Actor John Bradley-West attends SiriusXM's Entertainment Weekly Radio Channel Broadcasts From Comic-Con 2016 at Hard Rock Hotel San Diego on July 22, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Photo : Getty Images for SiriusXM / Vivien Killilea)
In "Game of Thrones," Samwell Tarly (John Bradley-West) plays a significant role, considering his inadvertent discovery of dragonglass against the White Walkers. In defense to Gilly (Hannah Murray) and her baby, he reflexively used a dragonglass in attacking a White Walker who shattered into ice as soon as the dragonglass entered its body.
Tarly could have died in the hands of either the White Walker he attacked or the dragonglass which destroyed his foe. His death and the uselessness of the dragonglass could have tremendously changed the story of the fantasy series.
The Night Walkers target the infant son of Gilly, whom Tarly loves and determined to protect. With the Night Watch member's academic inclination and access to the library, he is the best candidate to discover about the usefulness of the dragonglass.
Tarly's personal goals are to protect his loved ones and train as a maester in Citadel in Oldtown, Westeros' second largest city. So far, he was able to return home, reunited with his father Lord Randyll (James Faulkner) and reached Oldtown.
With Tarly leaving the Night Watch, Bradley-West believes his character does not seek to live a comfortable life. Tarly wants to do something and in Season 5 and 6, he was heading towards that environment where he feels at home and can potentially make a difference.
"I think he genuinely feels he can make a difference, and he wants to, because he's a very good and proactive character," Bradley-West told The Hollywood Reporter. "It's all about Sam becoming self-aware and understanding his limitations and knowing his strengths can't be served at Castle Black."
Bradley-West also hoped Tarly had narrowed down his priorities to the people he most loved and to what really matters to him, the actor told Vulture in an interview. Instead of being previously affected by things, the character changed things for the better, and for the greater good.
As "Game of Thrones" comes to a close with two more seasons left, it is expected Westeros will have an outright war with the Night Walkers. The only hope to to defeat the dead is the dragonglass, thanks to Tarly. Otherwise, Westeros could have been completely defenseless.
Here is the scene where Tarly killed a White Walker with a dragonglass:
