The highly anticipated Season 6 premiere of Game of Thrones airs Sunday, April 24th at 9 p.m. on HBO. Most of us – whether followers of the show or not – are aware of the Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) debate: is he ACTUALLY dead? Many are probably anxious to see what’s in store for Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) as he was given the responsibility of a foreign city. But what about the female storylines? When put in perspective, the ladies of the sow are bound to play their largest roles yet. Here are just a few things we have to look forward to this season!
1. Sansa Stark
Sansa (Sophie Turner) is technically the last known surviving member of the Stark family. Last season, Sansa’s character was heavily tested as she was forced to marry a brutalizing sociopath. Upon the emotional deterioration of physical abuse, Sansa continued to find a way out of her situation. At the close of Season 5, she fled with an old ally as a last resort. So what can we expect from rogue Sansa this season? Perhaps she’ll redeem her family name and take back her home of Winterfell. Here’s to hoping she finds help and shelter quickly and steers clear of her abusive husband.
2. Arya Stark
Sister to Sansa, Arya (Maisie Williams) has run into a great physical hardship since the Season 5 finale. Arya has become blind as punishment for revealing her identity while taking a life – which was not hers to take – from the god she has been serving for some time now on the show. It is quite unclear what she will be dealing with this upcoming season. One thing we know for sure is that Arya has proved time and time again that she is incredibly independent and knows how to do well for herself. The characters on the show believe Arya to be dead. It is difficult to say whether or not her truth will ever be revealed as she continues her path to becoming “no one.”
3. Cersei Lannister
Cersei (Lena Headey) has lost two children, a father, and has also been incarcerated since the show’s inception. She was arrested on the charges of adultery amongst a few other rumors which have yet to be proven true in trial. Cersei’s character is utterly cruel to anyone other than her children and her brother, Jaime Lannister. Many fans of the show feel she is finally getting what she deserves, but when you look deeper into her situation, it’s difficult not to empathize with her. No viewer could forget Cersei’s walk of atonement which was arguably one of the most jaw-dropping scenes in television history. Will the former Queen of Westeros be victorious at the end of her trial, or will she perish?
4. Margaery Tyrell
At the end of Season 5, Margaery (Natalie Dormer) found herself in a similar situation to Cersei Lannister. She has been living in a cell suffering from harsh treatment. Cersei was the puppet-master of Margaery’s arrest, as she readied a witness who claimed truth to the accusation of Loras Tyrell’s homosexuality. The witness stated that Margaery knew of Loras’ “crime” and withheld information. There is no doubt that Margaery’s level of animosity toward Cersei has hit an all-time high. It’s quite possible that Margaery will play a significant role in the trial of Cersei during the upcoming season.
5. Melisandre (The Red Woman)
Melisandre (Carice van Houten) was labeled a villain by fans right after her first few appearances on the show. She worships the “Lord of Light” to the extent of sacrificially burning people at the stake. Melisandre claimed to have visions of Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) as the one, true king of Westeros. At the close of Season 5, we watched as her visions were proven false as Stannis violently lost his last battle as he fell to the sword of Brienne of Tarth (we’ll get to her in just a moment). Melisandre is lost, and it will be interesting to see where the writers of the show take her character from here on out.
6. Brienne of Tarth
Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) is one of the most bad-ass women to ever hit the television screen. She is one of the greatest fighters and defenders on the show. Her loyalty is unmatched, as is her value of honor. When she was first introduced on the show, Brienne watched a supernatural shadow sent by Stannis Baratheon murder her king, Renly Baratheon (Gethin Anthony). Brienne set out to bring Stannis to justice, and also made a vow to protect Arya and Sansa Stark. She finally got her revenge at the end of Season 5 by executing Stannis, but what about the Stark girls? We can only hope that Brienne will come to Sansa’s aid as she treks through the blistering cold.
7. Daenerys Targaryen (Khaleesi)
The “Mother of Dragons” (Emilia Clarke) was found and taken by the Dothraki, a group she had not planned on running into for a long, long time. Viewers are debating the nature of her capture as the Dothraki are not a peaceful people. Last season, we watched as Daenerys seemed to lose control over one of her dragons, and in the process lost the respect from the other two. Some have gone after her to bring her back to safety, but they are unaware of the fact that she is now a prisoner. Her character has become a great leader, but still has a lot to learn. Hopefully we will get to see her back in a position of power soon enough!