***Contains Spoilers for “Game of Thrones”
Season 6 began like any usual “Game of Thrones” premiere. Fans were excited, and HBO began its usual crackdown on 3rd-party streaming sites. Fans had a lot of expectations. Many couldn’t accept the death of lead character, Jon Snow (played by Kit Harington) and had theories from the Red Lady resurrecting him to Jon Snow being half- Targaryen.
For the first time, the TV series would begin to follow its own course, as it has reached the point to where the books are incomplete. Viewers are left to speculate as to what will happen to their favorite characters in this new season.
I was glad that the series was no longer behind the books. Finally, readers of the books could not spoil key plot points in the next series.
Many people have critiqued “Game of Thrones” as being fan-service to those who enjoy “Lord of the Rings.” I had never enjoyed “Lord of the Rings” because the characters were boring, especially the lead, who seemed very self-centered at certain moments. Honestly, the fantasy in “Game of Thrones” deterred me. What was the purpose of having dragons and white walkers? Their existence in “Game of Thrones” puzzled me, as they served no real purpose.
What truly kept me interested in “Game of Thrones” was the court intrigue. I could never guess or plan what would happen next, as the characters set off their own fictional dominoes. Every plan, action, and word had an even greater consequence.
In some ways, “Game of Thrones” was like a Chinese historical drama. There was the vying for political power from the different families and how each would use marriage and murder as ways to climb up the social ladder. There was plenty of mystery, as every Chinese drama had a heroine with unknown origins, and there were plenty of memorable death scenes. Both shows used women as key plot devices and eye candy, except “Game of Thrones” was way more gratuitous.
“Game of Thrones” was confusing at times. It was hard to remember each house and the key players in that house. I could only remember a handful of the main cast, and I still have trouble recalling their names. For that reason, I found it hard to keep up and be invested in new characters or those that got little screen time. I also found it tedious to watch scenes with these characters, as each episode was split into different parts with various characters in unique settings.
All in all, the first episode of season 6 had me excited as to where the show would be going. I hope that this new season will be more engaging than the last season, as I opted out of watching the second half of season 5.
For those “Game of Thrones” fans who are dying for the next episode of season 6 to come out, I recommend “Legend of Zhen Huan” to keep your wait occupied. It was similar to “Game of Thrones” in many regards, from a strong female cast to their ruthless plans for power, and will surely engage even the most die-hard “Game of Thrones” fan.
[star rating=”4.5″]
