Death and betrayal grips Game of Thrones
THURSDAY APRIL 28 2016
JON Snow (Kit Harrington) – the bastard son of Winterfell – is dead. His lifeless body was found in the opening scene of the sixth season of
Game of Thrones and, as such, put the kybosh on all those circulating conspiracy theories about his return.
Fans who couldn’t wait for tonight’s episode to air caught it at cinemas around the country in the early hours of Monday morning.
Now before you read any further, you should know this is an overview of the first episode and it contains spoilers.
And David Benioff and DB Weiss didn’t disappoint with the narrative, which was in keeping with the morbid promotional picture of dead people.
The stench of death is overwhelming in the first episode. Aside from leaving fans reeling from the death of one of their favourite characters – Doran Martell (Alexander Siddig) was executed along with his son – Ellaria Sand, supported by her warrior daughters, is now in control. Their ruthless streak is offset by their unadulterated lust for revenge.
It might come as little surprise that the popularity of this Emmy awardwinning medieval fantasy series has seen it surpass the penning of George RR Martin’s novels.
Of course, it would be premature to make a judgement call on whether this was a wise move by the show runners.
Going by the first episode, their ingenious strategy hasn’t taken away from the tone and pull of the show – yet. If anything, it’s even more forceful as they meticulously explore the predicaments of the key characters.
Amid the festering sentiments of distrust, anger, resentment and, in some instances, an unshakeable sense of defeat where The Red woman is concerned, the hunger for the throne is stronger than ever.
has never shied Game of Thrones away from squeamish blood-and-gore moments but it is cleverly offset by drama and poignancy.
Daenerys Targaryen remains as spirited as ever despite being taken prisoner while her kingdom is in disarray.
Meanwhile, Cersei and her brother Jaime are bonded by the loss of their daughter Myrcella – a result of their incestuous relationship.
“F**k prophesy, f**k fate,” he says to her in a scene that hints at the threat they could become in this war.
Then there is the unlikely friendship between Sansa Stark and Theon/Reek, who are now on the run from a vengeful, sadistic Ramsay Bolton.
Sadly, Arya’s spirit has been dampened by her blindness, which has left her destitute.
The episode closed with a rather unsettling scene of Melisandre in her real form as a gaunt old woman – a shadow of the strong-willed woman with unshakeable faith in the Lord of Light.
All these deaths, betrayals and power struggles hint at ominous dark times ahead. It will, of course, be interesting to see how the creators expand their vision beyond the pages of the book they have come to rely on.
Game of Thrones S6 airs on M-Net Edge (DStv channel 102) tonight at 9pm.