What’s Happening with Dorne on Game of Thrones?

Dorne, the home of Oberyn Martell and his brood, has been in a rough patch. Has the show left it behind?

The sixth season of Game of Thrones just aired its best episode, and part of the reason “The Door” was so strong is because it had no critically weak links. In other words, there was no Dorne. In fact, Dorne hasn’t been show on Game of Thrones for several episodes, and it would be understandable if fans eve forgot it existed.

The last time we saw Dorne, Oberyn’s brother and nephew were assassinated by the Sand Snakes and his grieving “paramour.” It was a move that was coming since the previous season. If such a coup had taken place elsewhere in Game of Thrones, it would be not only a major talking point, but would also keep fans on the edges of their seats. That’s not the case here.

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Dorne feels like it’s finished, as if the show has washed its hands of it. Even though there are questions lingering about what is going to happen to Dorne in the future, and if they are really going to go after Cersei, but it doesn’t feel important. The fact that several episodes have been able go by without a mention of Dorne only hammer home the point that it just doesn’t matter.

Jamie and Bron running around incognito felt silly, and it weakened the fifth season overall.

In the grand scheme of things, it should. But it doesn’t, because the show could never get Dorne right outside of the setting. Jame’s trip the rescue Myrcella not only ended in failure, but felt forced from the start. It was all downhill from there.

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There are so many other exciting things going on in Game of Thrones that Dorne doesn’t register anymore. It feels like an experiment that never really panned out, which is a shame. Oberyn was a fantastic character, but that’s not something the show was able to pull off twice.

At least the loss of Dorne means more room for other, actually interesting stories.