Winter is finally here! That’s right; season six of "Game of Thrones" kicked off this Sunday, and man, was it exciting. The end of last season was truly horrific, capped off with the now infamous final scene of our beloved Jon Snow being stabbed to death that had my heart ripped to absolute shreds. How could they do that? What will happen now?

The episode picked up right where we left off, with Jon lying dead as ever in a pool of his own blood. The opening scene was very touching, such a great, inspiring man subjected to a tragic and unfair death. There he was, stoically laid out in a sea of snow, a mere wooden plank placed above his head with the words "TRAITOR" plastered upon it.

As the camera silently scanned over his body, every memory of Jon’s hardships, along with that of his whole family, is unearthed. It’s mind-blowing that someone who has been through so much and came this far, despite the odds, can still lose so viciously. Lord Stark got his head chopped off; Rob Stark and his mother Catelyn were brutally murdered on Rob’s wedding day. Can the folks of Winterfell die peacefully? The utter disrespect of Jon’s death was felt throughout, and just as Ghost cried out for his dear master, I’m not afraid to say that I wept for a character that will always be close to my heart.

The only exciting result of (arguably) the lowest point of the show was the chance to watch Davos Seaworth begin the plan to avenge Jon’s death. The whole squad, Ghost included, showed their dedication to their 998th Lord Commander as they guard his body and proceed with plans.

"You’re not the only ones who owe your lives to Jon Snow," said Davos. That very line foreshadowed so many possibilities. You know what, Davos? You’re absolutely right! Time to summon the Wildlings! I was confused, however, as to why Melisandre didn’t work her magic and bring Jon back to life. She definitely has the power, so why didn’t she do it?

On to the Lannisters. No matter how much good Jaime tries to do, he ends up getting the short end of the stick. He stood with great strength and honor as he sailed to Cersei with the body of their second dead child. The Ice Queen let out a few meaningful tears of sadness and guilt – oh look, she does have a heart! Her sins are finally coming to bite her in the ass, forcing her to acquire some serious humility. Her shame has been revealed, never to be concealed again. As Cersei wept to Jaime, I, for the first – and probably last – time ever, felt sorry for her.

It’s fairly ironic, though, that Jaime promised Cersei that all those who did them wrong will pay. Seems to me that you’re paying for doing them all wrong after all these years. I doubt that Jaime will successfully carry out the full extent of their revenge, but who knows when you’re talking about "Game of Thrones."

We were then taken to Dorne to watch events unfold after poor Myrcella was poisoned by the evil Ellaria. Ellaria is one power-hungry lady, and her conniving ways may just get her somewhere. She, along with her daughters, single-handedly eliminated the Prince of Dorne, along with his heir. If you haven’t noticed, Dorne has the potential to be a pretty big contender in this game of thrones. Will Ellaria’s strong will earn her a seat at the Iron Throne?

An injured Sansa Stark and Theon Greyjoy (he will forever be Theon to me) were on the run from the demonic Ramsay Bolton. Ramsay’s search party caught up to them, and sweet Theon attempted to sacrifice his life so Sansa could get away, but those damned hounds are too good! Theon/Reek has been dubbed a traitor by those he once loved and trusted, and is now a mere dog to serve Ramsay’s twisted agenda. In his defense, he only did what he did to gain his daddy’s love. Vying for your parent’s recognition can be quite the mindf*ck, so throw him a freaking bone here!

As it turns out, a bone was thrown by the undyingly loyal and determined Brienne of Tarth. Brienne and Podrick sliced and diced that search party with slight ease, but not without Brienne being cut, of course. Finally, Brienne can pledge her life to protecting Sansa, a debt that she has been trying to fulfill for a long time now. I’m excited to see how this group dynamic works throughout the season.

You know who else needs to be thrown a bone: Arya Stark. The poor girl is now blind and begging on the streets. Sure, her blindness is a punishment for murdering someone, but Arya has had it rough since the day she watched her dad’s head being chopped off and deserves an outlet. Her begging was rudely interrupted by a girl with a stick, and Arya was at the end of it.

Arya was once a fighting master, and now she has to humble herself enough to become a blind, fighting master. Whether she gets her sight back or not, Arya has to be strongest character on the show. She’s only a teenager and has been through a lifetime of hardships and sorrow. I sure hope that the next time ol' girl makes her way back around to Arya’s begging post, Arya shows her a lesson or two.

Khaleesi Dany is still in a bind after being attacked at Meereen. We thought she was in the clear after escaping on her rogue dragon, but she still got snatched up by a Dothraki herd. Now, she’s subjected to being treated as property. A righteous queen, subjected to the treatment of a slave – how ironic. Especially since she forced the notion of free people at Slaver’s Bay, who would’ve thought that she would end up in ownership of another.

She threw them a curveball with her perfect Dothraki speech, but they weren’t fully sold until she dropped the bomb that she was the widow of Khal Drogo. To her surprise, being a Dothraki widow not only means to be free from sexual assault, but to earn a place alongside other widows. We all know that Dany has no place among mere widows, so let’s hope that Jorah and Daario can get to her before her royal manicure is too tarnished.

The real twist of the night was that of lady Melisandre. She’s feeling down about Stannis failing, even with her Lord of Light. I already have a degree of disgust for her, but now I’m also quite agitated about her not bringing Jon Snow back to life. At the end of the end of the episode, Melisandre took off her magical choker, and surprise, she’s really a decrepit old lady! It must take a lot of magic to give that much of a cover up; all of the contouring in the world could never hide what she’s got going on.

The Red Woman has finally revealed her true self, so what does this mean? This was quite unexpected, and I’m interested to see where that storyline goes.

Overall, this season premiere was so satisfying! The intensity of it distracted me from the ever-looming question of Jon Snow’s resurrection, and I wasn’t mad about that. The premiere set a great tone for the rest of the season, and I know that you’re all as excited as I am for next Sunday.