Review of Game of Thrones S6E2: Home

How do I feel about S6E2: Home? 10/10, would gladly watch again. 

This is easily the best single episode in several seasons. Unlike many GoT episodes, I didn't feel like a single scene was wasted or unimportant. We covered a lot of ground, without feeling rushed or hurried. Each moment was given its due, and boy, were there a lot of moments.

Obviously, spoilers inbound (though if you've managed not to get spoiled thus far you deserve some kind of medal).

The episode started off by retroducing us to Bran, who was excluded from season 5. They quickly established his ability to see the past through the trees and all but confirmed that this is how they will reveal Jon's parentage with the introduction of young Lyanna Stark.

The Iron Islands are not my favorite plotline, and I honestly haven't much missed them for the last two seasons. That being said, their scenes were some of the best of the night, particularly the scene with Balon and Euron on the bridge. I had been wondering for some time if Euron and/or Victarion were going to make a show appearance, and this answered that question for me. It's also wonderful to see Yara back, and I cannot wait for the kingsmoot which presumably will occur within a few episodes.

We finally got to see Tommen, and he's finally gaining character depth. Essentially, he feels like a powerless coward, and he knows he needs to grow a spine to be an effective king. (Problematically, he thinks his mother is the best one to teach him this).

We also got a fun little confrontation between Jaime and the High Sparrow. Jaime's interaction with the High Sparrow presents a nice contrast to Cersei's. Unlike her, most of Jaime's major sins are out in public and well-known already, and he has little to hide (other than his ongoing affair with his sister).

Sansa and Theon were oddly touching, and I'm so glad Sansa now knows that she is not, in fact, the only living Stark. Speaking of which, Arya's training is definitely moving quickly enough to satisfy my need for plot development (if perhaps a little too quickly to be believable). 

Then there was Tyrion and the dragons. Oh, man, this was so good. I really really want Tyrion to end up with a dragon, and the story he told about wanting a dragon as a child just made me want it even more. Seeing him with Viserion and Rhaegal would have been touching if it wasn't also terrifying. I look forward to seeing Tyrion with the dragons again.

Let's not forget Winterfell and the Boltons either. Just when you think Ramsay can't get any worse, he kills all of his remaining family. If I had one quibble with this episode, it was that I can't imagine politically-savvy Roose ever getting so close to Ramsay immediately after he gets disinherited without checking him for weapons - and in that regard, I wasn't terribly satisfied with Roose's death. But it did have to happen, and the follow-up with Walda and her son cemented Ramsay as worse than Joffrey for me.

And finally...the Wall. Hoo boy. We knew it was coming, everyone has been calling it for months, but seeing it in action was something else. First, Dolorous Edd returned with the wildlings, then Davos persuaded Melisandre to give resurrecting Jon an attempt. I'm a big fan of how they're handling Melisandre this season; unlike prior seasons, she is incredibly vulnerable, her faith shattered. Her vulnerability makes her more accessible and (I feel) more likeable.

The ending scene was handled perfectly. Just...perfectly. I wouldn't have changed anything about it. It was completely appropriate that Jon and Ghost be alone when Jon woke. 

This is the episode I wanted as the season premiere. It got me jazzed up and excited for the show in a way I haven't been for quite some time. I can't wait to see Jon confront his killers next week!

Unanswered Questions:

• For the love of the old gods and the new, WHERE is Petyr Baelish?
• So, can Rhaegal and Viserion get out now that they're unchained? Because that could be interesting.
• Where is Sam? I find it odd that we haven't seen GRRM's analog yet, given how many other plots we've touched on.
• Is Dorne just going to be written off and ignored now? (Please say yes. I can't take it anymore).