‘Game of Thrones’ season 5, episode 2 spoilers: Kit Harrington on Jon Snow v. Stannis

While the majority of “Game of Thrones” Sunday was about setting the stage for the remainder of season 5, there was one particularly shocking moment at the end of the episode that is a proper game-changer for the rest of the season: Watching Mance Rayder burn at the stake, at least before Jon Snow decides to end his suffering with an arrow into his chest. It was a way to ensure that the death of the Wilding ruler was not any worse than it would be otherwise. Unfortunately, this act on Jon’s part was not exactly sanctioned by either Stannis Baratheon or Melisandre, who was in many ways acting here as the executioner.

So what did Kit Harrington have to say about Jon’s big move, and sudden act of defiance against the current powers-that-be? While it may not be the best move if he wants to get in their good graces, the actor tells The Hollywood Reporter that this is mostly about him not wanting to be a loyal follower anymore:

“Jon is used to having older, more powerful men than himself trying to tell him what to do … Now that he’s got a real king doing that, he doesn’t always listen this season. He’s tired of being told what to do.”

Jon must walk a fine line in doing this, given that it would not be hard for someone like Stannis to put the man down once and for all. This act of mercy could endear himself slightly to the Wildings, who may not have been much on his side before. If he ends up developing his own group of followers, he becomes a threat to everyone and having a group as big as the Wildlings behind him could make him an even bigger threat down the road.

Time will tell where this journey heads, but for now click here to see another preview for Sunday night’s second episode of the season! Also, you can sign up to get some further throne-worthy TV updates on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: HBO.)