in here – so let’s have a look.
We get some great shots of Dragonstone, the old island stronghold of the Targaryens where
Daenerys has finally arrived.
Dragonstone looks way crazier in the books, with huge stone dragons, and hundreds of gargoyles.
It’s also a volcanic island, with caves full of obsidian , or dragonglass – one
of the only materials known that can kill white walkers.
So Dragonstone’s obsidian should be really important this season.
Dragonstone was held by the Targaryens for centuries, until Robert Baratheon took over
and gave the island to his brother Stannis – this is Stannis’ banner here.
But now Stannis is dead, and Dany’s arrived, it’s time to redecorate.
Dany takes down the banner, symbolically returning the castle to her family.
She again looks over the Painted Table map of Westeros, representing her plans to conquer
the kingdoms.
We also see Dany’s dragon Drogon, who’s huge now – look how tiny Dany is perched
on his back.
Drogon’s looking a lot like Balerion the Black Dread, the famous dragon of Aegon the
Conqueror , who first took Westeros three hundred years ago.
Dany is very much walking in her ancestor’s footsteps.
To take Westeros though, Dany’s gotta sail from Dragonstone to the mainland.
Which should be easy – but we see she’s attacked at sea by Euron Greyjoy.
And Euron doesn’t play fair – he uses some explosive fiery weapon against Dany’s
fleet, which Yara and Theon aren’t too keen on.
Yara leaps into battle cause she’s Yara fucking Greyjoy, while Theon stands and looks
upset because he’s Theon fucking Greyjoy.
Theon at least does survive – we see him collapsing on a beach, like in Planet of the
Apes . But it looks like this battle goes well for Euron, because we then see him sailing
in to King’s Landing – this red smudge on the Greyjoy kraken on his sails might represent
Euron’s heraldry in the books – a red eye with a crown and crows . Euron might have
come to visit Queen Cersei.
Maybe he’s being welcomed to the city in this shot – or maybe someone else, it’s
hard to say.
Either way, the relationship between Euron and Cersei could be a big deal this season.
Cersei, for her part, is standing in what looks to be the basement of the Red Keep,
where they keep the old Targaryen dragon skulls from years ago.
Maybe Cersei has finally realised that Daenerys and her dragons are a threat, and is trying
to work how to slay dragons.
For the record, dragons in Game of Thrones have been killed with scorpion bolts , arrows
, even angry peasants when they’re trapped indoors . So Dany’s dragons can definitely
be killed, and there’s also the possibility they might be magically mind controlled – by
someone like Bran or Bloodraven or Euron in the books – or even by the Night King.
So Dany’s dragons are powerful, but shit can and probably will happen to them.
For now, though, Dany and her dragons are kicking ass.
We see a huge battle, with Dany on Drogon with Dothraki attacking some Lannister soldiers
including Jaime and Bronn.
Things get hot and heavy what with all the dragonfire, which is reminiscent of a huge
battle from Aegon’s Conquest called the Field of Fire – when the Targaryens used
three dragons to roast thousands of men on the battlefield . So these Lannister chumps’ll
be barbequed, but – what about Jaime?
We see him charging across the burning field – who’s he attacking?
Surely not Dany and her dragons, right?
He’d be eaten alive!
Then again, Jaime in the books believes he “cannot die while Cersei lives” – that
the twins will “die together as [they] were born together” . There are some amazing
theories here, which we’ll cover in a Cersei video soon.
But yeah this battle looks pretty crazy.
We see Grey Worm have a moment with Missandei before a battle between Dany’s Unsullied
and the Lannisters.
It’s possible this castle they’re attacking is Casterly Rock, a huge Lannister fortress
– and it’s interesting that these Unsullied seem to be opening this gate from inside.
How’d they get in?
This might be a plan worked out by Tyrion.
Cause Tyrion grew up in Casterly Rock, this was his home.
And when Tyrion was sixteen, his father Tywin put him in “charge of all the drains and
cisterns” there . Maybe Tyrion knows some back entrances into the Rock – so Grey Worm
can get in all sneaky loike and open the gates from within – kinda like how Dany took Meereen
. So yeah with Tyrion’s tricks on their side, Dany might just capture the Lannisters
strongest castle.
Cersei will not be pleased.
By the way, we see Jaime walking around some unfamiliar castle, and there’s a dead guy
on the ground.
Did Jaime just lead some attack?
On who?
This could maybe be Highgarden, the seat of the Tyrells, who along with the Sand Snakes
are Dany’s allies against Cersei.
Again it’s ominous that these guys aren’t in the trailer.
Further north, we see Arya riding, probably to Winterfell, to finally reunite with her
long lost family – Sansa and Jon Snow, who haven’t seen Arya other since Season 1.
Jon and Arya especially were really close early on, so it’ll be a hugely emotional
moment for the Starks to get back together , after all they’ve been through.
Littlefinger, meanwhile, still seems to be trying to divide them.
He says some nonsense about “Fight[ing] every battle, everywhere.
Always.
In your mind”, which means… something?
Littlefinger seems to think himself very clever, but his whole plan seems to hinge on Sansa
betraying her family for him – which probably will not happen given that Sansa in the trailer
says “When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack
survives”.
This is what Ned tells Arya way back in Book 1, and it’s about Stark solidarity, sticking
together to survive.
So Sansa won’t listen to Littlefinger.
In fact, promo shots have shown Arya wearing the Valyrian steel dagger that Littlefinger
used to betray Ned Stark.
So some fans speculate that Arya and Sansa will kill Littlefinger with his own blade,
to avenge the death and destruction he brought on their family.
Another Stark, Bran, passes through the Wall with Meera, and it looks like he too arrives
at Winterfell.
Here he is in the godswood with some new wheels – so much has since he was last here.
It’s not clear who the guy standing next to him is – maybe Davos, or Maester Wolkan,
or like a Obi-Wan force-ghost of Bloodraven?
Hard to say.
Either way, Bran’s psychic powers will be a really big deal this season.
For one thing, Bran now knows that Jon Snow’s mother is Lyanna Stark, so that’ll be a
big truth bomb – though the next logical question will be – who’s Jon’s dad ? Also
at Winterfell are Brienne and Podrick – name a more iconic duo, I’ll wait.
We see Jon venture north with an all-star team of warriors, including Tormund, and the
Hound, and Beric Dondarrion with his flaming sword.
There are million reasons why this team is the coolest thing ever.
Some of the greatest fighters alive, from opposite sides brought together.
Sandor and Beric fought before, in fact Sandor killed Beric – then he was resurrected.
Beric was resurrected, Jon was resurrected, everyone thought the Hound was dead before
he was metaphorically reborn.
This is almost a team of the walking dead, fighting the walking dead – cause they battle
the zombies, the wights, controlled by the white walkers.
Fans have pointed out that scene looks a bit like the story of the “last hero” from
the books, who’s said to have fought the walkers thousands of years ago.
Apparently, the hero “set out into the dead lands with a sword, a horse, a dog, and [twelve]
companions”.
And there are twelve companions in this shot – Jon has his sword Longclaw, and his dog
could be Ghost – or maybe the Hound.
In the story, the last hero’s friends were killed, along with his horse and his dog – he
even lost his sword . Maybe that’s what’s happening in these shots of Jon – he’s
still got a horse and a sword, but he’s alone – have Tormund Sandor and Beric been
killed?
In the story of the “last hero”, the hero is almost caught by the walkers, but is saved
by the children of the forest – those mysterious forest hippies who hung out with Bloodraven
. The analogue here might be for Jon to be saved by Bran’s magic – we see ravens
flying over the army of the dead, one with white eyes.
The birds are being magically controlled by Bran, he might use them to attack the walkers,
maybe to save Jon – though he might be too late to help Jon’s companions.
Bran warging a bird is a fulfilment of what Bloodraven tells him in Dance – that Bran
will “never walk again”, but he “will fly” . It’s tragic that Bran was robbed
of his ability to walk – he wanted to be a knight as a child.
But magic gives him to power to do something even higher.
A complication, though, might be the connection between Bran and the Night King.
We still don’t really know the meaning of this mark that the King left on Bran, but
it seems to suggest some connection between the two, like some Harry Potter Voldemort
shit.
We might see some intense psychic battles between Bran and the Night King this season.
So there is huge stuff happening in the north and in the south, amidst ice and fire.
But there’s one more thing that might happen that could be the greatest moment of all.
We get a shot of what looks like the Hound, somewhere in the south, maybe in King’s
Landing – which just happens to be where the Mountain is.
Sandor and Gregor Clegane are brothers, remember.
Years ago, Gregor gave Sandor the burns that disfigured his face, and they’ve hated each
other ever since.
They’ve both changed dramatically over the series.
Sandor was symbolically reborn, while Gregor was quite literally reanimated.
Fans have speculated for years that these brothers will clash in the greatest Westerosi
grudge match imaginable, a combat commonly called Cleganebowl.
[AIRHORNS].
It’s kinda dumb and prolly won’t happen, but man it would be quite cool.
Anyway.
This season is gonna be crazy, with heaps of long-awaited moments – Dany at Dragonstone,
Euron on the attack, dragons in battle, the fall of the Rock, Stark family reunion, Bran
finally flies, and winter arrives at last.
Thanks for watching.
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