The sixth season of Game of Thrones is comprised of ten episodes, each of around 50 minutes long. It adapts a part of A Feast for Crows, A Dance with Dragons, the upcoming The Winds of Winter, and new content that is not yet in the book series. It continues on following the numerous viewpoints. It can make it confusing to keep up during the beginning of the season as each viewpoint has their own subplots that are currently distinct from others. They don’t interact with each other too much. Be prepared for various characters that you thought were dead or written off the show make surprising returning appearances.
Jon Snow had a shocking predicament at the end of the last season, and we are now seeing the aftermath of the treason from a part of the Night’s Watch. One thing is for sure though and that is Jon is definitely dead, yet he still manages to play a huge role in this season. It can be a bit of an anti-climax with how the whole situation pans out. He’s a tad bit more unlikable this season since he is rash and definitely not the type to strategize despite being level headed in his depictions up until now. After spending so much time, pretty much from the very first season, some of the Stark siblings finally reunite with each other. It is a satisfying scene and you breathe a sigh of relief. Sansa and Baelish’s fate continues to intertwine, even when Sansa wants to break through.
Ramsay’s actions, true to his character, make it easy for viewers to hate him. He is a despicable human. As he continues to grapple with the fact that he is, and will always be, a bastard, he is trying to influence his father, Roose. Ramsay’s claim as the heir is under threat since Roose’s baby is going to be born soon. The lengths that Ramsay goes to in order to keep his place is cruel, and also makes him pitiful as it shows how insecure he is feeling. It’s painful and frustrating to watch him constantly cheat death and managing to kill supporting characters who had been around for a while. Ramsay rivals Joffrey in terms of the character you would hate the most.
The previous season finally had Theon Greyjoy break through his submissive behavior (which was frankly very annoying). While he doesn’t quite return to his original proud self, he’s a lot more bearable this season. The situation at King’s Landing doesn’t evolve too much. The High Sparrow is still holding the queen captive, while Jaime and Cersei are struggling to get any foothold to power. The plotting and forging of alliances continues to chug along in full force. It’s constantly surprising how the High Sparrow has so much power and keep one step ahead.
Tommen as a King remains weak willed and this makes him terribly frustrating to watch. It’s a shame for Jaime and Cersei that both their sons who managed to become the king are so uncontrollable and useless. Tommen never redeems himself through any of this actions. On other side of the world is Arya. She had abused her powers and position and is thus being punished. The punishment is her eyes; she is now a blind beggar. Although we know that she will somehow get out of this, the assassin’s brotherhood is so mysterious but also because Arya is grappling with her clashing morals. To become a part of the brotherhood, Arya must kill her targets indiscriminately. It doesn’t matter whether they deserved to or not, they were paid by the client so they must die. Since Arya is a Stark, bought up with honor, it is hard for her to just throw it all away.
Daenerys, having fallen from grace again, remains across the sea and struggles to build her army to take back Westeros. To be honest, she started doing this way back in the first season and despite gaining a lot of respect, and even a godly awe from the population, it feels like she hasn’t made much progress.
The season’s production values remain outstanding, with amazing backdrops. It has some of the biggest and grandest battles in the series yet. It really emphasizes the scale and messiness of a battlefield, where you don’t know what’s going on around you except that you much fight to survive. The despair the soldiers must feel when they are trapped by superior strategy is perfectly communicated. The only sad part is how cheap human lives are, and some of the deaths are fairly gruesome to watch.
There is a strong ending to the season, which covers off a few plot threads that had been going on for a while. While not all of the resolutions are completely satisfying, it is a relief to see the end of a few of them as they had been going on for so long. The resulting shift of positions of power at the end o the season completely turns things around, and will reinvigorate your enthusiasm for the show.
Overall, season six of Game of Thrones manages to outdo its previous seasons and become bigger, better and more intense. Things are happening, plot threads are being resolved, and it feels like it is charging ahead towards its grand finale. You are completely invested in its characters and the struggles that they face, which makes it a gripping watch.
-----------------------------------------------
For reviews of other TV series, have a look at this page.