Let’s be real. In 2016, the world was collectively holding its breath for one reason: Jon Snow. We had spent a year arguing over whether a corpse on a table was actually a corpse, and "The Red Woman" had the impossible job of following up the biggest cliffhanger in television history. It’s been years since that premiere, but Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 1 remains a masterclass in how to stall for time while simultaneously blowing everyone's minds.
He was dead.
Staring at the ceiling of Castle Black, eyes milky and cold, Jon Snow looked remarkably... deceased. Ghost was howling. Davos was looking grim. The opening minutes of the season didn't give us a resurrection; they gave us a wake. It was a gutsy move by showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. They knew exactly what we wanted, and they chose to make us wait for it.
The Melisandre Twist No One Saw Coming
Forget the politics for a second. The literal and figurative "big reveal" of this episode belongs to Melisandre. We’d seen her as this seductive, dangerous, eternal-looking priestess of R’hllor. Then, she takes off that ruby necklace.
She’s old.
I’m not talking "needs some moisturizer" old. I’m talking centuries. Watching Carice van Houten’s character transform into a frail, hunched figure in the mirror was a pivot point for the entire series. It wasn't just a cool practical effect (though the prosthetics were incredible). It was a moment of profound vulnerability. Her faith in Stannis Baratheon had led to a slaughter. Her belief in the Lord of Light was cracking.
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That final shot of her crawling into bed, shriveled and defeated, changed how we viewed the "magic" in Westeros. It wasn't some infinite power source. It was a mask. It was a burden. Most people forget that Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 1 spent more time focusing on a woman losing her religion than a man coming back to life.
Chaos from Castle Black to Dorne
While the Wall was freezing over, the rest of the world was falling apart. Honestly, the Dorne storyline gets a lot of hate, and mostly for good reason. It felt rushed compared to the intricate pacing of George R.R. Martin’s A Feast for Crows. But in this premiere, the "Sand Snake" coup was a total bloodbath. Ellaria Sand murdering Doran Martell was the show's way of saying, "We’re done with the slow burn."
It was jarring.
Many fans felt the Sands were one-dimensional villains, but the episode succeeded in trimming the fat. It signaled that the show was moving faster than the books ever could. Meanwhile, in King’s Landing, Cersei is waiting at the docks. She thinks Myrcella is coming home. She sees Jaime’s boat. She sees the gold shroud.
The look on Lena Headey’s face is why she should have won every Emmy available. It’s a mix of grief and a terrifying "I told you so" regarding the prophecy. Maggy the Frog’s prediction was coming true, piece by piece. Cersei wasn't just a grieving mother; she was becoming a woman with absolutely nothing left to lose. That’s the most dangerous version of Cersei Lannister.
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Sansa and The Long-Awaited Win
If you weren't cheering when Brienne of Tarth showed up to save Sansa and Theon in the woods, are you even a fan? After the sheer misery of Season 5—which, let's be honest, was a tough watch for Sansa fans—this felt like a long-overdue catharsis.
Sansa Stark was finally out of the clutches of the Boltons.
The scene where Brienne pledges her sword to Sansa is one of the most emotional beats in the entire series. When Sansa fumbles the words of the formal acceptance—because she’s been a prisoner for so long she’s forgotten how to be a Lady—it hits hard. It reminded us that the Starks weren't just characters; they were a family we’d watched get dismantled for five years. This was the first brick in the wall of their rebuild.
What People Get Wrong About This Premiere
A common criticism is that "nothing happened." People wanted Jon Snow to jump off that table in the first five minutes. But looking back, Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 1 was about setting the stakes of hopelessness.
- Daenerys was a prisoner: No longer a Queen, she was just another widow of a Khal being marched to Vaes Dothrak.
- Arya was blind: Scrounging for food and getting beat up by the Waif in the streets of Braavos.
- The Boltons were winning: Roose was still alive (for a few more minutes, anyway), and Ramsay was more sadistic than ever.
The episode was a status check. It established that our heroes were at their absolute lowest points. Without this episode’s bleakness, the "Battle of the Bastards" or the explosion of the Sept later in the season wouldn't have felt so earned. You need the valley to appreciate the mountain.
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Essential Takeaways for Your Next Rewatch
If you’re heading back into a series binge, pay attention to the lighting in the Castle Black scenes. It’s deliberately claustrophobic. The directors used the tight spaces of the Night’s Watch quarters to mirror the feeling of being trapped. Davos Seaworth, normally a man of words and logic, is forced into a corner where he has to rely on a woman he hates (Melisandre) to perform a miracle he doesn't believe in.
The episode title, "The Red Woman," is a bit of a trick. It makes you think of her power, but the episode is actually about her exhaustion.
To truly appreciate the arc of Season 6, you have to sit with the discomfort of this first hour. Don't skip ahead to the "good parts." Notice the way the Dothraki talk about Daenerys—it’s a reminder of how far she’s fallen from the "Breaker of Chains" persona she built in Meereen.
Next Steps for Fans:
Start by re-watching the final ten minutes of the Season 5 finale right before you hit play on this one. It bridges the emotional gap. Then, track the movement of the "Oathkeeper" sword throughout the season; its journey begins in earnest here with Brienne. Finally, look at the eyes of the direwolf, Ghost. The show’s budget for CGI wolves was always a point of contention, but his presence in the room with Jon’s body is the only thing providing a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dark opening chapter.