrones.” HBO

Read These Great ‘Game of Thrones’ Articles From Around the Web

Is ‘Game of Thrones’ Turning Into a Show About War?” [Observer]

“Even if we consider war and politics to be one and the same, the stories we tell about them are not. A political thriller and a war epic are very different kinds of narratives. And increasingly, we seem to be finding ourselves more within the latter.”

“‘Game of Thrones’ Is Officially Jon Snow’s Story” [The Ringer]

“Jon may not be Ned’s son (we know that after the Tower of Joy scenes from last season), but he has all the makings of a classic fantasy hero — the same characteristics that made Ned’s death such a jarring head-fake in the first season. The only difference is that Jon isn’t likely to die (again), and he’s our best prospect yet as the prince that was promised.”

“Confessions of a Long Winter Truther” [Los Angeles Review of Books]

“The real story — the story that, to its credit, this episode also tells — is about how weapons of mass destruction are stunningly horrible, impossible to control, and really bad at tasks like fighting the hunger and starvation that winter brings with it. Fire burns people alive, and it sucks to watch it happen because you cannot avoid knowing, even just a little, what it would be like to have it happen to you. You might think you are fighting a war on poverty, but it might turn out that you are actually burning peasants alive.”

“‘Game of Thrones’ Has Finally, Thankfully, Ditched the Sex For Good” [Guardian]

“No need for writhing concubines or fluffy handcuffs: We are all locked in. It doesn’t even matter that every character is now sporting leather armor that covers 90% of their body. This breakneck-paced season has offered a different kind of eye candy: blockbuster-beating action, lusty sea battles, crafty castle sackings, terrifying dragons in full vengeful flight. For a large percentage of viewers, though, there’s a comparable thrill to piecing together the bread crumbs of the show’s deep plotting. To successfully decode the fractured history of Westeros feels like a gateway to foreseeing its ultimate fate, looming just a season away.”

“A Character Returned to ‘Game of Thrones.’ What Are the Chances He’ll End Up on the Iron Throne?” [The Washington Post]

“It’s unlikely he’ll be a contender for the Iron Throne even though Jon Snow’s kingly status proves that bastards can rule, and Gendry has about as much claim to the crown as Cersei. But Gendry has never proved himself as a leader so much as a worthy ally. He’s not power hungry; he’s excited simply to be extending a great friendship to a second generation, which explains why he immediately told Jon Snow his true identity despite Davos’s protestations.”

“What’s the Deal With That Letter Arya Found on ‘Game of Thrones’?” [Vulture]

“When Arya finds that hidden letter inside Littlefinger’s mattress, it’s the very same one that Sansa wrote to Catelyn and Robb. Now, it’s no surprise that Littlefinger knew about the letter — he was in the room all those years ago when Sansa wrote it, after all — but it’s pretty impressive that he got his hands on it.”

“Why Littlefinger Should Be Worried About Arya and Sansa’s ‘Thrones’ Reunion” [Thrillist]

“Arya has plenty of reason to kill Littlefinger. He betrayed her father, he sold Sansa to Ramsay. He’s indirectly responsible for the fall of House Stark. Once Bran — or one of Maester Luwin’s documents — reveals Littlefinger’s role in the War of the Five Kings, Sansa will certainly order his death. Arya, with her thirst for vengeance, would be the perfect person to carry it out. And it would, in a way, absolve her of her kill list. By taking down Littlefinger, who in a sense is the reason she ever created it, our heroine will have avenged her father’s death in one mighty swoop.”

Read These ‘Game of Thrones’ Articles From The New York Times

The Recap: “That was quite the hour of soapy intrigue and revelation on ‘Game of Thrones’ on Sunday. Hmm, check out the arms on that humble blacksmith — no, wait, oh my God, it’s ... Gendry! Maybe we should meet with the Dragon Queen after all and oh, by the way ... I’m pregnant! My sister has kind of a treasonous vibe going these days and wait a minute ... here’s a letter proving it!”

An interview with Joe Dempsie, the actor who plays Gendry: “It’s probably one of the most significant things that’s happened to Gendry in his life, a near-death experience at the hands of a red priestess. But what he has to get to grips with — in Westeros, who doesn’t have a freaky story like that?”

An interview with Aidan Gillen, the actor who plays Littlefinger: “I’m not trying to play him as a complete villain, really, although he had his hand in many of the more treacherous acts or events we’ve seen over seven seasons. Most of them, in fact.”

Plot the show’s main characters goodness and beauty on a chart: Pretty self-explanatory, right?