Game of Thrones Recap: Mysteries of the Wall

The season premiere of Game of Thrones was satisfying while answering precious little.

Game of Thrones is a series that asks more questions than it cares to answers. In its sixth season, this tendency doesn’t appear to be slowing down. On the other hand, the sixth season premiere performs a marvelous balancing act that makes sure that, somehow, fans stay hungry. The episode opens on the wall, which ends up being a bit of a tease — Jon Snow is still dead.

Davos finds Jon’s body and hides it away along with Jon’s closest friends and Ghost. Allister freely admits that he had Jon killed for the good of the Night’s Watch and convenes the men to vote on the next Lord Commander. Allister Throne is, and has always been, and unlikable character. From the very beginning we want him to get what’s coming to him, and though there have been small tastes since then, Allister proves resilient.

It’s almost admirable the way in which he explains his reasoning for killing Jon and then clearly expects his peers to vote for him as leader. Davos isn’t having any of it, and there’s a tense standoff through a door when Allister demands that they surrender and leave. It’s then that Davos suggests asking Melisandre for help.

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Melisandre is one of Game of Thrones’ weakest points, if only because there is just too little known about her and her power. Magic is difficult to come by in this series, but the Red Priests and Priestesses can wake the dead and see the future in fire. She also gets naked a lot, which is a problem in and of itself. With that last scene in the episode, it looks like Game of Thrones is finally ready to answer some of the questions surrounding Melisandre which is something that the book series has yet to do.

Before we get to that, however, it’s time to check in with everyone else.

Sansa and Reek survived their jump from Winterfell, logic be damned. Reek is dead-set on saving Sansa, which, shockingly enough, is tough to do in a frozen forest in enemy territory. Enter Brienne, fresh from killing Stannis last season. Brienne kills the Bolton soldiers and once again pledges herself to Sansa. This time, thankfully, Sansa agrees, and there’s a cute scene in which Podrick gently reminds Sansa of the proper words to take on a Knight protector.

Game of Thrones excels at giving bite-sized pieces of story. It’s absolutely by necessity, as there is just so much to follow. Now that we know Sansa is okay and with Briene, that ends up being just enough go get by.

Aria has a similar short scene in Braavos. After the events of last season in which she killed Meryn Trant, Aria is blind and living on the streets. She isn’t entirely alone, as the assistant from the House of Black and White appears to train Aria to fight blind. Another way to look at it would be that she appears randomly to troll Aria. Either way, it’s one step closer to creating the ultimate killing machine we all know is coming.

The episode’s weakest link, and the one true weak link of the series, is Dorne. Dorne is a mess. Ellaria Sand is still furious at the death of Oberyn, and plans to stage a coup to get her way. Her and the Sand Snakes take out not only Prince Doran Martel, but also his son. Dorne still feels like a wasted opportunity, and the Sand Snake’s enjoyment from killing their cousin doesn’t feel natural.

We also get brief glances at Jamie and Cersei who are mourning Myrcella. The business with Dorne feels like a distraction, and so it’s difficult to become involved with their grief. Myrcella had been absent for the majority of the season, after all, and her death now only serves to further stoke Cersei’s hatred. Like it really needed the push.

Over in Mereen, Tyrion is helping to keep things together while Daenerys is away. It’s not working out well. Mereen is in turmoil, and now has a Red Priest of its own attempting to gain followers. Tyrion wisely notes that it will be a problem.

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Dany is imprisoned by a new Khalasar with a new Khal. To avoid being raped she reveals her identity, though the only thing they care about is that she was married to Khal Drogo. For now, she remains safe and untouched.

There’s also a scene with Margery, still in captivity, meeting with the High Sparrow. She will seemingly be treated a little better than Cersei. We’ll have to wait to see.

The episode finally circles back around to the Wall. Melisandre takes off her chocker to reveal that she is actually an old woman. The is the biggest reveal concerning Melisandre that we’ve ever had, though right now it’s just another question. Once again Game of Thrones knows when to give just enough.

Besides some misgivings with Dorne, season six is off to a solid start in “The Red Woman.” Jon is still dead, though death can be a temporary state of being in Game of Thrones. It’s also great to see Brienne partially fulfilling her promise to Catelyn by staying with Sansa. Should be a wild ride.

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