There may be a long night ahead for the cast of HBO’s Game of Thrones, but for the rest of us, it is finally ending. And by the looks of this ominous season six teaser, we’re going to have to face the facts and the past on a quite literal level.
Naturally, this post will contain some season six speculation and potential spoilers so read on at your own risk!
Taking place in the House of Black and White, where blind Arya is currently learning the ways of the serial murderpeople, the faces of Thrones’ past are on display in all their ominous glory as their words play above the fray (and no we don’t mean those pesky Walder descendants). There isn’t any new footage, but there are a lot of old favorites. We see the Starks: Ned, Catelyn, and Robb. We’ve got Joffrey. And we’ve even got–dun dun DUUUUN!–Jon effing Snow, dead as everyone’s claimed him to be, even though we refuse to believe he won’t return. (C’mon Melisandre! What is dead may never really die, or something. Right? New Night’s King? Honestly we’ll take anything at this point, good or bad as it may be.)
But what does it all mean? With winter’s arrival seemingly imminent and a history of the dead being reanimated on so many fronts—and the obvious threat of death towards our favorites evidenced at the end of the trailer—it’s not hard to tell at what they’re hinting. But this look back we’re preparing for is something new: not told through biased stories and folklore and character-specific points of view. Thanks to Bran’s visions and his training to become the new Three-Eyed Raven, we know that the past of the Realm will be dissected. We know we will see flashbacks to Ned Stark’s younger days and perhaps even get a concrete reveal of Jon Snow’s parentage. But the presence of certain faces–ahem Catelyn Stark–also give those of us dying for a bit of Stoneheart action some hope. Which is to say: shit is about to get real.
But this clip taking place in the House of Black and White still leaves many questions. What if Jon Snow is really dead and what if, what actually happens when Melisandre uses her magic, is that it allows Bran (or others with the gift) to warg into him? Given that we’re moving past the books, real surprises lie ahead for book-readers and non- alike. Could it be that poor, young Bran’s got the future of the Realm held in his hands? Sure looks like it. Oh Hodor.
But what do you think? Have any theories as to what this very dimly lit trailer is pointing to? And why does any description you write about this trailer also sound metaphorical? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
Be sure to also take a deeper dive into the new Game of Thrones images released this week!
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Image Credit: HBO
Alicia Lutes is the managing editor of Nerdist Industries and you can find her on Twitter (@alicialutes).
