Proceed with caution: This review is dark and full of spoilers.
Grade: A-
The familiar epic score swelled, the credit sequence whirled from one destination to the next, and 10.7 million people around the world settled down to watch as the season six premiere of “Game of Thrones” began.
And for the first time in the show’s history, no one knew what was coming.
Last season, with the devastating death of Jon Snow and precarious fates of it’s remaining characters, “Game of Thrones” officially overtook the famous fantasy book series on which it is based, leaving both readers and show watchers wondering what in the Seven Hells was going to happen next.
The show has now entered largely uncharted territory, creating plotlines that may or may not correspond with those in George RR Martin’s long awaited sixth novel. Showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff have taken the lives of our beloved characters into their own hands — and by the looks of the season six premiere, their hands are capable enough by far.
The premiere, mysteriously titled “The Red Woman,” opens where season five left us: with the discovery of Jon Snow’s body at The Wall.
Davos, who remains the most underrated and irrefutably delightful character on the show, quickly organizes Jon’s remaining allies into a makeshift defense force to guard his body. This force includes the titular “Red Woman,” Melisandre, whose importance we’ll get back to in a moment.
While Jon’s fate hangs in the balance, other storylines were surprisingly and cathartically resolved. Sansa and Theon’s unlikely alliance and escape from Winterfell looked doomed from the get-go, but Brienne and Podrick rode to their rescue at the last minute. In a poignant moment many seasons in the works, Brienne pledged her life and sword to Sansa, who managed to look both totally overwhelmed and oddly regal. Is it time for a Queen in the North? One can only hope.
In true “Game of Thrones” fashion, we touched base with a whirlwind of characters throughout our allotted hour in The Seven Kingdoms. Cersei and Jaime mourned yet another child, Tyrion and Varys came across a burning shipyard in Meereen, Margaery rotted in the dungeon and Jorah and Daario searched fruitlessly for Daenarys and newly blind Arya was beat up by the character I’ve dubbed “The Faceless Intern.”
Daenerys seems to be receiving a much needed ego check this season. Held prisoner by yet another Dothraki horde, her lengthy title did little to impress her new captors — who, by the way, were surprisingly hilarious. Between wise cracking Dothraki soldiers, a sarcastic Davos and quippy Sand Snakes, who knew “Game of Thrones” would be bringing the humor this season?
The inclusion of the Dorne storyline was an unpleasant surprise for anyone who, like me, were hoping for a merciful end to the clunky dialogue and mishandled plotlines of Oberyn’s annoying family members. The swift deaths of Areo Hotah, Doran Martell, and his son Tristane were both shocking and unnecessary, seeing as those were the three Dornish characters that I didn’t despise. It turns out Tristane is significantly less attractive with a spear protruding from his face.
This is why we can’t have nice things.
Last but not least, the episode’s most shocking moment belonged to Melisandre. In a striking scene that displayed both her extreme vulnerability and astonishing power, she reveals that her usual Titian body is a glamour that masks her true form: that of a frail, ancient woman. She crawls into bed, pulling the covers over her now weak, elderly body. Despite her fragile appearance, this reveal shows that Melisandre is more formidable than anyone realized.
Just how much power does she have? See you next week!
While one episode is hardly enough to judge an entire season, it is enough to abandon some concerns. Dorne storyline aside, “Game of Thrones” has finally discovered who its real heroes are, and it’s giving us much deserved satisfaction when it comes to their individual fates. By the end of the season, odds are good that Jon Snow will undoubtedly rise from the dead, Sansa will retake the North, and Arya will redeem herself as “World’s Tiniest Assassin.”
Oh, and one of these days, winter will finally come.
@Kate__Halliwell
