After much anticipation, “Game of Thrones” finally returned this weekend with its season six premiere, “The Red Woman.” The question on fans’ minds since last season’s premiere has been the fate of Jon Snow: Is he truly dead? While the premiere didn’t definitively answer this question, it tied up some other loose ends satisfactorily and set the stage for another great season.
“Game of Thrones” has a reputation for its hundreds of characters and nearly as many subplots, and this episode showed no exception. It jumped from one setting to the next, giving brief flashes of each plotline, some getting more screen time than others. In total, the episode covered at least nine different subplots in one exhausting hour. “Game of Thrones” fans are no strangers to skipping from one plotline to the next, but it would have been nice to see more focus in a season premiere.
However, it’s easy to see why the show’s writers ended up with such a scattered episode. The last season left plenty of loose ends, and the stage had to be set for the rest of this season — functions this episode performed excellently.
Glimpses into the show’s latest developments, however brief, seemed very promising. Fans saw how Melisandre’s sorcery could play a major role this season with a major reveal in the final scene. The evidence points to a possible revival of Jon Snow, which would surely make for an entertaining season.
Sansa and Theon’s new partnership with Brienne and Podrick promises to bring an interesting new dynamic to the show as well. It was encouraging to finally see something going right for the group, and empowering to see Sansa finally taking charge after several seasons of abuse at the hands of various characters.
Tyrion and Varys made an entertaining pair during last season, and the prospect of the two ruling a city together is an exciting one. There will surely be much scheming and witty banter to come as a result.
Other plotlines felt frustrating and out of place within the episode, with the Sand Snakes of Dorne being the main culprit. There’s no reason for the audience to invest in these new characters after six seasons focused on other areas of Westeros, and their continued corny dialogue is no help. Daenerys and Arya have both been set back in their quests, respectively. Both plotlines have been building up for some time, and these regressions are frustrating.
As a stand-alone episode, “The Red Woman” was up to par. However, after nine months of anticipation, expectations for the premiere were high and not all were met. Still, the episode showed lots of potential, giving viewers plenty to look forward to.
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