Game of Thrones Season 6: “Book of the Stranger” Review

SPOILER WARNING: If you have not watched Game of Thrones Season 6, Episode 4: “Book of the Stranger,” do not read on.

“Book of the Stranger” moves Game of Thrones‘ narrative forward in ways we haven’t seen in a long time; Queen Daenerys gains control of the Dothraki, Jon Snow and Sansa Stark reunite for the first time in years, and it seems the High Sparrow’s treacherous hold on King’s Landing is finally coming to an end.

Now, it’s important to remember, when things are going well for characters in this show, their luck can turn grim without notice, making it hard to have faith in good natured plot threads like the planned Sansa-Snow retaking of Winterfell. Ramsay just shived poor Osha this week, shrugged it off quite literally, and gave a look that suggests he’s not worried at all about his grip on the North. The Stark family will obviously play a key role in the endgame of the series, they’ve been beheaded, double-crossed, raped, crippled and butchered — now it is their time to take back all they’ve lost. Ramsay’s army is reportedly only 5,000 men strong. If Jon and Sansa can convince the rest of the North to join them — along with Littlefinger’s cheeky manipulation of the Knights of the Vale — a victory for House Stark looks promising. However, I don’t see Ramsay getting killed off so easily. He will spill more Stark blood. Hopefully it’ll be Sansa, or young Rickon, and not a second rambunctious Jon Snow fiasco, but rest assured, the little murderous creep will not go down without a scene involving buckets of gore and a huge loss of life.

“Book of the Stranger” brought the main cast back to their roots in true Game of Thrones fashion. Electrifying scenes of Daenerys conquering the very people she was imprisoned by, solidifying her status as a ruthless force, a strong contender in a heap of killers, false Kings, Lords, and endless war.

The Lannister siblings gain serious momentum against the radicals infesting their backyard, forging an alliance with their sworn enemy, Olena Tyrell. The main players, the ones we have been following for what feels like a decade, have come back to reclaim their individual thrones.

With all this in fighting in Westeros and beyond, it continues to amaze me that the White Walker threat is still on the back burner. The endgame must involve them. They’re seemingly unstoppable, but the immediate threats in each corner of the world have taken precedence. Jon Snow has been lured in by Sansa to take back Winterfell, Tyrion is busy in Mehreen, Cersei and Jaime are gearing up to fight the High Sparrow. So, can we look forward to a surprise take over by the Others? The ones beyond the Wall, who summon the dead and refresh every corpse they accumulate, revamping them with glass eyes to do their bidding. So much is happening. So much is being overlooked. At least we know Ramsay will meet his demise one way or another.