We’re only two episodes into Game of Thrones’ sixth season, and the show is not messing around. In the premiere, it killed off the last two members of the Martell family, plus bodyguard Areo Hotah. And in the second episode, it eliminated Roose Bolton, his wife Walda, their newborn son, and Balon Greyjoy, lord of the Iron Islands and the last king standing in the War of the Five Kings. This year is a bloodbath.
Of all the characters who’ve died in Season 6 so far, Balon Greyjoy went out with the biggest bang. We’ve seen a lot of characters meet their ends on this show, but this was the first time we saw someone get pitched over the side of a teetering rope bridge and crash into the waves hundreds of feet below. His death scene gets points for novelty, if nothing else.
But even if his final moments hadn’t been so bombastic, Balon Greyjoy would still be missed. Before last Sunday, we hadn’t seen the character since the end of Season 3, when he and daughter Yara received a grisly gift from Ramsay Bolton. In “Home,” Balon and Yara pick up where they left off, with a conversation about the state of the Ironborn campaign to take over the North. Although he’d been absent for seasons, Balon was just as crotchety and combative as we remembered—it was surprising how little intensity the character had lost in the intervening years.
Much of that had to do with Patrick Malahide’s charismatic performance. A veteran of English television, Malahide showed off his skills on shows like Minder and The Singing Detective, and scored small roles in films like The World is Not Enough and Quills. He often played villains, and with his scratchy voice and grizzled features, he was the perfect choice for Balon Greyjoy, a man as tough and harsh as the landscape over which he ruled.
Like Ciarán Hinds (Mance Rayder), Malahide didn’t get to do as much on the show as his talent deserved, but he made the most of every moment he was on screen. Balon Greyjoy may be dead, but what is dead may never die, and we wish Malahide the best moving forward.
Via http://winteriscoming.net/2016/05/07/curtain-call-patrick-malahide/
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