I Really Love Ghost

My favorite character on Game of Thrones isn’t a human character. Sure, I love Sansa, and I love Jaime, but there’s a clear favorite in my heart. It’s Ghost, Jon’s loyal Direwolf. This good wolf has been with Jon since he was a puppy and Jon was a boy. They’ve grown up together, fought together, and been with each other through thick and thin.

Given this relationship that has lasted for about eight years now, the most recent episode of the final season has sent fans into an outrage. For those not caught up, Jon says goodbye to Ghost. While it makes sense that the Direwolf shouldn’t go south, that it’s a symbol of Jon leaving his Stark-self behind and following Daenerys, it was so poorly done. It actually might be the worst scene in all of Game of Thrones, only coming after Sansa’s unnecessary assault at the hands of Ramsay Bolton in season five.

Breaking down the scene, Jon tells his wildling friend Tormund to take Ghost north. Tormund is staying north with his people, and Jon says it’s the best place for the big white wolf. Cut to a sad looking Ghost with wounds and scratches from the Battle of Winterfell standing across the courtyard. Jon doesn’t go over to Ghost. He doesn’t say anything or even nod toward his wolf. He looks at him for a moment, and leaves Winterfell on a horse. Ghost walks over to the entrance of Winterfell and stares after him.

Fueling fans’ anger, episode director David Nutter admitted that CGI concerns were a part of the reason for this short goodbye. The wolves are hard to animate with their fur, and in that the actual animals they use act a certain way that doesn’t always work for the camera. He said in an interview with the Huffington Post, “Keeping Ghost off to the side, I thought that played out better… he just walks off by himself, he turns to Ghost and has this moment with Ghost that I thought was very, very powerful.”

I want you all to know, Nutter is wrong. This moment was not very, very powerful. It’s such a bad representation of the bond Jon and Ghost have shared, and totally writes off a creature that is just as important as Drogon. I mean, where do I begin with this scene?

This. Scene. Is. Terrible. While Game of Thrones is one of the best shows on television to me, this moment highlights a problem that many have seen in some of these later seasons. The beauty of the early Game of Thrones seasons is that we had beautiful character driven moments. We had Tywin and Arya’s intense conversations, Tyrion standing trial for a murder he didn’t commit, and the political intrigue in King’s Landing. However, lately there have been some ridiculous moments that are only there for spectacle. Yes, I’m looking at you, Jon riding a dragon for the first time.

Don’t get me wrong; I love the dragons. They look phenomenal and I’m not surprised how much of the budget must go to them. Still, I demand a thirty second goodbye to another pivotal animal that has been present longer than the dragons. See, Ghost to Jon is similar to the dragons are to Dany. It’s his grounding animal that reminds him of who he is. Ghost comforts and protects him when needed, even going as far as to watch out for Jon’s friends, like Sam and Gilly. He’s a loyal wolf, and it’s always awesome to see him on screen.

Now let me get to the idea that this was a “powerful” moment. No. Absolutely not. I may not be the biggest Jon Snow fan in the world, but I know his character. He’s an extraordinarily good man, honest and loyal to a fault. He tries to do what’s right for everyone, no matter the consequences. He grew up with Ghost. When he wasn’t home in Winterfell, he had Ghost. Tell me that this man, who loves this wolf so much, would simply give him a sad glance from across the courtyard, before leaving him in the span of ten seconds. This is ridiculous. It made me not like Jon Snow and applaud Sansa for trying to take Daenerys down. I don’t care how much he loves Dany, or believes in her. I don’t believe his character wouldn’t even walk over and pet Ghost, or say something to him. Not only that, but Ghost is battle scarred as well. The wolf doesn’t just look sad that Jon is leaving. He also has wounds on his face, is missing most of one ear, and has scratches on his torso. That was painful to watch. It came off as cold and insincere, like Jon was ready to leave. I felt none of the emotion between the two that the show has previously done.

For example, I love the scene when Jon and his Night’s Watch brothers defeat the traitors who killed their Lord Commander Mormont. He turns around and sees Ghost, who has been missing for a while. Jon has this amazing smile and goes “C’mere!” and gets down on his knees to pet the wolf. It’s so sweet! After a rough battle, Jon turns into a boy again and greets his wolf. This is one of my favorite Game of Thrones moments, definitely in my top ten. The point is, this was way back in season four. You’re telling me they could show Jon interacting with Ghost four seasons ago, but somehow can’t do it now? The more I think about this the more baffling it becomes.

The bottom line, this show stopped caring about Ghost when it shouldn’t have. I love this show more than anything else on TV, but I’m not going to forgive this move. This wolf was with him longer than any of the other characters he said goodbye to in this scene. If they don’t surprise me and have Ghost make a triumphant return to save Jon, or something else spectacular like that, I’ll be angry for a very long time. We should all set up a GoFundMe where every dollar donated means one pet for Ghost. Let's make sure he gets all the pets he needs because he's a good boy. If Ghost were my puppy, he’d get all the belly rubs and ear scratches he wanted.