Read what Game of Thrones actor James Cosmo (Commander Mormont) has to say about the pivotal Night’s Watch development in last night’s episode! Spoiler alert.

Are you as sad as we are that Lord Commander Jeor Mormont bit the dust (well, snow) in “And Now His Watch is Ended”? The 997th Night’s Watch Commander’s watch ended at Craster’s Keep, when he was stabbed in the back by one of his own men.

Access Hollywood has spoken to James Cosmo about shooting the scene, and how he reacted to finding out that his character would become another casualty of the war between ice and fire.

Talking about the fact that Mormont was killed by Rast, Cosmo points out that Mormont might have been, “The best of a very bad lot.”

However, he does acknowledge that all of the Crows are under a tremendous amount of stress, saying, “They’re all in survival mode and the worst traits come out in some of them. And only in some of them.”

While Cosmo is sad to see his character go, he admits that he knew it was coming from the beginning, and was prepared for it. He also says that he’s happy with his death scene.

“It was a well-written exit,” he says, “and I know that David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] were very keen to make the most of Lord Mormont’s death and make it as shocking as possible.”

Going on to speak about Mormont’s relationship with Jon Snow, Cosmo says, “I think he saw in Jon maybe what he wanted his son [Ser Jorah Mormont] to really have been.”

And even though Mormont is gone, Cosmo expects both Jon and Sam to carry some of him with them. “The traits in his character [are] something that they will hopefully try to emulate as they grow into adulthood and become leaders in their own right,” he says.

What did you think about the Old Bear’s death? Was it shocking enough? Or maybe it happened too quickly? Sound off in the comments!