And the best new character from Game of Thrones Season 6 is…

…Lyanna Mormont. File under the column marked “duh.”

Yes, the little Lady of Bear Island ran away with the vote. By now, I’ve talked a lot about why Lyanna and actress Bella Ramsey have become fan favorites. Rather than repeat myself, I’ll let commenter A Girl take it away:

"I voted for Lyanna Mormont, not only [because] she made Jon a King but her scenes with Ser Davos were a lovely reminder of Shireen. I could see Lord Commander Mormont in her, I could see Ser Jorah’s loyalty in her and I could see hints of the kid she might have been should there have been any adults left to lead in her place."

Really, Lyanna’s popularity almost defied possibility, as Bandit77 pointed out:

"If everyone gets to vote twice then nobody should be above 50%, but there’s Lyanna above 60%! Amazing."

Lyanna’s share of the vote dropped below 60% after Bandit77 made this comment, but it’s still well above 50%. I suppose that several readers cast their vote for her and, not seeing a point in choosing a second favorite, stopped. That’s how popular Lyanna Mormont is. She is this rugby-playing kid from Australia, effortlessly mowing down the competition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4U5S0fR74o

(Yes, we posted this video in the original Small Council post, but it was such an apt analogy that I had to use it again. Also, it cracks me up.)

But it wasn’t all Lyanna, all the time. Here’s DarkStark, for example, praising the subtle charm of Lady Crane:

"I’ll join Katie and vote instead for Lady Crane, who brought something very special and almost unique to GoT–besides the kindness of the Mother, she illuminated the actors’ task. Most people ignore the three play scenes, but I think they’re very cleverly done and make a sly comment on how the truth gets distorted in later tellings. Lady Crane also managed two near miracles–1) she made us and Arya almost weep for the bereft Cersei. And 2) she touched Arya’s heart, which had hardened through so much violence and tragedy. Essie Davis crystallised great acting in a few short scenes. Brava!"

Lady Crane was indeed a bright spot in Arya’s bleak life. But of course this show blocks out bright spots, so she had to die. I weep for you, Lady Crane!

Commenter Meereen had some kind words for Septon Ray, played by Ian McShane. He may have only been in one episode, but most agreed that he used his brief time well:

"He got some great material and he acted the shit out of it. He was believable and I loved how his role moved The Hound forward. A splendid piece of storytelling and portrayal!"

Is it just me or does Game of Thrones tend to kill off all the friendly characters? I’m sure it’s just me.

Generally speaking, the battle for second place was between Septon Ray, Lady Crane, and Euron Greyjoy, but even very minor characters like Smalljon Umber got some love. Here’s Joe on the gruff turncoat:

"SmallJon Umber isn’t getting enough love, the cunt didn’t have too many scenes but he was great in the ones he had especially his introduction scene with Ramsay."

Looking back, we got several new characters worth celebrating in Game of Thrones Season 6. Let’s hope Season 7 is as generous.