We hope you have all just about recovered from this week's incredible Game of Thrones episode (find out our thoughts on it in our weekly aftershow Night Talkers). There was plenty of fire coming from those dragons but there was also some sparks to be seen earlier on in the episode between a certain King of the North and one Daenerys Targaryen.
It's a romance many fans have been rooting for over the years, although it's a little complicated now considering the pair are related and they don't know it. As season six's finale confirmed, Jon is, in fact, the son of Rhaegar Targaryen, Daeny's brother, so that would make the Queen of Dragons his aunt. Now being related hasn't exactly turned Game of Thrones characters off each other before, but still, ewww.
Is it incest if you don't know ur related? Asking for a friend... who knows nothing. #gameofthrones
— miznitch (@mr_frye) August 7, 2017
Despite the shared bloodline however, it seems Game of Thrones is still hinting at a burgeoning romance between the pair. In an interview with IGN, 'The Spoils of War' director Matt Shakman commented on their intimate interaction in this week's episode:
"In the cave scene, where Jon takes Daenerys to see the cave markings, I think there is a lot of subtle chemistry happening there between the two of them, and even just Daenerys taking that tiny step forward to Jon before she asks him to bend the knee. There's a lot of tension in that that I think comes from just two great actors in that darker, more intimate location", he said.
"The first time they come together they're in a large, formal throne room hall, and now we're getting a chance to see them alone without their attendants in a sort of quiet space. We looked at a lot of Lascaux caves, the paintings by prehistoric men in France. The imagery is meant to connect to that, but to see them firelit in front of the proof of what Jon is trying to say to her is quite powerful. She takes it in, but she's still not able to give up what she wants from him."
Yep, to bend that feckin' knee of his, if you haven't gathered already.
When asked whether these scenes were more important to convey a growing romance between the two or a growing respect between them, Shakman said: "I think both. I think there absolutely is a political storyline that's really important, which is Jon desperately trying to convince Daenerys and everyone else that the threat that is more important than who is fighting for the Iron Throne is the fight for humanity, and that this real, dangerous force is heading for them all. That's his biggest concern. Daenerys, of course, as she loses allies, is trying to gain one in the King of the North, so there's very much a political dialogue happening in the scene. But it's also undeniable that there's something happening between them personally, as well."
As Jon himself said to Ser Davos though later on in the episode, "There's no time for any of that", and we can't help but agree, there are so many wars to be fighting we can't see how either of them are going to have a chance for any romance. And... and... Jon hearts Ygritte forever... no?
Saying all that, it's hard not to admit that it makes for a very interesting relationship to watch develop, and as book readers will tell you, it's actually pretty common for Targaryens to marry each other 'to keep the bloodline pure'... although that is also apparently why a lot of them have been so batsh*t crazy.