Why Kit Harington's Final 'Game of Thrones' Scene Was So Meaningful

"Game of Thrones: The Last Watch" provided one of our very last looks at the show, focusing on how the show came together for the over-the-top look of season 8. One of the sweetest, most unguarded scenes was Kit Harington's final scene—and his moved, moving reaction to finishing up one of the most defining roles of his career.

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(Image credit: HBO)

By Katherine J. Igoe

published 27 May 2019

in News

Spoilers for Game of Thrones season 8. HBO's documentary "Game of Thrones: The Last Watch" provided one of our very last looks at the show, focusing on how it came together and how everyone involved worked tirelessly to achieve the epic, over-the-top look of season 8. One of the sweetest, most unguarded moments was Kit Harington's final scene—and his moved, moving reaction to finishing up one of the most defining roles of his career.

Kit's last scene actually wasn't the "killing Dany" scene.

Instead, it's one of the lead-up moments to the big finale for the character: Jon, walking through the ruins of King's Landing, tries to stop Grey Worm (who's just turned into a killing machine at this point) from executing Lannister soldiers. He's unsuccessful, and it's just another blow to the ego that leads him down the path to being a queenslayer—arguably it's this scene that proves to Jon that Dany's now a tyrant. It's a quiet moment, but one that's full of tension and the potential for violence. It's a fitting end for a character who hates fighting but wants to do what's right.

He's having a blast off-screen.

In what might be his last interaction with some of the actors, stuntmen, and crew, Kit jokes around and smiles. He's wearing a jacket that one of the stuntmen gave him, which is custom-made for each season. He raves about the jacket and asks for the one from this season as well. It's clear that, even to a seasoned actor like Kit who's been doing this show for 10 years, he can still geek out over the special GoT swag he gets as a result.

Kit's final moment is beautiful—and tearful.

D.B. Weiss makes a short speech about meeting Kit a full decade ago and how great it's been to work with him. By the time Kit starts to speak, he's already weeping, and he explains how much he loves the show and his costars (calling them his "family.") "It'll always be the greatest thing I'll ever do," he says of the show, through tears. By the end of his speech, everyone else is crying too.

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Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.