‘Game of Thrones’ season 6, episode 7 reaction: Ian McShane on Brother Ray

“Game of Thrones” season 6 apparently has one prevailing theme more so than anything else, and it is characters coming back from the dead in some sort of crazy / dramatic way. First, we saw it courtesy of Jon Snow in the premiere, and on Sunday night’s new episode, we had the return of The Hound (Rory McCann) as we got a chance to meet Brother Ray, a short-lived character who helped to nurse the character back to life and show him a new way to be.

So why did Ian McShane of “Deadwood” fame decide to take part in the show, especially this particular role? Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, he explained why he was so excited about taking on such a unique part in the story:

“It was one episode, for a start, which is why I wanted to do it. Obviously he’s going to die. But when I read it, it’s nice. It’s like he’s holding an improvised meeting – not Alcoholics Anonymous, but Murderer’s Anonymous. He’s an ex warrior who’s grown tired of the murdering life and trying to lead another kind of life. But I think my main use was to re-introduce a character people thought was long gone and who needed some humanity. The Hound has not been shown much humanity in his life, and he gets a little from Brother Ray and carries that forward into his character, which makes it more interesting for those who watch him. Also, my daughter, who’s an avid watcher of the show, was like, “Oh, The Hound! That will be good!”

From here, some of what we are interested in seeing is precisely how The Hound will use his teachings now that Brother Ray is gone — and also which other long-departed character could be returning next. (What about Gendry?)

If you want to get some other news when it comes to “Game of Thrones,” be sure to head over to the link here for a review of tonight’s episode! Also, sign up over here to secure some more TV news on all we cover, sent right over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: HBO.)