No matter how depressing and broody Jon Snow gets, he's one of the few characters on Game of Thrones [1] we have no problem always rooting for. With a moral compass so strong, it's actually pretty surprising that he's survived this long (well, for the most part) in a world like Westeros. He always seems to get himself out of really bad situations — or does he? Maybe he's just one very lucky bastard. Season six seems to prove the latter theory again and again. Here's why.
Episode 1: "The Red Woman"
OK, so Jon isn't exactly SUPER lucky in this episode, considering he's pretty dead. However, before he can be burned (or worse), his body is found by Davos, one of the few friends he has left at Castle Black, and he's then protected by his buddies Edd and Tormund against Alliser Thorne and the other traitors who killed him. Considering where he is and how many enemies he has at the time, these are just about the best circumstances dead Jon Snow could have been under.
Episode 2: "Home"
For most of this episode, Jon is still a corpse — but he also happens to be a corpse lying just a few rooms away from a witch following a religion that allows for a little resurrection every once in a while [2]. And while Melisandre is a little depressed at the beginning of season six, sure enough, at the end of this episode she says some freaky spells, commits a little sacrilege by cutting Jon Snow's famous hair, and lickety-split — he pops back up good as new.
Episode 4: "Book of the Stranger"
Okay, real talk — how many of us were sure that Jon and Sansa would juuuuust miss each other? That Sansa would arrive at Castle Black just hours after her half-brother had left? But once again, Jon Snow's luck wins out, and as he is preparing to leave his brothers and Castle Black for good, Sansa arrived and we got one of the most beautiful Game of Thrones moments in a long, long time [3]. Two members of our favorite family are reunited and no longer have to feel so alone in the world. And Jon, who seemed like he might be a little lost without the Night's Watch, was given a new purpose: taking back his home.
Episode 9: "Battle of the Bastards"
Hoo boy, this episode.
After failing to save poor innocent Rickon Stark from getting brutally shot by Ramsay Snow, Jon's pissed off enough to say "screw it" and faces the oncoming Bolton cavalry on foot, all by himself. He seems prepared to die (again), and at the last possible second, his soldiers crash into the oncoming hordes and keep their commander from being squashed.
THEN, after kicking more than a little ass, Jon finds himself getting trampled underfoot as his army is flanked by the Boltons. Sure, this isn't exactly great luck, but it could be argued that by being kept inside the terrified masses of his own men, Jon was actually kept from getting exposed to the oncoming Boltons.
AND THEN, after he pulls himself up and out [4] and comes to realize that everything is pretty much lost, the Knights of the Vale arrive to everyone's surprise (except anyone who's been paying attention to what Sansa's been up to [5]) and kick the crap out of the Boltons, leaving Jon time to go punch the crap out of Ramsay. Huzzah!
So what does it all mean? Perhaps Jon Snow is simply always in the right place at the right time. Perhaps Melisandre is onto something, and the Lord of Light has bigger plans for him [6] in the end. Perhaps we'll soon learn more about his origins [7] and why he might have a much bigger role in how the Game of Thrones ends. Only time will tell.