After months of cryptic teasers and sparse seconds of actual footage, HBO has finally decided to take pity on us and give us an honest-to-goodness trailer. Unlike the past teasers, this one actually gives us a glimpse of what the final season of Game of Thrones is going to look like. The clips don’t, however, make whatever Benioff and Weiss have in store for us any less mystifying.
Some immediate thoughts after the first viewing are that aside from (several) ominous shots, we don’t get much by way of plot. Which, personally I find to be preferable to trailers spoiling everything from the get-go. There are a couple of clips of Jon brooding (most likely over his parentage), of armies preparing for war (the battle of the long night come again, perhaps?), and plenty of bold statements made.
Most exciting is Jaime Lannister proclaiming: “I promised to fight for the living. I intend to keep that promise.” After his abrupt leave of King’s Landing last season, many hoped for his redemption arc to end in the North, finding a source of common humanity with houses sworn against the Lannisters.
In general, it’s also galvanizing to see most of the action taking place in the North and finally moving away from the drama and politics of the rest of Westeros. Not to disparage that aspect of the show — because it’s always been so well-executed — but I can’t wait for the story to come full circle as George R.R. Martin always intended and focus on the fantasy of it all.
(The new ‘Game of Thrones’ season 8 photos are dark and dramatic…as always)
Watch the trailer below and let us know what you think:
The final Game of Thrones season premieres April 14. It will only have 6 episodes.
How do you think this series is going to end?
