Spoilers for the Season 6 premiere of Game of Thrones are ahead, so if you aren’t caught up with “The Red Woman,” feel free to take care of that now. I’m fine waiting – I can use the time to figure out why I picked the wrong room.
Ah, to live and die in Westeros. It feels good to be back in the place that’s become so familiar over the course of five seasons, rampant bloodshed and depressing story lines notwithstanding. And with the show now having officially surpassed George RR Martin’s foundational fantasy novel series, book readers and show watchers alike are seeing things unfold for the first time. Although the show is now moving into territory unexplored by Martin (at least in any official, published capacity), showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss have plenty of notes and outlines from the author on how he imagines the series to continue unfolding.
As such, I feel that we the viewers are still in very capable hands when it comes to Weiss and Benioff; they’ve been diehard fans of the book series for years, and their commitment to the source material has always shown through on-screen. I think we’re in for some really great moments this season, and if “The Red Woman” is any indication of what to expect from coming episodes, we are in very capable hands, indeed.
So without further adieu, let’s jump into our review of the Game of Thrones Season 6 premiere.
DORNE
For as little screen time Dorne received this episode, there’s certainly plenty to talk about. In one fell swoop, Ellaria Sand and the Sand Snakes ruthlessly assassinated Prince Doran, his son and heir Trystane, and, perhaps most sadly, Doran’s bodyguard Areo Hotah (he totally should’ve been allowed to go down swinging). Dorne has one of the largest and healthiest armies in Westeros, so if Ellaria is able to somehow come into control of these forces, it could spell real trouble for Dorne’s northern neighbors.
The Dorne storyline from last season left plenty to be desired. Aside from being filmed in Seville, Spain’s breathtaking Alcázar of Seville, Jaime and Bronn’s failed “rescue” mission was the weakest plot from Season 5 (who can forget the cheesy battle in the Water Gardens, or the most egregious line of the entire season, when Tyene the Sand Snake told Bronn he “wants a good girl, but needs the bad poo-see”). The fact that Tyene’s sisters Obarra (the spear) and Nymeria (the whip) brutally kill Trystane does little to endear them to me, but given that they’re on the verge of controlling Dorne, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t finding myself invested in what might come from Ellaria and her bastard daughters.
BRAAVOS
So it looks like the now-blind Arya has traded in her oysters-clams-and-cockles cart for a beggar’s bowl. And while seeing her taking her lumps in such a fashion is hard, I also have a hard time shaking the memory of how brutally she murdered Ser Meryn Trant at the end of last season. Sure, the show worked really hard to make us hate Trant (maybe a little too hard; revealing him to be a masochistic child rapist in the same episode in which he was killed felt like a case of jumping the shark).
I also find myself in the weird position where I’m still rooting for Arya, but it’s more from a sense of duty rather than something heartfelt; after all, for her to cross names off her list she must kill. Is it healthy to root for such a thing, given that Arya is barely a tween?
KING’S LANDING
One of the best things about Lena Headey is her ability to emote without speaking a single word: it’s all in her face. Her walk of shame in last season’s finale was enough to make even the most rabid anti-Lannister fans feel a twinge of sympathy for Cersei, and her reaction to seeing her dead daughter’s shrouded bier only added to that sympathy.
It was refreshing that she didn’t lash out at Jaime over Myrcella’s death as she has so often in the past, but instead admit to him her own shortcomings. “We’re going to take everything there is,” Jaime promises her; they both want blood, but between the ire of Dorne to the south, the threat of the Bolton army to the north, and the frenzied zeal of the Faith Militant in King’s Landing, Cersei and Jaime have their fight cut out for them. But hey, at least they have FrankenMountain on their side, right?
THE RED WASTE
At least, I think that’s where Daenerys is right now. Somewhere near the Dothraki Sea, at any rate. One thing is for certain, though, at least to me: Dany’s storyline keeps spinning its wheels. Even since her glacially slow plot in Qarth, I’ve felt like the show – and, by extension, George R. R. Martin – doesn’t quite know how to get her back to Westeros in a satisfying and sensible way (this is confirmed by the “Meereenese Knot” re-integration issue).
Sending her away from Meereen only serves to lengthen the problem, and having her run into another khalasar feels like the easy way out on the level of writing, even if her banter in Dothraki with Khal Moro was amusing. Hopefully Jorah and Daario (and Drogon!) will catch up with her soon, and we can get on with it.
I also have to wonder once again at the abundance of rape – either in fact or in threat – in the world of Game of Thrones. It’s been a point of contention for the show several times in the past, with fans falling on both sides of the argument for its widespread use. On the one hand, it exploits the heinousness of the act for dramatic effect, while on the other hand, it puts us in a position to look at and reflect upon the rape culture within our own society. In “The Red Woman,” the threat of rape and/or decapitation faced by Dany is only mitigated when Khal Moro learns of her value – not as a free woman, but as the former property of an important man. Take that information and make of the Dothraki what you will.
MEEREEN
Well, it looks like the Sons of the Harpy have set fire to Daenerys’ entire fleet, which will only serve to further lengthen the story playing out on the shores of Slaver’s Bay. It was, however, fantastic to see Tyrion and Varys engaging in the sort of banter that has so endeared their friendship to us. As serious as things have become in Meereen since the debacle at the fighting pits (“Fear has brought Meereen to a standstill,” says Varys), it’s good to know that Tyrion can still deliver a perfectly-timed dick joke.
It’s also interesting to see another of the Red God’s faithful – in this case, a Red Priest admonishing his listeners that Dany may not be the best leader for them. The show’s increased attention to followers of R’hllor in both Westeros and Essos tells me that the Red God will play a pivotal role in events to come.
WINTERFELL
After all the horrific things that happened to Sansa last season, it was great to see that her and Theon survived their Butch & Sundance swan-dive off the ramparts of Winterfell at the end of last season (as if we had any doubt). I loved the moment they shared beneath the roots of a fallen weir tree; while Theon still has a long way to go to find redemption, the fact that Sansa was able to embrace him for reasons beyond staying warm speaks volumes in regards to the humanity each of them continues to cling to (Arya could certainly take note here). And how about Brienne and Pod’s epic arrival? Both of them fought valiantly and with skill (Pod is quickly becoming a bad ass!), and with Sansa accepting Brienne’s oath, Brienne gets to have her kill-Stannis-and-protect-the-Starks cake and eat it too.
And as for the Boltons: when oh when will someone please for the love of god kill Ramsay and Roose? I loved the devilish little moment when Ramsay fondly remembers the good times with Miranda as he stands over her dead body, only to tell the Maester to have her chopped up for dog food; Ramsay might be a son of a bitch, but I suppose I can’t say he isn’t pragmatic.
CASTLE BLACK
After discovering Jon Snow’s assassination at the hands of his fellow Brothers of the Watch, Ser Davos barricades himself in a room with Jon’s body, Ghost, and a handful of Snow loyalists. Now that he no longer needs to bow in the rigid shadow of “the one true King” Stannis Baratheon, it’s pretty cool to see Davos beginning to emerge as the leader we always knew he was. My only problem with the standoff situation is that I’m not sure why Davos is suddenly in so much trouble; he seemed to be in Alliser’s good graces until he took Jon’s body inside, so I’m not sure why things took such a sudden turn for the worse (I’m sure I’m missing something).
If I wasn’t sure how to read Melisandre before, I’m now absolutely flummoxed. The knowing half-smile that has defined her character is now long gone, replaced by a look of utterly morose melancholy. After her seeming failure to interpret her visions from the Red God, which led to (among other things) the deaths of Stannis and his daughter Shireen, Melisandre appears to have lost her faith. This is telling: back in Season 3, Thoros of Myr explained to her that he was able to resurrect Beric Dondarrion only after having lost his own faith. With Jon Snow being dead just a few rooms over, it seems to be a ripe opportunity for the faithless Melsandre to mosey over and see just what the Lord of Light can do.
And how about the big reveal at the end of the episode? It turns out that Melisandre is actually a very (very, very) old woman, and that her necklace is the (enchanted?) object that projects her appearance of mysterious beauty and virility. By her own mouth Melisandre has admitted that most of her magic is nothing more than baubles and glamours, and the necklace seems to affirm this, but we mustn’t forget that she was able to birth the very real Renly-murdering smoke-baby back in Season 3, so it stands to reason that there’s more than a little truth to the power of the Red God. But this whole old hag thing has me even more confused about Melisandre than I was before – what does it all mean?
5/5 stars: A few bumps in the road aren’t enough to bog down the stellar Season 6 premiere of one of the best shows on television.
CLOSING THOUGHTS:
- HBO has announced that it will partner with longtime sports and pop culture writer/podcaster Bill Simmons to produce a weekly follow-up television program called After the Thrones that will “recap, theorize about, and explore all matters Game of Thrones.” It will air on Monday nights and focus on the episode from the previous evening. Here’s more details on the new companion television program, if you’re so inclined. My only hope is that HBO will give Simmons (and After hosts Andy Greenwald and Chris Ryan) the latitude to really jump in and explore the show, warts and all. I’m worried that HBO execs will keep Simmons & Co. on a short leash, in much the same way Talking Dead‘s Chris Hardwick seems to be restrained from saying anything critical of The Walking Dead. After the Thrones could very well turn out to be a well-produced, in-depth look at the themes and formal elements of G.o.T., and it could also turn out to be the sort of back-patting feel-goodery that prevents Talking Dead from being a worthwhile endeavor on any meaningful level. Here’s to hoping!
- If you’re ever wondering where a location in Westeros is, or want to know the route a character has taken throughout the course of the series, check out this amazing map. It has episode-sensitive spoiler controls, and you can hover over any named location and be hotlinked to its wiki page (no spoiler controls inside the wiki, but enjoy diving down the rabbit hole).
- When it comes to seasons seven and eight of Game of Thrones, be prepared for shorter seasons. While nothing has been set in stone, co-showrunner David Benioff says “I think we’re down to our final 13 episodes after this season. We’re heading into the final lap. That’s the guess, though nothing is yet set in stone, but that’s what we’re looking at.” This could change, but I don’t see a problem if it doesn’t. Less episodes means more budget per episode (assuming HBO doesn’t cut the show’s funding to reflect the reduced episodes, which I find unlikely), which in turn means a better, more immersive, and more believable viewing experience.
What are your predictions for Season 6 of Game of Thrones? Who will live and who will die?
