Game of Thrones - Season 6 Blu-ray - Review

Game of Thrones season 7 won’t return to our screens until Summer of 2017 – ironic because the production has had to delay shooting in order to capture the winter months that the coming of winter in the show needs. So here we are in the actual winter, and if you are anything like me, you are in withdrawal. Some of you may have turned to the books for solace – and some of you, of course, were fans of the books first – but as long as we have to wait for the seven episodes of season seven, the wait for the next novel has been longer! So what is a Game of Thrones fan to do? For me, turning to the Season 6 Blu-ray was the answer – it’s just out and even if you aren’t a fan of the show, it would make an awesome gift for the GoT fans on your list!

Fair warning – spoilers will follow! Naturally, the Blu-ray has all 10, season 6 episodes in lovely crisp HD and includes a digital HD version to stream to any device. Now that we’re into the Christmas hiatus, it’s time to catch up on the series or episodes we might have missed – or to relive the highlights of season 6 – like Daenerys’ triumphant return or Jon’s winning the Battle of the Bastards.

Of course, the other thing that makes a season collection stand out is the special features. This collection is no exception, especially if you want more background or a refresher on the multiple characters, lands, and storylines. Each episode features an “In-Episode Guide” that is a pop up menu on the screen that you can select for more in-depth information on characters, location, or history. The selections update scene by scene.

There are “Audio Commentaries” for each episode and many episodes feature more than one version. Episode five has two such commentaries. One is with commentary by Gemma Whelan (Yara), Pilou Asbeak (Euron), Ellie Kendrick (Meera), and Kristian Nairn (Hodor), and one is with prosthetics supervisor Barrie Gower, camera operators Chris Plevin and Ben Wilson, and executive producer Bernadette Caulfield. Other stars that you will find on commentaries are Daniel Portman (Podrick), Michael McElhatton (Roose Bolton), Iwan Rheon (Ramsay), Liam Cunningham (Davos), Ben Crompton (Dolorous Edd), Dean-Charles Chapman (Tommen), Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei), Iain Glen (Jorah), Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm), John Bradley (Samwell), Hannah Murray (Gilly), Ian McShane (Septon Ray), Natalie Dormer (Margaery), Essie Davis (Lady Crane), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime), Sophie Turner (Sensa) Kit Harington (Jon), Lena Headey (Cersei), and Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister). There is also a nice representation from behind the camera, including directors, writers, and of course David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.

The actor commentaries are hilarious, but don’t expect a lot of deep insight – expect silliness! But that’s what’s fun about actor commentaries. It’s also interesting to realize that most of the actors are actually seeing the episode for the first time as they are doing the commentary. Most of them also haven’t had time to be following along with the entire story, so it’s fun listening to them wonder what’s going on and oh and ah over the special effects, stunts, and fantastic directing!

There are three terrific featurettes that provide lots of great background. One is on “Recreating the Dothraki World,” one is on “The Battle of the Bastards,” and one covers “18 Hours at the Paint Hall.” Not to worry, it isn’t actually all 18 hours! But it does cover one day when all three shooting units found themselves at the Paint Hall studio in Belfast. All three of these features give you a terrific idea of the logistics and scope of the shooting of these scenes, and you also get a flavor of what it’s like to be “backstage” or on-set with the actors too!

There is also special feature called “Histories and Lore” for you to “learn about the mythology of Westeros as told from the varying perspectives of the characters themselves.” There are 18 little vignettes that are narrated by one of the characters. The narration is illustrated with by cartoon. The histories are really interesting even though the cartoons are pretty basic. I’d be interested in hearing from someone who read the books about whether any of this information is contained within them.

And finally, there is also the standard deleted scenes. Unfortunately, there are only three – and two are really longer versions of scenes already in the episodes. Of course, this speaks to a mature production’s ability not to shoot superfluous material. If you are looking for a gag reel, however, you won’t find one on the Blu-ray. It is readily available online though, so I can’t say that I missed it.

My only real criticism of the release would be the packaging – but then, I’m almost never satisfied with Blu-ray or DVD packaging! Is there any easy way to get the discs in and out?

So, if you are looking for that last minute gift for yourself or a loved one, I’d highly recommend this for the Game Of Thrones fan in your life who is pining for Season seven! You might also use it to convert anyone you know who isn’t already watching. I’m looking forward to luxuriating in the many hours of extras and re-living the many terrific moments in Season six. Have you had a chance to see the Blu-ray? What are you most looking forward to re-living from Season 6? Let me know in the comments below!