What I’m Watching: Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones: Season 6, Episode 8 “No One” (B+)

This show always catches me off guard with its short ten-episode seasons, but each installment is so packed with content that I guess it’s actually much more substantial than a lot of other series. It’s intriguing to see the different attitudes towards Tomman’s newfound submission to the faith espoused by Cersei and by Olenna. The latter was happy to celebrate that the one positive of this awful situation was that Cersei suffered and lost while the former was not content to let things sit as they are. She has an enormous uphill battle now that trial by combat has been outlawed for what it is, a way for the rich to skate by and be absolved of their misdeeds. Jaime is off conquering another kingdom, and it’s great to see him reunited with Brienne and pausing to think about whether he should be a good person or not. Their relationship is one of the most complex and terrific on this show, and it was fun to see them meet again. Tyrion did a marvelous job getting Missandei and Grey Worm to drink and tell jokes, and it seemed like it had all been interrupted by an attack until Daenerys walked in triumphant. Arya’s fate seemed bleak, but training to take out the woman she could never beat with skills she had inherited from being blinded was extremely cunning. Declaring her name and her intention to return home was a fantastic moment, and I’m excited to see where she goes next.