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Game of Thrones finale reunites Jon Snow and Ghost for one pawfect scene

Jon Snow ignored his loyal direwolf last week, but the series finale offered a pet-lover pleasing reunion.

Headshot of Gael Cooper
Headshot of Gael Cooper
Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
Expertise Breaking news, entertainment, lifestyle, travel, food, shopping and deals, product reviews, money and finance, video games, pets, history, books, technology history, and generational studies Credentials
  • Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year"​ award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
Gael Cooper
2 min read
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Ghost was left hanging in the penultimate episode, but he got his much deserved nuzzles in the finale.

 Helen Sloan/HBO

Ghost, the albino direwolf Jon Snow adopted in the Game of Thrones pilot, was all but ignored by his human buddy last week. Then came the May 19 series finale, and let's just say it went to the dogs in the best way paw-sible.

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Whatever viewers thought of the final episode, it was at least satisfying for pet lovers, who got to see Jon return to the Night's Watch and reunite not only with his red-headed bro Tormund, but with Ghost as well.

And this time, he didn't just look the wolf's way, but got down on Ghost's level and really snuggled the good, good boy who lost an ear fighting for his buddy. And the love for Ghost was deserved, no bones about it.

Social media barked about it, too.

"Tried not to cry the whole episode then Ghost finally got his good boy pats and I lost it!" tweeted one fan.

Many Twitter users focused on what Ghost was thinking when his oft-gone owner finally, finally gave him some love.

Many remembered an earlier episode where Jon told Ghost, "I missed you, boy."

Some, however, envisioned a less friendly reunion of the two. "It would have been awesome if Ghost bit his head off and it went to black," one Twitter user wrote.

And some wondered if the writers hastily concocted the scene as service to complaining fans. Wrote one Twitter user: "They heard y'all complaining about Jon Snow not petting Ghost and said, 'Here, damn!'"

But however the Ghost affection made it into the script ... P.S. We'll take it.

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