Game of Thrones fans are still debating Sam’s encounter with White Walkers in Season 2. Some see it as a plot hole, some believe it’s an example of poor editing, and others see it as a vestige of a dropped plot. The confusion stems from the Season 2 finale “Valar Morghulis,” in which Sam hides while the White Walkers and their army of wights walk past him. At one point, it seems like one of the White Walkers looks right at Sam’s hiding place, but continues on anyway. This might be explained as a strange editing choice, though not all agree. It could also be an instance of the show sticking to the books’ plotline, only to drop it later.
The issue of Sam’s survival in this scene came up again this week on the Game of Thrones subreddit, with fans joking that it was merely a contrivance by the showrunners to play up the drama. Some commenters chalked it up to bad cinematography, and there were other decent explanations as well. Perhaps the White Walkers assumed Sam was a wight among their army since he was wasn’t fighting back, or perhaps he was so cold at the time that their sense didn’t pick him up. Many however, referenced the characterization of the White Walkers from the books.
In George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, the White Walkers — or “Others” — have their own spoken language that humans can’t understand. In the few scenes where they’re described directly, they seem to be able to communicate and coordinate with nuance, and they act like intelligent beings, not just mass murderers. These creatures don’t necessarily want to kill and enslave every human who crosses their path, although it’s not exactly clear what they do want.
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There are hints of this mystery in the show as well — fans compared Sam’s survival to the Night’s Watch deserter who fled after seeing the White Walkers in the pilot episode of the show. He was ultimately caught at Winterfell and beheaded by Ned Stark. If he shared his story of seeing the Others, no one believed him. Fans speculated that the Others wanted that man and Sam both to survive — perhaps to spread the word of their coming, or perhaps to deliver some other message we couldn’t discern.
If that’s so, it opens up more questions than it answers, and since Game of Thrones is already over, we can’t really expect any satisfying resolution. However, fans of the books have presented plenty of evidence over the years that the Others are seeking a diplomatic negotiation with humanity, and that they want something specific. Many expect Jon Snow to facilitate this negotiation after his death and resurrection, just as he mediated between the Wildlings and the Night’s Watch. It would play well into the series’ anti-war themes, and present a conclusion more interesting than a one-night battle that ends when the leader of the Others is taken down.
Sadly, there’s no assurance that we’ll see the intended conclusion in the books either, which means fan theories may be all we have to go on. Game of Thrones is streaming now on Max, and Martin’s books are available in print, digital, and audiobook formats.
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