Game of Thrones Drops One Last Hype Trailer...One Last Frame-By-Frame Breakdown

Summer is officially here and the Game of Thrones premiere date inches closer and closer with each passing day. The sun is shining, the water’s warm, the beer’s flowing, the girls are in sundresses, the boys are in romphims, and I for one am enjoying the beautiful weather and carefree vibes by sitting alone in my dark, frigid basement watching old Thrones episodes to make the time go quicker. You may call that “sad” or “pathetic”, but I call it commitment and who asked you anyway, Dad?

Luckily the show fed us yet another morsel today with a brand-new trailer to go along with their previous two (LINK , LINK) and whip us into a full frenzy for  what feels like the most anticipated season of Thrones yet (sorta like how every season of the Bachelor is promoted as the MOST EXPLOSIVE IN SHOW HISTORY, we are all obligated to call every new Thrones season the most anticipated in show history). It’s summer so that means you forgot that you don’t like the heat as much as you remembered, your baseball team is disappointing you (unless you’re in Houston), and you haven’t gone outside and read any of the books you said you would. Here’s the trailer then the breakdown to follow to distract you from all of that:

It may be the first day of #Summer, but #WinterIsHere on 7.16 on @HBO.
Watch the new #GameofThrones Season 7 trailer. pic.twitter.com/o6VGkGCG4r

— Game Of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) June 21, 2017

Right off the bat, an A+ move in terms of music choice. Quick litmus test if someone is a true Thrones nerd or not: Show them that trailer and immediately ask them if they recognize that music. If they answer with “Well that is of course the music used in the opening sequence of the Season 6 finale, probably the strongest 15-20 minutes the show ever did in terms of dramatic buildup, shot sequencing and neatly resolving multiple plot threads with one resolution” then that person is a dork and your friend group will probably judge you for hanging out with them. Great move to remind us of the high note we were left on to get us all pumped to see what’s next. Here are ten thoughts from screenshots from the trailer:

1.

Bran at the gates of the Wall, meaning he has finally made his way South and is set to join the battle against the White Walkers. Uncle Benjen already informed us that the Wall is made of more than just ice and snow but “strong magic” built into the foundations. Obviously this means that wars raged against the White Walkers millenniums ago and is probably the original purpose of the Wall and the Night’s Watch in the first place. GRRM has said that there is a definite reason for the coming and going of the seasons, of the existence of the White Walkers, origins of the Night’s King and any other questions about the more supernatural elements of Thrones that you have questions on. I think with Bran finally returning to civilization, we’re probably going to get the answers to these questions this season through the help of some handy flashbacks and exposition scenes (also Sam at the Maester Citadel will probably have to explain some of this stuff to Gilly which will be helpful to our purposes because he’ll have to explain to her like she’s four).

2.

Petyr Baelish, when plotting and scheming, he looks like a guy who sneaks into bathrooms to watch his step-sister shower.

3.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that right as Jon Snow’s narration about families having to fight together against a common enemy, Dany shows up. Of course Jon and Dany meeting at some point is inevitable. And them joining forces against the White Walkers seems almost as inevitable. Jon Snow and Tyrion have each other’s trust from their time at the Wall together in Season 1 (now I’m getting all nostalgic), both are humanists with a strong inclination towards the common good, they’re related (even if they don’t know it yet) and the “ice” represented by Jon Snow and “fire” represented by Dany is a natural yin to each other’s yang. I bet this is a scene where he directly addresses her.

4.

Podrick Payne is in the building! I’d say Podrick somehow being in a position to be potentially instrumental in shaping the fate of the entire Westeros continent is most unlikely and amusing stumble into power I’ve ever seen and is a bit of a stretch by the show writers, but then again how would I have reacted 7 years ago if you told me the funny man from The Apprentice would have the nuclear codes?

5.

Ravens sent en masse means, most likely, that the Citadel is going to have some dire warning message to send around the entire continent. I guess the ravens could theoretically be from everywhere, but the Citadel as the intellectual center and communication center of Westerns seems the most likely. White ravens are reserved for news that Winter is here, so it has to be something else. Maybe a discovery by Sam about the White Walkers?

6.

OH HELL YES!!! Flaming swords are always awesome, but when you factor in this means some Lord of Light action and that the Brotherhood Without Banners are marching North with Clegane (seen earlier in the trailer) in order to fight the “true enemy” (White Walkers)? This means we’re going to see some White Walker v. Northern men battles. Also, remember that the Brotherhood started after the Red Wedding as a pro-Stark resistance group, so it shouldn’t be hard for Snow to convince them to fight on the side of the living for him (I’m not guessing by the way, this little image later in the trailer basically confirms it).

7.

Iron Islands ships are sailing in fleets to what appears to be Dragonstone, the presumed base of operations and staging point for Dany’s invasion operation. This is probably an attempt to (violently) ask Dany to marry the King of the Iron Islands, Euron Greyjoy, and to be his bride/partner in reclaiming full independence of the Islands and then some by means of conquer, pillage and rape. I don’t want to violate any type of man code here but I think the courtship will be about as successful as my crusade to make Adriana Lima my lawfully wedded wife.

8.

This image is what I assume is going to be the highlight that sticks in people’s minds the most from this trailer: Jaime on a fiery battlefield. Awesome for obvious reasons (Lannisters are going straight on the offensive!) but also the possibility of that fire being from the mouth of dragons, meaning Thrones is wasting no time in giving us the fighting matches we’re dying to see. Also, haven’t seen that type of unbridled hatred on Jaime’s face in a long, long time.

9.

I fully expect a Dorthraki x Dragons collab fight to be the highlight of my July. Also, I apologize for the blurriness, but I am writing this blog on my Mom’s computer while eating leftover pizza and it’s the best I can do. In other words, I am exactly what you would picture a Game of Thrones blogger to be. And finally…

10.

Whatever this dramatic, defensive circle of men means, it’s how Thrones has decided to have as one of the final dramatic images for two (2) trailers. Whatever this is, it’s going to be very, very important.

Game of Thrones full season preview coming in a week or two. In the meantime follow me on Twitter @CharlieWisco .