It’s the start of a new year, and it’s time to look forward. HBO has ramped up promotion for the new season of Game of Thrones early this time around. What are we looking forward to? What are we dreading? What are our deepest wishes, hopes, dreams, and fears for Game of Thrones Season 6? (Warning: we talk about SPOILERS for Season 6.)
KATIE: Maybe I’m just getting caught up in all the Bran hype, but I’m looking forward to seeing Isaac Hempstead Wright back on screen. Bran has something that the other characters don’t; for however savvy the likes of Varys and Littlefinger are, they don’t know the sort of things Bran seems to know, and I want to get a look inside that kid’s head.
While I initially wasn’t too invested in Bran’s plot line, it’s grown on me, and I want to see where this magic takes him and what it will mean for the overall story. I have my own theories as to where a lot of the characters will end up by series’ end, but Bran is one that I haven’t been able to pin down, so the allure is strong.
I’m also looking forward to seeing Ramsay Bolton dead—not that that’s been in any way confirmed, but I’m not-so-patiently awaiting it, anyway. I would also like to know when Gendry is going to return from his boat trip but, again, there doesn’t seem to be any news on that front.
RAZOR: Okay, I’ll take the easy layup here, and go with Jon Snow’s (hopeful) resurrection. How could you not be riveted to your television screen, just waiting to see Game of Thrones finally breathe life back into everyone’s favorite bastard? Will Jon come back and try and stay a member of the Night’s Watch? Will he try and seek revenge for or against his former traitorous brothers? Or will he simply gather up Ghost and Longclaw—and hopefully Davos and Melisandre—and begin a journey toward Winterfell?
The possibilities are endless at this point in the story. I’ve said this before: book-readers and shownlys (show-only) are now on the same page. Isn’t that a fine kettle of fish? No more haughty book snobs like myself telling people who’ve only watched the show how each scene should have gone, had Benioff and Weiss stuck to the books. And this is a good thing…I think.
RICHARD: As one might be able to tell from my recent Jon Snow Hero’s Journey and Archetype articles, I’m pretty excited to see what happens to Lord Snow. Like Katie, I’m also jazzed to see how Bran returns (his storyline has also grown on me) and how his journey unfolds. Plus I love the Tyrion/Varys dynamic and I’m expecting big things (both serious and humorous) as they team up with Daenerys. Plus I also want to see the Boltons get CHOPPED.
ANI: Oh my goodness, so much to choose from. Let’s see, there’s Dany and what we can hope is her finding herself again now that she’s out of the terrible atmosphere of Meereen. There’s Arya, and her Westerosi Assassin’s Creed Training. There’s the Ironborn, who got named Skip last season. And of course there’s our old favorite Schrödinger’s Crow, Jon Snow.
I mean, other than Dorne, is there anything to not look forward to? I suppose watching Tyrion attempt to run Meereen is going to be Not Fun, but it will have Tyrion and Varys, and they will have one-liners. Cersei descending into whatever mental meltdown she’ll have after learning that Myrcella is dead will be both good and bad. Lena Headey will go all the way overboard with it, and that will be pretty delightful.
But I suppose if I have to choose one thing I’m looking forward to most, it’s everything I don’t know. This is our first year being completely “off book,” as it were, and if there’s one thing all the spoilers we’ve seen from filming so far have taught me, it’s that the plotlines I have no idea about excite me the most. Add in the fact that we’ve crossed the halfway mark, and that there are somewhere between 20-30 hours left to hear the rest of the story (depending on how much of a Season 8 Benioff and Weiss agreed to, or if it’s not just Season 7 parts one and two)…can it really be that long until Dany rides across the Narrow Sea while the Wall falls up north?
DAN: We’re definitely casting a wide net here. Like Katie, I’m excited to see more of Bran. I’m more excited than I thought I would be, actually. Bran’s been a character in transition since Season 2—his story has mostly involved trekking from one part of the continent to another, with the occasional break to learn something about his abilities or foil a kidnapping. Now that he’s installed in the far North with the Three-Eyed Raven, it seems like he’s finally going to exert some influence on events. His presence in the promotional materials for Season 6—not to mention the fact that Isaac Hempsted Wright nabbed the very first cast interview of the season—implies that this will be a big year for Bran.
Mostly, though, I’m with Ani—I’m ready to be impressed by things I don’t know, and at this point there are a lot of things I don’t know. I’m also hoping the producers absorb some of the criticisms they received about Season 5 and make Season 6 a slightly smoother experience. If we’re talking about things I’m dreading, I’m a little afraid they’ll sacrifice nuance for big, splashy set pieces that don’t have much weight and that don’t hold up under scrutiny. Hopefully, though, they’ve worked out the bugs and can start to barrel toward the ending with confidence and grace. It’s all up to you now, Benioff and Weiss. Take us on home!
LEXI: This topic makes me feel like a kid in a Westerosi candy store. To start, I’ll echo Dan and Ani’s thoughts. Assuming The Winds of Winter doesn’t get published anytime soon, I’m looking forward to watching Season 6 as an Unsullied for the first time and experiencing all the jaw-dropping moments in real time. At the beginning of any new season I also love the first glimpses of the dragons to see how they’ve grown in size and appearance.
In addition to the plotlines everyone’s already mentioned there are a few I’m especially excited about, including The Battle of the Bastards, and along with it hopefully some Stark family reunions. In past seasons, we’ve seen a lot of near misses between the Starks so it would be rewarding to see at least a couple of them reunited. I’m also interested to see what happens in the Riverlands. I’m still holding out hope that Lady Stoneheart will make an appearance. Even if she doesn’t, I’ll still take a large helping of lots and lots of dead Boltons and Freys.
In Essos, I’m excited to see how Tyrion wields his leadership skills amidst the chaos of Meereen. He’ll have help from Varys but it will be interesting to see how he manages a city where the name Lannister doesn’t carry the same power or influence as it did in Kings Landing. I’m also hoping that Dany returns with her new khalasar in toe and squashes the Sons of the Harpy once and for all. I’d like to see that storyline wrapped up with Dany and Tyrion sailing for Westeros by season’s end.
The only plotline I’m dreading is the return of the Sand Snakes and their cringe-worthy dialogue and accents. Hopefully the producers have remedied those issues since last season. Lastly, besides Jon’s resurrection, the individual scene I’m most looking forward to is the one at the Tower of Joy. To finally have confirmation of Jon’s true parentage and his potential claim to the Iron Throne, the truth of Lyanna and Rhaegar’s relationship, and seeing Lyanna and Ned together should be a huge payoff.
(A word on the poll: some of the poll options constitute vague SPOILERS, so be wary if you choose to vote.)
Via http://winteriscoming.net/2016/01/01/small-council-what-are-you-most-looking-forward-to-in-game-of-thrones-season-6/
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