Small Council: What are we most looking آگے to in Game of Thrones Season 6? 

It’s the start of a new year, and it’s time to look forward. HBO has ramped up promotion for the new season of Game of Thrones early this time around. What are we looking forward to? What are we dreading? What are our deepest wishes, hopes, dreams, and fears for Game of Thrones Season 6? (Warning: we talk about SPOILERS for Season 6.)

KATIE: Maybe I’m just getting caught up in all the Bran hype, but I’m looking forward to seeing Isaac Hempstead Wright back on screen. Bran has something that the other characters don’t; for however savvy the likes of Varys and Littlefinger are, they don’t know the sort of things Bran seems to know, and I want to get a look inside that kid’s head.

While I initially wasn’t too invested in Bran’s plot line, it’s grown on me, and I want to see where this magic takes him and what it will mean for the overall story. I have my own theories as to where a lot of the characters will end up by series’ end, but Bran is one that I haven’t been able to pin down, so the allure is strong.

I’m also looking forward to seeing Ramsay Bolton dead—not that that’s been in any way confirmed, but I’m not-so-patiently awaiting it, anyway. I would also like to know when Gendry is going to return from his boat trip but, again, there doesn’t seem to be any news on that front.

RAZOR: Okay, I’ll take the easy layup here, and go with Jon Snow’s (hopeful) resurrection. How could you not be riveted to your television screen, just waiting to see

finally breathe life back into everyone’s favorite bastard? Will Jon come back and try and stay a member of the Night’s Watch? Will he try and seek revenge for or against his former traitorous brothers? Or will he simply gather up Ghost and Longclaw—and hopefully Davos and Melisandre—and begin a journey toward Winterfell?

The possibilities are endless at this point in the story. I’ve said this before: book-readers and shownlys (show-only) are now on the same page. Isn’t that a fine kettle of fish? No more haughty book snobs like myself telling people who’ve only watched the show how each scene should have gone, had Benioff and Weiss stuck to the books. And this is a good thing…I think.

RICHARD: As one might be able to tell from my recent Jon Snow Hero’s Journey and Archetype articles, I’m pretty excited to see what happens to Lord Snow. Like Katie, I’m also jazzed to see how Bran returns (his storyline has also grown on me) and how his journey unfolds. Plus I love the Tyrion/Varys dynamic and I’m expecting big things (both serious and humorous) as they team up with Daenerys. Plus I also want to see the Boltons get CHOPPED.

ANI: Oh my goodness, so much to choose from. Let’s see, there’s Dany and what we can hope is her finding herself again now that she’s out of the terrible atmosphere of Meereen. There’s Arya, and her Westerosi Assassin’s Creed Training. There’s the Ironborn, who got named Skip last season. And of course there’s our old favorite Schrödinger’s Crow, Jon Snow.

I mean, other than Dorne, is there anything to not look forward to? I suppose watching Tyrion attempt to run Meereen is going to be Not Fun, but it will have Tyrion and Varys, and they will have one-liners. Cersei descending into whatever mental meltdown she’ll have after learning that Myrcella is dead will be both good and bad. Lena Headey will go all the way overboard with it, and that will be pretty delightful.

But I suppose if I have to choose one thing I’m looking forward to most, it’s everything I don’t know. This is our first year being completely “off book,” as it were, and if there’s one thing all the spoilers we’ve seen from filming so far have taught me, it’s that the plotlines I have no idea about excite me the most. Add in the fact that we’ve crossed the halfway mark, and that there are somewhere between 20-30 hours left to hear the rest of the story (depending on how much of a Season 8 Benioff and Weiss agreed to, or if it’s not just Season 7 parts one and two)…can it really be that long until Dany rides across the Narrow Sea while the Wall falls up north?

DAN: We’re definitely casting a wide net here. Like Katie, I’m excited to see more of Bran. I’m more excited than I thought I would be, actually. Bran’s been a character in transition since Season 2—his story has mostly involved trekking from one part of the continent to another, with the occasional break to learn something about his abilities or foil a kidnapping. Now that he’s installed in the far North with the Three-Eyed Raven, it seems like he’s finally going to exert some influence on events. His presence in the promotional materials for Season 6—not to mention the fact that Isaac Hempsted Wright nabbed the very first cast interview of the season—implies that this will be a big year for Bran.

Mostly, though, I’m with Ani—I’m ready to be impressed by things I don’t know, and at this point there are a lot of things I don’t know. I’m also hoping the producers absorb some of the criticisms they received about Season 5 and make Season 6 a slightly smoother experience. If we’re talking about things I’m dreading, I’m a little afraid they’ll sacrifice nuance for big, splashy set pieces that don’t have much weight and that don’t hold up under scrutiny. Hopefully, though, they’ve worked out the bugs and can start to barrel toward the ending with confidence and grace. It’s all up to you now, Benioff and Weiss. Take us on home!

LEXI: This topic makes me feel like a kid in a Westerosi candy store. To start, I’ll echo Dan and Ani’s thoughts. Assuming

doesn’t get published anytime soon, I’m looking forward to watching Season 6 as an Unsullied for the first time and experiencing all the jaw-dropping moments in real time. At the beginning of any new season I also love the first glimpses of the dragons to see how they’ve grown in size and appearance.

In addition to the plotlines everyone’s already mentioned there are a few I’m especially excited about, including The Battle of the Bastards, and along with it hopefully some Stark family reunions. In past seasons, we’ve seen a lot of near misses between the Starks so it would be rewarding to see at least a couple of them reunited. I’m also interested to see what happens in the Riverlands. I’m still holding out hope that Lady Stoneheart will make an appearance. Even if she doesn’t, I’ll still take a large helping of lots and lots of dead Boltons and Freys.

In Essos, I’m excited to see how Tyrion wields his leadership skills amidst the chaos of Meereen. He’ll have help from Varys but it will be interesting to see how he manages a city where the name Lannister doesn’t carry the same power or influence as it did in Kings Landing. I’m also hoping that Dany returns with her new khalasar in toe and squashes the Sons of the Harpy once and for all. I’d like to see that storyline wrapped up with Dany and Tyrion sailing for Westeros by season’s end.

The only plotline I’m dreading is the return of the Sand Snakes and their cringe-worthy dialogue and accents. Hopefully the producers have remedied those issues since last season. Lastly, besides Jon’s resurrection, the individual scene I’m most looking forward to is the one at the Tower of Joy. To finally have confirmation of Jon’s true parentage and his potential claim to the Iron Throne, the truth of Lyanna and Rhaegar’s relationship, and seeing Lyanna and Ned together should be a huge payoff.

A word on the poll: some of the poll options constitute vague SPOILERS, so be wary if you choose to vote.

Happy New Year’s Eve, all! It’s been an eventful year for Game of Thrones and A Song...

No. No they should not, at least according to the people who voted in our poll. If you’re...

Have you already read all the books and/or don\'t care about spoilers? You can reveal all the spoilers in the comments with the click of a link below.

They already jumped the shark with Dorne.

Has anyone seen the mention of Ania Bukstein possibly being Lyanna Stark? She is certainly beautiful and fits her perfectly.

Definitely not Hodor! Snow bowl and tower of joy.

I will miss the mannis too but still plenty of awesome storylines remain. I knew Stannis was destined to lose since ACOK so I wasn’t shocked by that.

The way it all fell apart with Shireen was disappointing but……not my story to tell.

Yea I’m know, I’m just being pissy. I’m sure it will be a good season. Hopefully they don’t decide to screw over another character.

There should have been an ‘all of the above’ option.

Is it just me or does anyone else feel the Tyrion character has took a step back in the series and doesn’t seem to be a major player anymore. From reading about everyones excitement over the past six months of filming with the Kit celeb spotting in Northern Ireland and the Bran come back looming as well as and the large Battle of the Bastards filming no one seems to mention Peter Dinklage or spotted him on set. Is his role becoming less important for GOT fans?

Tryion is maturing into a political leader… let’s just hope he doesn’t take on Trystane Martell’s storyline! (just messing with you – that would make fans go mad!!)

He’s fascinated with dragons and Meereen has two locked up…

Also, why do people presume Daenerys will head back to Meereen?

Personally I’m looking forward to the Citadel conspiracy unraveling.

I think Tyrion was sidelined a bit in season 5, i hope he comes back to the front a little more since he’s my favorite, but lets face it, Mereen is kind of purgatory for Daenerys and Tyrion, overall just there to slow them down until the plot is ready for them to come back. That said, I’m hoping he is revealed to be a dragon rider this season

All I know is that I have lost interest in Tyrion myself, he shines when he’s at King’s Landing dealing with the family politics but not so much on road trips or at Mereen, so far I don’t feel chemistry between him and Jorah/Danerys.

Most looking forward to in season 6 is: What happens with Jon and actually seeing what went down at Tower of Joy. Then I’m curious where Sansa goes, is she injured from the fall at all? Bran’s new abilities and his reactions to what he now knows, Sam’s interaction with his family and what he learns at Oldtown.

I think you can rest assured that Bran is going to become a tree man like his predecessor.

The worst thing that can happen in Season 6 is definitely if Jon loses the BoB. He loses, Davos and Thormund die, Ramsey lives, and Jon escapes or something like that. That’s as bad, if not slightly worse, than the Telltale GoT story.

I agree, that would be disastrous. You left out the possible loss of the Giant Wun Wun. Lets keep the faith that season 6 moves toward a more favorable storyline. Seeing the Boltons FLAYED and not CHOPPED would be a favorable storyline.

Well I am most interested in seeing the fall of Littlefinger, I really think he dies this season. (Here is hoping that it is Littlefinger on the Flayed Mans’ cross…)

I am also dying to see the Tower of Joy scene and how Jon reacts to finding out his true lineage and how that coes about.

Arya has been my favorite since the beginning so I am really looking forward to the Theatre Group she will be in and how her blindness plays out. I assume it will be resolved differently then it was in the books.

One more thing I am really looking forward to is Drogon and the Dothraki and how Dany wins herself the horse Lords.

Littlefinger isn’t dying this season lol. He will be a major player until the end of ADOS. I think he’ll probably sit on the throne for a time. He is the architect of all that’s happened after all. Well, he and Varys.

Cersei and the Lannisters are going to find out about Sansa so they’ll be wanting his head, Olenna sounds like she is done with him and the Boltons will see his treachery pretty quickly if the Vale shows up at Winterfell as enemies and the Vale wouldn’t ride with the Boltons so they’ll do him if he tries to ally them with the boltons…

Why would LF being a major player till the end of ADoS guarantee his fate in the show?

It would be interesting to see Littlefinger’s reaction to the White Walkers and the army of the dead. Would he ally the Vale with Jon Snow to save the realm? Run South like a sissy? A zombie apocalypse was not part of the equation when he set his schemes in motion…

What are you most looking forward to in Game of Thrones Season 6 besides Jon Snow’s possible resurrection and marching ”south”?

I’m hoping White Walkers get south of The Wall by the end of this season. Since early Season 1 I’ve been most looking forward to seeing how the scheming lords and ladies of Westeros will react when they realize that the army of the dead is coming for them all. Will the War for the Dawn create strange bedfellows and alliances?

Does anyone know when the season 6 trailer will be out approx?

Should be sometime this month. Think it was January last year.

Hands down… JS resurrection is going to kill all the other events this year on the show besides the White Walkers breaking past the wall… for me these are going to be the biggest thrills for me to anticipate.

I agree with Dan, especially for this part: “If we’re talking about things I’m dreading, I’m a little afraid they’ll sacrifice nuance for big, splashy set pieces that don’t have much weight and that don’t hold up under scrutiny.”

That’s my greatest worry as well. I feel like the show is moving towards just big, splashy set pieces and battles for the sake of having them (Jaime in Dorne vs the Sand Snakes) for no good reason other than to have action on the screen. Season 5 really moved away from the subtle, clever storylines and dialogue to a whole lot of pointless crap which lead to an overall very disappointing season.

Worst thing is, is that D&D wrote Season 5 which is very off-book at this point. Now they’re going to be writing Season 6 which is completely off-book….I don’t see them doing much better in Season 6 without source material.

I feel like the series may have peaked and Season 6 onwards will just be flashy action sets. Which is a shame because to me, the best thing about GoT was the cleverly written dialogue and storylines unfolding. Not the stupid CGI dragons and CGI white walkers.

Anyone who calls the CGI Whitewalkers “stupid” should not be here

Well they’re boring to me. The show looks like it’ll end up being CGI monsters vs CGI monsters. That’s not interesting and what I liked about GoT was that it was so little on the fantasy and magic and stuff, but now it looks like they’ll be the focus of the show.

I liked the dialogue heavy, plot heavy parts of GoT. This new CGi monsters action action action is rubbish. Hardholm was one of the worst episodes in the series for me and so was the dumb scene when Danerys jumps on her dragon and flies off.

I’m the same as you normally but the way the show has intertwined the two works for some reason, most of the time. The zombie looking wights at Hardhome weren’t my cup of tea, at all, but the atmosphere, the WW looks, and the suspense were good imo. The Walker scene with Jon was pretty intense, he’s a very good physical actor. I got a brief thrill when the dragon showed up at the pit and again for Tyrion as he watched them take flight but the effect when she was riding him wasn’t great. Didn’t think the close-ups looked real enough. It took me out of the scene. But yes, I do miss all of the political intrigue and dynamics of all the players like in the first 2 seasons, when everyone (Or most anyways) was still alive.

I totally agree. Nonstop battle/WW action scenes are what I dread most. The most entertaining scenes for me rarely have more than two people in them (unless it’s the Small Council).

Same. Best scenes in the show are just two or a small handful of people talking. Varys and Littlefinger talking were some of my favorite scenes in the show.

Now it’s just dragons in the east, WW to the north, nothing going on in Kings Landing except for some religious nutcases (another boring plotline).

Though that’s the direction the show is going. I think all those clever dialogue stuff we had in the earlier seasons are gone now. The books/show seems to be moving to the big battle stuff and it’ll just become a regular fantasy epic thing we’ve seen a thousand times before in Lord of the Rings and other fantasy stories. People vs monsters, oh what a surprise, the people win.

Bingo! Not only is Euron a great character, but they’ve got a wonderful actor — Pilou Asbæk — to play him. Just insanely great casting. Can’t wait!!

It isn’t going to be ‘completely off book’ though. We know they are doing some version of the siege of Riverrun. The Ironborn story will be developed more. They are going to have to address Arya’s chapters from ADWD. And other stuff too… I was thinking there should be a bit of material from AFFC and ADWD to make it to S6. I hope.

But yeah….super stoked about the Bran hype. I can’t wait to see how they convey his skills. I also hope to see serious development of the abilities of the other Stark kids. Wishful thinking maybe, but it would be great if they could harness the wolf dreams somehow to accomplish something with those abilities. I really, REALLY want to see Nymeria’s pack kicking Frey ass. Obviously, I am and will remain on pins and needles about Jon and hope they address that situation quite early in the season if not 6:1.

Not to mention…Kingsmoot! For some reason I’m really excited about that. I hope they do a good job with that.

U are right , thats why I think the Climax of S06 will not coincide with TWOW , it will probably use 60-70% of TWOW and leave the climax of the book as a suspense (to be utilized in S07) for the Book Readers (if TWOW realeases sometime later this year)

I miss a vote for the WW army and what’s going up there. Probably not alot of screen time but if the next books and season are going to spent more time north of the wall, I’m looking forward to that.

– Oldtown, especially Sam finally meeting Marwyn the Mage (though I fear that might be put off until the beginning of S7, as we’ve had no casting leak)

– Brienne getting more to do this season, I hope

– Wyman Manderly’s speech (and possible pastrymaking)

– Arya’s time with the mummers’ troupe

– something good happening for Theon, finally

– Olenna, Varys and Doran conspiring together

– any scene with Tyrion in it, preferably with lots of witticisms

– Too much reliance on action set pieces at the expense of character development & political chicanery

Not surprised to see Jon at the top of the poll voting. However I’m disappointed to see the potential topics that made Game of Thrones so great (the politics), so low on the list. Mainly Littlefinger– he has been the architect of just about all of the political chaos in this show, however that’s why his character is such a great one– obviously he’s underrated by everyone except Varys and Tyrion within ASOIAF, but he flies under the radar here as well.

Now that Dany has flown away her plot will either take forever or be too rushed to seem logical. Either way I have little verging on no interest in whatever she’s involved in this season until I see more. Excited to see what Arya will be up to… King’s Landing looks without Tywin, Tyrion, and Joff to be boring as ever… And I do have a little interest in seeing what happens with Jaime. Speaking of, why do people keep talking about the Lannisters besieging Riverrun? We’re a season removed from seeing much of anything involving Riverrun and I don’t see it making a comeback. I thought it was more than obvious that the Lannisters and Martells could be set up for war after Myrcella’s death. Bronn should have some idea as to how she died with the bloody nose and all. Seeing Bran again should be cool, but they have to be careful with how fantasy-like the show starts to get because I can see plenty of people walking away from a political drama show to one that is now about dragons, white walking zombies, and wargs. Hope they know what they’re doing.

Ramsey as WW – then you’d know they really are the bad guys/gals

I can’t wait to see more interaction between Varys, Tyrion, and Dany – a true match made in heaven!

I think you mean “Essosi Assassin’s Creed Training”.

If GRRM released the next 2 books before S6 I would never watch an episode again I think.

I’m looking forward to Jaime in Riverrun, but they’ll probably ruin it.

Definitely NOT looking forward to anything about Jon Snow/Sansa/Dany/Tyrion/Dorne..

But it’s gonna be like half the season, at the very least.

Very easy poll in my opinion. What I’m Looking forward to most is Jon snow being resurrected and slaying all who betrayed him. What I’m dreading is more high sparrow crap, it just bores me to death

I hope he doesn’t kill his killers. I’d like to see Thorne now before him in awe after his resurrection.

I don’t know how the show Greyjoy storyline will evolve, but its intriguing to me because of Victarian and Eurons’ storyline from DwD. Is Euron aware of, and wanting Dany, and her dragons? Will Victarian be in the show? If so, will he be sent by Euron to Mereen? Will Euron go himself? Will Dragonbinder work? Will we see the formidable Red Priest Moqorro? The sinister text that describes monkeys jumping from the boat while Moqorro performs his unearthly healing(I guess you would call it that) of Victarian’s hand, is one of the most vivid things I read in DwD.

Of course Jon Snows rez is right there with it! It seems like a foregone conclusion that it will happen though.

I havn’t read every comment so I don’t know if someone has mentioned this. But.. Personally I am very much hoping for the show to bring in the story arc of Old Griffin A.K.A Jon Connington and Young Griffin A.K.A Aegon Targarayan! Now I know that Ser Friendzone has got the Griffins grey scale instead, and a lot of their back story will be overlooked at best, but, I can’t see how that in Winds of winter onward they won’t have massive story lines pending.

I’d be fascinated to see if they link up with Dany and even more hopefully Jon Stark-Targaryan for a three pronged assault on Westeross; 1 from across the narrow sea, 1 up from Dorne and 1 from the north. They might in retrospect have to abandon that and all focus on the army of the dead.

The possibilities!!! I just hope they don’t just not bother with this story line!!

Hope they will make bran story more interesting, dorne a better writing & story & we want to see Doran story more tell a better story of his character & so many things season 6 need to improve on 5

They just change too much from the books already

Looking forward to seeing the Battle of the Bastards. The show has done a phenomenal job with episodes surrounding major battles in the past (The Blackwater in S2, S4’s Battle at the Wall and Hardhome last season), and given the amount of time they spent filming at Saintfield this year, my anticipation level’s off the charts for this one…

…and of course…the Tower of Joy. It sounds like it will be a bit different from the book version, but I’m nonetheless looking forward to seeing that scene brought to life on screen…

Tower of fucking Joy! I know I’m always hyping the Sword of the Morning, idk why, but Arthur Dayne is such an intriguing mystery. He’s obviously a valiant knight, but bound by honor to a corrupted regime. One feels sorry for him, because no one likes to see a good guy sacrificed for scum bags. That’s allegedly what takes place at the battle of TOJ. I want to see his sword Dawn, I also want to see the Valyrian swords Heartsbane (Randyll Tarly), Red Rain (Dunstan Drumm), Nightfall (Harras Harlaw), all these characters should appear this season. Also Euron Greyjoy is one of my favorites. Really looking forward to his appearance. I really hope they cast Victarion as well. Tyrion mentioned Theon’s uncles in season 1, so we know the show acknowledges multiple uncles. Plus Jons rez, assassination revenge, and the Snow bowl should be good. So much to look forward to!

I have more interest in the WW and the COTF. I think it’s time we see their side for once. It is so frustrating that we know so little about them in the show.

The thing that really worries me is jon snow,because u know after every one in GOT from directors to actors keep repeating that he is deader than dead,the first poster they released wis his dead face and they showed him ALot in that teaser,maybe he gets resurrected but as a stark version of ramsay!😃Because u know if he was meant to comeback same as before they didnt showed him that easy

I hope half the people from here get together and run their Own Version of GOT , straight out of book . All dialogues , no action and LSH occupying 80% of screentime. but i think these morons will still complain when they watch their own shows

Yeah, they should make 5 different versions of GOT so they can please everybody, what nerve to just have one.

Well all things Jon related of course. Also Marwyn and Oldtown very much, the intersection between the Greyjoys and Dany, Arya’s return to Westeros, Tyrion’s development towards the villain (as trailed by GRRM), the Manderly speech and hopefully a bit of GNR confirmation. I’d like Alleras to be in there somewhere. Battle of the bastards and maybe some Nymeria.

Sansa escaping seems like a done deal…. I am hoping to finally see her turn into a real bi-yatch of a player in The Game. We need a female as sly as Littlefinger, or better yet, surpassing him and turning the tides to her favor, finally and permanently.

In my humble opinion… it would be lovely to see her taking the Vale from Littlefinger when he isn’t looking. Perhaps (after Ramsays’s demise), marrying young Robyn (hope I’m spelling names right) and taking the vale right from Littlefinger’s grasp? She doesn’t have to be married to him for long, again (hopefully) widowed? I would really like to see Sansa come into her own and stop being a victim of others, over and over.

Don’t get me wrong I love the Theon story line but Euron and victarion never intrigued me much. I’ve never understood why so many people like them

Suppsedly they’re merging Euron/Victarion or just eliminating Victarion alltogether. Good. The Iron Islanders had better have some purpose beyond just raiding the Reach. There are already enough squabbling kingdoms…the Greyjoys always seemed like excess.

I’m with everyone else, I’m looking forward to what happens to Jon Snow. I’m also curious if we’ll finally get any sort of reunion between some of the Stark siblings. Jon, Sansa, and Rickon all seem to be in the same area so it’s possible. And I hope Arya ditches the faceless man plot soon, I really have zero interest in seeing her turn into one of them. She’s at her best when she’s a mini psychopath wandering the world in search of revenge.

Dorne should be the starting point for the White Walker invasion. Yeah its warm there but the people are remarkably stupid so that should count for something. :D

1. Whatever Jon Snow does (unite Wildling army? Attack Boltons? Rally northern lords?)

2. Bran learning about White Walkers, Children of the Forest, Stark family history, and tying all the clues together.

3. White Walkers hopefully getting south of the Wall.

4. Characters meeting for the first time (Jon and Littlefinger? Theon and Brienne? Jon and Ramsey?) and reunions (Sansa and Jon? Jaime and Brienne?)

2. Things hopefully coming to blows in Kings Landing

2. Dany with the Dothraki (it’s like a time warp back to Season 1!)

3. The Hound possibly returning (am I the only one who prefers that he’s dead?)

Interesting thought patch I never put much thought into little finger and Jon meeting plus tying in sansa between those two would be very intriguing

Freys are like apples, bake em in a pie, hanging from tree.

Lol you actually listed “whatever happens in dorne.” You did that as a joke right? Lol

Really hoping for a manderly speech, & the returnBlackfish, & house Umber

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