Game of Thrones Season 6 TV Review

Game of Thrones (2011-)
Season 6 (2016)

Created by: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
Starring: Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Aidan Gillan, Gwendoline Christie

Plot: 
HBO's fantasy drama series adapted from George R.R. Martin's book series A Song of Ice and Fire follows the civil war of kings and usurpers in Westeros who wish to sit one the throne. The scale and scope of the story is staggering, fully realized with a large ensemble cast.
Verdict
This isn't a show you can pick up and start watching. Even having seen every episode, I had to consult Google due to the sheer number of characters thrown on screen this season. This season combines surprises, big reveals, and excitement that obscures the fact that the massive plot moves at a glacial pace.I don't care if we never see the grand finale battle if we keep getting seasons like this.

The show is at it's best when it doesn't feel obligated to update us on each concurrent story. The first couple of episodes felt like clip shows as we got quick snippets to update us on each character, but not enough information to constitute plots. This season then settled into alternating between groups of characters which allowed a better narrative. Surprises and reveals throughout keep the plot engaging while episodes were setting up the next big reveal. This season is really good. It might be my favorite. Rumors are that Game of Thrones will have an eight episode season seven and a six episode season eight.
Watch it.

Review
If you just want to see my season seven speculation, scroll to the end. =) If you want to read my episode by episode recap, click here.

I wasn't initially excited about this season. My interest has been waning since season three, but when I saw the trailer, I couldn't wait.  Season six's biggest plot lines involved Jon Snow's death and departure from the wall, Bran's trek through the wall and becoming cosmically powerful, Daenerys rise to power (again), and Arya in Braavos. Cersei's pending trial was a tease throughout the season, but that and the High Sparrow felt like background noise. We see a few old faces from previous seasons too.

This season really hit its stride with episode four, where it narrowed the focus to a few characters and provided Daenerys with a massive Dothraki army.

Episode five provides exciting and fast-paced action before dropping a Hodor bombshell that was set up in season one.

Even in episodes six and seven which skew to filler, characters appearing from previous seasons enliven a plot that  doesn't move very far.

Episode nine is the largest Game of Thrones battle we've ever seen and it's amazing. This is the best episode of the season. The cinematography and directing are excellent and it's the culmination of a few plot lines.

I thought episode nine would be my favorite and then ten happened. It packs a lot into one episode, furthering plots lines with Cersei, Jon, Arya, and Daenerys while setting up Westeros as the battleground in the final seasons. While episode nine is great, this does resolve story points that have spanned multiple seasons.

Jon Snow was killed in the final episode of season five. The first episode teased what we knew was inevitable. Jon doesn't stay dead, and episode two is his resurrection.

Jon Snow lives! Actually no, he's dead.

This was a show in the first few seasons where anyone could die. That's not the case anymore. There is no way around it. Introducing a new character that would be the champion of this saga would be a betrayal, but it also robs the series of tension when we know a character won't die (or will be resurrected). I trust the show enough to not rely on magical resurrections too often, but even when Arya's survival was in jeopardy, I knew the show wouldn't kill her.
You serve the Night's Watch until death. Jon fulfilled that vow and relieves himself from duty.

Jon is a moral rock, but he isn't a great general. Then again he never wanted to fight. Luckily his half sister Sansa has become much more cunning than the naive girl we saw in season one. Episode ten finally answers the questions surrounding Jon's lineage. Some big hints were dropped this season, with the biggest hint of all dropped in the finale. It doesn't outright state it, but it comes as close to doing that as you can get.

Sansa finally reaches Jon and the wall. If you thought Jon might be the champion of the North, Sansa makes a strong case for the position this season. I really expected Sansa to become queen of the North, and she still might, but for right now Jon Snow is the king.
As Sansa's influence increases in the physical world, her brother Bran is becoming a big deal in the supernatural world.

Bran finally meets the three eyed raven and is entrusted with immense power that he's no where close to mastering. He's bound to have a larger role just because of his abilities and what he knows, but I don't know how it fits into the larger plot. In episode five he becomes the new three eyed raven due to circumstance. Any episode with white walkers is exciting as this one proves, and there are a LOT of white walkers.

White walkers mean business.

Bran is the only one that knows of Jon's lineage. He's going to have to get back to society to let them know.

I wondered if Arya would become one of the faceless assassins never to be seen again, but that's not her plight. She ends up back in Westeros, but her stop in Braavos feels like filler. Will there be a big reveal to her siblings that she's still alive? It's just as likely she'll remain incognito and carry out the revenge for which she was so desperate.

Daenerys finally has a worthy army at her back, uniting the Dothraki in episode four. Her story has doubled back a couple of times, but she triumphed by killing the Dothraki Khals by trapping and setting them on fire. She emerged unharmed because she is Daenerys the unburnt, the new Khal. I don't know why she doesn't use that trick more often. She gets a fleet of ships and is sailing to Westeros at the end of this season.

Cersei has now taken the throne.

Cersei is relegated to a prisoner in her castle. Her plot looks like it will culminate in a trial by combat until that practice is outlawed. She takes out all of her enemies and then some before claiming the iron throne. She finally has what she's always wanted, but she has lost almost everything in the process. She is going to be dangerous in season seven.

The show is speculated to conclude after thirteen episodes, though it may be broken into two seasons. Season six put all the characters on a course to get back to Westeros for the big fight that's inevitable. You can devise a rough outline of where season seven is headed, though I expect many surprises. I can't wait until next year when the new season premieres.

Speculation
I didn't expect Jon Snow to be designated as king of the North. Sansa seemed poised for the honor. She was integral in Jon winning his battle, but when the series concludes, she may hold that honor yet. Jon Snow is a Targaryen after all, but I don't see him holding the iron throne.

What about Euron Greyjoy? I doubt he'll play much of a role. I expect an early exit. The Greyjoy's seem to only get kicked around. Will Euron's dragon horn as described in the books make an appearance?

Arya is fueled by vengeance, and she may play a pivotal role in dispatching key figures in the war of kings and queens. That and I doubt the show is done trimming cast. Season six excelled when focusing on a smaller cast. There's still trimming to be done.

I do think the Stark children will reunite. Bran has to have a larger role. He knows quite a bit and potentially could know everything. He's going to reveal a few more secrets before he's done, to viewers and characters.

Daenerys is also a Targaryen. She will not be satisfied with anything other than sitting on the iron throne. I'm not sure she would be satisfied with peace. I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't make it to the end. Nor would I be surprised when Cersei meets her end. She's bound to pay for her transgressions, and I doubt anyone expects her to stay on the throne, where she ended season six.

The only partywith a sizeable army is Daenerys who will likely raze Westeros before the white walkers swoop in from the North. The white walkers might have the most numbers.

The end is going to be a reset, but how big of a reset? Houses will fall no doubt. My predictions are that Sansa, Tyrion, and Bran will live. Everyone else is a tossup. Cersei, Daenerys, Baelish, Jamie, and Jon won't make it. Prove me wrong season seven!