In previous years,Thronestends to get stronger as the season progresses.
Jon’s wailing direwolf is like the collectiveThronesfandom after last year’s finale given voice.
The crying strikes a perfect balance between mournful and eerie.
Credit: HBO
It’s unsettling, and it begins the slow stir of your emotions as we enter season 6.
Ser Davos finds his body.
This leads to several reverent moments, with Davos and Jon’s Night’s Watch supporters touching him.
Has any dead body onThronesever been treated with so much adoration?
She’s confused: “I saw him in the flames fighting at Winterfell.”
How about you
But then she exits.
Over in the Castle Black cafeteria, Ser Alliser Thorne declares, “Jon Snow is dead!
“totally rubbing it in.
There’s some understandable outrage among the men.
Ideally, he’d like to Make Westeros Great Again by deporting all the Wildlings north of the Wall.
Meanwhile, Jon is still just… lying there.
Winterfell: Another body on another table.
Ramsay mourns his lover Myranda.
She was a fittingly sadistic life partner for him despite the annoying spelling of her name.
This provoked a disapproving groan at theThronespremiere screening a couple weeks back.
Is it better to let dogs go hungry?
And since she’s the kennel keeper’s daughter, wouldn’t she have wanted this?
NEXT:Triumphant Brienne keeps her oath
Somewhere all too close: Sansa and Theon are on the run.
Hey, this is a cheat!
Did they land in a fluffy snowbank with a puff of powder?
Sansa and Theon reach an icy river.
They’re wet, they’re cold, they’re actinggive them some Oscars.
They make it across and find a tree to huddle against.
Theon hesitates to put hands on a lady but then holds her for warmth.
The hounds find them anyway.
Theon tries to shield Sansa, but they discover her, too.
All hope is lost when… Brienne to the rescue!
This provoked a big cheer in the preview audience.
Sansa, Pod, and Theon work together to take out Ramsay’s men.
Pod’s training had paid off.
Brienne once again offers her servitude to Sansa.
Also: If she hadn’t already, Brienne has totally earned the name of her sword.
King’s Landing: Joyous news for Cersei: Jaime and Myrcella have returned.
We see a very rare smile from Cersei.
Cersei skips down to the bay to meet Jaime’s boat.
His grim expressionand that tell-tale mound under a gold shroudtells her everything she needs to know.
We’ve been anticipating this moment since the finale.
We expected Cersei to flip out, to yell and scream.
That was doubtless the first thing the writers considered because it’s the obvious reaction.
She was nothing like me.
No meanness, no jealousyjust good.
To this Jaime is literally like, “I know.”
As Lena Headey told us, these are words she never thought Cersei would say.
Cersei is many things, but introspection and self-awareness aren’t her thing.
Once again, Headey’s performance is gripping.
Jaime tells her to “F prophecy!
F everyone who is not us.”
Ironically, the Lannisters' problems all stemmed from these two refusing to f anyone who is not them.
NEXT: Faster Sand Snakes!
Meanwhile, the Faith Militant haven’t improved Margaery’s hairstyle either.
She manages to make Hodor look like a great conversationalist.
Enter the Faith Militant’s schlubby leader, the High Sparrow.
Dorne: Ah, Dorne!
We’ve seen next to nothing of Dorne in the trailers.
Prince Doran is meeting with Ellaria and her Sand Snake daughter Tyene.
The pacifistic prince gets a note revealing Myrcella’s death.
The duo gives him a choice of which one to fight.
He picks Nymeria, probably because she’s being more rude about killing him.
Meereen: Tyrion and Varys are out for a stroll.
“See you tomorrow,” the Waif says.
Well, at least Ayra now hassomethingto look forward to.
Grasslands: Ser Jorah and Daario are on Dany’s trail.
Dany doesn’t speak until they take her to their leader, Khal Moro.
Khal Moro ponders Dany as his jealous handmaidens urge him to kill her.
It’s like Dany just stumbled into a Dothraki sports bar.
She finally breaks her silence and starts tossing off her titles to get some leverage on this guy.
Not one impresses until she reveals she was the wife of a khal.
Castle Black: Jon Snow?
Thorne gives Davos and company an ultimatum to come out and make peace.
Ser Davos is confident that Thorne will kill them all if they pop fire up door.
It’s like a Castle Black-based sequel toGreen Room.
FINALLY:Melisandre’sShiningmoment
Davos says to get Melisandre for additional help.
He notes he’s seen her do some amazing things.
We see Melisandre’s true self, and she’s not the fairest of them all.
We all get into bed.
And normally that’s a boring shot to have in a show.
A screenwriting rule is you venture to avoid transitions like this.
Melisandre’s not casting a spell or making some flashyOnce Upon a Time-like display.
So does this mean that Melisandre is actually more powerful than we thought?
And how much of her magic is derived from her accessories, anyway?
That’s it for the premiere.
No Bran (yet).
No Sam and Gilly (yet).
Director Jeremy Podeswaexplains how the stunning effect was achieved, and gives his thoughts on Melisandre’s age.
Plus, we haveGwendoline Christie talking about the importance of her heroic scene.
