Game of Thrones’ ending. At that point, of course, they were surprisingly dealt with just halfway through the final season, a controversial decision given how important they were supposed to be.

While their fate was divisive, they nonetheless served up some truly iconic moments and were part of a number of the Night King turning a baby into a White Walker, and Hodor holding the door against the wights are all unforgettable. However, no White Walker sequence or episode matches “Hardhome.".

What Happened At Hardhome In The Books

Martin Doesn't Really Tell This Story In A Song Of Ice & Fire

In A Dance with Dragons, Jon Snow begins receiving reports of wildlings, led by a woman named Mother Mole, being trapped at Hardhome. The place itself is said to be cursed in the books, with the settlement that once lay there having been mysteriously destroyed around 600 years ago. Said curse is quite hard to dispute, given what takes place there.

There are thousands of free folk gathered there, and Jon is not only aware that they need saving, but that if they aren’t rescued, they’ll be added to the army of the dead’s numbers. Thus, he sends orders to a man named Cotter Pyke to lead the mission, with 11 ships in total setting sail from Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. Eventually, Pyke reaches Hardhome, but sends back word of the hell that awaited them:

“‘At Hardhome, with six ships. Wild seas. Blackbird lost with all hands, two Lyseni ships driven aground on Skane, Talon taking water. Very bad here. Wildlings eating their own dead. Dead things in the woods. Braavosi captains will only take women, children on their ships. Witch women call us slavers. Attempt to take Storm Crow defeated, six crew dead, many wildlings. Eight ravens left. Dead things in the water. Send help by land, seas wracked by storms. From Talon, by hand of Maester Harmune.’

“Cotter Pyke had made his angry mark below. ‘Is it grievous, my lord?’ asked Clydas. ‘Grievous enough.’ Dead things in the wood. Dead things in the water. Six ships left, of the eleven that set sail. Jon Snow rolled up the parchment, frowning. Night falls, he thought, and now my war begins."

Will The Winds Of Winter Revisit Hardhome?

It's Possible Martin's Sixth Book Could Conclude The Story

Similar to Game of Thrones, Jon Snow initially planned on heading to Hardhome himself. However, there was a different timeline of events here: Jon received a pink letter, ostensibly from Ramsay Bolton, goading him to Winterfell. Jon decides to ride south, but still plans on sending the men of the Night’s Watch to Hardhome:

"’I summoned you to make plans for the relief of Hardhome,’ Jon Snow began. ‘Thousands of the free folk are gathered there, trapped and starving, and we have had reports of dead things in the wood.’ To his left he saw Marsh and Yarwyck. Othell was surrounded by his builders, whilst Bowen had Wick Whittlestick, Left Hand Lew, and Alf of Runnymudd beside him. To his right, Soren Shieldbreaker sat with his arms crossed against his chest. Farther back, Jon saw Gavin the Trader and Harle the Handsome whispering together. Ygon Oldfather sat amongst his wives, Howd Wanderer alone. Borroq leaned against a wall in a dark corner. Mercifully, his boar was nowhere in evidence.

"‘The ships I sent to take off Mother Mole and her people have been wracked by storms. We must send what help we can by land or let them die.’ Two of Queen Selyse's knights had come as well, Jon saw. Ser Narbert and Ser Benethon stood near the door at the foot of the hall. But the rest of the queen's men were conspicuous in their absence. ‘I had hoped to lead the ranging myself and bring back as many of the free folk as could survive the journey.’ A flash of red in the back of the hall caught Jon's eye. Lady Melisandre had arrived. ‘But now I find I cannot go to Hardhome. The ranging will be led by Tormund Giantsbane, known to you all. I have promised him as many men as he requires.’”

Whether this will happen Jon’s death in Game of Thrones season 5, where the simplified mutiny is a direct response to Hardhome and bringing back the wildlings (at the cost of several brothers’ lives), in the book Jon’s decision to leave the Wall and ride for Winterfell (with an army of wildlings) is also a factor in the men of the Night’s Watch turning against him.

Hardhome may not be something that can be ignored in the books, but it may also have to happen off-page, since there may not be any POV characters going there without Jon’s involvement. Martin has previously said no new POV characters will be introduced in The Winds of Winter [via Not A Blog], so unless that has changed, it won't be seen firsthand. However, the mutiny also means there’s a bigger story at the Wall, so what happens to the wildlings and Night’s Watch brothers could take a backseat, a stark contrast to Game of Thrones.

Game Of Thrones Elevated Hardhome Into Its Most Terrifying Episode

Game Of Thrones Season 5, Episode 8 Is One Of The Show's Very Best Installments

Game of Thrones season 5, episode 8's battle comes a little out of nowhere. Audiences were trained to expect large-scale action in the ninth episode of the season, not the eighth, and while the trip to Hardhome certainly wasn't without its peril, few would've predicted the sheer hell that greeted Jon Snow, his Night's Watch brothers, and the wildlings who had gathered there. Countless wights, and a few White Walkers, descended upon them in what wasn't so much a fight as it was a complete massacre.

Game of Thrones kept elements of what was hinted at on the page - dead things, free folk dying - but turned them all into a terrifying spectacle with Jon at its center.

Game of Thrones kept elements of what was hinted at on the page - dead things, free folk dying - but turned them all into a terrifying spectacle with Jon at its center. The vagueness of the book works in A Dance with Dragons, especially as Martin prefers to keep the Others more hidden. The show-don't-tell approach is far more suited to TV, with general audiences more in need of a reminder about this threat, and, especially with Miguel Sapochnik's direction, it becomes one of the entire series' greatest feats.

"Hardhome" is the 4th highest-rated episode of Game of Thrones on IMDb, with 9.8/10. The only episodes rated more highly are "The Rains of Castamere," "The Winds of Winter," and "Battle of the Bastards," all with 9.9/10.

Much like the book, there's a sense of hopelessness, despair, and dread that covers the proceedings, albeit with brief respite found in one of the show's great, surprising hero moments, as Jon kills a White Walker. This comes with a crucial lore reveal too, as it shows they're vulnerable to Valyrian steel, not just dragonglass. The action is frenetic - it's controlled chaos and carnage - and the hordes of wights turn it into some of the best zombie TV of the past decade. There's also excellent character work outside of Jon, such as making us immediately care for - and mourn - Karsi.

At the end of it all comes its most shocking, harrowing achievement: the Night King stares down Jon Snow, lifts his arms, and raises the dead. The character does not exist in the books, where the Others are more of a supernatural force without a defined leader (as far as we know), but in this moment, it made for one of Game of Thrones' most epic, chilling, and memorable scenes, all thanks to just a few tantalizing teases from the book.