‘Game of Thrones’ Review: “The Winds of Winter"

Jessica Morris ‘19 / Emertainment Monthly TV Staff Writer
With the final episode, “The Winds of Winter,” Season 6 of HBO’s Game of Thrones has come to a close. While not everything about the episode or the season as a whole may have made perfect sense, season 6 of the show has proven to be anything but boring. In particular, this season finale turned viewers’ expectations for the show on their head. By the end of the episode, audiences were left with several deceased characters, one tremendous fan-theory confirmation, and plenty to look forward to for next season.
Composer Ramin Djawadi’s score for this opening scene is one of the episode’s most commendable moments by far. The score invokes a feeling of rising dread and desperation from its first note. Though a beautiful piano-heavy track, you are still made instantly aware that something is amiss for these characters. Titled “Light of the Seven,” this is a piece of music that deserves to be highlighted. It is high-time for Djawadi to win an Emmy for his work on the show.
Upon spotting the blaze in the distance and hearing of Margaery’s demise, the young king Tommen Baratheon (Dean-Charles Chapman) commits suicide. With Tommen’s death, Maggy the Frog’s prophecy seems to be becoming reality. All three of Cersei’s children are now dead. It will be interesting to see where Cersei’s character goes from here, without the love she had for her children to ground her. It will also be interesting to see the remainder of this prophecy play out on screen.
The rest of the episode is something of a blur after the initial shock of the opening scene. Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) is shown conspiring in Dorne against Cersei with Ellaria (Indira Varma) and the Sand Snakes, almost immediately after the deaths of her son and grandchildren. After making a speedy trip back to Westeros, Arya (Maisie Williams) kills Walder Frey (David Bradley) as well as two of his sons, finally getting her vengeance for the deaths of her mother and brother. At Winterfell, the other Northern lords rally around Jon Snow (Kit Harington), declaring him the King in the North, despite his status as a Stark bastard. The truth about Jon’s true parentage is also revealed, when it is confirmed that Lyanna (Aisling Franciosi), Ned Stark’s younger sister, was actually, Jon’s mother. Assuming it has also been confirmed now that Rhaegar Targaryen fathered Jon, that makes Jon the “song of ice and fire” of the series. For many fans, this was by far the most satisfying event of the finale.
Season 5 was rather disappointing (the Dorne storyline was one of the series’ lowest points), while this past season of Game of Thrones triumphed in comparison. With so much at stake for next season, hopefully, Game of Thrones will continue to deliver. For now, viewers can only wait for season 7 and hope that the long wait proves to be well worth it.
Game of Thrones will return to HBO in Spring 2017.
Overall Grade: A