Game Of Thrones Season 6 Preview: Who lives and who will go full-frontal?

Game Of Thrones Season 6 Preview

The sixth season of Game Of Thrones is almost upon us. The big question is. Where will the show take us now that it has almost overtaken the books? For the time being that question will remain unanswered. One thing is certain, with season 6 the pace of developments will increase. I think even die hard fans have a sense that even Game Of Thrones should in the next three seasons. Season 6 may well be the watershed season its predecessor failed to live up to. Not that season 5 was poor, but it had its flaws. To boil down what to expect from this Game Of Thrones Season 6 Preview I will answer two questions. Who lives or dies? And who will take their clothes off?

Who lives? Who dies?

One thing the series adaptation of the books does well is cause speculation about who dies, how they die and who will be resurrected. Game of Thrones is Fantasy, so the last option is always possible. With the limited screen time available series, creators David Benioff and Daniel Weiss have had to axe numerous characters. Some characters such as Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr haven’t been seen since season 3. Yet the latter has been confirmed to return for season 6. This has raised the hopes of numerous fans that Catelyn Stark, played by Michelle Fairley, will return as Lady Stoneheart. Personally I doubt it. Her character has little to do apart from sentencing Brienne and Podrick to death. Yet, from the trailers is becomes clear both spend time this season up north near Winterfell but then travel to what looks to be a Lannister encampment in the Riverlands. If Jaime also travels to Riverlands as he seen to pass through a Lannister encampment on horseback we may well be treated to a second red wedding.

The question remains is any character at risk of dying. Here the opinions of fans is divided. Most have a notion that Tommen will die. For the moment I can’t see the purpose behind such a death. Of course fans will also want to know of Myrcella and Stannis are truly dead. I will assume they are, but I think Jon Snow will return to fulfill his role as Azor Ahai. That leaves the characters that are dead in the books but still alive in the series: Pycelle and Kevan Lannister. My thoughts on them are mixed. With Jaime returning to King’s Landing the plot could do with renewed intrigue between the Lannisters and the Tyrell’s. Both are murdered by the orders of Varys in the books. Yet Varys in the series is half a world away in Meereen. I suppose he has the time to make the journey to King’s Landing by the end of the season to kill Tommen, Pycelle and Kevan.

And who will go full frontal?

One thing Game of Thrones has never shied away from is nudity. Gratuitous is often may be, there are occasion where it serves the plot and adds glamour. The trailer of season 6 revealed fans can expect at least two scenes. The first is born out of tradition. Carice Van Houten yet again strips to reveal her perky breasts as the Lady Melisandre. The question is how much she will reveal and who the lucky (wo)-man is. The second scene shows Emilia Clarke as Dany being stripped in front of what looks to be a Khal. In Game of Thrones nudity, especially after being stripped, is seen as a loss of power. This happened to Cersei during her walk of shame as well as to the would-be assassin of Dany in the first season. Fans have always wanted Dany to make a move on the Iron Throne. Maybe not to win, but at least to play the game of thrones. With Dany captured by a Khal that goal seems further away than ever before since season 2.

Nudity on TV is never an easy thing to deal with. It can quickly become pointless and even degrading to the characters. By extension, if it are female actresses who take their clothes off it is clearly to cater to the male audience. As a man, I believe the gender balance should be maintained. Game Of Thrones has not been shy with male nudity but the lack of balance is noticeable. During season 5 it even become clear that female actresses were cast according to perky breasts. An in-depth article you can read at fusion.net. Emilia Clarke for her part has stated she no longer minds doing the nude scenes. Previously it required her to take a drink beforehand. On the Late Late show she jokingly referred to ‘freeing the penis’ which has since become a the hashtag (#FreeThePenis).

With just a few days left before the first episode airs I feel surprisingly sanguine. I am not feverishly looking through forum posts and various GoT websites, nor am I endlessly rewatching every trailer. This preview expounded some of my expectations, but it barely touches upon a fifth of the storylines. I haven’t even discussed The Whitewalkers, Littlefinger, Dorne and many other sideplots. I hope you have enjoyed my Game Of Thrones Season 6 Preview. Tell me about your expectations about who lives, who dies and who will go full-frontal.