For one of the most sprawling fantasy dramas on television, Game of Thrones keeps its plotlines remarkably tight. Tensions always resolve, promised vengeance is always delivered, and characters are always given a proper send-off before they disappear.
Uh, that is, most of the time. But after the premiere of the show’s sixth season on April 24, fans couldn’t help noticing several apparent mistakes playing out within the hour. And it’s not the first time that Game of Thrones has left us with unanswered questions and hanging threads. Here are the inconsistencies that have us still scratching our heads.
Missing: Two Bolton Bloodhounds
In the season 6 premiere, Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Theon (Alfie Allen) leaped to freedom over Winterfell’s walls but were quickly caught up by Ramsay’s hunters and a pair of fearsome hounds. The men met their end when Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) showed up, but the dogs that were sniffing around Sansa’s hiding place just straight-up vanished without so much as a woof. Of course, it’s possible that they just ran home off screen (and that we’ll see them chowing down on human jerky made from the kennel-master’s daughter this week). For now, though, it’s a hole.
The Sand Snakes’ Apparent Teleportation to King’s Landing
Also in last week’s premiere, Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma) assassinated Doran Martell — while at the same time, across the sea, her daughters took out Dornish heir Trystane in King’s Landing. This is interesting and seemingly impossible, considering that Nymeria and Obara were standing by their mom’s side as the ship carrying Trystane sailed away. Of course, it could be that the women hopped a ship of their own shortly there afterwards. It could also be that nobody really cares, since the boring Dorne plotline was one of the show’s biggest missteps in the first place.
The Peculiar Murder of Viserys Targaryen
Remember when Daenerys’ mega-obnoxious brother got his brains cooked by a pot of molten gold? So good! So gruesome! And alas, so impossible according to the basic laws of physics. Even if a Dothraki fire could get hot enough to melt gold (dubious), Drogo, Dany and Viserys would have been standing around awkwardly for hours before a solid medallion was soft enough to be poured over Viserys’ head.
The Strange Disappearance of Tyrion’s Grudge Against Littlefinger
A Lannister always pays his debts! Except when he just forgets that he owes a certain brothel owner a major comeuppance. When Bran Stark was attacked by an assassin, Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) laid the blame on Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), resulting in the latter’s capture and near-execution. It was a huge betrayal, which makes it downright unbelievable that Tyrion never did a single solitary thing about it when he got back to King’s Landing. (For the record, the book offers an explanation for his inaction — Tyrion decides that Littlefinger is too useful and powerful to mess with — but the show makes it seem like it just slipped his mind.)
Whatever Happened to Gendry?
Remember Gendry (Joe Dempsie), the illegitimate son of Robert Baratheon who escaped assassination by the Lannisters only to end up making a forced blood donation to Stannis Baratheon’s royal aspirations? Sure you do! But Game of Thrones doesn’t. Gendry’s heritage makes him a not-insignificant player on the show’s landscape, but after Davos Seaworth put the poor benighted blacksmith on a slow rowboat to Valyria, we never saw nor heard of him again. As far as we know, he’s still out there. Rowing. Forever.
Melisandre Has Taken Off That Necklace Before, and, Well, Nothing
In the last moments of the season 6 premiere, red-hot sex sorceress Melisandre (Carice van Houten) took off that ruby necklace she’s always wearing — and instantly morphed into an ancient, gray-haired hag extraordinaire. But if the necklace is enchanted with a glamour spell that makes Mel look eternally youthful, then why didn’t she also go full-on granny when she removed it in the bath, back in season 4? The answer may lie in her conversation with Selyse Baratheon in that same scene (and a lingering shot of the potions she said she uses for magical purposes) or it might be a big fat whoopsie.
Game of Thrones airs on HBO Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
