Game of Thrones refresher: Season 6 recap
The great houses of Game of Thrones squabble south of the Wall, and engage in epic battles for what may eventually be meaningless land.
After the amazing Game of Thrones fifth season, the end has become slightly more clear. The power players have been established for the most part, and it’s just a matter of whether or not the antagonist Lannisters can maintain control.
All of the above is actually crazy because it could be for naught if Daenerys can get control of her massive forces. And even that could be pointless if nobody stops the White Walkers. Winter is coming.
Season Intro
How will the power struggle play out? Can anyone overcome the Lannister stronghold? More importantly, is Jon Snow really dead? Seeing how Arya develops as a warrior, and how Sansa copes with her time as Ramsay’s “wife” should shape the North.
Episode Highlights
<ul><li>Sansa fully escapes Ramsay thanks to Theon/Reek, Podrick, and mostly Brienne</li><li>Ellaria Sand and her snakes execute Doran Martell for complacency</li><li>Melisandre is a 400-year-old woman! Ewwwwwww.</li></ul>. Game of Thrones. S6E1. The Red Woman. A+
Home. A++. <ul><li>Jon Snow is resurrected!</li><li>Ramsay kills Roose, then feeds Walda and his newborn half-brother to the dogs</li><li>Euron Greyjoy emerges and kills his brother Balon for Iron Island power</li></ul>. Game of Thrones. S6E2
There is so much more going on! The Three-Eyed Raven and Bran see a young, smart Hodor. His name is Wylis, y’all! Two others are getting new starts, as Dany is sent to Vaes Dothrak with the other Khals’ widows, and Arya takes blind beatings in Braavos. Dangerous powers are unleashed as Tyrion frees the dragons and Tommen reconnects with his mother Cersei,
B-. <ul><li>Jon Snow oversees the mutineers’ hangings, then quits as Lord Commander</li><li>Bran and the Three-Eyed Raven watch Robert’s Rebellion end at the Tower of Joy</li><li>Varys discovers the Sons of the Harpy are funded by Yunkai, Astapor, and Volantis Masters</li></ul>. Game of Thrones. S6E3. Oathbreaker
A+. <ul><li>The Lannisters and Tyrells plan to fight the Sparrows</li><li>Daenerys torches the khals and commands the Dothraki khalasars</li><li>Littlefinger controls Robin Arryn and by extension the Vale knights</li></ul>. Game of Thrones. S6E4. Book of the Stranger
Massive confrontations are mounting. At Castle Black, Sansa & Jon reunited. They plan to fight Ramsay, but they don’t know their enemy has been busy. Not only does Ramsay have Rickon Stark as a prisoner, but he also slashed Osha’s throat. Meanwhile, Tyrion has been negotiating with slave traders for a slavery grace period, and Meereen is a powder keg waiting to explode.
Similar battles are inevitable in King’s Landing. In-fighting during the Small Council has created a void that Cersei has been able to exploit to a degree. King Tommen is protecting her from further Sparrow judgment, but his Queen Margaery is still imprisoned, which is not making the Tyrells feel like they’re getting an equal shake.
<ul><li>“Hold the door” becomes Hodor, because of Bran’s ineptitude</li><li>Daenerys banishes Jorah again, but this time for Greyscale</li><li>Euron Greyjoy lays claim to the Salt Throne, is drowned then crowned</li></ul>. Game of Thrones. S6E5. The Door. A+
Game of Thrones. S6E6. Blood of My Blood. B+. <ul><li>A disfigured Benjen Stark saves Bran, the new Three-eyed Raven</li><li>Sam Tarly is disowned, and takes Heartsbane – the family’s Valyrian Steel sword</li><li>The High Sparrow outmaneuvers the Small Council by recruiting King Tommen</li></ul>
The Broken Man. A-. <ul><li>Sandor Clegane lives and seeks vengeance for some senseless murders</li><li>Margaery secretly slips a rose sigil to Olenna to prove loyalty</li><li>Tormund and Wun Wun secure Wildling allegiance for Jon Snow</li></ul>. Game of Thrones. S6E7
Kinvara, High Priestess of the Red Temple of Volantis, knows Varys’s secrets, indicating yet another magical player in the game. Two others, Yara and Theon, escaped with the Iron Islands’ fleet before Euron took over, and have plans of their own. So, too, does Daenerys, who now has 100,000 bloodriders ready to kill.
Jon and Sansa call the North houses for support against Ramsay Bolton, who has gained support of the Karstarks and Umbers. Little Lady Mormont is now my favorite character.
A+. <ul><li>Arya beheads the Waif</li><li>The Hound Lizzie Bordens Brotherhood Without Banners murderers</li><li>The Astapor, Yunkai, and Volantis fleets attack Meereen</li></ul>. Game of Thrones. S6E8. No One
Game of Thrones. S6E9. Battle of the Bastards. A+++. <ul><li>Dany and her dragons torch some ships and crush the “masters”</li><li>Jon Snow and troops are trapped after ignoring Sansa’s warnings about Ramsay</li><li>The Knights of the Vale, commanded by Littlefinger, save Snow’s army</li><li>Sansa feeds Ramsay Bolton to his own starving hounds</li></ul>
Game of Thrones. S6E10. Winds of Winter. A++++. <ul><li>Arya gets revenge for the Red Wedding by slitting Walder Frey’s throat</li><li>Qyburn’s little birds prison shank Grand Maester Pycelle</li><li>Cersei’s wildfire ends the Tyrells (incl. Margaery) and Sparrows</li><li>King Tommen goes skydiving, and Queen Cersei is the result</li><li>Three-Eyed Bran sees Jon Snow born as Aegon Targaryen</li><li>The Dothraki, Ironborn, Dornishmen, Reachmen, and Unsullied fleet sails for Westeros</li></ul>
End of season recap
The final two episodes of this season were Earth-shattering. Cersei has gained complete control, has started to ensure Septa Unella experiences torture for making Cersei “atone”, is followed by The Mountain, and has sycophants doing her bidding. Blowing everyone up proves she’s not even trying to hide her treachery.
That naturally created enemies. Ellaria and the Sand Snakes met with Olenna Tyrell, and the combination is a dangerous adversary from the South. At the same time, Jon Snow’s Northern army has asserted complete dominance of a massive territory. They know they’ll have to defend against the undead but may also squeeze King’s Landing. The true battle for supremacy is impending.
House Rankings
Targaryen – Dany has a massive army and Jon Snow is also a new relative
Lannister – Cersei is lethal, and now the Queen
Stark – King of the North
Greyjoy – Family split, but they’re strong overall
Arryn – Surprisingly powerful force
Baratheon – Nearly extinct, only Gendry remains
Martell – Extinct
Frey – Extinct
Next. Season 8 Preview. dark
Game of Thrones returns to HBO Sunday, April 14 at 9/8c.