Game of Thrones recap: 'Kill the Boy'

Don't worry: It's not about child slaughtering

Game of Thrones, episode 5.
(Image credit: (Helen Sloan/ courtesy HBO))

“You'll find little joy in your command, but you will find the strength [for] what needs to be done. Kill the boy, Jon Snow. Kill the boy, and let the man be born.” —Maester Aemon

Game of Thrones is one of the very few shows on television where an episode called "Kill the Boy" could plausibly be about a child being slaughtered. Thankfully, the episode's title is not to be taken literally. As Maester Aemon explains to Jon Snow in the central speech of "Kill the Boy," a good ruler needs to make the choices that might seem objectionable to his men and his less calculating self. Jon has already started to find his footing as Lord Commander of The Night's Watch, doling justice out to Janos Slynt two weeks ago, but now he has a much more unpopular action in store: bringing the tens of thousands of Wildlings who have taken refuge in the desolate fishing village of Hardhome under the protection of the Night's Watch.

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Chris Mandle is a London-based journalist specialising in pop culture and entertainment. He contributes titles including Esquire, Dazed & Confused and The Mirror.