Game of Thrones‘ Season 7 finale aired on this day, August 27th, back in 2017, a momentous installment that changed a lot for the show heading into its final run of episodes. “The Dragon and the Wolf” brought together several huge characters, with Jon Snow meeting with Cersei Lannister to show her evidence of the threat in the far North. That threat, meanwhile, started to make its presence felt more than ever before, as the Night King used the undead dragon Viserion to bring the Wall down, allowing the army of the dead to pass through.
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It was also an episode that confirmed the single biggest theory. Game of Thrones theories, and those about the A Song of Ice and Fire books, were always a huge part of watching and engaging with the show. Whether they were wild and weird (Varys is a merman) or incredibly rich with detail and meaning (such as the Grand Northern Conspiracy), there was plenty to obsess over and speculate on. But there can only be one true king of theories, and it was that Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark were Jon Snow’s parents, a.k.a R+L=J, and it wasn’t officially confirmed until this day in 2017.
Game Of Thrones Finally Confirmed R+L=J (In A Very Weird Way)
The theory about Jon Snow’s parents far pre-dates Game of Thrones. Indeed, when George R.R. Martin initially met with would-be showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, he asked them who they thought Jon’s mother was, a test the pair passed. Even long before that, though, the theory had gained traction in the ASOIAF fandom – as it can be found being discussed online as early as 1997 (on the group rec.arts.sf.written, h/t Vox), just a year after the first book in the series was released. And 20 years later, it was finally revealed to be true beyond doubt, albeit in a surprising fashion.
Game of Thrones Season 6 had already more or less confirmed that Jon was Lyanna’s son, as it showed the Tower of Joy scene where she died after giving birth to a baby, whom Ned Stark took. But Season 7, Episode 7 made it all 100% explicit, as a combination of Bran Stark’s visions and Samwell Tarly’s history books led them to piece together the full truth: Rhaegar and Lyanna had secretly been married, Jon was their legitimate child, and Robert’s Rebellion was (somewhat) built on a lie. And, for added incestuous weirdness, they did this while intercutting with Jon having sex with his aunt, Daenerys Targaryen (with Bran’s voice playing over it).
It was certainly an interesting and memorable way to drop a reveal 20 years in the making, and, er, hammered home the implications of the twist. Jon was not a Stark bastard, but a trueborn Targaryen. And more than that, he was the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, despite having just pledged his allegiance to the woman he was in bed with at the time we found out. Although that itself, of course, was really showing just how much of a Targaryen he was.
Game Of Thrones Didn’t Fully Deliver On Jon Snow’s Targaryen Parentage
With so much speculation, to the point it was essentially an accepted fact long before 2017, it was exciting to finally have the confirmation that R+L actually did equal J. And with Game of Thrones Season 8 confirmed in advance to be the show’s last, it was even more exciting to think about what that would mean for Jon, Daenerys, and the story as a whole. This was, after all, one of the biggest plot points in the entire story.
Unfortunately, it didn’t amount to a lot. With just six episodes, there wasn’t enough time to fully explore its meaning and ramifications. And what exploration did happen was quite surface-level: Dany expressed her disbelief and concern that Jon had a stronger claim to the Iron Throne, and he continually expressed he didn’t want it. It was a factor in Daenerys burning King’s Landing, but not the driving force behind it.
Ultimately, Jon Snow’s ending was very fitting for the character, as he went back beyond the Wall rather than taking the throne, leaving mainland Westeros behind for the one place he’d truly belonged, and where his heart truly lies. That’s all well and good, and he proved over and again that, biology aside, he was Ned’s son through and through. But it would’ve been great to have him reckoning more with his Targaryen heritage, what that means, how he feels about it, and his life being a lie.
Thankfully, that’s something we should get in The Winds of Winter and/or A Dream of Spring. The POV structure of Martin’s books will allow a far greater understanding of what Jon and Daenerys both think about the twist, as well as some other characters (such as Arya Stark and Tyrion Lannister). It can make it a lot more emotionally meaningful and narratively impactful than Game of Thrones, doing the twist the justice it’s deserved after so many years of theories about it.
All episodes of Game of Thrones are available to stream on HBO Max.
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