We’ve got a shocking and unprecedented statement to make regarding the most recent batch of photos for Sunday night’s forthcoming new episode of Game of Thrones, “The Mountain and The Viper“: there may be trouble in store for some of our favorite characters. Gasp! No! Say what? It’s true. We’re going out on a limb to make such a ridiculously unlikely claim. We can practically hear the chorus of “What say ye? There may be trouble and bad things on the horizon of Game of Thrones? Surely you jest!” from all the way over here. But it’s true, my friends and fellow citizens of Westeros: bad things may be afoot.

Of course there’s also a very good likelihood that we’re just projecting here — these semi-ominous seeming photos could really just be precursors to something great and unexpectedly joyful. Lords know that would be far more par for the course in this HBO realm. Always so sunshine-y and happy. It’s all frolicks with direwolves, this one.

So we’ve done you all the kindness of putting our wholly unlikely and completely outrageous fears to bed by captioning these photos with what we’re sure is the true context of everything that’s going on. Because as we inch ever-closer to the season finale — with everyone’s Fantasy Fantasy pools’ thirst for bloodshed wholly sated — we know that it’s far more likely for Thrones to end not with a mega-bang, but with a whimper. Because that’s what George R.R. Martin and the series’ showrunners are fully known for: tempered and subtle action, none of these larger than life doom and gloom, chock-a-block with death, scenarios. That would just be crazy, wouldn’t it?

What sort of feel-good scenarios do you think the series has in store for us? Let us know in the comments.