*Extreme spoilers
For those of us who have already seen the season six finale of "Game of Thrones," we are still in awe. For those that haven't yet, get on it! And for those that don't yet watch this phenomenal series, take my HBO password and catch up to the rest of us!
Based on the books by George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones is a thrilling, fist-clenching and heart-wrenching HBO series that grabbed our hearts from the beginning. Not only did the directors grab onto our hearts, they also ripped them out of our chests, shook them up a bit, juggled them around, and threw them to the ground. The series teaches us how to love the bad guys (Joffrey), how to hate the good guys (Rickon... remember him? HA) and honestly, to expect the completely unexpected.
Throughout the six seasons, we all have our favorite episodes mostly because of their extreme unpredictability. The Red Wedding. Tywin Lannister's death (and Shae's betrayal). Viserys Targaryen's golden crown. Fire and Blood. The list goes on and on...
Season five was pretty dry for most of us. It was good, because GoT is always good, but it really ran scarce on action and surprises. This dryness set season six up to be a masterpiece.
GoT is known for their sudden twists and turns that leave us breathless. Even as some of our favorite characters die unexpectedly (the Red Wedding), somehow the show continues to grab our attention and forces us to continue watching. Season six began with the revival of Jon Snow, an all-around fan favorite. Predictable. With a few more anticipated happenings throughout the season, I began to get nervous that the show was starting to play to what their fans wanted.
That is, until the finale.
An extra 10-15 minutes longer than the general episode, I was ecstatic to watch. Sitting in a room filled with GoT fanatics like myself, we all bit our lips as the beginning credits and illustrious theme song began to play. Here. We. Go.
WHAT. Within the first 20 minutes some of the biggest characters were so simply slaughtered. The season's "bad" guy (the High Sparrow) as well as some of the show's sweethearts (the Tyrells) were trapped into an explosion of wildfire. Making this scene both so devastating and so awesome, they were all forsaken by, guiltily, one my new favorite characters, Cersei Lannister. Taking her son, the King, to safety, they escaped her ploy.
Okay. Even with all of this wonderful and horrible killings, it is only the beginning of the finale. We still have an entire hour left to fill. It can only go up from here.
BAM. King Tommen jumps out the window, overcome with depression brought on by his mother's murdering. Tommen, as annoying as he was, was a young boy who, out of nowhere, just committed suicide. We had to pause the show to catch our breaths from screaming for so damn long.
So that happened. And it was awesome.
What I thought had to be the most exciting part of the episode was the scene between Arya Stark and Walder Frey. I totally thought Arya was done for the season; her last appearance for the season being standing her ground to Jaqen H'ghar, claiming who she is and declaring her trek for Winterfell, her home. Boy, was I wrong!
The scene opens up with a young woman serving Walder Frey pie and discussing his sons' whereabouts. The young woman hints to the pie and says her sons are there with them. As Walder Frey investigates the pie, there lies a finger or toe or something of the sorts that represents the butchery of his sons that were then baked in a pie and served to him as dessert. With Walder's vile language and behavior, as well as his betrayal of House Stark at the Red Wedding, we couldn't help but feel he got what he deserved. We weren't, however, distracted enough to see the unbelievable unveil preceding this conversation. The young woman takes her face off to reveal Arya Stark, who slits Walder Frey's throat in revenge for her mother and brother's murders. Now picture a room full of GoT nerds screaming and jumping and hugging each other in utmost delight.
These three scenes were highlighted by little victories throughout the episode. Tyrion is made hand to the Queen. Daenerys's army grows in substantial size with the help of Varys. Jon Snow is revealed as Lyanna Stark's daughter. And of course the supreme backing of Jon Snow by his bannermen as King of the North.
So, for those of you who read through until the end, you understand how great this show is. Keep watching and celebrating and crying along with the rest of us. We only have a short while until Iron Throne is won.
