In 2013, I found myself at a crossroads. I had exhausted my Friends boxset, CSI had dipped in quality, and How I Met Your Mother had soiled on its own legacy with one of the worst series finales in television history (SPOILER- The Mother dies). For lack of a better word, I was "seriesless". But not for long. On a cold, stormy winter's day a canny friend recommended to me a fantasy series he described as being like no other, one made up of a perfectly brewed combination of politics, backstabbing, lovemaking and warfare. And Sean Bean.
Thus, my love affair with Game of Thrones was born.
The HBO show just finished its sixth season, and it is clear that the programme continues to go from strength to strength. At this point it is ingrained in our pop culture to a degree that I believe you could go anywhere in the world and people would solemnly agree with you if you were to proclaim to them that "Winter is Coming". The season 6 finale was viewed live by roughly 9 million people in the States alone, making it the most watched episode in the series' history. It has won numerous Golden Globes and Emmy Awards, making it one of the most critically successful TV shows of all-time. Yes, its resume is impressive. The show's current run concluded last week, so let's delve in and analyse both the good and the bad and the ugly from Season 6 of Game of Thrones.
There were a few dull moments over the course of this season, with the biggest disappointment of the year by far being the storyline involving Arya and the Faceless Men. It was too slow and plodding, stretching out over the course of two seasons, which would have been fine if we had been given a satisfying resolution. Alas, we did not. All we got was Arya effectively becoming the first of the Stark children to drop out of college. It all just felt rather pointless, even if we did get to see how her newly acquired abilities will be of use to her in the season finale. Ultimately, the storyline did nothing to advance Maisee William's character in any way and I'm glad to see her back on Westerosi shores. Tyrion Lannister (played by the excellent Peter Dinklage) is also extremely under-utilised in this season. Ever the show's most consistent performer, the problem is not necessarily with the actor her per se, but rather that he is given very little to do. For a man who has delivered some of the best and most stinging lines in TV history ("I did not kill Joffrey, but I wish that I had!") to be demoted to making jokes with Greyworm on a weekly basis is slightly depressing. There's only so many times you can enjoy The Imp walking through the streets conversing with Lord Varys before it begins to get a little mundane. Regardless, as is the case with Arya, I expect Tyrion's story to pick up again next year as he helps his Queen to claim the Iron Throne for herself.
In saying all this, the show's pros still far outweighed its cons. Cersei's road to revenge was Season 6's best story by far, providing one of the show's most divisive characters with an arc of almost Shakespearean proportions. At the end of Season 5 we seen Cersei at her lowest. Forced to walk naked through the streets of King's Landing (shame, shame, shame, shame etc) the Queen-Regent seemed a shell of her former self. Yet she didn't let anything break her resolve and throughout the year Cersei has been plotting to seek vengeance from those who took her dignity from her. In the finale she commits one of the biggest moments of mass genecide we have ever seen on the show, and in the episodes final minutes she is crowned the ruler of the Seven Kingdom's. It's a story that's captured my attention, though I do have a feeling her downfall and eventual demise is imminent in season 7 (Her brother's gonna kill her, heard it here first). Also, it was good to see Jon Snow being alive and getting involved in the action, and the relationship between him and Sansa, as well as the true nature of his parentage, is sure to be one of the more intriguing plot-lines moving forward. Kit Harrington and Sophie Turner are both excellent actor's and I want to see the, get the chance to improve their already impressive chemistry moving forward.
I don't think this review would be complete without mentioning specifically episodes 9 and 10 of this season.
They were bloody brilliant.
The Battle of the Bastards, much like Blackwater and Hardhome before it, was immense. The action was of a cinematic standard, proving how far TV has come in the last few years. The image of Jon Snow ready to die, holding Longclaw aloft as the Bolton cavalry charges towards him, is bone-chilling, and the subsequent claustrophobic scene in which Jon is almost suffocated under a pile of his own soldiers bodies will make any viewer's skin crawl. Action aside, this episode had so many memorable moments (Daenerys and her dragons saving Mereen, Ramsey's satisfying demise, Rickon not knowing how to zig-zag etc) that it has to go down as one of the best episodes in the show's run from both a cinematic and storytelling perspective. I would argue however that the season finale is the definitive Game of Thrones episode. It was so satisfying to see as a fan with Arya getting her revenge on Walder Frey, The High Sparrow getting his just desserts, Jon Snow being hailed the new King of the North and Daenerys Tarrgerian finally (FINALLY) sailing for Westeros with a wicked squad by her side. The iconic moment of the Sept of Balor going up in flames was mesmerising and will go down as perhaps the greatest piece of imagery in the show's history. However it also left us wanting more, anticipating the next season with more gusto and passion than fans ever have previously. Praise has to be given to director Miguel Sapochnik who was at the helm of both episodes, and I'd certainly welcome him back to director further instalments in the series in season 7 and beyond.
All-in-all, Season 6 was solid. At its best it was everything Game of Thrones should be: unpredictable, exciting, shocking and well-acted. Most plot threads were given excellent pay-offs by the time the season ended, and episodes 9 and 10 were two of the best that the show has ever produced. It also put its woman at the forefront of this season, a refreshing change considering that when we first entered Westeros it was mostly run by middle-aged men. However, the season is very inconsistent with some episodes dragging behind the standard we would expect from the HBO series. What I would say though is that this season did its job in the sense that it has brought all its characters together just in time for season 7, and that is a mouth-watering prospect when you think of the possibilities that will arise as a result of this.
Overall, good job guys, but let's make sure we hit each of these remaining 13 episodes out of the park. No time can be wasted.
Watch or Avoid: Watch
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