Game of Thrones

It’s a season for returns and shocking twists on Game of Thrones, but none so important as the characters making their Season 6 debut with Sunday’s “The Broken Man.” Sure, there’s the Blackfish returning from Season 3, but look, Bronn’s back in our first photos! Maybe other important stuff, too.

Game of Thrones has gone on a tear confirming and dispelling major theories that George R.R. Martin’s readers have scrutinized for years, with Sunday’s “Blood of My Blood” seemingly spoiling yet another book twist. Like last week’s Hodor reveal, however, a new featurette sees showrunners officially handing a cold twist to that major Stark return.

‘Game of Thrones’ spills very little “Blood of My Blood” for an otherwise hugely revelatory hour for book readers, but were the big showdowns in Kings’ Landing and with Sam’s family all flash, no substance? And what should we make of that huge Season 1 return? Find out in our full review!

It’s hard to believe we’re more than halfway through the sixth season of Game of Thrones, given all its colossal buildup, but like any season, the wars to come will hit a fever pitch in the final hours. So it is, that reportedly leaked episode titles for Season 6's final three outings tease a big moment for Arya, an even bigger battle, and a title George R.R. Martin can be proud of.

Game of Thrones’ big Hodor twist has been dissected every which way; whether it does, or doesn’t spoil the books, and even word from Kristian Nairn himself, but nothing feels quite so devastating as the onslaught of new “Hodor” gags wrought by Sunday’s “The Door.” For that, showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss must apologize.

Holding doors will never be the same.

Wow. That was one of the most phenomenal and exhilarating episodes of Game of Thrones I’ve seen in a while. We learned so much that I wasn’t expecting to learn so soon this season – the origin of the White Walkers and the Night’s King – and we lost two prominent characters plus another direwolf. But first, Hodor, because who didn’t cry during that reveal and who doesn’t love Hodor to pieces? As many fan theories as I’ve read, I never came across one predicting that turn of events and while it may not sound that climactic on paper, it was pulled off incredibly well in such a heartbreaking and intense sequence.

For the first season in Game of Thrones history, fans and book readers alike have stood on relatively even keel when it comes to the major twists in store, without necessarily feeling that HBO’s version would reflect George R.R. Martin’s unpublished novels. That said, Sunday’s big Hodor twist was apparently two of three major revelations straight from the author’s pen, so what might the final spoiler of Ice and Fire be?

For all the myriad revelations of Game of Thrones Season 6, book readers have taken small comfort in knowledge that the HBO series may not necessarily reflect George R.R. Martin’s unpublished books. The same can’t be said of Sunday’s big “The Door” twist, as showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss say the Hodor reveal came straight from the author himself.

‘Game of Thrones’ holds “The Door” for a complete mindf$%k twist on The White Walkers, Bran’s abilities and the series at large, but does yet another big death nullify its impact? And can we please talk about QUEEN Sansa? Find out in our full review!

Now that we’ve sufficiently stoked the fire of Tormund and Brienne, Game of Thrones has other pressing matters to attend in Sunday’s “The Door.” The Night’s King is back, and probably not in a hugging mood, while another mysterious red priestess has arrived in Mereen by the latest photos.

Relieved though we are to have all those Jon Snow shenanigans behind us on Game of Thrones, we’ll admit that stars and producers did an admirable job clinging to the barely-there secrecy of Kit Harington’s return. Well, all except Harington himself, perhaps, who apparently spoiled the good news to a police officer in exchange for getting off with a warning.