Game of Thrones: The Complete 6th Season [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray]

 Game of Thrones is and has for several years been the show on top of the TV heap—winning Emmys, blocking out late-spring Sunday nights, and defining Monday mornings in the office and on social media. And it’s done it all by denying the pleasures TV traditionally grants. This series has always saved its heaviest artillery for season’s end, but never did the result feel quite so lopsided as this year, as the show prepares for what has been speculated will be a final winding-down. The early going was consumed with world-building that could as easily be seen as wheel-spinning: the revelation thatMelisandre was dozens of years older than she appeared to be by day, or Jon Snow coming back from the dead, as though the force that defines all lives were a punchline that came with take-backs. Or Cersei’s having been largely sidelined—a strange result for the character who’s traditionally been the show’s best-acted—or Daenerys’s imprisonment, before she freed herself in a manner that felt ripped from previous seasons’ playbooks: Just how often was the Mother of Dragons going to get out of peril by lighting it all up? And then the final going was filled with (at times literal) fireworks. Perhaps we should work backwards from the season’s final episode, which began with an unusually artful sequence leading to the destruction of the Sept—and, with it, the High Sparrow, his soldiers, Loras, and Margaery—by Cersei. This action, underscored by a level of music and montage unusual for such a usually dead-literal series, did as much as it could to justify the absence of a crucial character from much of the season. And, in the nature of the best twists, it only served to open up new questions. Cersei got what I’d argue was a self-consciously campy moment sipping wine as she watched the Sept burn, but her son’s subsequent suicide and the combination of plots against her by Olenna Tyrell and Daenerys’s sailing on Westeros made the question of what, exactly, she has left to defend as queen a muddy one indeed.

Season 6 of Game of Thrones marks the point where the show fully moved past the events of he currently published books and, as such, had a lot riding on its shoulders. For fans of the books, could the show succeed in continuing the narrative without the benefit of existing pages to flesh out the details and provide background? Would the long suspected twist of R + L = J be confirmed or proven wrong? With the season complete and available to re-watch, I think most people agree that the producers, cast, and crew hit this one out of the park. From Hodor's emotional big reveal, to Cercei's desperate and explosive fight to save herself and her son, to the harrowing Battle of the (REDACTED), the season totally delivered on everything fans have come to love. The only reason I give the season a 4 instead of a 5 has to do with the actual product as sold by Best Buy. Every year, since season 1, Best Buy has released the seasons with an optional slip cover depicting the sigil of one of the central houses of the show and I have enjoyed collecting a new house every year. They're really well designed and give my collection a little something extra. So it was somewhat heartbreaking to discover that Best Buy had abandoned the entire concept after 5 seasons, with no explanation. Customers could purchase a steel book version for more money that matches re-releases of previous seasons, but for those of us hoping to one day have a personalized collection of all 8 seasons, each with a unique sigil, we're just out of luck. Instead, I'll have to stare at a bizarre collection of one of my favorite TV shows that randomly converts from collector's items to generic packaging more than half way through. It's a shame.

Last season we left off with Jon Snow dead, Daenerys alone and captured by Dothraki while Mereen erupts in rebellion leaving Tyrion Lannister and Lord Varys barely holding on to power, Sansa Stark barely escaped the ever-more-powerful and crazed Ramsey Bolton at Winterfell, Cercei Lannister humiliated beyond belief on her walk of shame as the High Sparrow consolidates more and more power at King's Landing, Bran is only accompanied by Hodor and another woman who's name I can't remember, and Arya Stark was reduced to a blind beggar. This season, all that gets reversed. And I won't tell you how. But it's awesome! And it's all character driven, there's none of this poor writing style of "things-happened-because-the-writers-wanted-it-to-happen." The characters MAKE things happen. Oh, and there was this one shot of Kit Harrington facing a wall of charging horses and we all thought "Oh, nice CGI shot." Nope, it was really Kit Harrington facing 40 very real charging horses. Amazing battle sequence in the 9th episode, if you haven't figured out that, yet. Love to hate Ramsey Bolton. But you'll have to watch the show on your own. Buy it. It was awesome on the Blue Ray. I'd recommend only to those who aren't squeamish on the very adult themes and violence.

Last season we left off with Jon Snow dead, Cersei had been publicly humiliated by the ever-growing-powerful High Sparrow even as Cersei's daughter was murdered by the usurpers of Doreen, Arya Stark was blind and degenerated to a mere beggar, Daenerys was betrayed by the people of Mereen and escaped only to be left alone and captured by Dothraki (leaving Tyrian and Lord Varys in command of a very unsettled city of Mereen), Bran was alone with Hodor and another woman north of The Wall with no means of defending against the WhiteWalker horde, and Sansa Stark had barely escaped the clutches of the incredibly cruel Ramsey Bolton with Theon Grayjoy to try and hike out in the snow as the hounds chase them. This season reverses all that. I won't tell you how, you'll have to watch for yourself. But that awesome scene of Kit Harrington facing a wall of horses storming at him? Looked like CGI, right? Nope, there really were 40 horses charging right at Kit Harrington. This season is a perfect setup for the following battles for not only who leads Westeros, but who can survive to face the Whitewalker invasion. Recommended for the non-faint of heart!

Season 6 of the fantasy series picks up right after the shocking events that closed the previous season. Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) is taken prisoner by Khal Moro (Joe Naufahu), as Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) observes that her enemies are getting stronger. The body of Jon Snow (Kit Harington) is taken to a safe place by the loyalists, in an effort to resist the mutineers. Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) becomes the only ruler in the North, while Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Theon (Alfie Allen) manage to escape through the woods thanks to Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie). In Bravoos, Arya (Maisie Williams) is blind and living as a beggar, but doesn't give up on her training with the Waif (Faye Marsay) and Jaqen H'ghar (Tom Wlaschiha); beyond the Wall, Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) continues his own training with the Three-Eyed Raven (Max von Sydow). Jamie (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei (Lena Headey) join forces once again, vowing to seek revenge against all their enemies.

I was excited to purchase this as i no longer have hbo and had been dying to watch this season. But when i opened the package 3 of the discs were loose and 2 had light scratching. The plastic trays were not securely glued to the backing and the way the duscs are supposed to fit in the case feels like its a great way to pick up accidental scratches. This was designed to be slimmer than previous seasons but i prefer each disc to have its own seperate tray. Took it back exchanged it for another one only to open it and find the exact same issues only after opening the second one somehow the plastic trays moves sideways and then the glue took hold so its hard to even fold it back up. Guess i will go for round 3 but honestly its just bad manufacturing and design.

As a GOT fan without internet, I eagerly await the NEW season because that means the last season will be on sale soon. This year disks #2 & 4 had play problems. No flaws were visible on either disk. The story was as good as ever. I hope this was an anomaly because if not it means a lack ofquality control at the manufacturing level. I hope this was a one off problem, however since the problem was common to two disks, it is a point of concern. My DVD/BR purchases are divided and dictated by price and availability. With Amazon, to return an item is by the same method as its delivery (UPS). Exchanges with Best Buy require a return trip to the store of purchase. I would rather buy from Best Buy-knowledgeable staff, good selection of items. But...

This series, based mostly on the Game of Thrones books, is in keeping with The Hobbit books and movies and other classics. The fact that it has reached this level so quickly is a testament to the author of the books, and the producers of the HBO series. Cast and characters are fantastic and well developed. The effects are excellent and the story line keeps you thoroughly engrossed in the lives of these fictitious people. I read the book and then watched the series for the first 5 seasons. In this season I watched the series and then will read the book when it comes out. I like to take notice of the minor differences and artistic license taken in the series as the producers do a fantastic job fitting this complex world onto the small screen.