Game of Thrones is obviously known for some amazing episodes featuring large set pieces, beautiful cinematography and plenty of excellent performances. However, Game of Thrones is also known for featuring a lot of these big episodes later in the season rather than early on, building to a memorable climax that keeps fans talking until the following year. Now, frequent GOT director Jeremy Podeswa is saying that the first part of Season 6 is going to be something fans can’t miss. Here’s what he had to say in a recent interview:
Doing the first episode of a new season is always a bit tricky because they tend to lay down a lot of tracks for the season and check on where the characters are now. They’re not usually the most dynamic episodes. Happily for me this year the producers tried to work against that. The season gets off to an amazing start, stuff of consequence happens and the first two episodes are really strong.
Podeswa was also the guy responsible for last spring’s “Kill the Bow” and the infamous “Unbowed, Unbroken, Unbent,” which featured the Sansa rape. He recently spoke out about the Season 5 episodes with Forbes, but we’re more excited about what he had to say about Season 6. We’re happy that Podeswa is saying the first episode—which he is directing—and in addition the second episode will feature a lot more action and consequence. As he directly notes, it should be an “amazing” start to the season.
There are some rather old spoilers in the next couple of paragraphs, but we felt like we should give you the heads up in case you are behind.
He’s totally right that the season openers for Game of Thrones are often catch-up episodes. Last season’s “The Wars to Come” had that great speech from Varys to Tyrion, but it was mostly a lot of talking to give the audience an idea of where the characters would be going during Season 5. (Cersei met the Sparrows, Pod and Brienne journeyed, Jon Snow trained the Night’s Watch, etc.) The Season 4 opener was a little more memorable with Arya and the Hound wreaking havoc on Polliver and his gang, but still, there was a lot of talking about dragons and Valyrian steel.
Podeswa isn’t revealing any huge details about what the beginning of Season 6 will entail, but obviously there is a lot that needs to be happen, especially in terms of Jon Snow’s stabbing and where his character will be going moving forward, since reports indicate actor Kit Harington has been spotted on set. Plus, goodness only knows how Cersei will be behaving in the aftermath of her long, nude walk. Last we checked, Sansa is still on the run, Dany is surrounded by Dothraki in the wilderness and Arya—err No One—is in full-on assassin mode. Plus, the series is expected to check in with Bran at some point. All of these points are cliffhangers of sorts that need to be resolved and I can see how Podeswa is saying the Season 6 opener will be a little more thrilling than the average opener for the fantasy drama.
HBO’s Game of Thrones is just around the corner at this point. The network has started to release promos and teasers for the new series. We also recently learned Game of Thrones will be back in April of this year. You can find out more about the upcoming sixth season with our what we know guide.
