Game of Throne "Blood of my Blood" (S6 - E06) [TV Review]

Well last episode had a haunting title, and this one is very very relevant to the episode.
The writers have gotten titles down.
Good.

On these steps stands one of my most hated characters.

Let me preface this by saying that this is probably my least favorite episode of the season. Which is really sad because with this episode we have moved into the later half of the season.

3.5 out of 5 stars

I almost gave this three stars but held off of going that low.

Come on! Bring forth the Stabbity! Stab Stab Stab!

Before we get to that:


SPOILER WARNING!

I almost feel that I should not need to write that. If you are here to read GoT reviews, on this site or on any other, you should damn well expect to have stuff spoiled. Watch the show, then read the reviews.

Moving on.

Now why did I find this episode so unsatisfying?

Even the show admits that the play is little more than
idiots and fart jokes. Good.

Lets start with this.

There was only 1 real death in this episode, and it was a death from 20+ years ago during Robert's Rebellion. Yep, the only 'new' death (aside from a few skeletons) is the Mad King Aerys at Jamie's hand.

Okay, not every episode needs to be filled with death, but after last weeks tragic death (may Hodor rest in peace), it felt weaker.

Hello backstory man! We finally learn about Sam's
past. Many many seasons late.

Now the opening with Bran, in all the jumbled flashbacks was very good. The episode began well. Mad King Aerys screaming "Burn them all!" Seeing pots of wildfire being filled. All good stuff.

The arrival of Coldhands was cool too. His flaming morning star was impressive.

The arrival at Horn Hill was appropriately uncomfortable, but strange. While it didn't match the books this was acceptable. We also eventually get Sam's background, we get to see his asshole father... and then Sam does something that seems utterly out of character.

Those two look really good together. Maybe one of the
best romances in the whole damn series. Scratch that.
It is the best.
Should I comment here?... Gilly really looks fetching with her hair done.
The dress bit is quite funny.

Why the frack would Sam take Heartsbane? It seems wholly out of character. He'd leave it for his brother... yes, he'd run out with Gilly and Little Sam, and maybe even take something else to help them survive. But Heartsbane? It seems wrong. I like Sam's line "He can bloody well try." But still...

A choice. Return to Meereen, or go to the Seven Kingdoms.
The right choice is made, we're going to the Kingdoms!

But everything in Kingslanding was wrong and or sucked. Margaery is now broken by the High Sparrow, and is self-doubting and maybe even self-hating. Chalk this up to another reason I despise the High Sparrow, who has amazingly made it to the #1 spot of characters I want to die. Once that list was topped by Circei, but she's fallen a long way.

#1 High Sparrow 
#2 Ramsay Bolton
#3 Walder Frey (I still hate him even if he has not been seen very much).
#4 Cercei Lannister
#5 Euron Greyjoy (for being boring compared to what he should be)
#6 The Waif (for being an asshole).
#7 Tommen Baratheon (for sheer incompetence)
#8 The actors in the shitty play.

Am I missing anyone? Probably.

Oh, that was quite an aside. Still. Kingslanding was all suck.
The non-combat between the Tyrell forces and the Faith Militant was a let down. But Tommen has been listening to the High Sparrow's poison words as well... and has linked the Crown and the Faith together. And this is why Tommen is just such a shit king. He has no will nor ideas of his own...

And don't get me started on Mace Tyrell's stupid armor. That was just so perfectly awful. It failed to fit properly, it was gaudy, and it was jsut such a stupid design. This was obviously on purpose and very fitting. Best part of the events in Kinglanding.

Now the stuff with Jamie was a huge change from the books and that made me less than happy. Not the events that occurred, but the change in Jamie's character. In the books he was already engaged in the siege at Riverrun when Cersei makes her walk of atonement. In this he is not sent to the siege until after Tommen strips him of his position in the Kingsguard for "an attack on the faith is an attack on the crown". Tommen is such a shit king. No, what made this awful is that in the books, Jamie is tiring or tired of Cersei to the point where he ignores her pleas for help at Riverrun. He throws her letter in the fire or out a window... he ignores her, utterly. That is not the Jamie we are getting.  

And the whole thing in Braavos with the idiot play. This is just so awful. Arya stays in character... as she has always seemed to want only vengeance / justice. The idea of her just killing a person who does not deserve / want death (or in a fight) seems... actually out of character. So I like that she does not carry out the poisoning. But everything else from the (historically accurate) misogyny, to the hateful Waif were less than impressive. But at least Arya had the presence of mind to retrieve Needle - with luck she shall slay the Waif.

Now in the riverlands, at the Twins, we return at long last to Walder Frey. He is berating his idiot sons for losing The Blackfish. This scene is good enough. His sons are idiots, and its kinda funny. I still hate Walder Frey... but at least he earned his hate through his actions and not his idiocy. I'd rather hate a character for his actions than because he is an abject moron...
Tommen is a shit king.
Edmure Tully returns for the first time since season three. Good for him... or bad for him. Because if you've read the books you know what is coming for him. (He is going to be very bored, but in pain as well.)

There is a short scene where Mira, Bran, and Coldhands have a conversation. It reveals who Coldhands is... and he is Benjen Stark. Which confused the daylights out of me because I read a while back that GRRM actualyl flat out said that Coldhands was NOT Benjen... (Link Here).

And now the Quote: "Is this Benjen? I think it's Benjen … :) And does Bran never recognize him [as his long lost uncle] because he never sees his face fully?" (Oh, here's an image: Link.)

Now this could possibly be interpreted to mean that the reason Bran does not recognize him is NOT due to the fact that Bran has not seen his face fully... but that's kinda stretching it, I think. Then again Martin could just have been pulling his editors leg, which seems like a silly thing to do, but... well... who knows. Maybe Bran does not recognize him in the books because the transformation was much more extreme...

If we had book 6, maybe we would know. (Where is book 6?!?)

And the episode ends on Daenerys making the wise decision to not go back to Meereen... which I suppose sucks for Tyrion. Really sucks for Tyrion.

Still the episode did not have a very strong impact, and I really do not like the direction Jamie's character is going compared to the books.

Boy after writing all that... maybe I really should have given it 3 stars. Still the opening was good...

Here's hoping next week is better.

Remember me? I was in season one... and then...

Death Count for season six episode six, Blood of My Blood:
-The Mad King Aerys Targaryen II (in Bran's flashback of madness).

Previous Game of Thrones reviews:

Season 6:
- The Red Woman (Ep1)
- Home (Ep2)
- Oathbreaker (Ep3) - No Review
- Book of the Stranger (Ep4)
- The Door (Ep5)

Season 5:
- The Wars to Come (Ep1)
- The House of Black and White (Ep2)
- High Sparrow (Ep3)
- Sons of the Harpy (Ep4)
- Kill the Boy (Ep5)
- Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken (Ep6)
- The Gift (Ep7)
- Hardhome (Ep8)
- The Dance of Dragons (Ep9)
- Mother's Mercy (Ep10)

Season 4:
- Two Swords (Ep1)
- The Lion and the Rose (Ep2)
- Breaker of Chains (Ep3)
- Oathkeeper (Ep4)
- The First of His Name (Ep5)
- The Laws of Gods and Men (Ep6) 
- Mockingbird (Ep7)
- The Mountain and the Viper (Ep8)
- The Watchers on the Wall (Ep9)
- The Children (Ep10)