The trailer for the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones has finally arrived, and things are looking intense as ever over in Westeros.
The moment Game of Thrones fans have been eagerly awaiting all year finally arrived yesterday: HBO dropped the official trailer for the show’s eighth and final season. It offered fans their first extended glance at footage from the new season, and things are looking intense as ever over in Westeros.
Watch the full trailer here:
Despite the fact that the trailer is only about two minutes long, there’s plenty going on throughout the preview. Not only do we see tons of clips from the epic Battle for Winterfell, but we also get glimpses of what’s happening in King’s Landing in the meantime. The trailer is packed with action from start to finish, and it features quite a few moments that allude to what’s to come for our Game of Thrones‘ favorites.
Here are some of the most notable moments from the season 8 trailer.
Arya running through Winterfell
One of the quickest ways to hook your audience is to show them a fan favorite in danger, and that’s exactly what the new Game of Thrones trailer does. It opens with Arya hiding in what appears to be part of Winterfell. Arya looks bloody and terrified, and she soon abandons her hiding spot and starts running through the empty Great Keep.
It’s probably safe to assume that she’s trying to escape wights or White Walkers, and her voiceover while this happens supports that. “I know death,” she says. “He’s got many faces. I look forward to seeing this one.” This quote is clearly from a different scene, which the trailer also gives fans a glimpse of. Arya’s holding a new dagger, likely one that’s made from dragon glass.
We also see Arya fighting during the battle later in the trailer, and we can only hope the blood on her face comes from that moment. But fans have to question why the Great Keep looks so deserted in the clip of Arya running through it. Could this scene occur after the Battle for Winterfell is already finished? If it is, it doesn’t look like things went too well for the Starks.
The characters hiding in the crypts
The crypts of Winterfell have received a lot of hype during the promo leading up to season 8, and it’s no surprise they appear during the new trailer. Fans get a brief shot of some of the characters hiding near the statues in the crypts — Varys, Gilly and baby Sam — and several other girls among them. These characters are likely told to wait in the crypts while the battle rages on, mirroring how Gilly hid during the Battle for the Wall during season 4.
Fans have also suggested that the crypts might offer an escape route for the Starks, assuming things don’t go as planned against the Night King’s army. If our characters were forced to abandon Winterfell and retreat, they would be able to do so through the tunnels attached to the crypts.
Euron Greyjoy sailing with the Golden Company
Euron Greyjoy is a chaotic force that was introduced during season 7, and the last time fans saw him, he was going to retrieve the Golden Company for Cersei. The Golden Company is comprised of some of the best sellswords in the realm, and the trailer gives us our first look at them. In the trailer, we see Greyjoy ships sailing. After this, the clip flashes to a bunch of soldiers standing on a ship, clad in golden armor.
This new army could present a problem for Daenerys and Jon, assuming they survive the Night King’s attack and eventually march to King’s Landing. While the clips don’t suggest that Cersei’s new army is bigger than theirs, it’s probable that the Northern army will take some serious losses during the Battle for Winterfell. We just hope they can still stand up against the Golden Company.
Bran speaking to Sam (and possibly Jon)
The next voiceover in the trailer belongs to Bran, who we briefly see in conversation with Samwell Tarly. The two of them are the only characters who know the truth about Jon’s Targaryen heritage, and it seems likely that they’ll be the ones to break the news to him. The short clip shows Sam turning his head to look at something behind him, which we can assume signals another person entering the room.
Overlapping this and several other clips, Bran says: “Everything you did brought you where you are now—where you belong. Home.” While Bran says this, the trailer also flashes to both the Red Keep in King’s Landing and Dany and Jon marching with an army. Both of these moments, as well as Bran’s words, allude to Jon’s true parentage, making it very likely that this is when Jon finds out that he’s the heir to the Iron Throne.
Sansa and Arya’s reactions to Dany’s dragons
Previous footage from HBO’s general series trailers has shown both Arya’s and Sansa’s reactions to Daenerys’ arrival in Winterfell, but the full-length trailer actually shows her two dragons flying in. We see Sansa standing on top of the Keep when Rhaegal and Drogon arrive, and whatever her feelings toward Dany are, she still seems awed by them.
Fans also get to see Arya’s reaction all over again, and this time, it seems certain that her smile is in regards to the dragons. It also explains all of the people behind her desperately running and fleeing—after all, the last living dragons weren’t exactly on the North’s side.
Gendry making weapons at Winterfell
Amidst all of the battle clips, the trailer shows a shot of Gendry forging weapons at Winterfell. With the ability to make dragon glass now, it seems likely that Jon and Daenerys will have weapons makers forging as many dragon glass swords and daggers as possible before the Night King arrives. In fact, this is probably where Arya’s fancy new dagger comes from.
If our characters survive long enough to wage war on Cersei as well, they’ll need some steel in order to fight her army. By the looks of it, Gendry will be very busy this season.
Cersei looking emotional
Earlier in the trailer, when fans see the Golden Company, there’s a shot of Cersei looking smug. She’s in the company of the Mountain and Maester Qyburn, and it seems likely that she’s gloating over one victory or another. However, later in the trailer, there’s a moment that mirrors this one. This time, Cersei is alone and holding a glass of wine. There are tears in her eyes this time.
There are numerous reasons Cersei could be upset during this scene, though without context, it’s hard to tell what’s happening here. It’s likely that Cersei will lose King’s Landing one way or another during season 8, so this moment could be showcasing her defeat. She could, however, also be feeling emotional over pitting her army against both of her brothers—her only remaining family.
And of course, there’s the pregnancy subplot to consider. During season 7, Cersei tells Tyrion that she’s pregnant. It’s unclear whether or not the claim is true, but given that she’s drinking wine and looking unhappy, Cersei could also have lost the last bit of hope she had. After all, Maggy the Frog only predicted she’d have three children.
Jaime arriving in Winterfell
During the trailer, fans get a voiceover stating, “I promise to fight for the living. I intend to keep that promise.” This quote is reminiscent of something Jon once said, though this time it’s actually Jaime Lannister who speaks those words. Talk about character development.
Judging by the brief glance of Jaime saying this, as well as his intentions at the end of last season, this is probably said upon his arrival at Winterfell. Jon and Daenerys aren’t going to be too happy to see him, so he’ll more than likely need to convince them that he’s trustworthy enough to join their forces against the Night King. We later see Jaime fighting in the battle against the army of the dead, so his reasoning appears to convince them (although it’s possible Tyrion also has something to do with it).
Jon and Daenerys walking up to Rhaegal and Drogon
One clip from the trailer that really has fans excited involves Jon and Daenerys walking up to Rhaegal and Drogon. The pair is a power couple if we’ve ever seen one, but what has fans truly freaking out is the implication that Jon might be about to mount one of Dany’s dragons. At this point, with Jon’s heritage, it seems all but confirmed that Jon is the third and final dragon rider.
It also makes sense that Jon would wind up riding the dragon that’s named for his father. The two battling against the Night King’s army on dragons will be a formidable force, and it’s also probably the reason that Winterfell seems to be on fire for the majority of the trailer (and battle).
The Battle for Winterfell
Although there are clips of what appears to be the Battle for Winterfell scattered throughout the entire trailer, the ending shows many of our beloved characters awaiting the Night King’s arrival. Brienne, Podrick, Jorah, and the rest of Jon and Dany’s army are standing in formation in front of Winterfell. It’s completely silent, and then we see a pair of hooves appear before them. We know that the White Walkers ride horses, and this is probably the first of them arriving for the fight.
The clips we do see of the battle paint a pretty grim picture, too. Winterfell appears to be on fire for most of it, and our characters look both terrified and bloody in many of the scenes. When fighters like Arya, Jaime, and the Hound look like they want to run and hide, you know things are serious.
The final season of Game of Thrones premieres on April 14, and if the trailer is anything to go by, it looks like fans are in for a wild conclusion to the series.