TV Show Review

TV Review: GAME OF THRONES: Season 6, Episode 2: Home [HBO]

Carice van Houten Kit Harington Game of Thrones Home

Game of Thrones Home Review

HBO‘s Game of Thrones Home TV Show Review. Game of Thrones: Season 6, Episode 2: Home contained the pivotal moment many Game of Thrones fans had been waiting for since the first set images for Season 6 emerged: the resurrection of Lord Commander Jon Snow (Kit Harington). Held until the final moments of Home (like Jamie Lannister’s hand being cut off in Season 3), it was almost presented as a tease, as if it was not going to happen. When Ghost reacted, the viewer knew it was true, that the event was about to unfold. When Jon Snow took his first breath after being dead for almost a day, shock, non-surprise, and joy surged through the mind.

Ser Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham) and the other loyal brothers of The Night’s Watch protected the body of Lord Commander Snow with their lives for some unknown reason since his dead body was discovered. They had also been protecting their own lives since they were absent from a pivotal meeting and had not sworn allegiance to the new Lord Commander.

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Ser Alliser Thorn (Owen Teale) never once said that he wanted Jon Snow’s body so that he burn it to protect The Night’s Watch from an attack by a Wight from inside Castle Black. Such an attack had occurred in the first season of Game of Thrones and the fear of a similar attack would have been a logical reason for Thorn wanting to get into that room to get that body yet it was never presented as such. If he had, the men in that room might have seen it as a reasonable request yet Thorn never did. It was odd.

Now that Jon Snow is back, what will be his first orders as Lord Commander? Will he order the traitors executed?

Melisandre (Carice van Houten)’s confidence in The Lord of Light and in herself will be restored when she sees Jon Snow alive and realizes that some of her visions had been correct and that she had not be forsaken by her God. Melisandre’s disillusionment had been a great story-arc, especially for a character whose faith had been their bedrock. Jon Snow’s resurrection will be the beginning of the restoration of Melisandre’s faith not only in herself but in her religion and in her mission. The emptiness that had invaded her will begin to recede.

I believe the Three-Eyed Raven (Max von Sydow) is showing Brandon Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) the past so Bran can fully know where he and his family came from, meaning, the events that made them who they were and the ones that killed them (so Bran can help prevent similar mistakes in others in the future). Those vision trips also put Bran’s powers into context and gave him a new perspective on them.

I really hope that the creators of Game of Thrones make a prequel series for Game of Thrones featuring the earlier incarnation of characters from Game of Thrones. They are vastly interesting, more so than some of the present day characters on the series. Three of those characters include Lyanna Stark (Cordelia Hill), Eddard Stark (Sebastian Croft), and Willis a.k.a. Hodor (Sam Coleman). I would love to see these characters explored fully and not simply read about them in the appendices of A Song of Ice and Fire.

Child of the Forest Leaf (Kae Alexander) gave Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick) what I believe to be a tidbit of her future role in the coming war: as Bran’s mobile voice, legs, and hands beyond the wall in the North.

Gregor Clegane (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson)’s three scenes in Home were wonderful in that they spoke volumes about what he had become. Before his transformation, Gregor had homestead, a wife, and land. In Home, Gregor had mutated into an attack dog and bodyguard. Nothing of his previous life or that former person existed anymore, though most of it had never been presented in the TV incarnation of Gregor’s story anyway (especially all the rapes). His function in life had been reduced to taking and carrying out Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey)’s orders (how had Cersei heard about the story-teller’s story? Had he told that story so many times that it gotten all the way back to The Red Keep?).

Ayra Stark (Maisie Williams)’s segment of Home, like the previous Braavos segment in The Red Woman, was watching blind Arya get pummeled relentlessly by an adversary with unencumbered vision. The viewer knew this was a long, grueling lesson being taught to Arya because of her thievery of the face mask. At the end of her sole scene in Home, it would seem that assumption was born out to be true. Can Ayra truly compartmentalize her formerly identity, everything that made Ayra a Stark, all of her memories, emotions, and reactions, and truly become no one? Her storyline has been building toward that moment for two seasons. After she achieves it (becoming a true servant of the Many-Faced God), then what?

Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen)’s decision to return home was strange since that same decision, in the past, led him to physical and mental destruction. What did he hope to gain? He was in no physical condition to fight for the throne of the Iron Islands or to led the Iron Born. His conflict though, his obvious internal struggle, made his scene in Home one of the most strongly acted as did Lena Headey in her scene at the dock when she realized that Myrcella Baratheon was dead. Good actors and actresses can speak volumes with their faces as Allen and Headey did in Home.

Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk)’s introduction, thanks to a well-executed segue from Theon Greyjoy’s scene, ushered in a compelling new character and a narrative problem for the episode. How did Yara Greyjoy (Gemma Whelan) know that Balon Greyjoy (Patrick Malahide) had been murdered? Balon had no stab or sword wounds, only crushed bones from his fall. Why did Yara think that Balon had been murdered? Did she fast-forward to that scene in Home à la Spaceballs and watch it happen? This was either sloppy writing by Dave Hill or Yara made this accusation based upon evidence not yet presented to the viewer.

When Euron said that he “needed Silence,” viewers that had read the book series must have smiled at the reference being made. Euron and Balon had a curious conversation before one made a lethal move on the other: Euron suggested that Balon need to be replaced after noticing Balon’s lack of sea legs while also noting his age. In the same conservation, Euron admitted to having gone hysterical on the high seas in front of his crew to the point where they had to restrain him. It would seem neither of them were currently fit enough to lead the Iron Born, yet Euron, who now harbored disturbed beliefs about himself, believed he should be next in line.

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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