Earlier this week HBO dropped the season six trailer for their critically-acclaimed fantasy drama Game of Thrones. This will be the first season not directly tied to a previously published A Song of Ice & Fire book by George R. R. Martin. The trailer perfectly captures this sense of trepidation thematically, as both the viewers and our central characters wander into the great unknown. The choice to open the preview with James Vincent McMorrow’s cover of “Wicked Game” is superb. Besides the play on words, this song choice also walks the line between hope and despair; much like the series itself. “What a wicked game you play to make me feel this way,” especially after ending the previous season with Jon Snow’s death scene at the wall.
“Everyone is poor and powerless and yet we can overthrow an empire,” states Grand Maester Pycelle (Julian Glover) to an unknown figure. The separation of church and state feuds will continue to take place at King’s Landing, after Cersei’s return to court. She’s clearly gearing up for war with the semi-resurrected “The Mountain” at her side. Meanwhile, Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer) finally kneels to the Grand Maester. Has she chosen her side in this siege for power? Poor King Tommen (Callum Wharry) is beginning to feel helpless under the weight of both his name and his crown. Not a good time for The Kingslayer (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) to return home with the news that another one of the “Baratheon” children has been assassinated. Well… timing is everything in this game we play.
Now, season five began with a young Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) sequence where she is being told her fate. There are multiple shots in this trailer of an unknown battle that include Targaryen armor, so we may finally flashback to a war from the past. Possibly the siege that led both Robert Baratheon to overthrow Rhaegar Targaryen and claim the iron thrown. More importantly, the infamous history story from the series has been shrouded in theories about the identity of Jon Snow’s mother. This is an excellent time for the series to give us a glimpse into the past, especially since Melisandre (Carice van Houten) will use “the God of Light” to resurrect Jon Snow (Kit Harington). There’s a great potential for the writers to parallel the present rebirth arc with a fallen King’s past.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuH3tJPiP-U
This Targaryen history also services Daenerys’ (Emilia Clarke) arc, after being captured by the Dothraki last season. Khalessi’s return to her late husband’s home may not be the royal welcome she had in season one. I adore the wide shot of Daenerys walking amongst her people; the scale makes her appear like an ant about to be trampled on by a horse. “You’re in the great game now and the great game is terrifying,” states Tyrion (Peter Dinklage). No worries, because Jorah Mormont (James Cosmo) will always find his queen. Hopefully, Daenerys’ seasonal arc as a commoner in Dothrapolis will allow her character to grow up a bit; throughout the past few seasons I have always felt very mixed about her character. Please… after this detour can Daenerys come to conquer King’s Landing in season seven? That moment has been in the making since the very first season.
In addition, we are shown that during this season Yara Greyjoy will return, possibly in attempt to reconnect with Theon (Alfie Allen); unless he died during the fall from Winterfell’s walls. The trailer confirms that Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) survives the fall, but we don’t know if she actually escaped Winterfell. We also see that this season will pick up with an all grown-up Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) storyline on the other side of The Wall. This quick scene includes the infamous Night’s King and a possible confrontation. I can’t help but notice Bran’s clothing in this shot… it’s very familiar looking. Bran is a warg, therefore he may be possessing the consciousness of a White Walker… only to come face to face with the King. He also may have even taken over Jon Snow’s consciousness after Melisandre works her magic… that’s an interesting take on a Stark sibling reunion. Boom drop the mic. “Apologies for what you’re about to see,” but Game of Thrones season six premieres on April 24th.
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