“Hold the Door.”
While many may be wondering why their social media feeds have been taken over by these three simple words, Game of Thrones fans are busy trying to recuperate from what could very well be the most heartbreaking episode in the show’s history.
Why is everyone up in arms, you ask? Well—-Spoiler Alert—one of the epic series’ most beloved (yet overlooked) characters, Hodor, met a tragic albeit honourable end.
Though viewers learned more about the lovable ‘gentle giant’ in the past few episodes: his real name is Willis and he didn’t always have a speech impediment which reduced him to communicating using only one word, it seems it was all setting us up for heartbreak.
We allowed ourselves to hope that the fan favourite, who’s been a loyal companion and protector to Bran Stark, will play a bigger part in the story.
But then the fifth episode of season six happened and all fan theories had to be thrown out the window.
screengrab: YouTube
In the waning moments of the episode, we see Hodor protecting Bran (who’s paralysed from the waist down) from a violent horde of White Walkers out to kill him and his friend Meera.
The heart-wrenching revelation of how he came to be called Hodor unfolds in a series of cut-to-cut flashbacks wherein Bran (who’s able to travel through time and “warg” or basically possess any living thing) inhabits Hodor’s body.
As present-day Hodor barricades the door upon Meera’s command, allowing her to drag Bran out of sight, her command to “Hold the Door” echoes to the past, causing a twisted time loop which warps young Hodor’s brain sending him into seizures, slurring his words until they meld into one: “Hodor”.
All of his life had been leading up to one moment of predestined heroic sacrifice.
It may be painful to grow attached to a character only to have them snatched away in a 10-minute scene. But fans can take comfort in the fact that he died in an honourable way, which propelled the story in an unexpected new direction.
If you’ve ever wondered how you or your family would fare in the chaotic world of Westeros, you’re not alone.
There’s a growing conversation on the new Q&A platform, theAsianparent Community, which began when one user asked: “How would you feel if you knew your child’s destiny is to ‘Hold The Door’?”
The question, which was asked anonymously, has earned some interesting responses so far.
“Personally, I’d be traumatised and really heartbroken if it was my child’s destiny to hold the door and have such a tragic ending,” admits one parent. “Proud of his heroics but heartbroken nonetheless.”
One parent had a less serious approach: “I’d tell my kid to stop hanging out with the Stark family first.”
“Be proud that it’s for the greater good…or is it?” said one user.
While, nonchalance is the way to go for one user. You can’t fight fate: “Well if it is destiny, there is not much you can do. Just have wine and enjoy coz [sic] winter is coming.”
What’s your take on this, mums and dads?
If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them with us!