Game of Thrones might be too familiar, too expansive, to have the same force it once did. When a show's been on the air for five years, it's harder for it to surprise you; you know many more of its tricks, and you've seen much of what it's good and bad at. And Game of Thrones is good at a lot of things--humorous asides, daring rescues, and striking character moments--so that even when it's simply chugging along, it's still a very enjoyable show.
But for a season premiere, "The Red Woman" was underwhelming. It wasn't bad, mind you--there were plenty of exciting moments and interesting developments--but little to make you stand up and take notice of a series at the height of its powers moving toward the end game, save for perhaps one scene.
That scene is Brienne saving Sansa, and pledging fealty to her, while Podrick feeds his master's new lord the appropriate reciprocal words and Theon nods in approval. There's several things that make that moment stand out. There are real stakes to Sansa and Theon's attempt to escape from Winterfell, both from the hounds barking in the distance and their clear fatigue and stress from traipsing through the snow. There's genuine character development, in the cold giving the two of them reason to embrace, and Theon's attempt to sacrifice himself in order to save his near-sister. Brienne's daring rescue is a thrill, giving solid moments to Brienne, Podrick, and Theon, and having the action feel anything but gratuitous given what's at stake. The aftermath is triumphant, with Brienne finally fulfilling her oath, the poor, constantly embattled Sansa finally having a true protector, and their seconds each having a hand in the result.
But it also stands out because it's one of the few parts of "The Red Woman" where the story is moving inward rather than continuing to expand or running in place. While I'm sure there's much more to come in each of their stories, this is a major landmark in Brienne's quest to fulfill her promise to Catelyn Stark, to Sansa's endeavor to be safe and in charge of her own destiny, to Podrick's desire to help his master rather than hold her back, and to Theon's quest for redemption. Each of these story threads is tied together in one tremendous scene.
That stands out in comparison to the rest of the episode, which has some moments and scenes that are better than others, but for the most part, feels scattershot. A season premiere for a show like Game of Thrones is difficult, because as the series's plot has telescoped out to encompass so many different stories and characters, there's a sense that at the start of a new chapter, it has to check in with each of them (give or take a warg).
The result is something of a hodgepodge of tones and atmospheres and settings, most of them glancing, many of them pretty good, but few of them truly cohesive in any way. There's not necessarily anything wrong with that. Game of Thrones is a series known for its scope, and by definition that's going to require some jumping around, especially as a reintroduction to all of the ongoing conflicts. It just makes it hard to judge an individual episode like "The Red Woman" as anything other than the sum of its parts.
Three of those parts all stem from the aftermath of last season's adventure in Mereen. The best and most promising of them is Tyrion and Varys's journey through the streets of their new home. I could watch an episode of just the two of them bantering back and forth for an hour and be entertained, but "The Red Woman" uses Tyrion's attempt to get to know the place he intends to govern both to illustrate how he, unlike Varys, is not a man of the people however much he may try and care, and that a civil war is brewing in the contentious land they're trying to keep in order. The worst is Jora and Daario's little horse ride to find their queen, which does little other than repeat character beats we're already familiar with, remind the audience of Jora's cheesy stone infection, and move the rescue plot a few spaces forward.
Somewhere in the middle is Daenerys's encounter with another group of Dothraki. The journey to meet the new Khal is a bit silly and crude, but generally amusing, as Dany's captors appear to be the Dothraki answer to a pair of leads in Kevin Smith movie, and Dany's look of palpable discussion when listening to a conversation they don't think she can understand is perfect. That scene, and the ensuing one where the Khal declares his intentions to lie with her regardless of her wishes will no doubt launch a thousand thinkpieces, but each of them lean into a venerable idea when it comes to the mother of dragons -- the way she is at once attempting to project strength and power, but still quite vulnerable, uncertain, and even frightened at what fate might await her. Emilia Clark does a superb job of showing the many shades of her character as her fortunes wax and wane during her conversation with this new Khal. The promise to transport her to what sounds like the Dothraki homeland is a foreboding one, that threatens to add yet another spot on the map for the show's intro.
The least interesting of the stories in "The Red Woman" centered around the events of Dorne. There's something of a shock to the Sand Snakes' coup at the Dornish palace, but we barely know most of these people, so the impact is blunted. Admittedly, there's intrigue Dorne being ruled by someone who's directly antagonistic to the Lannisters, and to the idea that the people of Dorne resented their leaders and yearn to stand against those who hold sway over King's Landing, but there's more promise in the concept than in the execution thus far. (No pun intended.) Similarly, the hokiest two Sand Snakes taking out the Dornish Prince on the boat only served as a reminder of how pointless he was as a character and how annoying, dare I say Poochie-esque his assassins are.
That said, there was more meat on the bone in Cersei and Jamie's reunion. The excitement in Cersei's voice when she heard of a ship on the horizon and said her daughter's name, and the attendant way her expression slowly but surely fell when she saw the floating shroud heading toward her, and the grave look on her lover's face was devastating. The death of Joffrey brought Cersei to anger, to her most bitter and vindictive, but Marcella's death has a much different effect. She is, instead, simply crestfallen, brought as low as she imagined she could be, slowly but surely losing the most important things in her life. The idea that Marcella perishing is particularly devastating to Cersei because she saw her daughter as pure and good, and it made her feel better about herself and all she's wrought, is one that adds yet more depth to one of the show's most complex characters. Jamie's response that they are neither cursed nor bound by fate, but should respond to this horror by lashing out at those who brought it to their doorstep does more to warrant interest and excitement as to where the conflict with Dorne will lead than all the bloody coups and painful attempts at bon mots that preceded it.
The episode takes time to check in with the rest of those across Westeros and beyond. Arya's still blind and begging on the streets, being tested by Jaqen H'ghar in a bow-fight that seems headed toward a Karate Kid montage. Margaery Tyrell is still in prison, thoroughly cowed and shell shocked after her repeated encounters with her captors. The High Sparrow plays good cop/bad cop with her as she asks how her brother is, with little more than an ominous assurance for her to go on. And even Ramses has a brief moment of humanity, couched though it may be in his usual sadism, as he mourns the loss of the only lover who shared his deranged sensibilities, and feels the blowback from his father for how his extracurricular activities led to the loss of both Sansa and Theon, threatening both the Boltons' hold on Winterfell and Ramses' claim as his father's heir.
But the other major fireworks of "The Red Woman" take place at Castle Black. Ser Davos proves himself both for his kindness, his cunning, and his wits when he collects Jon Snow's dead body, brings in Ghost, and holes up with everyone in a storeroom before sending Edd to rally support among The Wildlings. Davos's dry wit carries the day in these scenes, that still take care to sweep across the desolate environment of The Watch and its guests.
At the same time, Thorne has an impressive moment defending himself in front of his fellow brothers after confessing to the murder of their Lord Commander. As I wrote in my discussion of the Season 5 finale, what makes Thorne's actions and his speech her interesting is that you believe he truly means what he says, that there's a certain noble impulse behind his choice even if it seems foolish or wrongheaded to the audience. Thorne's disdain for Jon Snow has been clear from the beginning, and he admits to the assembled that he had no love lost for the man. But there's something genuine when he says that he never disobeyed an order, that as harsh or self-important as he could be, his assassination, joined in with the other commanders, was about something bigger than him, a tradition and a brotherhood that he saw posed to be destroyed under Jon's care. I don't exactly admire the man, but I admire the show for making him more than the one-dimensional villain he occasionally devolved into in previous episodes.
Finally, there is the titular Red Woman. She sees Jon's dead body and has a moment of questioning. She saw him fighting and Winterfell in her vision, and yet there he lies, white as a stone. She promised Stannis that sacrificing his daughter would lead his side to victory against the Boltons. It becomes much more of a question, smoke monster or not, how much she has or had real power, and how much of her prophecies and persuasions are simply more of her admitted parlor tricks. Then, she undresses and reveals a much older, more withered woman, and the nature of her abilities is at once both more and less a question. It's a revelation, meant to be one of those trademark big moments in Game of Thrones, but for the time being, it just seems strange with little immediately obvious point at this juncture.
Perhaps it simply fits into what appears to be the animating principle for the rest of "The Red Woman" -- giving the audience just enough of a taste to rekindle their interest in the spiderwebbed plots that stretch across Westeros, while pointing us in the direction the balance of the season will follow. The episode feels more like a grand reintroduction, a preview almost, for what's to come than a unified story all it's own, and familiarity with the shape of the series' arcs takes some of the thrill away from events like that closing twist. But it's enough to keep us talking, and wondering, and tuning in next week, so I suppose it'll do just fine.
Really wish I got into this show AFTER the series was over so I don't have to wait a year for ten episodes
Pros
+Blind Arya was decent
+Brienne fight was pretty good
Ok Parts
*Meereen was okay, nothing that new but it didn't do anything wrong either
*the Cersei and Margaery scenes were just unnecessary, I guess the Margaery one might prove to be more meaningful as the season goes on but there really wasn't much there.
*The Melisandre "spoiler" isn't really a spoiler to book readers and really wouldn't be all that surprising even for those who didn't read. It doesn't change anything at all if you think about it. It just adds a bit of backstory to her.
*Other Night's Watch stuff was okay, Davos' actor takes a leading role as he should.
Cons
-Dorne went off the deep end, that part of the story is dead to me. They fucked it up beyond recognition.
-The Dothraki parts were just more surface level bullshit, it's not really surprising, we all know that it's not really going to result in her being in real danger and Danaerys is going to get freed by her dragon(s) it's just a bit of a time waster. The best we can hope for is that she is either humbled by the experience or driven off the edge of sanity like many of her ancestors and we get crazy Dany running around for a season or two before Bran pacifies her.
-This episode was supposed to be the Kingsmoot
to elaborate a bit more, the Sand Snakes would've been killed immediately when trying such an idiotic move and the confirmation that Quentyn does not exist in the show (nor does Doran's plan to bring back Dany with the Golden Company at her side) makes Doran a non-issue rather than a long game planner who legitimately has a chance at grabbing significant power. Why the fuck would they cut such an important player out of the game? it makes no sense. Using the Sand Snakes makes even less sense, you can't tell me that Dorne is going to even consider following them after the series of idiotic decisions they've made. The reason why it is frustrating that this episode was not "kingsmoot" is because the Kingsmoot was the best part of the books in my opinion. it holds the best in ASOIAF banter/dialogue, it holds political consequences that you really cannot accurately calculate at the time, and it is a huge turning point where we go from Lannister/Tyrells dominating with chaos in Dorne and the North to another big contender entering the competition. There's still some hope that Euron and Victarion will enter the series but it gets more and more doubtful the further they push them back and it's almost confirmed now that Quentyn, Aegon, and the Golden Company are cut from the show.
It’s too bad they killed Dr. Bashir. I was hoping to see more of him.
Great Season opener. I was so excited seeing Brienne kept her oath with the sword OathKeeper. Of all men and women who hold a sword, Brienne deserves the title Knight most.
A strong season beginning. For many characters the hopes get up. I am very optimistic about Team Sansa-Brienne. But the most interesting plot-location for me is King's Landing, where Cersei is back in the game, with Jamie on her side. Key-quote: "Fuck prophecy, fuck fate, fuck everyone except us" This should be the new motto of house Lannister. The Dorn-Location had an interesting development. Furthermore i liked how Danni made a proverbial full circle and is now back with the Dothrakis, i thought she gotten too powerfull over the last seasons. Over all i am on my edge for the developments this season awaits us. I just fear they will make the same mistakes, like last season (rape-sences without further meaning etc.). But i think, from what i saw this episode, the writers and creators listend to the critics and are now back on track.
This episode has it all, from small and forgivable mistakes such as randomly disappearing attack dogs to plot-breaking and totally unrealistic killing of characters who could have been interesting and worth keeping alive. It's clear now that the show's creators don't really understand the source material and they are now trying to improvise some fanfiction to hold their story together. They are trying too hard to add shock value by killing off characters who haven't really been developed enough for anybody to be shocked about their deaths. The episode's ending was also trying to go for shock value, but ended up quite random and unnecessary. Most actors and production values are still good as ever, but even those can't carry a flawed story.
Love this show, can't say any negative things about it, I just love it. It's constantly good and keeps me on edge because I haven't read all the books so I never know what is about to happen and I love how you can root for a character and it can take a position of favorite and they can still die.
A bit disappointed with them never showing us how Sansa and Theon survived that fall. But I got placated by Brienne being a fucking beast. I wish Daenerys got saved by her own fame and accomplishments instead of her dead husband's, but we all know that's an unrealistic scenario where dothraki are concerned. Drogon's gonna get them though.
But the real question here is is that how Melisandre actually looks under some magical disguise or was her youth the price for bringing Jon back. Honestly I presumed she's gonna channel the Shireen's death into the resurrection spell, because that sacrifice certainly did nothing for Stannis. But to be honest I'll be fine with whichever as long as they bring Jon Snow/Stark/Targaryen back.
I can't wait for the next episode. I need more right now.
Edit: Just remembered that a scene with Melisandre from the trailer wasn't in this episode. And she was alive and young there. That means she didn't give up anything and that's how she actually looks.
What a stellar season opener. It felt like it went to quickly though. Blink and you might miss the amazingness.
Fantastic beginning! Too bad they are so short.
I was so looking forward to the start of the season and definitely didn't disappointed me. Everything now is so new, since the series doesn't follow the books anymore. The meeting of Sansa and Theon with Brienne and Pod, Cersei and Jaime together again, Daenerys is back with the Dothraki and Melisandre (!!!) were the highlights of the episode. Ellaria Sand and Sand Snakes scared me A LOT. I still can't believe that Jon will stay dead...
Ahhh shit what an awesome opening to the new season!
It keeps going where they left it, i feel like i had too much hype and i got a bit disappointed
Damn it. I shouldn't have watched it. I always wait and then binge watch 5 episodes or the entire season. This is the first time I have to wait for a week for another episode. And I'm so going to watch that one cause I want to know what happens to Jon.
a real comeback for the show! been waiting since ages for this!!
Fantastic episode, I can't wait for the next episode.
Maybe it's because the show is not based on the books anymore (at least most parts), but the ambience felt kinda different. Still liked it very much, and that final scene hit me pretty hard, although it had been hinted for very long.
So... Jon Snow is really dead (?)
Khaleesi is the fucking queen.
The red woman freaks me out!!!
She looks so old.
So many dead people and is just the first episode of the season.
Let's see how things go now.
I don't believe John Snow is dead..
very good opener, let's hope the rest can follow it.
Finally!!! The date start season 6 is April 24
a real comeback for the show! been waiting since ages for this!!
Episodes need more running time from now on to catch up with the events,as we only get a glimpse of everything,which is not enough obviously... Still a nice season premiere! I am looking forward for the next episode!
Arya: Blind but not less powerful.
Decent episode, did a good job of showing what each characters up to, even if it was just showing them for 3-5 minutes, great to have the show back! Let the games continue...
Great Season premiere. Glad to have Game of Thrones back. I'm gonna enjoy these Mondays again :D
Man i hope Jon snow does come back :( That smug on Olly's face, Ughh Want to see him get stabbed so bad. Just you wait you little shit. I'm gonna love Davos this season. Ser Davos loves his Mutton :P
"Fuck Prophecy, Fuck Fate, Fuck everyone who isn't us". This has gotta be House Lannister's new motto as Christopher van der Meyden pointed out XD
Did not see Doran and Trystane Martell getting killed there, damn. And what were the snakes doing in his boat? Wasn't Trystane with Jamie and Bronn?
The stuff with Sansa and Breinne intrigued me. That's gonna be really exciting to see. Surely thought i'd get to see Bran this episode though.
Arya's gonna be more of a badass this season. I just know it. Did her blindness improve her ability to hear? Kinda like Daredevil :P I would totally watch a spin off show based on that "Oysters, Clams and Cockles, attorneys at law" XD
Could watch an entire episode based on only Tyrion and Varys and i wouldn't get bored. ^_^
Of course. Wouldn't be a GoT episode without a naked Mellisandre. But that ending. What just happened :O
GoT as always keeping the fans at the edge of their seats. Loved the episode. 8.5/10
Not as strong as the season 4 opener but better than anything from season 5 lol
Yes, game of t. is back!
This show is haunting me!!!! every time a season ends, im like waiting for Jesus!!!!!
Lmfao @ 'Jon Snow is dead'. You tried it, blurb writers!
Any News On The Start Date Of Season 6 ?
Yes kingsmoot!
I totally though they were just gonna skip this somehow.
This gives me hope for other storylines :)
Alliser: "You're right! We've committed treason, all of us. Jon Snow was my Lord Commander. I had no love for him. That was no secret. But I never once disobeyed an order. Loyalty is the foundation on which the Night's Watch is built. And the Watch means everything to me. I have given my life, we have all given our lives to the Night's Watch. Jon Snow was going to destroy the Night's Watch. He let the wildlings through our gates as no Lord Commander has ever done before. He gave them the very land on which they reaved and raped and murdered. Lord Commander Snow did what he thought was right, I've no doubt about that. And what he thought was right would have been the end of us. He thrust a terrible choice upon us. And we made it."
I hope that now Sansa has a little peace, what a journey she suffered. And the scene in which she finally accepted Brienne's help was beautiful.
I am proud of Davos, he defends Jon and faces the traitors without fear.
The scene with Brienne swearing fealty to Sansa was really moving.
quite a short one. glad sansa is with brienne.
btw, wassup with the reunions, like i wanna see a reunion so bad ... like i'd really like jon to meet arya or sansa or both.
loved seeing Sansa bring rescued, and that ending i'm still shocked by!!! well now i can't eat.Thanks G.o.T
I just liked the part about Sansa and whatsername. and melisandre. all in all. it's like I didn't watch anything at all.
Bad bad bad...just,55 minhtes of literaly NOTHING,if you ask me what happened in that episode,nothing nothing sansa gets saved,nothing nothing naked old lady.
Start by placing the characters for the season, it placed some and others place them, the last scene has surprised me
I'm a big fan of the show and the books. It's th worst episode ever : bad shortcuts, very slow and grotesque fight scenes.
The annual game of 'who's that again?' begins. It's good to be back! And hey, Melisandre becomes interesting - Never would have thought that.
So Red may bring back snow but the aging problem looks draining. The kings wife being forced to confess WTF? The new king is a wimpy piece of crap, I want Jeofry back (i know i spelled his name wrong, no spell check" This bullshit wouldn't be happening if he was king . the full army would end that cult shit. This show answered a few questions but for the most part had me asking twice as many questions, but with EVERYONE acting like wimps, except for the true knight, Breanna I didn't think it really went anywhere. Gave it a 5 out of 10, just not constructive. Shit better start up next week, cause the old woman shit, not very suprising, no cliff hangers at all.
Doran was a such a great strategist! I'm shocked that they killed him off. That's another massive deviation they've made from the books.
The book readers obviously knew about Melisandre's age and her 'glamor' that disguises it. So, no surprises there.
Arya is clearly on her way to becoming a Faceless (Wo)man.
Deviation from the books again, but it was cool to see Brienne saving Sansa. I wonder if they'll ever introduce Lady Stoneheart in the show. She seemed pretty important.
Why in the world didn't they show Bran?
I don't believe John Snow is dead..
Ellaria Sand is really "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken".....
How ugly the red woman is!!
can't wait till 24th
Shout by LauraBlockedParent2016-04-25T14:41:10Z
There's nothing better than coming home on a Monday, turning on your computer and hearing the Game of Thrones theme song for the first time that season. Damn, I missed this show.