In next week’s episode of Game of Thrones, both the Kingslayer and the Night King will arrive at Winterfell, raising the already high tensions in the North.
The eighth and final season of Game of Thrones is here, and the first episode shows Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen arriving at Winterfell with Daenerys’ army of Dothraki and Unsullied soldiers.
It goes without saying that things are tense in the North during the premiere, but judging by the preview for the second episode of the season, things are about to become even more heated at Winterfell.
Watch the preview for the second episode of season 8 here:
The premiere ends with Jaime Lannister sneaking through the gates of Winterfell with the other Northerners fleeing to the Starks’ home. Bran seems intent on having a discussion with Jaime, but the preview shows that Daenerys and the others aren’t going to be as eager to hear what Jaime has to say. The preview opens with Jaime standing in the middle of the Great Hall, much like Littlefinger did during season seven, while Daenerys reminds her audience that he murdered her father.
“When I was a child, my brother would tell me a bedtime story about the man who murdered our father,” Daenerys says, “and all the things we would do to that man.”
We know that Daenerys is aware of all the crimes her father committed in order to keep his throne, but she’s obviously not happy to be facing the man who put an end to his reign. We know from the season 8 trailer that Jaime lives to fight in the Battle for Winterfell, but the tensions in the room are certainly high as Daenerys decides what to do with Jaime’s arrival.
Jaime likely also tells Jon and Daenerys that Cersei won’t be coming to their aid, something evidenced by the following clip, where Daenerys tells Sansa that she shouldn’t have trusted Cersei. Sansa shoots back that Daenerys shouldn’t have trusted her either, and we can only hope this will be a bonding moment for the two of them—though their demeanors seem icier than ever during the discussion.
Things intensify after this bit as Arya speaks about death. “It’s got many faces,” she says. “I look forward to seeing this one.” While she says this, we see men preparing for battle. We also see Arya getting ready to shoot an arrow at someone.
The preview then cuts to a reunion between Tormund and Jon, during which Jon asks how much time they have. It soon becomes clear that the men preparing to fight are getting ready to face the army of the dead, as it’s likely that Tormund and Beric came to Winterfell to warn them of the approaching threat. “Before the sun comes up tomorrow,” Tormund tells Jon in response to his question.
While Tormund delivers this horrifying news, we also get clips of Jon and Daenerys looking more flustered than ever—along with what seems to be a parting of ways between Grey Worm and Missandei. We can only assume that their kiss is a farewell, as Grey Worm is going to fight in the battle against the Night King, while Missandei will likely remain in the crypts with the women and children who can’t fight.
The preview for the second episode confirms the Night King’s arrival at Winterfell, even if the battle doesn’t begin in full force until episode 3. Next week is going to be an intense and emotional episode for Game of Thrones fans, and it’s only likely to get worse from there.
Tune in to watch the second episode of the eighth season on April 21.