It wasn’t long before we saw Dorne in Game of Thrones Season 6, and it turned out to be the bloodiest part of the episode. Here’s what’s probably happening in Dorne this season.
[Warning: Game of Thrones Season 6 premiere spoilers ahead]
Ellaria Sand has entered the “Game of Thrones.” She was able to turn everyone against Doran Martell, the brother of her deceased lover Oberyn Martell, in the course of a season. Not only did Ellaria successfully murder Princess Myrcella behind Doran’s back, the moment he finds out she stabs him in the heart. To top it off, Ellaria orders the Sand Snakes to kill Trystane because “no weak man will ever rule Dorne again.”
We can all agree Game of Thrones Season 5 butchered what could’ve been an excellent storyline in Dorne. In the books, Doran is actually a lot more cunning and calculating than the show version. Doran has three children in the books: Arianne, Quentyn, and Trystane. Arianne is the first in line to rule Dorne, not Trystane. Long story short, Arianne eventually learns Doran is plotting to have Trystane rule Dorne. Arianne confronts her father, to which he begrudgingly admits he’s been plotting for Arianne to rule the Seven Kingdoms.
Arianne is an excellent female character in A Song of Ice And Fire . She’s the shining example of Dorne’s progressive attitudes about female empowerment. However, the show decided to use Ellaria and the Sand Snakes as substitutes for Arianne and throw out all of Doran’s plot. It’s the biggest departure for George R.R. Martin’s novels we’ve seen thus far.
So what happens in Dorne, now? It’s safe to say Dorne doesn’t care about lineages or titles. Ellaria turned Doran’s men against him because the people of Dorne do not believe he’s the leader they need, or so Ellaria says. The frustrating part is Ellaria’s motives and plans for Dorne are unclear. If Ellaria just wanted revenge, she probably would’ve stopped at Myrcella’s death, which leads us to believe she’s plotting something much deeper.
If Ellaria is smart, the next step would be to send the Sand Snakes to find Daenerys Targaryen. Dorne is powerful, but they’ll need allies to dethrone Tommen Baratheon. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Sand Snakes end up meeting Tyrion to discuss terms of an alliance. That would mean Daenerys could have the Dothraki, the people of Meereen, and the Dornish bannerman at her side when she marches on King’s Landing.
However, Ellaria might decide on another plan entirely. Doran never mentions Arianne, so there’s no reason to suspect her character will join the show. Who knows? What is clear is something in Dorne is needed to progress the overall plot. Have any thoughts about Dorne? Leave us your Game of Thrones Season 6 theories in the comments section below.
