HBO delivered a second Game of Thrones season 7 trailer on Wednesday. Here’s what we learned from the new material in a shot-by-shot discussion of the video.
Spoilers ahead, of course. Stop here if you haven’t seen the previous seasons of Game of Thrones.
Did something stand out to you in the new trailer? Tell us in the comments!
Game of Thrones returns to HBO for its seventh season on July 16
1. Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) walks past a weirwood tree through a frozen godswood. Petyr ‘”Littlefinger” Baelish gives her something to think about, saying in voiceover: “Don’t fight in the north. Or the south. Fight every battle everywhere. Always. In your mind.” We left her last season at Winterfell, so it seems reasonable to think that she’s walking in her own family’s godswood.
2. A gate raises at the Wall. But which gate is it?
3. A wide shot from another angle shows a figure pulling a sled (Meera and Bran?) crossing under the wall.
4. A cut to frozen Jon Snow (Kit Harington) suggests at least that he’s heading north.
5. Those Lannister banners hanging at the gate and the towers of — King’s Landing? Casterly Rock? — in the distance help orient us as a procession of Gold Cloaks passes through the weirdly cheerful crowd. As we noted in the season 1 trailer review, it would be awfully exciting to think of the Mother of Dragons going after the Lannister cash.
6. Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) has reason to look smug: She killed virtually all of her enemies in one brutal season 6 act and crowned herself queen. All of her children are dead, but what are you gonna do? (Hint: Kill the rest of those enemies.)
7. Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) runs her hand over the carved map table of Westeros at Dragonstone, the Targaryen’s ancestral family home. Figures lay strewn across the map like toppled chess pieces.
8. The Mother of Dragons is at Dragonstone to reclaim her birthright.
9. No telling exactly where this beach landing is taking place or who those wee characters are — is that a dress or a Westeros-style duster coat? If you have a theory, please share it with us in the comments. Love a good theory!
10. Despite the cut from the beach to Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), she doesn’t seem to be part of that beach landing scene (as an observer or otherwise). The skies give it away.
11. This is the back of Jaime Lannister’s head. We’d know that purposeful Nikolaj Coster-Waldau stride anywhere.
12. Creeper. We saw this shot of Littlefinger in the first trailer. Creeper.
13. This shot also was in the last trailer. Again, those are some delicate-looking fingers sharpening that sword. Despite her rough and tumble ways, our money is still on Arya as the owner of those hands.
14. Watching this shot of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), this one reached back into the recesses of her brain for the lessons of that Geology 101 college elective and started trying to identify the unique rock formations. Fail. Then this one’s imagination kicked in and began to see it as a great castle of Westeros melted and fused by dragon fire like Harrenhal x 100. Jon Snow in voiceover: “For centuries, our families fought together…”
15. Daenerys approaches the Baratheon house banner. Jon Snow voiceover: “…against…”
16. Daenerys examines the sigil. Jon Snow voiceover: “…their common…”
17. Daenerys: Time to redecorate. Jon Snow voiceover: “…enemy.”
18. Dragons fly over Dragonstone once more. Jon Snow voiceover: “Despite their differences….”
19. Tyrion on the cliffs of Dragonstone. Jon Snow voiceover: “…together.”
20. Embers fall around Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen). Jon Snow voiceover: “We need to do the same…”
21. Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) appears ready to breach the crack. Jon Snow voiceover: “…if we’re going to survive.”
22. Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne and Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth. Any guesses where they might be? Are those the rebuilt banisters of Winterfell? Jon Snow voiceover: “Because the enemy is real.”
23. Rory McCann as Sandor ‘The Hound’ Clegane is in fighting shape once more.
24. But the Hound didn’t kill this Unsullied. The arrow gives that point away.
25. Horses and spears break through Lannister shields. See those lions splinter!
26. This fiery shot looks a bit like the shot with Theon and the embers, but that doesn’t exactly look like him leaping into the fray below. He’s not really a fray-leaper in any case. Maybe it’s his fearless sister Yara (Gemma Whelan).
27. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister and Jerome Flynn as Bronn direct Lannister archers. Perhaps it’s one of these arrows that ended up in that Unsullied three photos back.
28. Raven army. That can only mean one thing: Bran. Exciting!
29. Just because the trailer cuts from the raven army to the Night King alerted to something in the skies doesn’t mean the scenes are from the same moment. But maybe!
30. BRAN! Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) was absent from trailer 1, so seeing him use his sight is powerful and invigorating.
31. Wait. Who’s that with Bran? It could be the back of Maester Luwin (Donald Sumpter), but he died during Bran, Rickon, Hodor, and Osha’s escape from Winterfell. And even if Bran was time-traveling, he wouldn’t be sitting in a chair. It could be a younger Three-Eyed Raven (also now dead) time-traveling to Bran’s here and now. What do you think? Who’s the figure in this shot with Bran? Tell us your theory in the comments. The screen goes to black and Jon Snow says, “It’s always been real.”
32. What a delight! Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) will not go gentle into that good night. What this suggests to us: The Brotherhood Without Banners will ride and fight in the battles to come.
33. The Iron Fleet. Remember that it is held and led by vicious Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk), who tried to kill his niece and nephew Yara and Theon.
34. The Iron Fleet approaches King’s Landing. We could talk about the theories about what’s going to happen in this encounter, but those are too spoilery to indulge in here. Google it if you must know.
35. Unsullied. No new info here. They will fight. They will die.
36. More Unsullied.
37. Fighting Unsullied. Note the Lannister red on the left.
38. Those are Unsullied opening the gate for Unsullied. Maybe that crack breach Grey Worm was up to earlier involved penetrating a secure location to open these gates.
39. That’s a romantic view, Daenerys. Entertaining?
40. Not all battlefield fire is necessarily dragon fire, but, you know, probably. Who is this guy, anyway?
41. Wait for it…
42. Jaime Lannister flying furiously through a field of dragon fire! Despite everything, is there still some part of you rooting for Jaime?
43. Again, this burning ship. Who wants to bet those young Greyjoys are up to some mischief?
44. Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivju) is always up for a fight. The great mystery is where this one is taking place. If, as suggested earlier, Jon Snow is going beyond the wall, Tormund would probably go with him. We just hope he gets to romance Brienne before he goes.
45. Dragons and Dothraki warriors fight together. All expected. But which house is that in the pan of this shot. Looked a bit like Samwell Tarly’s home, Horn Hill, which got us thinking: Where is Sam, by the way? Trivia: The role of Sam’s brother Dickon was recast and is being played by Tom Hopper (Black Sails, Merlin) in season 7.
46. Theon and Yara watch…
47. …as the ship they’re on gets pounded with fire. It couldn’t be dragon fire, though. These Greyjoys are in Daenerys’ camp, having offered the Mother of Dragons 100 ships for the battle to come.
48. A boarding party. Does this suggest Yara and Theon will face their brutal uncle early in the season?
49. Lannister soldiers prepare for battle.
50. Another angle on those Lannister forces.
51. Jon Snow and his party face what appear to be live Wildlings (not reanimated ones). But are those Wildlings running to them or away from something else? Most importantly, see that speck of light? It’s Beric Dondarrion’s flaming sword. The thought of the Brotherhood fighting alongside Jon Snow beyond the Wall gives this one chills.
52. Awwww. Trailer 1 gave away the romantic progress between Grey Worm and Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel). Still…awwww.
53. Why so serious, Tyrion Lannister? Is it dawning on you how much destruction will be wrought after you’ve unleashed a pissed off queen and her dragon trio on Westeros?
Tyrion currently tops our list of characters who keep you glued to your TV. By a wiiiide margin. Vote here.
54. Is that the Hound? Damn sun flares.
55. Jon Snow with advisor Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham). It’s hard to tell what’s going on in this shot other than Davos performing his advisory duties, but do note that Jon is wearing Stark armor.
56. We’ve compared this shot with others and that’s Jon Snow fighting a White Walker. He’s also fighting with Longclaw if you look closely enough at the pommel in the video.
57. What kind of horse can ride through fire like that? This seems to tell us that it’s not dragon fire, because then these two would be seared skeletons riding crispy barbecue.
58. Can’t tell exactly who this is, but something in that broken-man stumble says Theon to us. Hope it’s not about Yara. We like Yara.
59. Euron. Euron Greyjoy. Actor Pilou Asbæk reportedly thinks that his character’s villainy makes Joffrey Baratheon’s and Ramsay Bolton’s look like child’s play.
60. Hello there. Drogon, is it? Look closely. This dragon’s eyes are human — they remind this one of a serial killer’s eyes.
61. How’d you like dragon tooth-brushing duty? Dragon breath can’t smell great.
62. Trailer 1 included this or a similar shot. It’s a traditional circle-the-wagons-style defense. If only they had wagons. Surprise voiceover: Sansa. “When the snows fall,” she says.
63. It’s impossible to know just by looking who this is, though we could fairly safely assume it’s beyond the Wall. And both trailers seem to have established that Jon Snow goes beyond the Wall. This ride has a lone-survivor feel to it. Sansa: “…when the white winds…”
64. Another angle on the impossible-to-know figure. Sansa: “…blow, the lone wolf dies…”
65. This is definitely Jon Snow in the last shot of trailer 2. That is Longclaw’s pommel sticking out of his grasp. Are the line of figures in front of him the living or undead Wildlings. Sansa’s final words are chilling: “…but the pack survives.” The implication is that Jon is that lone wolf. Is this a misdirection intended to make us think that Sansa would sacrifice the man she knows as her half-brother? This one has a hard time believing she would do that. But then Sansa has been through so much and has Littlefinger whispering in her ear now. One hopes she will see his machinations for what they are and rise above. And be a Stark.
