When I started watching Game of Thrones right from the beginning of the first season, I had the notion that it was mostly a fantasy TV show involving lots of dragons and epic battle scenes that would me of the great wars of The Lord of The Rings. Contrary to that, the show was chock-a-block with betrayals, weird romance and relationships, grotesque sadism and numerous beheadings. However, as Game of Thrones progressed, I saw more dragons, more wars and incredible plot twists that left me jaw-dropped, shaking with goosebumps no matter how many times I watched. Season 6 of Game of Thrones gave us the Battle of Bastards, Daenery’s iron-clad determination to conquer Westeros, the looming threat of the White Walkers and the impending doom that lay ahead.
With the release of the season 7 trailer of Game of Thrones, we will finally get to witness the moment we have all been waiting for- The Great War. In a spate of less than two minutes, we get a glimpse of the blitzkrieg action that awaits us with the advent of the Mother of Dragon in Westeros, as well as intriguing narrative arcs for Jon Snow, Cersei, Tyrion and Jaime Lanisters and a horde of other characters. Let’s look in detail at the most interesting details that the Game of Thrones season 7 trailer threw up:
Cersei’s Amazing Floor Map
“Enemies to the east, enemies to the west, enemies to the south, enemies to the north,” says Cersei as the threat of war looms, standing on a gorgeous Seven Kingdoms map. In the season 6 finale, we saw the Mad Queen (we can call her that now, right?) take her revenge in the most spectacular manner by literally obliterating all her enemies.
Though Cersei has an uphill task ahead to defend her throne, I am sure she has some devious strategy up her sleeve to tackle the challenges. Also, that rug is absolutely magnificent. Totally buying one if it pops up on the HBO store!
Tyrion and the Dragons
Even though Cersei considers only herself and Jaime to be the last Lannisters left, she forgets an important cog in the grand scheme of Daenery’s plans for conquest- Tyrion Lannister. Perfect in his role of a strategic advisor to Dany, Tyrion must chalk out a plan to stave off the nefarious designs of his sister, deal with the Starks and Jon Snow, as well as three huge fire-breathing dragons.
Dany at Dragonstone
Dany has a gigantic army and three dragons to win the war, but she can’t straight away sit on the Iron Throne, can she? She doesn’t have the Mereen either. In the trailer, we see that Dragonstone (former seat of House Targaryen and held subsequently by Stannis Baratheon) will likely be Dany’s fort while the war is going on.
The Iron-Snake Kiss
Amid the raging war that the new season promises, is there any scope of a romance? Maybe not, but lust is still a driving force when we see Iron Islander Yara Greyjoy lock lips with Ellaria Sand, the dangerous Sand Snake. We knew what happened when she last locked lips with someone, so it remains to be seen whether this is a new power dynamic or the end game for Yara.
Winter has Come
Remember a similar eerie image from the start of the series when we saw the carnage by the White Walkers? Winter has come and the greatest threat to every living being in Westeros and beyond promises death and destruction. The Night King is on the cover of season 7’s key art, so one can imagine an epic clash on the cards.
Arya’s Reunion?
The Red Wedding has been avenged and Arya Stark looks set to reunite with her family. Imagine the emotions during the reunion with Jon Snow (sniffs). In this snap where we see Arya peeking under the bed, she seems as alert as ever. Is she checking for threats?
Has she found something there? With her fortuitous journey Arya has suffered a lot of pain and suffering, and her arc still remains one of the most intriguing part of the series, along with Brandon Stark.
The Red Woman’s Fate
The mysterious red priestess Melisandre left Winterfell after Jon Snow allowed her to leave without any harm (yes, she was responsible for some really terrible actions by Stannis, but didn’t she also bring Snow back to life? Ungrateful bastard!). What lies ahead for her? Will she meet Arya? Or go to Dany and pally around with that other crazy red priestess?
Jon Snow vs Little Finger
Of all the vile characters in Game of Thrones, Peter Baelish is the one whom I consider to be the most dangerous of all. With his forked tongue laced with sophistry, deceit and treachery, LittleFinger whispers evil into the hearts of every person, good or bad. Nay, he is the devil himself! We can see in the trailer that he is yet again trying to sway Sansa with his serpent talk, but does comeuppance lie ahead when we see Jon Snow grabbing him by the throat? Let’s hope so.
Dealing with the White Walkers
The action sequence indicates that White Walkers would be a persistent threat for Winterfell. Jon Snow running along Tormund evokes memories of that insanely good episode ‘Hardhome’ in which we saw zombie avalanches, rise of the army of the dead and the Night King’s deathly stare indicating the coming of the reaper.
The Great War
Daenerys Stormborn, along with Tyrion Lannister and Jon Snow, have been fan favorites from the very start. We have plodded through all six seasons, eager to see Dany being the deserving ruler of the Seven Kingdoms (or are we rooting for Jon Snow) and to see her rivals being serves their just desserts. The combined might of the Dothraki and Unsullied armies, and three dragons blasting away everything with their fire breath, against House Lannister should be an extremely satisfying sight. July 16 just can’t get here soon enough!