"Game of Thrones" Season 6 Review

Game of Thrones has dominated television and popular culture ever since it premiered in 2011. This show has become such a phenomenon and has amassed a huge following throughout its six-season-run. Yes, the sixth season has just come to a close, which means it is time to talk about it. Also, this is your official spoiler warning. If you have not seen the latest season of Game of Thrones, get on that immediately and then come back because I will be spoiling many things in great detail. So how does this latest volume of stories stack up against previous seasons?

One of the greatest aspects of Game of Thrones is its incredible cast. Nina Gold does not get enough credit for her work on the show. Being able to cast every character in the show perfectly, be it with a well-known or unknown actor, is unprecedented. Gold's work on Game of Thrones alone is enough to make her one of the best casting directors in the business. Delving into each actor's performance would take eons, so I will restrict in-depth thoughts to the main cast.

Peter Dinklage is magnificent as Tyrion Lannister, the clever and well-spoken imp. What can I say about Dinklage's portrayal that has not been touched upon already? He perfectly embodies what made the character so great in the books with excellent acting and a magnetic screen-presence. Dinklage is flawless as Tyrion. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau continues to be one of my favorite actors on the show, playing Jaime Lannister. He has an unspoken charm and manages to stand out for me amongst a tremendous cast.

Lena Headey is often a scene-stealer as the sinister Cersei Lannister. This season might actually contain Headey's best performance as the mischievous woman. She is an exceptional fit for the character, delivering a high caliber performance and no small amount of gravitas. Emilia Clarke's name has become synonymous with Daenerys Targaryen because she has successfully made the character her own. Clarke manages to top her previous performances season after season and this is no exception. Exuding the air of both a strong leader and a naive youth with apparent ease, Clarke is on top form and one of the season's takeaways.

I would be remiss not to mention Sophie Turner's outing this season. Sansa has changed so much as a character, and Turner has delivered every step of the way. But now, Sansa is such a well developed and outspoken character, which allows Turner to show off her true acting chops. She is very impressive this season and is able to go toe-to-toe with the veteran actors on the show. Turner is really starting to make a name for herself, and I am completely on board with that.

It would be rather difficult to talk about Kit Harington's performance without mentioning the fact that Jon Snow is still alive. Yes, Jon has been resurrected. In both the books and the show, Jon Snow is my favorite character. With that in mind, I think that Harington does a phenomenal job with the character. He evokes everything I love about Jon and has obviously won the majority of the audience over, given the reaction to Jon's death last season. I am happy that the character is back and I am definitely interested to see where his story leads him.

As per usual with the series, there are many storylines occurring simultaneously. Obviously, some stories are stronger than others, but this season as a whole has had some damn fine plot threads. Daenerys, Tyrion, Jon, Cersei, and Theon all had great stories. The weakest one this season was either Sam's or Arya's, but even then those were very good.

The season opens in spectacular fashion. The first two episodes set the bar high with many big moments such as seeing Melisandre removing her necklace, Tyrion releasing Rhaegal and Viserion from their chains, and Jon Snow coming back to life. Tyrion's freeing the dragons is such a tense and gripping scene and one of the standouts of the season. The way it is shot and written is genius. After these first two episodes, the season slows down a bit in favor of set-up, and I am all for it. Game of Thrones has always been about the long game and it exceeds all expectations by the end. But I will touch on that later.

I have always loved the character of Theon Greyjoy, played excellently by the underrated Alfie Allen. It feels great to see him start to redeem himself and heal from the scars that Ramsay Bolton gave him. He returns to the Iron Islands and wants to help his sister, Yara, ascend to the salt throne. However, their uncle has returned to claim it for himself, forcing the siblings to flee. Where they end up is a fantastic turn of events and feeds into another character's story wonderfully.

Bran was nowhere to be seen in season five, which helped build up anticipation for his story. After having seen his story unfold this season, I now know why he was left out of the previous one. Simply put, there was not enough material to make his plot-line engaging for two seasons. Bran is quickly becoming one of the most important characters on the show, being able to see the past and learn from it. One of his flashbacks gives us a look at Hodor back when he was able to speak. Speaking of Hodor, his sendoff was especially emotional. The music; the lighting; the editing; it all came together beautifully to create a deeply tragic moment.

Cersei's story with the High Sparrow was frustrating in all the right ways. Here, you have a character you should be rooting for, always trying to do what he thinks is right, but instead view him as the villain. In concordance, you have someone who has been a villain since the first episode, and you find some small part of you supporting her actions. It is a strange notion, I know, but do not be surprised if you see yourself siding with Cersei at times. This just goes to show how good Game of Thrones is at manipulating your emotions and establishing rich characters.

Sam and Ayra's stories suffer only because everything else happening around them is much more interesting. That is not to say that their stories are bad, not by any means. Arya's learning to become an assassin is pivotal and climaxes in her final scene of the season. And Sam returning to his home and confronting his father is stirring. We also learn that Sandor Clegance survived his fight with Brienne. Yes, the Hound is alive, and I could not be happier. He is featured minimally but his scenes are always intriguing, while also being slightly comedic. "You're shit at dying, you know that?" had me reeling from laughter.

But when it comes to the best stories, it always revolves around the same three people; Daenerys, Jon, and Tyrion. Daenerys once again finds herself in the hands of the Dothraki. Bringing these horse-riding warriors back was a smart move and we were able to learn more about their culture. And now Daenerys has enlisted them as part of her army? King's Landing does not stand a chance. It is also great to see Tyrion running a city again like he did in the second season. He has the mind for it and watching his plans unfold is always entertaining and satisfying.

Jon Snow is blessed with having the most interesting story, in my opinion. Because he is always stationed at the wall, he is the character that has to deal with the white walkers and the Others, which always provided the most memorable moments in the books. With regard to his resurrection, I am completely fine with it. Normally, I would hate this sort of thing. I strongly disapprove of bringing a character back from the dead, but here, it feels earned. Jon died doing something very noble and was ready to face the consequences. He never doubted his decision and died believing what he did was right. In that sense, his revival does not feel out of place or cheap.

Jon and Sansa's reunion is one of the most endearing moments because they reflect on their past selves and form a new relationship. Sansa apologizes for treating Jon so awfully and their alliance is a treat for the fans. It makes me impatient to see Arya and Bran return to Winterfell and reunite with their siblings, especially with Bran knowing of Jon's true parentage. We now know that Jon is the son of Lyanna Stark. If the theories turn out to be true, Jon is also a Targaryen, the son of Rhaegar, which would create an interesting dynamic between him and Daenerys.

I mentioned earlier how there is a huge pay off at the end of this season. Allow me to put it like this; episodes nine and ten, "Battle of the Bastards" and "The Winds of Winter," are two of the best episodes television has ever witnessed, if not the best, particularly the former. I have never seen anything so simultaneously gut-wrenching and satisfying as "Battle of the Bastards." It begins with Daenerys and her dragons laying waste to the slave masters that invaded Mereen. And then the Dothraki horde comes in and wipes out the Sons of the Harpy. And that is just the warm-up round for this episode. This is such an epic and wonderful sequence, with the dragons having never looked better and set to a masterful composition.

While I am on the subject, I might as well expand my thoughts on the effects and score. The visual effects have seen a major upgrade as the dragons look phenomenal. Looking at some of the behind-the-scenes-filming of Game of Thrones is very illuminating and shows you how big of a part visual effects play in the show. So many effects go unnoticed, which is the beauty of quality CGI. But I have to mention the music. The soundtrack for season six is one of the greatest soundtracks I have ever heard. The music is expertly crafted and accompanies each scene perfectly. The songs that play during the battles capture the epic scope of the world magically. Also, the music featured in the King's Landing scenes in the final episode is truly inspired. The heavy use of a piano and addition of an organ for the first song is brilliant and sets the tone artistically. And another song definitely took inspiration from "Renfield," featured in Dracula (1931), generating a marvelous piece. There are so many magnificent tracks, such as "Hold the Door," "The Light of the Seven," "Khaleesi," "Hear Me Roar," "Reign," and "The Winds of Winter," especially those last two. I cannot praise the music enough. Do yourself a favor and listen to the soundtrack.

Back to episode nine, Jon Snow confronts Ramsay Bolton and every line of dialogue has been polished to a blinding shine. Everything about this episode works. The tension; the humor; the action; the lighting; the camera movements; the music; the acting. The Battle of Winterfell is in contention for being crowned the greatest fight ever filmed, be it television or film. This battle ranks with those from The Lord of The Rings for crying out loud. That is not an accomplishment to be scoffed at, especially coming from a television show. The long-take with Jon is well executed; violence and gore are on full display; the collision of the horses is brutal; and the realism is striking. Seeing literal mountains of bodies is chilling. The knights of the Vale riding in to save Jon's army is very reminiscent of the Riders of Rohan in all the right ways, while also being its own thing. One of the great moments is when Jon is being trampled and suffocated, and the editing plays with the scene terrifically.

I could continue rambling about how great the Battle of Winterfell is, but I feel I have made my point. It culminates with Jon giving Ramsay a well deserved and grimy beat-down. And the episode ends in the most satisfying way imaginable; with Ramsay being killed by his own hounds. Finally! The bastard is dead. No offense to Iwan Rheon of course, his portrayal of the sadistic torturer was amazing. The final shot is Sansa smiling and walking away from Ramsay's death. A perfect episode. Next we have "The Winds of Winter," which is an awesome season finale. The opening 22 minutes are incredible. In a sequence that is heavily influenced by The Godfather, Cersei uses wildfire to blow up the Red Keep, killing the Sparrows; Margaery, Lorace, and Mace Tyrell; Lancel and Kevan Lannister; and countless others. This wonderfully crafted sequence is one of the best moments of the entire series. The music is very different from what we usually hear, but it still works so well. And I could gush over the cinematography emphatically.

The rest of the episode ties up a lot of loose ends while setting up the next season in a stunning manner. And though the beginning is a hard act to follow, the episode succeeds in doing so by providing many splendid moments. Arya killing Walder Frey, the King in the North, and Daenarys setting sail spring to mind. Arya finally gets some revenge for the Red Wedding. The build up is quite horrifying but Frey deserves every bit of it (no pun intended). The speech Lady Mormont makes at Winterfell supporting Jon Snow, resulting in the entire room hailing him as the King in the North, is also one of the show's greatest moments. Jon deserves it and the emotions are impactful. The final shot of the episode is yet another one the highlights of the series. You see the Unsullied, the Dothraki, the Greyjoy fleet, the three dragons, Yara, Theon, Viserys, Tyrion, and Danaerys all headed for Westeros. The the sails on the boats bear the Targaryen sigil, which is showcased by an amazing tracking shot. This is more than a fitting end to the season. Another perfect episode.

I am running out of positive adjectives to describe this season, so here is my conclusion. Game of Thrones has managed to top itself once again. The character development is unparalleled, with characters like Sansa being a prime example of a fleshed-out personality. The acting and performances receive the highest of marks from me. The writing and directing is marvelous, and the cinematography is breathtaking. The visual effects are terrific and the music is beyond words. I believe Game of Thrones to be the best show on television (perhaps the best ever) and this might be the best season so far, with "Battle of the Bastards" and "The Winds of Winter" being the two greatest episodes of television I have ever seen. Game of Thrones season six is perfect television.

Grade: A+