Ah, the sound of the Game of Thrones theme song. It warms the soul.

It’s official. The wait is finally over! Only mere hours ago season 6 of Game of Thrones premiered. The episode titled, The Red Woman.

*** Stop right here if you have not seen tonight’s episode. MAJOR SPOILERS LIE AHEAD ***

Picking up right where we left off last season, we momentarily gaze upon Jon Snow’s cold, dead body, moments before Davos Seaworth is alerted by Ghost’s barking to the tragic scene. Other members loyal to our former Lord and Commander come rushing to his side, vowing to take action against those who brought down our beloved Jon Snow. Grabbing Jon’s body they relocate him and Ghost into Davos’s holding and board up the room with their swords as their only defense.

Later in the episode we catch up with Sansa Stark and Theon Greyjoy who are on the run from Ramsey’s hunters and hounds. The two cross a practically frozen river and seek shelter under a toppled-over tree only to be tracked by Ramsey’s hunters and hounds. As they are about to be captured Brienne of Tarth and Podrick come to their rescue, slaughtering everyone in sight. Brienne once again swears her loyalty to Sansa who accepts.

Sansa & Theon crossing a freezing river

Back in Dorne, Prince Doran Martell and his son, Trystane Martell are brutally murdered by Ellaria, Obara, Tyene and Nymeria Sand. At least Trystane’s death was quicker than his father’s; he took a spear through the skull while his father bled out from being stabbed in the chest. Myrcella’s corpse (killed via poison on her way back from Dorne) and Jamie arrive back in King’s Landing, greeted by a broken down and beaten Cersei.

Cersei’s downward spiral of shame and guilt continues with the news of her daughter’s death. She feels as though she has failed, in her words, her perfectly, pure daughter. Everything has been taken from her and she lets Jamie know that this was all foreseen in a prophecy a witch told her long ago. Jamie comforts Cersei and vows revenge on all who have wronged the Lannister’s.

On the other side of Westerns, Jorah and Daairo set out to find Daenerys and discover she has been taken by a Khalassar. Daenerys is captured by another Khal group and momentarily becomes their slave until she reveals she was married to Khal Drago. Khal Moro, the leader of this pack, says no one will harm her but she must go to where the other Khal widows are to live out her days; The Temple of the Dosh Khaleen (Vaes Dothrak).

In this episode we also catch a glimpse of Arya Stark. She is a blind peddler on the streets but is still being trained by Waif. If you call beating a blind, defenseless girl with a stick, training. We also catch up with Tyrion and Lord Varys who are busy trying to figure out who is calling the shots for the gold faces. As they are walking the streets of Meereen we see a shot of someone spying on their conversation before all of the city’s ships are burned to a crisp.

Although the first half of this episode felt like it flew by because of all the cuts to different locations, the pace of the second half slowed down just enough to uncover one of the most exciting story arcs of the episode. We jump back to Castle Black and discover Melisandre is actually a witch and not just some crazy woman! Say what? We watch as she undresses in front of a mirror. She then removes her necklace, the first time we see her do this on screen, and once it is removed she transforms into an old woman.

Questions we are left asking after this episode’s conclusion: Now that we have seen Melisandre’s true nature, can she actually rise Jon Snow from the dead? Will Brienne and company make it to Castle Black? And if they do, what lies in store for them? Who is burning the ships in Meereen and why? What exactly will Jamie do to exact his revenge? What will become of Dorne now that the Prince and his heir are dead?

Next week: Bran Stark makes an epic return to the series, after missing in action for a full season. Ramsey makes plans to storm the castle and Jamie is out for blood going straight for the High Sparrow. It also looks like we will see some dragon action next week (*jumps up and down like a 5 year old).

All that is missing is some White Walker action. Hopefully that will come soon enough.

Until next week friends.

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