10 Game Of Thrones Characters You Really Wanted To Survive
5. Ygritte
It took until the second season for the show runners to finally give Jon Snow a love interest. Up until that point he'd been a sullen, sulky emo. He'd readopt that role after Ygritte's death in season four of course, but for a while we at least saw a less morose side of the character.
Ygritte wasn't just Snow's love interest, though, she exemplified the show's willingness to explore non-typical gender roles in a way that neither felt contrived or insincere. Testimony to the source material, the character wasn't your typical damsel in distress. Indeed, she was prone to getting Jon out of sticking situations whenever he came up against Wildlings who thought him untrustworthy.
Of course, it wouldn't be long before we saw her succumb to a grizzly end. During the penultimate episode of season four, Ygritte took part in the wilding assault on Castle Black. She unflinchingly shot down several Black Brothers before coming face to face with her former lover. For a moment, with the battle raging around them, it looked as though Ygritte and Jon might reconcile, but that would be too simple a resolution for this show. Jon's future steward, Olly, stuck an arrow through Ygrittes back, and the unconventional, Romeo & Juliette romance was over.