 Summers span decades. Winters can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun. It will stretch from the south, where heat breeds plots, lusts and intrigues; to the vast and savage eastern lands; and all the way to the frozen north, where an 800-foot wall of ice protects the kingdom from the dark forces that lie beyond. Kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars, lords, and honest men...all will play the Game of Thrones. Storyline: In the mythical continent of Westeros, several powerful families fight for control of the Seven Kingdoms. As conflict erupts in the kingdoms of men, an ancient enemy rises once again to threaten them all. Meanwhile, the last heirs of a recently usurped dynasty plot to take back their homeland from across the Narrow Sea. Written by Sam Gray 6.01 The Red Woman - Jon Snow's corpse is found by Ser Davos, Edd and a few other loyalists; they take him inside and lock themselves behind a door with him. Thorne assumes command of the Watch. At Winterfell, Ramsay mourns for Myranda, while Sansa and Theon escape through the woods. Ramsay's men catch up with them, and are about to take them captive, when Brienne and Pod arrive, kill the men, and the former is accepted into Sansa's service. In King's Landing, Cersei receives Jaime, who arrives with Myrcella's body. Jaime promises Cersei they will take their revenge. Obara and Nymeria murder Trystane, on his way home from King's Landing, while in Sunspear, Doran and Areo Hotah are killed by Ellaria and Tyene, after the former learns of Myrcella's death. In Meereen, Tyrion and Varys find all the ships burning in the harbor. Jorah and Daario continue to track Daenerys, who is taken by the Dothraki to Khal Moro. In Braavos, Arya lives on the streets as a homeless person, where she is beaten by the waif. In her chamber, Melisandre removes her bejeweled necklace as she reveals her true appearance as an old crone, having seemingly lost faith in her god. April 24, 2016 - Ep. 51 6.02 Home - Walda gives birth to a baby boy, prompting Ramsay to murder Roose, Walda, and his new half-brother. Brienne reveals to Sansa that Arya is still alive. Theon requests to return to the Iron Islands, where his uncle Euron Greyjoy returns and murders King Balon Greyjoy. In Braavos, Arya is attacked by the Waif before Jaqen appears and orders her to follow him. Tyrion learns that Astapor and Yunkai have reverted to slavery, and releases Rhegal and Viserion from their chains. Bran visits Winterfell in a vision of the past, and sees Ned, Benjen, and Lyanna Stark, as well as a young Hodor. Jaime confronts the High Sparrow, while Tommen asks Cersei to teach him to be strong. Edd arrives with Tormund and the Wildlings and imprisons Thorne and the other mutineers. Davos persuades Melisandre to attempt to resurrect Jon Snow; though apparently unsuccessful, after the loyalists leave the room, Jon suddenly awakens. May 1, 2016 - Ep. 52 6.03 Oathbreaker - Jon Snow reveals himself to the wildlings and executes Alliser Thorne, Olly and the other officers involved in his assassination for treason. He renounces his oath and puts Edd in charge of the Night's Watch. On a boat on their way to Oldtown, Sam states his intent to leave Gilly and her baby with his family at Horn Hill while he trains to be a maester. In a vision, Bran sees his father and Lord Howland Reed kill Ser Arthur Dayne at the Tower of Joy in Dorne. In Vaes Dothrak, Daenerys is brought before the Dosh Khaleen. Varys discovers the masters of Astapor, Yunkai, and Volantis have been financing the Sons of the Harpy. In King's Landing, Tommen converses with the High Sparrow while Jaime and Cersei interrupt a small council meeting, only to be shunned by Lord Kevan and the Tyrells. Arya trains rigorously with the Waif and her sight is returned to her once she has accepted herself as "no-one". Lord Umber asks Ramsay for help in protecting the North from the Wildlings, bringing Rickon Stark and Osha as a gift, along with the decapitated head of Shaggydog, Rickon's direwolf. May 8, 2016 - Ep. 53 6.04 Book of the Stranger - Sansa, Brienne and Podrick arrive at Castle Black as the former is reunited with Jon Snow. At Winterfell, Osha attempts to assassinate Ramsay, but is killed herself in the process. Ramsay sends a letter to Jon, threatening harm to Rickon if Sansa is not returned. Jon resolves to march south and take back Winterfell. In Meereen, Tyrion meets with the slave masters of Slaver's Bay to offer peace if they will end slavery within seven years, an action that angers Missandei and Grey Worm. Littlefinger returns to the Vale to mobilize their soldiers against Ramsay Bolton. In King's Landing, Margarey is permitted to visit Loras while Cersei, Jamie, Kevan and Lady Olenna plan to stop the High Sparrow. Theon arrives at Pyke and explains to Yara that he will support her claim at the Kingsmoot. Daario and Jorah arrive at Vaes Dothrak, with the former discovering about the latter's greyscale. Daenerys meets with the Khals and sets the temple on fire. When she emerges unhurt, the Dothraki bow to her. May 15, 2016 - Ep. 54 6.05 The Door - Sansa meets Petyr Baelish, who offers the support of the Vale and tells her that Brynden Tully is gathering an army at Riverrun; she refuses his help. Jon and Sansa leave Castle Black to gather support from the other Northern houses. In Braavos, Arya trains with the waif and is given a second chance to prove her loyalty by killing an actress. Beyond the Wall, Bran learns that the White Walkers were created by the Children of the Forest to protect themselves from the First Men. In the Iron Islands, Euron Greyjoy wins the Kingsmoot despite confessing to killing Balon, causing Yara and Theon to flee. Beyond the sea, Daenerys learns about Jorah's greyscale. At Meereen, a red priestess, Kinvara, meets Tyrion and Varys and offers to support Daenerys. Bran's unaccompanied vision causes him to be touched by the Night's King, making the cave vulnerable. The Night's King, along with White Walkers and hordes of wights, ambush the cave, killing the Three-Eyed Raven, several Children of the Forest, Bran's direwolf Summer, and Hodor. May 22, 2016 - Ep. 55 6.06 Blood of My Blood - Bran and Meera are saved by Bran's uncle, Benjen Stark, who went missing from the Night's Watch years earlier. Sam and Gilly reach the Tarly family estate Horn Hill en route to the Citadel. After Sam's father, Lord Randyll, insults Gilly for being a Wildling, Sam decides to take her with him to the Citadel, also taking House Tarly's ancestral Valyrian steel sword, Heartsbane. Arya warns the actress she has been charged with killing of the assassination attempt, and Jaqen orders the Waif to kill Arya. Jaime attempts to rescue Margaery from the Faith Militant, only to find she has repented and Tommen has forged an alliance with the Faith. Tommen removes Jaime from the Kingsguard, and orders him to help Walder Frey, who is holding Edmure Tully hostage, retake Riverrun from the Blackfish. Daenerys rides Drogon, and declares to the Dothraki that they will sail across the Narrow Sea to conquer Westeros. May 29, 2016 - Ep. 56 6.07 The Broken Man - Margaery convinces Olenna Tyrell to return to Highgarden, after the High Sparrow suggests that he will come after Olenna following her attempt to take up arms against the Faith. Jon, Sansa, and Davos recruit the Wildlings and House Mormont to their cause, but remain outnumbered by the Boltons. In desperation, Sansa writes a letter begging for aid. Jaime arrives at Riverrun with Bronn and goes to parley with the Blackfish, which is ultimately unsuccessful. Theon and Yara spend their last night in Volantis before sailing to Meereen. In Braavos, Arya seals passage to Westeros, but is attacked by the Waif. She escapes, but is badly wounded. Sandor Clegane is revealed to have survived his fight with Brienne of Tarth after being saved by a Septon and his followers. When men from the Brotherhood Without Banners threaten and eventually slaughter the group, Clegane decides to take up arms to get revenge. June 5, 2016 - Ep. 57 6.08 No One - Tommen decrees that trial by combat will be abolished and replaced by trial by the faith, much to Cersei's dismay. Brienne arrives at Riverrun and attempts to persuade the Blackfish to surrender, without success. After Jaime threatens to kill Edmure Tully's young son, Edmure orders the Tully forces to stand down, but the Blackfish is killed fighting the Lannisters. Brienne escapes. Varys departs Meereen on an unknown mission. Soon after his departure, Meereen comes under naval assault by the slaving cities, but Daenerys returns. Sandor Clegane kills the outlaws who sacked his village and encounters Ser Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr, who explain that the outlaws were renegades. Arya is taken in by Lady Crane, who heals her wounds, but in the morning the Waif arrives, kills Lady Crane and chases Arya through the streets of Braavos. Arya leads the Waif into the catacombs and kills her. She returns the Waif's face to the House of Black and White and declares that she is Arya Stark. June 12, 2016 - Ep. 58 6.09 Battle of the Bastards - Daenerys meets with the slave masters to negotiate terms of surrender, but they refuse it. She then rides Drogon, as Rhaegal and Viserion assist them in burning the slaver's fleet. Grey Worm kills two of the masters, leaving one to tell of what he had witnessed. After the battle, Theon and Yara meet with Daenerys and Tyrion and agree to an alliance. Near Winterfell, the Stark and Bolton armies meet on the field. Ramsay frees Rickon, but kills him with an arrow before Jon can save him. In the battle, the Stark forces are pinned by Bolton soldiers, but they are rescued by the Knights of the Vale. Ramsay flees inside Winterfell, but Wun Wun, having taken numerous arrows to his body, manages to break the door down before succumbing to his wounds. Jon brutally beats Ramsay and takes him prisoner. Sansa later visits Ramsay's cell in the kennels and watches as his starving hounds devour him. June 19, 2016 - Ep. 59 6.10 The Winds of Winter - Before her trial, Cersei destroys the Sept of Baelor with wildfire, killing the High Sparrow, Margaery, Mace and Loras Tyrell, and Lancel and Kevan Lannister, along with hundreds of Kings Landing nobles and the Faith Militant. Horrified, Tommen throws himself off a balcony to his death. In Dorne, Varys meets with Olenna Tyrell and Ellaria Martell, seeking to form an alliance between Danaerys and the two houses against the Lannisters. Davos confronts Melisandre over the death of Shireen Baratheon; Jon banishes her from Winterfell. Following their victory, the Wildlings, the Knights of the Vale and the surviving Houses of the North pledge loyalty to Jon Snow as the new King in the North. Sansa learns of Littlefinger's plans for her as the new Lady of Winterfell. Following a banquet with Jaime, Walder Frey is murdered by Arya. Sam and Gilly reach the Citadel in Oldtown. Bran sees a vision from inside the Tower of Joy: Ned finds his dying sister Lyanna, and takes her newborn son as his bastard. Jaime returns to King's Landing to find the Sept in ruins and Cersei crowning herself the new Queen of Westeros. Danaerys sets sail to Westeros with her companions, armies and dragons. June 26, 2016 - Ep. 60 (Disc 5) ------------------------------Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, November 12, 2016 We seem to be in an era for short form television series on cable networks, or for series which don't last all that long in the broadcast arena, at least in terms of dramatic offerings. Very few dramas on television manage to eke out multiple seasons these days, let alone get to their sixth year as Game of Thrones has. What's perhaps even more remarkable about this vast, intriguing and often unapologetically violent series is how it's managed to maintain such an aura of excellence for virtually all of its run. Even other captivating dramas which do manage to get to five or six years often start to show signs of lethargy or attrition after a while (Lost: The Complete Collection springs to mind, but there are others), but you'd be hard pressed to really argue that Game of Thrones has lost much if any energy or storytelling acumen in its sixth year, this despite the fact that the series' writers no longer have (or at least have less of) George R.R. Martin's source material on which to base their efforts. (It's arguable that Game of Thrones' relatively brief seasons consisting of far fewer than the 20-plus episodes broadcast series regularly churn out at least give the show's creative staff a little more breathing room.) The show continues to be absolutely ruthless with regard to dispatching (sometimes major) characters, and in fact just the first episode of the sixth season has a rather alarming body count (including one "held over" from the fifth season—but more about that later). That gives the plot mechanics a kind of inherently dangerous air that many viewers find incredibly bracing, but beyond the general angst about whether this or that character is going to make it to the end of the season (or, frankly, any given episode), Game of Thrones continues to build its novelistic tendencies incredibly smartly, with well drawn characters and an intricate but generally accessible plot that continues to defy expectations at virtually every turn. For those wanting to catch up on the often labyrinthine plot dynamics of Game of Thrones, see the previous seasons (above). Note: Care has been taken not to post any out and out spoilers (with the exception of one major plot point concerning a prime character which unfolded at the end of the fifth season and which continues to play out throughout the sixth season, and which is frankly unavoidable in any discussion of the sixth season), but when reviewing a series as far along as this one now is means that many plot points need to be at least alluded to, and in some cases outright detailed. Since some viewers may not yet be acquainted with various elements of either this or even prior seasons, anyone even slightly concerned about having a major secret revealed is encouraged to skip down to the technical portions of the review, below. The seemingly cavalier attitude Game of Thrones has had with regard to the fate of its many characters probably has no greater example than in the case of Jon Snow (Kit Harington), whose death capped the fifth season in a stunning development that probably left some fans feeling pretty destitute. In what might be considered a bit of a cheat, while the first couple of episodes in this season deal with the aftermath of Davos' (Liam Cunningham) discovery of Snow's corpse in a frosty courtyard, with the body being brought to a private chamber, ultimately the magic of Melisandre (Caris van Houten) brings Snow back to life. That may lead some to waggishly suggest that Melisandre could be kept very busy resurrecting other characters, for the body count in the sixth season is truly staggering at times. If the Snow arc has at least the outlines of a happy ending (and/or a new beginning), especially once his emergence as an anointed leader takes place, other characters are beset with all sorts of trauma, at least those who are "lucky" enough not to be killed along the way. Sansa (Sophie Turner) seems to be in dire straits as the season begins, attempting to escape through perilous territory, only to be close to meeting her fate when Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) arrives to save the day. Sansa's reuniting with Snow provides a momentary sea of calm and hopefulness in otherwise pretty dour proceedings. These include the continuing tribulations of Cersei (Lena Headey), who is still dealing with the "shame" of the fifth season while also navigating more personal upset once Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) returns with bad news (and a body). The Lannisters' attempts to put aside various difference to forge a coalition to defeat the Sparrows provides quite a bit of dramatic impetus to the sixth season. Battles of course are a major part of this season, and Game of Thrones provides a number of spectacular interchanges, including everything from hand to hand combat to huge incursions, including a gigantic set piece that provides the focus of the "Battle of the Bastards" episode. That tendency, along with the series' nonchalant attitude about offing various characters, will continue to keep most viewers on edge and perhaps a permanent adrenaline high. My one real complaint with this season has to do with Daenerys (Emilia Clarke), who seems consigned repeatedly to damsel in distress mode. Commendably, this season at least gives her the chance to fight back effectively (along with help from a few dragons, of course), and the good news is at least she's not dead (yet). I had a kind of disconcerting thought as I watched this season of Game of Thrones, the first year to be (largely) shorn of source material from George R.R. Martin's works, namely: what if Martin's upcoming tomes actually go in different directions from what the series has depicted? Are we going to have alternate universe "games" all of a sudden? Considering how brilliant this series has been for six years now, that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing in my estimation. Technical merits continue to be first rate, and the supplemental package on this release is outstanding. Highly recommended. IMDb Rating (03/15/17): 9.5/10 from 1,130,436 users IMDb Rating (05/11/16): 9.5/10 from 960,075 users IMDb Rating (11/29/14): 8.2/10 from 55,004 users IMDb Rating (04/21/14): 8.2/10 from 32,892 users
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