SPOILER ALERT
“Jon, winter is here.”
“Father always promised, didn’t he?”
There are few moments in television history that can surpass the sheer thrill of the season 6 finale of Game of Thrones, which aired on Sunday night.
Like Cersei Lannister waterboarding Septa Unella with wine. Or Arya Stark avenging us for the brutality we were put through at the Red Wedding. Or Tyrion Lannister’s face when the Mother of Dragons annointed him as the Queen’s hand. I kid you not, tears of joy were shed copiously.
Video – Our designer Dwynn speaks about GOT season 6 finale:
R + L does in fact equal J, making Jon Snow Rhaegar Targaeryan’s son and Daenerys Targaryan’s nephew and in effect an equal contender for the Iron Throne. Well done Ned Stark. You kept your promise and the North will always remember. What’s left to be seen is whether Daenerys will go on to wed Jon Snow (we all know Targaryans like to marry within the family), completing the Fire and Ice theory in full.
It felt great to watch the women take charge once again: Danerys is now truly on her way to take the Iron Throne. She has her ships, her men and her dragons. And with Tyrion by her side, she looks unstoppable!
Can we also take a moment to appreciate Arya Stark? It feels like just yesterday that Jon Snow had presented her with the Needle. And now here she is — feeding Walter Frey his own sons in a pie and then gleefully slitting his throat. Five seasons of watching her prepare and accumulate skills and go through abject misery after misery have finally paid off. Truly one of the best moments of the episode. Slow clap.
Then there’s Cersei who laid waste to those religious fanatics by unleashing the Mad King’s old stash of wildfire on the Sept of Baelor (where her impending trial awaited), killing in one fell swoop most of the Tyrells, leaving good old Olaena to head to Dorne and broker a vengeance pact. A major casualty of this event was of course Tommen: committing suicide when he finally realises that there was no hope for him in a family of murderers. Which leaves Cersei free to take the Iron Throne. For now. Because didn’t we all see how Jaime Lannister watched her warily from afar? He’s killed the Mad King before for wanting to use wildfire on his people. What should he do with his own sister for actually going ahead with it? Things between these incestuous lovers are going to get ugly next season.
Olenna Tyrell is now in Dorne and she wants Cersei’s head on a spike for murdering her entire family. Varys shows up opportunely and they’re now also going to be on their way to Weateros to join up with Daenerys’ formidable army.
Sansa Stark seemed slightly diminished, however. After Littlefinger makes one more failed pass at her, she quietly watches as the rest of the North nobility pledged their allegiance to Jon Snow, despite them believing him to be Ned Stark’s bastard. Sansa looked on passively, even smiled at first, but you can tell she wants more than just support Jon’s claim to the throne. But for now we have a true King of the North and the longest winter they’ve ever faced will bring with it its own monsters. Will Jon and Sansa be ready?
So there we have it: Dany’s heading to Westeros, Jon’s fending off White Walkers, Arya’s on a killing spree, Cersei holds on precariously to the Iron Throne. We’re finally all caught up in an episode that delivered us from the drab we were put through for most of the season (except for the penultimate one). The wait for S07E01 is going to be long and tedious after all.
Don’t miss it
The Season 6 finale of Game of Thrones is available on OSN On Demand and OSN Play from 11pm tonight.
