Keys to understanding the sixth season of Game of Thrones

Mad King season six

Game of Thrones, the famous HBO series, has become a mass phenomenon, and it is not surprising. The Depth of the Universe based on the epic fantasy novel series of George RR Martin it is enormous, as well as the complexity of the characters that populate Poniente and Essos.

However, the problem faced by many new fans of the series, created by David Benioff and DB Weiss, is that history has a long journey, and it is often difficult to take into account all the elements to assimilate all the information well.

In this article you will find some of the main keys of the sixth season of Game of Thrones that will help you put in order the most important events and turning points so that for the next chapters nothing escapes you. Needless to say, this article is full of SPOILERS of all seasons. You are warned.

Bran Stark - Beyond-the-Wall

Bran Stark has gained special relevance in the sixth season. Recall that in the fifth he did not even appear, however, his adventures Beyond-the-Wall in the Arciano cave with the Three-Eyed Raven, the Children of the Forest, Meera and Hodor, are gradually turning him into a of the fundamental keys for the future of Poniente.

Bran, after a long journey from Winterfell to the cave, developed a skill that we did not expect: that of traveling through time. Thanks to him we have seen flashbacks of events of utmost importance to the background of the series, like the fight in front of the Tower of Joy of Ned Stark and his six men against Ser Arthur Dayne during the reign of Aerys Targaryen II (aka The Mad King), or the origin of the White Walkers. But above all, the regression that will have the most significance from now on is the one in which it is explained why Hodor can only say his name.

¿Why is it so important?

As a result of change of skin (one of Bran's abilities) with the teenage Hodor Bran proved that he could alter the past. The son of Ned Stark and Catelyn Tully was visiting the Winterfell that his father experienced as a child when he heard Meera Reed say from outside: "We need Hodor!" And they really needed it. The King of the Night and his army of White Walkers arrived at the Arciano ready to end everything, it seemed an impossible mission, but Bran used his skills as skin changer and was introduced into Hodor's body from the past to help the protagonists of the present. Young Wyllis's mind was impaired by this temporal paradox, then affecting his speech for the rest of his life.

Bran stark

Arciano's exit door, with Hodor screaming 'Hold the door' Heartbroken as he held her to save his friends, he showed us that Bran has the ability to alter the past and influence characters: Wyllis stopped being Wyllis because Bran's decisions changed the course of his life.

And beyond the deep sadness that Hodor's death caused, this event opens a window of doubts and possibilities for us. Has Bran altered more parts of the past? An unofficial theory tells us that he could have driven Aerys II insane, thus sparking the myriad atrocities he committed (such as the deaths of Brandon and Rickard Stark). The importance of Bran would be such that some believe that he was the founder of Winterfell or the Three-Eyed Raven himself.

On the other hand, Bran meets with Cold Hands when a horde of specters of White Walkers pursued him after the escape from the cave of the Three-Eyed Raven. This mysterious character turned out to be her uncle Benjen Stark, whom we hadn't heard from since season one.

Apparently, Benjen was killed by the White Walkers but the Children of the Forest stabbed his heart with dragonglass, turning him into an undead unlike any we've seen so far.

Benjen Stark Cold Hands

One more Stark that adds to the adventure!

But ... What will be the true role of Cold Hands? And how will Bran's abilities as the new Three-Eyed Raven affect the series' future or past?

For now, his abilities have shown us scenes that a while ago we did not think we could get to see in a series that had never advocated the use of flashbacks. In the sixth episode, 'Blood of my Blood', we actually got to see Valyrian fire and the Mad King screaming from the Iron Throne "Burn them all!", phrase he uttered during Robert's Rebellion, just before the Usurper snatched the throne from him and Jaime Lannister stabbed him in the back with a sword.

Will we see more about this important event? 

Sansa Stark and Jon Snow - Winterfell and Sweetwater

One of the face to face more important corresponds to the reunion between Jon Snow and Sansa Stark. In the fourth chapter of the sixth season they finally found themselves at Castle Black after a very long time without seeing each other.

Leaving aside whether or not Jon Snow is of the blood of the dragon (a very well founded theory seems to affirm that he is the son of Raeghar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark) it is important to emphasize that from the first season all the brothers (except Robb Stark who died in the Red Wedding) have not known what it is to live with family for a long time.

Jon and Sansa are clear examples of this Odyssey. She was transferred to King's Landing to be handcuffed with Joffrey Baratheon, and there she witnessed the death of her father, and endless misfortunes, although she also lived through an ordeal in Eagles' Nest and in Winterfell besieged by Ramsay Snow.

Sansa Stark season six

And Jon Snow is not far behind. After a long expedition and having fought countless wars, he ended up being betrayed and killed by his companions of the Night's Watch.

After his resurrection at the hands of the Red Witch, Melisandre, we were able to see one of the most emotional moments of the series: the embrace between both characters in the outer courtyard of Castle Black.

But was it really a sincere hug?

Recall that Sansa Stark had a chat with Petyr Baelish in Villa Topo where the Protector of the Valley of Arryn informed her that her uncle Brynden Tully was recruiting an army in Sweetwater. This information was of great interest to her, since in Castle Black Jon Snow and Ser Davos were looking for a way to face Ramsay's army to recover Winterfell and save Rickon Stark, prisoner of the villain of the Bolton house. The report was perfect, but Sansa concealed from her half brother that the information was given to her by Littlefinger, one of the most unpredictable and traitorous characters in the series.

And that Sansa withheld information from the man of her loyalty, Jon, implies that Littlefinger still has some control over her. Sansa has not acted like a true Stark, and this will surely take its toll on her.

At the moment we also know that House Frey and the Lannisters are going to enter the scene. The Lands of the Rivers once again play a fundamental role. Jaime Lannister heads to the Tully House to fight the cause of Brynden Tully (The Black Fish) and thus help Walder.

The fact that Walder Frey wants to recover Tully Castle (one of his gifts as a result of the Red Wedding and alliance with House Lannister) further clarifies that the information that Littlefinger gave Sansa about the Tully army is true. Brynden has recruited an army and has recovered his castle, hence Walder also sends his men and uses as a bargaining chip Edmure Tully, locked in the dungeons since Catelyn and Robb died the most vile in the filthy living room. the Twins to the funeral rhythm of 'Lluvias de Castamere'.

Edmure tully

But let's recap: Jaime is going to retake Watershed with Lannister forces, Sansa has sent Brienne of Tarth to Tully Castle to accompany them in their Stark cause, and now the Freys are also going to Sweetwater to get her back. This makes something very clear: Aguasdulces is going to be the scene of a mythical confrontation!

How will all this end and who will fall into the clutches of betrayal?

Theon and Asha Greyjoy - The Iron Islands

The plot of the Iron Islands is one of my favorites. The situation of this region of Westeros in the sixth season focuses on the rise of power of a new monarch, Euron Greyjoy, brother and murderer of Balon Greyjoy, after proclaiming the Sea Stone Chair before the assembly and promising the inhabitants of the islands that Westeros would conquer with the help of Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons.

Euron Greyjoy's plan is to woo the Mother of Dragons and help her return to Westeros to claim her rightful claim to the Iron Throne. Asha, who ultimately failed in her plan to rule the Iron Islands and build the largest fleet in all of Westeros and Essos, fled with her brother Theon, stealing the best ships and soldiers.

Greyjoy Asha Theon

What implications could Theon and Asha Greyjoy's escape have?

On the one hand, the Iron Islands are also very close to Aguasdulces. It wouldn't hurt if the Greyjoys came to help Brienne de Tarth, Jon Snow and Sansa to recruit an army to face their common enemy: Ramsay Bolton.

On the other hand, Theon is in debt to the Starks for having invaded Winterfell in vain and assassinating Maester Luwin and Ser Rodrik Casell. Furthermore, both he and Asha are in mortal danger from their escape and theft. Joining Jon and Sansa's cause could help them save their lives and begin their fight in Westeros to showcase House Greyjoy beyond their islands.

Cersei and Jaime Lannister - King's Landing

The deaths of Myrcella and Joffrey Baratheon left an immense mark on Cersei's heart, but also on that of her biological father, Jaime Lannister. Both have sworn revenge on all those who humiliated the Lannister family.

With Tywin dead (at the hands of Tyrion) and Jaime searching for Myrcella in Dorne, Cersei was left unprotected to the point of being subjected to one of the most shocking events in the entire series: the walk of shame from the Sept of Baelor to Landing.

In season six Margaery Tyrell was going to be subjected to the same sin atonement process as Cersei, something her mother Olenna Redwyne was unwilling to accept. His desperation that his daughter, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and Tommen Baratheon's wife, not be humiliated in front of the public led him to accept a plan in conjunction with Cersei and Jaime Lannister.

Olenna Redwine

The truth is that this alliance was useless. Tommen and Margaery allied themselves with the High Septon and the rescue of Jaime and Mace Tyrell was in vain. Faith and the Kingdom will be part of a whole, and with this alliance the revenge of the biological parents of the king is subjected to the deepest failure, before the victorious (and somewhat hateful) eyes of Septon.

In the Throne Room, Tommen, as if that were not enough, frees Jaime from the Royal Guard (something very similar to what happened with Ser Barristan), and decides to send him to the Lands of the Rivers to end the siege of Brynden Tully.

Brynden Jaime Lannister

Arya Stark - Braavos

Arya Stark is a character that many fans have high hopes for. After abandoning the Dog to his fate, he went to the House of Black and White in Braavos where, since season 4, he has been in a learning phase with Jaqen H'ghar and the Abandoned Girl in their attempt to become Nobody and shed of all your identity and memories.

Arya Stark Braavos

The young woman is assigned to kill a Braavos actress named Lady Crane during a theatrical comedy in which she is working and in which the events that occurred during the death of King Robert Baratheon are caricatured

Arya then remembers the death of her father Ned Stark. Being a comedy, the whole story was caricatured, so we see the young Stark react sadly. The stricken face of the protagonist seeing the death of her father in a comic key, and her doubts about having to murder a woman she considers decent, inclined me to think that she really was not prepared to be Nobody.

And it never really was. In the sixth chapter Arya fails her mission and refuses to end the life of Lady Crane, the actress who plays Cersei Lannister in the theatrical comedy. The Lord of Many Faces then allows the Abandoned Girl to end the life of an Arya who has decided definitively to move away from this shadowy and subordinate world, to meet again with her sword Needle, and hopefully also with her family.

But ... How will the imminent confrontation between the two characters end?

Daenerys Targaryen - Essos

One of the most impressive events of the sixth season was the one that carried out Daenerys in Vaes Dothrak murdering with fire all the Dothraki and their Khal, Moro. Although he was assisted by his most faithful bodyguards, Ser Jorah Mormont and Dario Naharis, his omnipotence was sublime.

Daenerys drogon

But this scene mostly served to show us that Dany doesn't really burn, unlike her brother Viserys, who was cruelly murdered by Khal Drogo in the first season.

Given this aspect, it should be emphasized that the Targaryens are not really immune to fire, no matter how much the vast majority of them were obsessed with it. The reason why Daenerys does not suffer from being exposed to the flames is not clarified, although it could well be related to the fact that she is the Mother of Dragons or the ancient prophecy of Azor Ahai and the prince who was promised.

“It is written in the ancient books of Asshai that there will come a day after a long summer, a day when the stars will bleed and the icy breath of darkness will descend upon the world. In that dreadful hour, a warrior will draw a flaming sword from the fire. And that sword will be Owner of Light, the Red Sword of Heroes, and the one who swords it will be Azor Ahai reborn, and the darkness will flee in its wake. "

But putting this hypothesis aside ... Will Daenerys finally reclaim the Iron Throne this season?

After Robert Baratheon's Rebellion with House Stark and Arryn, Aerys II's reign ended. Their two children (Dany and Viserys) fled to Pentos to the home of Illyrio Mopatis, who protected and fostered them until Dany married Khal Drogo. From there he began an eternal journey through Essos in which he still continues. He has yet to cross the entire Dothraki Sea and meet in Mereen with his advisers, Tyrion, Lord Varys, Missandei and Gray Worm.

One of the great hopes for this character is his return to Westeros. You now have an army of Dothraki, royal advisers, three dragons, an army of Unsullied (or what's left of it), and plenty of security. Only missing Jorah, who has marched in search of a cure for Gray Psoria after declaring his love for the queen, and 1000 ships to cross the Narrow Sea.

Will Euron Greyjoy finally offer them to him?

Tyrion Lannister and Lord Varys - Mereen

Both characters are in Meeren running a city in which slaveholders and slaves are in conflict. Daenerys's orders to radically abolish slavery had negative consequences for the city. The Sons of the Harpy attacked the Unsullied by piecemeal and even assassinated Ser Barristan himself, who was Commander of the Royal Guard for many years until he was expelled by Joffrey and Cersei.

Tyrion Varys sixth season

Tyrion and Varys have hired a Red Witch named Kivara, very similar to Melisandre, to reposition the image of the absent queen, Dany.

What will be the repercusion of the appearance of this new and enigmatic character?

To date, he has been the only character able to silence the ever-sharp Varys by telling him about the eunuch's secrets regarding his castration and the voices he heard from the fire as they cast their attributes at him.

Ellaria Arena and the Sand Serpents - Dorne

About the Martells we only know what they told us in the first chapter of the season. Ellaria and the Serpents killed King Doran and his son Trystane in a mythical coup. The objective was to eliminate what he considered a weak king and avenge the death of Oberyn Martell, who was brutally murdered by the Mountain in a trial by combat that, on the other hand, sought to avenge the death of Elia Martell and her children during the Rebellion of Robert.

Dornish Ellaria Sand

We don't know much more about Dorne, although we assume that they are in the crosshairs of Jaime and Cersei for having sent their dead daughter Myrcella. The issue will not end like this.


Be the first to comment

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

*

*

  1. Responsible for the data: Miguel Ángel Gatón
  2. Purpose of the data: Control SPAM, comment management.
  3. Legitimation: Your consent
  4. Communication of the data: The data will not be communicated to third parties except by legal obligation.
  5. Data storage: Database hosted by Occentus Networks (EU)
  6. Rights: At any time you can limit, recover and delete your information.