He’s back. But honestly, he’s not the same. When Jon Snow gasped his way back into the land of the living at the end of the previous week, the internet collectively lost its mind, but Game of Thrones Season 6 Ep 3, titled "Oathbreaker," is where the actual consequences started to sink in. Death changes a person in Westeros. Just look at Beric Dondarrion. He lost a piece of himself every time Thoros of Myr pulled him back from the abyss. Jon, staring at his own stab wounds with a mix of horror and existential dread, realized the "great beyond" was just a whole lot of nothing.
It’s heavy stuff.
The episode doesn't just linger on Jon’s damp, revived hair, though. It moves. We get our first real glimpse into the Tower of Joy via Bran’s weirwood-tree-time-travel, Samwell Tarly gets seasick on the way to Oldtown, and Daenerys arrives at the Vaes Dothrak retirement home for khaleesis. But the emotional spine? That belongs to the Watch. Or rather, the end of Jon's time with them.
The Tower of Joy and the Myth of Ned Stark
Let’s talk about that fight. You know the one.
For years, book readers hyped up the skirmish at the Tower of Joy as this legendary, chivalrous moment where Ned Stark bested the greatest swordsman in history. Game of Thrones Season 6 Ep 3 shattered that. We see a young Ned Stark, played by Robert Aramayo, facing off against Ser Arthur Dayne. Dayne is dual-wielding swords like a whirlwind. He’s winning. He’s clearly the better fighter.
Then, the gut punch.
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Howie Reed stabs Dayne in the back. It wasn't a clean, honorable win. Ned finished him off, sure, but the "legend" was built on a lie or, at the very least, a very convenient omission of the truth. This is classic George R.R. Martin storytelling being translated perfectly to the screen by showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. It reminds us that history is written by the survivors, and even the "most honorable man in Westeros" had some dirt under his fingernails.
Bran’s reaction is basically our reaction. He’s confused. He shouts for his father, and for a split second, it seems like Ned hears him. This scene laid the massive groundwork for the "R+L=J" reveal that would come later in the season, even if the show teased us by cutting away just as Ned started running up those stairs toward his sister Lyanna’s screams.
Small Council Drama and the Rise of the High Sparrow
While Jon is dealing with the literal afterlife, King’s Landing is rotting from the inside. Cersei and Jaime try to muscle their way back into a Small Council meeting, only to be met with a cold shoulder from Kevan Lannister and Olenna Tyrell. It’s awkward. It’s petty. It’s exactly what makes the capital scenes so frustratingly good.
The power dynamic has shifted.
The Tyrells and Lannisters are so busy bickering over who gets which chair that they’ve completely ignored the High Sparrow’s growing influence over King Tommen. Tommen, bless his heart, is trying to be a king, but he’s essentially a wet paper towel. He goes to confront the Sparrow, and within five minutes, the old man has the boy king sitting down for a lecture. It’s a masterclass in manipulation. Jonathan Pryce plays the High Sparrow with such a gentle, grandfatherly menace that you almost forget he’s a religious extremist who’s basically kidnapped the Queen.
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Jon Snow’s Final Act as Lord Commander
The climax of Game of Thrones Season 6 Ep 3 is the execution of the mutineers. This includes Alliser Thorne and, most painfully, young Olly.
Let's be real: the internet hated Olly. There were subreddits dedicated to it. But seeing a child hang is never easy, and the show doesn't make it look "cool." It looks miserable. Jon looks miserable. Thorne, to his credit, dies like a boss. He doesn't beg. He tells Jon that he’d do it all again because he believed he was doing what was right for the Watch.
"I had a choice, Lord Commander. Betray you, or betray the Night's Watch."
That line hits. It highlights the gray morality that the show eventually moved away from in later seasons, but here, it was still very much alive. After the ropes are cut and the bodies twitch, Jon does the unthinkable. He hands his heavy furs to Edd.
"My watch is ended."
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Technically, he’s not a deserter. The oath says "it shall not end until my death." Well, he died. Loophole found. It’s a massive moment because it frees Jon to actually go participate in the rest of the plot, rather than being stuck on a frozen wall for the rest of eternity.
What People Often Forget About This Episode
Most fans remember the "My watch is ended" moment, but there are smaller beats in this episode that actually carry a lot of weight for the series' endgame.
- Rickon Stark’s Return: This is the episode where Smalljon Umber brings Rickon and Osha to Ramsay Bolton. He also brings the head of Shaggydog. It was a brutal way to remind us that no Stark is safe, and it set the stage for the Battle of the Bastards.
- Arya’s Training: Arya finally gets her sight back after a montage of getting hit with sticks by the Waif. It’s a bit repetitive, sure, but it’s the moment she truly commits to becoming "no one," even if we all knew she’d never actually give up being a Stark.
- Varys and the Harpy: We see Varys using his "little birds" in a way that feels more like detective work than magic. He tracks down who is funding the Sons of the Harpy in Meereen. It’s a reminder that while dragons are cool, information is the real currency of this world.
The Lingering Impact of the "Oathbreaker" Label
The title "Oathbreaker" refers to more than just Jon Snow leaving the Night’s Watch. It’s a theme that runs through every scene. Ned Stark "broke" the image of his own honor at the Tower of Joy. Smalljon Umber broke his family’s ancient oath to the Starks. The mutineers broke their oath to their Commander.
Even Daenerys is being punished for "breaking" the rules of the Dosh Khaleen by not immediately heading to Vaes Dothrak after Drogo died.
The episode asks a tough question: What is an oath worth when the world is ending? For Jon, the answer is simple. The oath kept him from helping his family. It kept him from being the leader the living actually needed. By "breaking" his word, he actually became the person capable of saving the North.
How to Revisit the Lore
If you're looking to dive deeper into the specific history mentioned in this episode, here is how you should prioritize your research:
- Read the "Knight of the Laughing Tree" Story: This is found in the books (A Storm of Swords) and provides the necessary context for why the Tower of Joy happened in the first place. It explains the relationship between Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen.
- Compare the Arthur Dayne Fight: Look up the descriptions of Ser Arthur Dayne in the A Song of Ice and Fire companion books. You'll find that the "Sword of the Morning" was even more legendary than the show had time to depict, wielding a blade called Dawn forged from a fallen star.
- Analyze the Night’s Watch Vows: Read the specific wording of the oath. You'll see exactly why the fans and the characters consider Jon's "resurrection loophole" to be legally (and magically) sound within the logic of the world.
The show might be over, but the structural shifts that happened in this specific hour of television are still being debated by fans of House of the Dragon and the upcoming spin-offs today. Use these references to see how the "lied-about" history of the Starks influenced everything that came after.