A Murder of Crows: The best season yet?

Almost exactly one week ago, the first trailer for season six unexpectedly dropped on us like a dragon crashing a slave-pit party.

Dany escaping the fighting pits

While the smoke has mostly cleared by now, we here at the Wall are still collecting our thoughts – and catching our breath! – by the bombshell, and we thought quickly jotting down our reactions would provide the perfect complement to all of you who have already devoted thousands of comments to the subject here at the site (and, probably, tens of thousands elsewhere).

So pull up a chair, grab a cup of Arbor gold, kick up your feet, and prepare to while away the last of our long, painful wait with us ‘til season six is here at last.

Hodor!

Marc

Marc N. Kleinhenz:

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Well! It’s here – finally! – and I’m desperate to hear your thoughts (I’m sure the readers are, too).

Let ‘er rip.

Axe

Axechucker:

I loved it. Most movie promotion people could learn a thing or two from this little fantasy television show. The music was haunting and, at just the right point, got turnt up (as the kiddies like to say) right when it needed to.

Cersei’s “I choose violence” line may as well be the tagline for the entire season. They nailed it.

The shot of Arya leaping down from the balcony was fantastic (even when we knew something like that was coming just from following the filming), and…

…well, for a show that keeps telling us that Jon Snow is dead, we sure saw a lot of him.

The battle looks like it’s gonna be outstanding.

Was thrilling to see an inkling of the Tower of Joy sequence, as well (even if the Targ-guard double-sword wielder confuses me).

Either way, this whets my whistle for every Bran vision to come.

Honestly, this one is neck-and-neck with the “Seven Devils” trailer.

Sue

Sue the Fury:

I thought it was a fantastic trailer. Packed with quick images for us to dissect but also longer, exciting moments, like the one we finished with – Davos taking on the men standing by Jon’s body. HBO knows just what it’s doing, bringing it all back to Jon Snow and discussions about his possible resurrection.

The Bran and Night’s King moment had my eyes bugging out. I am so ready for every vision of Bran’s. I can’t believe they even included a couple flashes of the Tower of Joy. Like Axechucker, I’m a little confused by the Targaryen-armored person, since I think Arthur Dayne would be wearing white/golden Kingsguard armor. It’s possible that the Kingsguard under Aerys II wore armor with the Targaryen sigil – I don’t remember this being covered at all on the show, so the new costume designer might feel free to play around a bit. I doubt the characters in Bran’s visions will have time to introduce themselves, anyway, so I’m probably obsessing needlessly.

After seeing Cersei in the trailer, I am so ready for her to rain hell on everyone who tore her down in season five.

Petra

Petra:

I concur with everything that’s already been said. And I finally got a gif of Theon in season 6…

Theon season six GIF

…so I’m happy.

The fact that they’re still framing Jon Snow’s return as a possibility rather than a guarantee makes me chuckle. I realize they’re doing their best to pull off a “twist” that’s already well out of the bag, but I wish they’d find some other plotline to build their marketing around. They’re not fooling anyone.

My heart grew three sizes every time something ironborn appeared on screen. I’m shocked, but very glad, that they included the shot of Euron on the rope bridge. To book readers, that’s a major spoiler for both the upcoming season and A Song of Ice and Fire since, technically, that… er, particular mystery still hasn’t been solved in the books.

I’m also really excited for the forest chase/fight scene in which Brienne (presumably) rescues Sansa and Theon from Bolton men. I mean, if that’s not what happens, then the trailer was misleading. I’ve been hoping for Brienne and Theon to share screen time since last season.

Nate

Nate:

Absolutely floored by the new trailer. Being Unsullied and keeping out of spoilers, I could only guess where the series would be heading, and, after seeing the trailer, it couldn’t be more anticipated.

Loved the music, as well (though I liked last year’s Bowie a bit better). I thought it flowed exceptionally well, and the editing was flawless.

Dany lost in the sea of Dothraki slaves

Content-wise, I couldn’t be more ecstatic. The shot of Dany lost amid the Dothraki, the dragon flying (my guess is Viserion), Tyrion with the torch (freeing the dragons? Fingers crossed!), and Cersei’s “I choose violence” left me rewatching at least another three times.

And I still didn’t catch everything. Completely missed Margaery the first couple times around, but thanks to Petra’s breakdown, I caught what I missed.

Lastly, the Stark sisters, Brienne, flashbacks, and new characters lead me to believe, as the cast has been saying, that this is going to be the best season yet.

Geoffery

Geoffrey:

Am I the only one who hated the music? I’m waiting for the day HBO sees sense and puts progressive rock over all their trailers.

I really enjoyed the trailer on the whole. There were a few things that irked me – Euron’s lack of… lacking an eye, for example. I wasn’t expecting a Peg-leg Pirate Pete type, and I think Pilou Asbæk will be brilliant, but I was a little disappointed to see him with both eyes intact. But, then, I’m still griping about Tyrion’s nose.

The trailer was wonderfully Greyjoy-heavy.

Euron Greyjoy and his rope bridge

I’m also glad the show has decided to go properly down the flashback route at last, so even more book lore can be woven into the show’s mythos. There’s so much fun stuff to look forward to – the big ol’ battles, blind Arya, the possibility of a brief moment of happiness for Sansa – that I don’t think I’ll miss the definitely-dead-Jon-Snow-who-is-dead one bit.

Plus, I didn’t think it was possible for me to find Davos even more adorable, but there it was at the end of the trailer.

Bex

Bex:

It was a solid trailer which did all the sorts of things a trailer should. Got to see our main characters, got a few lines of promising dialogue, and, boy, does it look beautiful. Nice to see that there’s some intriguing flashes of what is to come; I’m trying to skim over the comments above about what will be coming up this season because I’m in the weird spot of wanting to be “spoiler-free” at this point in the show, even though I have read all the books and know the theories.

I agree with you completely about the music, Geoffrey. This season is a sort of takeoff for the show as it becomes (mostly?) new for everyone, so I’d like to see promotional stuff that’s less restrained in tone. Yes, Westeros is still not a fun place to be, but this is the most epic show on television (minor point – not that it made any of us geek out any less).

Hall of Faces

Ultimately, I don’t mind the Hall of Faces teaser, because this seems like a really good time to drop the first trailer; I’m noticing excitement growing outside of fandom circles. People are starting to talk about the show again! Keep it coming, HBO.

Marko

Hear Marko Roar:

Nothing much to add. I’m very, very pleased with it! The surprise of releasing the trailer on a Tuesday worked well, and we’re back in the realm of well-handled promotion after last year’s disaster – a trailer that works on every level, breaking viewing records. It’s season six, and the popularity of Game of Thrones seems to still be growing!

Dame Pasty

Dame Pasty:

I really enjoyed the trailer and agree with most of the comments above. It showed us just enough to whet our appetite for more, which is exactly what a trailer should do. And I liked the music.

Previous Murders

Teasing season six

Murder!

The countdown to season six

Season eight

The final word on season five

Should Game of Thrones be boycotted forever more?

“The Wars to Come,” season five, and you

What if season five sucks?

The year in review

Casting the recastings in a new light

Westerosi immersion

The best – and worst – season of Game of Thrones

110 Comments

  1. I am so excited about this season. The trailer was so good. I loved the “I choose violence” line from Cersei. Oh my god. Robert Strong is going to crush those Sparrow idiots.

  2. I loved the music. A darker and more haunting version of Chris Isaac’s classic with lyrics that fit the theme and mood of the trailer and I think season perfectly. So excited for this season!

  3. Wasn’t a fan of the music either, but I’ve come to expect these sorts of tunes in trailers. I think the weird part, for me, is to hear modern music set over shots of a medieval-y show.

    Super excited about everything else though. In terms of appearances of characters, armor etc. I’m not too worried. As a fan of many book series that have been adapted for film, I’ve realized that I’m wasting my effort worrying about books descriptions lining up with how things look on film. So, I’m just ready to roll with GoT’s artistic vision (and both of Euron’s eyes!).

  4. I loved the music. Gave me chills the first time and it still does even after watching it 25 times lol. I have never been this excited for a show to come back ever, im eagerly awaiting April 24th. GET HYPE!

  5. Connor:
    I loved the music. Gave me chills the first time and it still does even after watching it 25 times lol. I have never been this excited for a show to come back ever, im eagerly awaiting April 24th. GET HYPE!

    Same. I marked out over the trailer! Watched it at least 60 times.

  6. I watch it a couple times a day still. My husband knows I’m a fan, but he witnessed the first viewing and he said he was a little embarrassed for me. Good thing I have very little shame.

  7. Given that every king prior to Robert had been a Targaryen, it makes sense their sigil should adorn the kingsguard uniform. Robert I suppose would want that removed, and the current golden armour always seemed like it was given a specifically Lannister touch.

  8. Petra’s animated Theon gif reminds me of the one of Severus Snape doing a slo-mo hair-flip for a L’Oreal commercial.

  9. Lion of Night: the weird part, for me, is to hear modern music set over shots of a medieval-y show.

    Totally agree. If they’re going to use a band with a modern sound, let it be some British folk/rock outfit whose proven stock in trade is electric settings of ancient ballads – like Fairport Convention or Steeleye Span or Pentangle.

  10. The music was a million times better than last season. Liam has mentioned a couple of times that Sansa’s story this season is incredible, but it looks like Davos is going to have an amazing season as well. I was glad Jorah got some trailer time.

  11. Loved the music. Thought it was just right. Glad they had it someone new record it, though. Still can’t get enough of the trailer! I keep going back to it for more clues! 🙂

  12. I totally agree with Nate… I think the flying dragon in the trailer is Viserion. 🙂 And I’m actually with Geoffrey about the music. I wasn’t too keen on the beginning song choice.

  13. Rygritte: The music was a million times better than last season.

    Um, no, this song is not a million times better than Heroes: indeed, the song could be a million times worse than Heroes and still be a damned good song! Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to tease out the lyrics for the song that they used. It might be a completely coincidence, but the song Heroes tells a very similar “story” that that told in Dragons/Crows, and coincidentally uses many lyrical images that are appropriate for SoI&F. I have not figured out what story this year’s song is singing, if any at all!

  14. Rygritte,

    I wouldn’t say a million times better, but I thought it was better than last year. While I enjoy the original version of Heros better than the original version of Wicked Game, I liked the cover they used of Wicked Game much better than the cover they used of Heros.

    I also disagree with the idea they should be using medieval music, even if electrified. To me, that would be a little too precious, and tend a little too much toward a Renn Faire vibe.

  15. Nymeria Warrior Queen: While I enjoy the original version of Heros better than the original version of Wicked Game

    Getting the rights to Bowie’s song was one thing: getting the rights to his performance would have been another! That written, although I agree with you entirely that I prefer Bowie’s versions (the single best that I have is his live performance on his album Stage), the “grunge” version that they used last year fit the mood of the season well.

    As for this year’s song, I finally realized: this is a remake of the Twin Peaks song, isn’t it! Hmmm: a song about not wanting to fall for someone even though that someone is the only one who can save you. I would not be surprised if that is similar to this year’s story.

  16. Wimsey,

    We’re supposed to fall in love with Sansa, Tyrion, and Dragons? I kind of chuckled over those lyrics dropping during the dragon flyby.

  17. Good trailer. However, I’ve started this road with the books and will end it with the books, and last season spoiled too much as it is. Looking forward to catching up with this Season 6, hopefully later this year after TWoW is published.

  18. Bloody Loved the trailer, the music and the scenes they showed did enough to get the old imagination running wild. GOT 50 was enough for me, but they even released a trailer, The Old gods are good indeed, now if only we could get an episode title or two XD
    Being greedy…..

  19. Wimsey: I finally realized: this is a remake of the Twin Peaks song, isn’t it!

    Although I understand the relevance of the song to the subject matter, “Wicked Game” by Chris Issak was not used for Twin Peaks, but Chris Isaak did star in the follow-up “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me” movie! Julee Cruise’s voice and Angelo Badalamenti’s music were used for the TV show. “Wicked Game” was actually used by David Lynch for his other famous work, the bizarro film, “Wild at Heart”. 🙂

  20. Wimsey,
    I thought it was cheesy & overpowering. I hated it. I prefer instrumental but Bones was perfect & now Wicked Game. It annoyed me at first because it was so broken up, but it enhanced the sadness of seeing Jon dead.

  21. I saw it broadcast on television late last night – it came on after an episode of Girls, which I was kinda-sorta watching while working on my laptop. Then I heard “He’s gone,” and almost had a fit fumbling for the remote to turn up the volume. My friends, this trailer, on a big TV, is so outstanding and sooo much brighter and clearer than on the laptop screen or in the pics; it’s unbelievable the detail you can see. You can see the walls where Tyrion is sneaking around; I never noticed that you can make out Dany standing in the crowd from the view through the horses legs high above. Even Cersei’s face looked a little more crazed. Everything was awesome.

    As excited as I was for the season before, I am beside myself with anticipation now. Bring on the Tits, the Dragons AND the Direwolves. Bring on Ian McShane, in all his one-episode glory; revel in the TOJ and hooray for a safe Sansa. Now, if we could just be sure Arya will make it out of Bravos relatively unscathed. And by all the old gods and the new, bring on Jon Starkgaryen – alive, taking names and stamping the shit out of mutineers!!

  22. Aryamad: We’re supposed to fall in love with Sansa, Tyrion, and Dragons? I kind of chuckled over those lyrics dropping during the dragon flyby.

    heh, no, I think that it is going to have more to do with people like Jon, Daeny, Tyrion, Arya & Sansa getting people who do not love them to view them as their best hope for salvation. Daeny is going to have to get the Dothraki behind her despite the fact that she’s a widow. Jon is going to have to get the Northerners behind him despite the fact that he’s a convicted traitor spouting nonsense about White Walkers. Tyrion is going to have to get some Meerenese behind him despite the fact that he is a barbarian and a dwarf. Arya is going to have to deal with the Faceless Men despite her determination to be Arya Stark and not No-One. Sansa might have to deal with getting the Northerners behind her despite being a woman, the daughter and sister of two failed Lords of the North, and the wife of not one but two men despised in the North. And, who knows, Bran might be dealing with the same thing in trying to get people to listen to him in general despite the fact that he’s, well, a voice in their head near a tree.

    So, it might be reversing the song: the supporting cast and incidental characters are not going to want to fall in love with the main characters.

    Or it could be a complete coincidence.

  23. Hodors Bastard: Although I understand the relevance of the song to the subject matter, “Wicked Game” by Chris Issak was not used for Twin Peaks, but Chris Isaak did star in the follow-up “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me” movie!

    But that is the same song, isn’t it? Or did the Twin Peaks song just badly plagiarize the lyrics to Wicked Game or vice versa? I used to be a COOP or whatever the hell we called ourselves; well, OK, I had a girlfriend at the time who was a serious fan, so I became one by default! Still, it was a cool and twisted series, and the follow up movie was interesting.

    And to complete the “synchronicity,” David Bowie had a cameo appearance in the Walk the Fire” movie. He did not, however, sing Heroes, at least not insofar as I remember. (Geez, all of this stuff was a quarter of a century ago: makes me want to don a pair of Depends…..)

  24. I personally thought that the music was brilliant. Wicked Game totally complimented what I feel inside in terms of tone shift in the show. Like the fallout following last season, the song is very sad, bringing you down further with the characters. It just seems like all hope is fading for many of our characters, and I think this song compliments it perfectly.

    Then after Cersei drops that emmy winning line, we get a glorious crescendo of intense music to get your adrenaline pumping for the epic scenes thst they teased – Particularly the Tower of Joy and the Battle in the North for me.

    Then as we get the climax of the trailer with Bran coming face to face eith the nights king, the tone drops back down and bleeds out as Davos delivers my favorite line, in my favorite moment of the trailer.
    Can we all agree that HBO’s marketing department is absolutely brilliant?

  25. out of left field*
    I was just sitting here reading about the sigil’s on the kingsguard armour and it struck me when i saw someone say robert baratheon made the armour to suit himself for the kingsguard when he took the throne but with a “lannister” flavour. Well…i dont know about all u ppl but…robert baratheon came over as a mans man and tough as they come with no compromise yet….he let a woman he hated and hated him bring in the “lannister” influence, obviously…..seems to me having thought about it…that he wouldnt let anyone tell him what to do….so how did the lannisters get a bigger say than the king? Especially a king like him

  26. Daniel Case: Can we all agree that HBO’s marketing department is absolutely brilliant?

    lol, two weeks ago they were accursed, idiotic, evil, punishment wielding villains, purposely denying us any kind of satisfaction regarding our need for the trailer. Now they are genius darlings. It was a darned good trailer. Clever, if nothing else, they are clever. Could have used a second or two more of the dragons, but I digress. Yeah, they got our attention. We are all placated.

    By the way, upthread I said I saw the trailer on broadcast TV last night, and I checked to see if the “TRAITOR” sign was still visible, as it was not visible in the pics. It is on the TV. The bastards left him there alone on the frozen ground with that sign over him all night.

  27. The song spoils what is about to happen,at the beggining of the trailer we hear” something about the fire and the only one wo can save me is you”!?Anyone noticed? 🙂

  28. jymion,

    They were better at politics, and actually interested? Robert was all angsty and depressed after a woman who didn’t love him died.

  29. Hmm, the title was a bit misleading, I thought it was a discussion on Season 6. Anyway, I have to disagree, I didn’t think the trailer was that great. Of course, it probably also has something to do with my level of interest in the show, which has gone down a little after Season 5, but it’s more than that. Having read the books and reading the news on this site, the trailer didn’t surprise me in the slightest. Maybe with the exception of the Davos scenes, I expected everything else… I needed more :), something to theorize on, to discuss… I didn’t get that IMO. I mean com on, it’s the first season off the books and even with the casting news and set spoilers, we shouldn’t see everything that’s coming. So I was left with only the artistic impression of the trailer, which was not that great because of the music selection. So… I don’t think this breaks the top 5 of the best GOT trailers for me.

  30. Come on guys, there is only one red and black dragon so why do people keep thinking it’s Viserion?

  31. “I choose violence.” The theme of A Dance with Dragons in three words.

    Vlad:
    Hmm, the title was a bit misleading, I thought it was a discussion on Season 6.

    I thought it was a poll about our favourite season.

  32. I can’t believe how wrong you are about the end scene and Davos…he is clearly NOT taking on the men of the nights watch. They are not there aggressively and my guess they are Jons friends. Please note the shot just prior of Millesandres Baring of breasts and the fact that Davos uses long claw and apologises for what he about to do is plunge the sword into millesandres heart and bring it out as light bringer. Incredibly obvious unless he is killing the dire wolf to somehow make Jon jump back into his body… Notice the opening scene Davos says he’s gone NOT he’s dead.

  33. Dragonmcmx:
    Come on guys, there is only one red and black dragon so why do people keep thinking it’s Viserion?

    Agreed. It looks like Drogon.

  34. Wimsey: As for this year’s song, I finally realized: this is a remake of the Twin Peaks song, isn’t it! Hmmm: a song about not wanting to fall for someone even though that someone is the only one who can save you. I would not be surprised if that is similar to this year’s story

    I think they used it literally because it has the word “Game” in it (and a “wicked” game at that which fits even better). Beyond that I’m not sure there’s any intended real relevance to the specific plots (although of course we could infer some)

  35. Honestly, I am most excited about Sansa’s story. I loveeeeeeeeeed it in season 5 and they are hyping her up so much this season I cant wait.

    I am so excited for all of it to be honest I am a little meh about the iron born coming back, but as an unsullied, I knew there was more to come (don’t know whats coming) so I guess I was expecting it. I haven’t been sucked in to the iron born story like many others have. And theon has annoyed me lately. Hope that I like it this year.

    I am still on the fence as to whether Jon is dead for good. I don’t know anymore. But I think I have come to the point of accepting if he ends up dead for good. Though I don’t agree and think he has more to give the story, im over it. LOL

  36. Kit Hairyton: He said, “I’m not much of a fighter”. How does plunging a sword into an unarmed, topless Melisandre qualify as fighting? People need to stop linking trailer shots to one another so easily.

    Yep, plus all the other Night’s Watch pull their swords too, so unless they’re planning to stick Mel like a pin cushion just to be sure, I think it’s fair to conclude they’re about to fight. I agree the men in the room are not about to fight Davos… but rather collectively, Davos and the men in the room are about to fight the traitors.

  37. While I agree that the trailer looked pretty awesome…

    Seriously?

    Assuming that this could be the best season yet based on less than two minutes of ultra-short snippets and a few lines? I’m sorry, but I’m sure a halfway decent editor could throw together a similarly awesome looking trailer for the less-than-stellar season 5 (or for any POS-Hollywood-movie).
    Yes: It looks very promising and I know we’re all starved for our weekly dose of GoT (God knows I am) – but I’ll hold out with my judgement until the actual season comes along.

  38. jymion,

    Robert never wanted to be a King or a father. He made a statement to that in S1 (I’m sure someone here can quote it). He wanted to be a warrior and a conqueror so the ‘kingly’ duties of ruling the realm were uninteresting and he left them to his small council. A small council that just happened to be owned by the Lannisters (with exception of Jon Arryn and eventually Ned Stark).

  39. Ross: Beyond that I’m not sure there’s any intended real relevance to the specific plots (although of course we could infer some)

    Perhaps not. However, they nailed it last year with Heroes.

    Kit Hairyton: How does plunging a sword into an unarmed, topless Melisandre qualify as fighting? People need to stop linking trailer shots to one another so easily.

    Well, even the most titanium backboned of titanium backboned warriors would flinch in that circumstance. Hell, Meryn Trant would have run away screaming!

  40. Lord Snow: Robert never wanted to be a King or a father. He made a statement to that in S1 (I’m sure someone here can quote it). He wanted to be a warrior and a conqueror so the ‘kingly’ duties of ruling the realm were uninteresting and he left them to his small council.

    I am not sure that those things are necessarily true. It is possible that Robert would have been an OK father if he had had children with Lyanna. (I give mixed points to dads who take their sons out drinking and whoring on their 14th Name Day: plus for spending the time with the kids, minuses for the choice of activities!) Robert (both Book! and Show!) was, after all, obsessed with Lyanna: and children from her would have been “love children” rather than “duty children.”

    I also do not think that Robert wanted to be a conqueror per se. Oh, he definitely would have been happiest when he had a chance to prove himself on the battlefield: but conquering Westeros was never a goal of his, or at least we are given zero reason to think so. He actually would have been a problem for King Rhaegar because Robert would have constantly counseled aggression over diplomacy because, well, aggression gave him purpose and diplomacy did not.

    Basically, Robert was the absolute opposite of Stannis. Stannis was a passionless man obsessed with duty. Robert was dutiless man obsessed with passion. Under the right circumstances, I think that Robert could have been passionate about being a father: but probably not for children from Cersei Lannister, and particularly not for those that for some weird reason bore absolutely no resemblance to him…..

  41. Sascha,

    Geez: and you probably go by book reviews rather than by the cover, too…..

    Seriously, you are correct: the trailer tells us nothing about what the season is going to be like. We do not even know what this year’s story is. However…. we probably can expect at least 2 minutes of good screentime!

  42. Redxabi: Jon Stark will rise to fight on. (This gives all the actors saying he is dead an out)

    Being revived will not legitimize Jon in anyway. I think that the actors are telling the truth in a different way. Jon is dead: and he will remain dead until the end of the first episode or so. So, until Week 2 “Jon is Dead” will remain true. However, “The Walrus was Paul” will remain true indefinitely…..

  43. I liked the trailer too, GREAT editing. It will be an exciting season, for sure. I was not that sure about the song though. “The Wicked Game” is an excellent song, and I was ok about this version of it, it is just that although the title is quite appropriate for the show, the rest of the lyrics have absolutely nothing to do with it. So I would give the trailer an 8 out of 10, because of the song.

  44. shayne:
    I can’t believe how wrong you are about the end scene and Davos…he is clearly NOT taking on the men of the nights watch. They are not there aggressively and my guess they are Jons friends.Please note the shot just prior of Millesandres Baring of breasts and the fact that Davos uses long claw and apologises for what he about to do is plunge the sword into millesandres heart and bring it out as light bringer.Incredibly obvious unless he is killing the dire wolf to somehow make Jon jump back into his body… Notice the opening scene Davos says he’s gone NOT he’s dead.

    Well my friend, you do have a vivid imagination!

  45. Sue –

    So you think Davos is taking on the men inside? I see it as them banding together to take on the ones outside of the room… Why would they let him grab Jon’ sword, etc?

    Just a thought

  46. I like the trailer’s song and I love the score starting around 1:00 mark. It’s so powerful, the tone and the drums give the visuals that flash before our eyes a real sense of gravity. Been looking for it but no result so far. Normally it’s easy to identify and locate the score used for trailers. Could be Ramin Djawadi’s original tune for season 6.

  47. No I have very good observational and deductive skills coupled with instinct and insight based on twenty years of using the skills. Any person with a modicum of intelligence should see it and please come back at the end of the season so I can say I told you so.

  48. Pretty sure Davos is taking on the men in the room. Look how they surround him in such a threatening manner.

    Here’s my take on the scene.

    Melisandre does whatever.

    Thorne and co arrive and start banging on the door.

    Davos tells Mel to go and hide somewhere.

    Door breaks open, black brothers move in.

    Davos is sitting there, all innocent and all, the brothers surround him in a threatening manner.

    Thorne starts interrogating him, asking him why Jon’s body is there and why Ghost is there (Thorne presumably had Ghost locked up before the mutiny, Davos freed him and brought him to Jon)

    Davos tries to reason with them by lying and stuff.

    Ghost is growling aggresively, so Thorne orders him killed.

    Davos then grabs Longclaw, says his line, draws the sword, and the black brothers draw theirs.

    Tension and all, Davos is surrounded, turning around, preparing to fend them off, they’re all smug and confident.

    As the brothers start attacking Davos, Ghost starts tearing them apart.

    More stuff happens.

  49. Bryan Cogman is doing a top 10 countdown of his favorite episodes. He’s done one so far which was Fire and Blood at number 10. He tweets live as he watches the episode and they are pretty informative. I liked this tweet about Jon lol

    “Aw, Kit. That final shot before he goes beyond the Wall. Rest in peace!”

    https://twitter.com/b_cogman/status/709614105359810561

  50. Cogman lost a few points with me once it turned out he gave DD the idea of sending Jaime to Dorne or even having Dorne in s5 at all.

  51. Is this real? *possible spoiler* from r/asoiaf

    Admin note: No it’s fake. Please stop spreading it. -Sue the Fury

  52. It is crazy how I can read the reviews above and get so in my happy spot and then read these comments and just start to shake my head. People who have so much certainty on what they are seeing as actual reality to what we will see in the season to come, for me it is astounding. We get this truly fantastic trailer that so many said they just couldn’t wait another day for and it IS amazing and now come the “aw, it ain’t that great” crowd and the “the music is okay but you can’t dance to it” crowd. Why can’t we ever just be happy for what we get and not want more, more more all the time. And yeah of course the comment section is where it is appropriate to speak about what one thinks about the subject matter, I just wish it could be done in a more “I think” fashion, rather than “I know” fashion, because until we see it, we don’t know exactly what is happening in that room with Jon’s body and Davos and Co, for example, yet people act like any other thought outside their own understanding is simply to be put down. Unless you were a part of this show, read the script and were witness to the tapings, you don’t know any more than I do. It causes division at a time to be so grateful for this show at all, to have pride in being the ones who had the interest and love to keep it going and to try and see our similarities rather than ALWAYS seeing what gives us the loudest comment or the largest differences.

    You know what it does? It takes away the magic. I love the music, I love the shots and teases and I love to think what it means and I am counting every single day down.

    Go ahead and bring it, I have broad shoulders. It just saddens me when I read a great article to be then bashed around by people who are very brave behind a faceless name, calling someone “son” …. really? I mean really? I get it, it is that way, it is worse elsewhere, it has always been that way and always will be. Too bad, I had hoped this GoT’s sort of community would strive for better.

    I gotta go back to work and deal with reasonable people for a bit. Have away.

  53. That is not Davos saying “He’s gone” at the beginning of the trailer. It’s Davos after that statement. But listen again. Listen with your heart.

  54. tortilla: How would you guys rank all the trailer songs?
    Just curious.

    Based on how much I like the songs and how well they fit the trailer (leaving the actual footage out of it):

    1. “Seven Devils” by Florence and the Machine (Season 2). This is still my favorite GOT trailer ever, largely because of the song. I doubt anything will ever top it. although Season 6 comes close.

    2. “Feral Love” by Chelsea Wolfe – (Season 4 – Trailer 1). I’d never heard this song before the trailer debuted, but I’ve listened to it a bit quite a bit since. I’ve come to associate it with Oberyn Martell. “Tell your father I’m here …”

    3. “Wicked Game” – cover by James Vincent McMorrow (Season 6). I love the way this slower, sadder song sets the tone for the first half of the trailer, then gives way to harsher, faster music for the second half (haven’t been able to ID that part yet).

    4. “Bones” by MS MR (Season 3). Another song I’d never heard before I heard it on the trailer, but that I quite like now. The lyrics are spot-on for the show.

    5. “Heroes” – cover by TV On The Radio – (Season 5). It hurts me to put “Heroes” this low because it’s one of my favorite songs ever, but I’m not particularly wild about this cover (it’s still good, though). If they’d gotten the David Bowie version (fat chance of that) this would have been number 1 easily. Nobody beats Bowie.

    6. “Cities in Dust” – cover by The Everlove (Season 4 – Trailer 2). Still a good song, but it’s a bit too modern and electronic for a medieval fantasy show.

    As far as I can recall, none of the trailers for Season 1 featured a song with lyrics. Let me know if I’m missing one.

  55. Jared,

    How could you forget “Devil Inside” in the final Season 4 trailer? That one is by far one of the best imho.

    harlequeen,

    Looks like photoshop tbh. Probably a shot from Season 1, 2 or 3. The picture reminds me very much of Robb’s army at the Twins in 109, at least that’s the first thing that came to mind. I’ll have to check.

  56. I don’t see any black brother surrounding Davos in a threatening manner…and I was accused of being imaginative

  57. Dragonmcmx: All of these guys are facing him, have surrounded him and are looking at him as if they mean to intimidate him. They draw their swords the moment Davos draws Longclaw. They’re definitely not on his side.

    The first time I watched it, I did think the same, but the more I watch it, the more convinced I become he is NOT about to fight the men in the room. He just draws Longclaw too… languidly… and at that proximity he would have absolutely no chance. But look, who knows; hopefully it’s in episode 1 so we can find out sooner rather than later!

    Shouldn’t we have a couple of episode titles by now by the way?

  58. Dragonmcmx,

    It slipped past me because I was making that list off the top of my head, and that trailer as a whole didn’t stick in my mind as much as the first two trailers for Season 4 did. Season 4 had more trailers than any other season to date, as I recall.

    “The Devil Inside” is a great song, though, and very appropriate for GOT. I’d rank it third or fourth, personally.

  59. jymion,

    Without the Lannisters (Jaime killing Aerys and Tywin’s army being let into King’s Landing during an Aerys betrayl), Robert was dead in the water, Rhaegar’s death making no difference. So he owed the Lannisters his kingship – he knew it, they knew it, everyone knew it.

  60. plop_plop,

    It’s hard to say, but I think whatever the dynamic is with those couple of guys, I think this is Davos stealing Jon’s body away.

  61. harlequeen: Cogman lost a few points with me once it turned out he gave DD the idea of sending Jaime to Dorne or even having Dorne in s5 at all.

    The problem is that they had to do something with Jaime, and the material from the book would have made really dull TV. Belaboring plot points does not go down well with most audiences, after all.

    That written, the Dorne stuff was not great: I realize that part of why I did not hate it was because it was so much better than what we got in the book, but better ≠ good, and someone who had not read Crows (i.e., the vast majority of the viewers) would be looking at the absolute, not the relative.

    Ross: The first time I watched it, I did think the same, but the more I watch it, the more convinced I become he is NOT about to fight the men in the room.

    I am pretty sure that one of them is Edd. The other guy is the Loyalist Who Died (in a later scene).

    Dragonmcmx: They draw their swords the moment Davos draws Longclaw. They’re definitely not on his side.

    Or their swords are drawn because the Nationalists are about to come breaking through the door. Moreover, even if your interpretation of the facial expressions is correct (and that is a long shot: facial expressions are very imprecise and actually given more by the sequence of muscle actions and thus not given by any one still), then it applies to the men coming through the door, too. Given that Ghost is facing something else and not them (and given that they are paying attention to the monkey with the sword rather than the Dire Wolf with the fangs), it seems very improbable that they are afraid of Ghost, and thus very improbable that they are Nationalists rather than Loyalists.

  62. Tootie,

    Robert had pretty much won the war at that point, as a huge chunk of the Kingdom then was fighting with him rather than against him. The only difference is that Robert would have ruled from somewhere other than Kings Landing: Aerys would have incinerated Kings Landing. And had the Lannisters sided with remnants of the Targaryen forces, then it probably would have been too little and too late.

  63. Sascha,
    I agree! A great trailer does not a great season make.

    Luckily, the season looks great on its own. For me, at least, it’s bound to have a lot of payoff moments. Dany most possibly closing both the Dothraki and the Meereen projects! Sansa probably reunited with Littlefinger! Cersei hopefully destroying some fanatics! Yaaaaay!

  64. Ross,

    It was pretty obviously fake- you can see the Photoshopping and the overlay of texture designed to make it look grainy but really it’s just a grid pattern.

    But as someone’s just pointed out, this is a still from the scene with Talisa and Robb by the river.

    http://imgur.com/KGl4bVe

  65. Dragonmcmx,

    They’ll realise that Davos just lied about his fighting skills when he will cut through the five of them like carving a cake!!!!!

    …or they’ll betray him and there will be an another ”For the Watch!” scene with Davos.

    Ha…
    ha…
    ha. :'(

    But don’t worry, Liam Cunningham shooted season 6 with the Winterfell-gang the whole time. Maybe he will stay with Rickon at Last Heart and that’s how he helps him in the series.
  66. Name *,

    Regarding why the guy is carrying the banner…

    I think Jon may be carrying it as Sansa’s representative and acting commander. It would be in line with the medieval practices – banners were entrusted to prominent knights, not by some random squires and often there were disputes on who would be granted this honor.
    On the other hand it might be just a visual solution meant to show Jon’s leading role.
    And yes this photo doesn’t look like a photoshop to me. The surroundings imply White Harbour, maybe?

  67. REALLY hoping they don’t butcher the Greyjoy plot like they did the Sandsnakes last season SMH ???

  68. a.fray,

    Sandsnakes were OK or at least as good as many other secondary characters. It was the very plot that sucked. Ellaria’s plan to get revenge on the Lannisters by kidnapping Myrcella was totally unbelievable, because what a woman would do in her situation? She would have tried to poison Myrcella against her mother and probably succeeded, because Myrcella was in love with Tristane. So, tell her something like “Your mother wants to cancel your engagement”. Get the Sandsnakes involved – they could protect Myrcella from Jamie, for instance. Then have all that father-daughter interaction, which was really written well. And then, when Myrcella is sent home together with Tristane, give her some poisoned present for her mother – pomade or something similar – which she decides to try and dies. That would have been believable!
    I hope, the show will avoid similar failures next season.

  69. Thronetender,
    Hi TT *waves* whoops! I seem to broken something, I can’t edit or delete my blank comment to you. What I was trying to say was lucky you, we don’t seem to have had either the teaser or the trailer on UK tv yet (we don’t have HBO here, it’s on Sky). Just their own boring hey watch every episode here advert. I need to see it on a big-ass HD tv screen damn it! computer monitors are not the same 🙁

  70. shayne,

    Why would he say “I’ve never been much of a fighter” if he were going to plunge Longclaw into the red woman’s chest? And why are the lads in the room with him also unsheathing their swords at the same time? I don’t think that’s what’s happening at this moment in the trailer.

  71. Lulus Mum: What I was trying to say was lucky you, we don’t seem to have had either the teaser or the trailer on UK tv yet (we don’t have HBO here, it’s on Sky

    Hey Mum! nice to see you! They are not showing it a whole lot here – I had the TV on late, after watching Vinyl, then Girls followed, then the trailer. I have kept a loose eye on whether they are broadcasting it after the end of any of the movies or other features, and so far have only caught it after Girls. I don’t know if you get those other shows on Sky – oh, I finally get that you are saying they probably wouldn’t run the trailer on Sky anyway, because it’s not HBO. Sigh, I’m a little slow on the uptake sometimes, but true in my good nature.

    As for the big HD tv, I was a skeptic, thinking that there couldn’t possibly be that much difference. Then I visited a few weeks with someone who had one. By the time I left, I had vowed to indulge myself even if it meant months of eating beans. Worth it. Hope this winter hasn’t been terribly hard on you, dear. Looking forward to trading comments on the show once it starts!

  72. Yaga: Dany most possibly closing both the Dothraki and the Meereen projects! Sansa probably reunited with Littlefinger! Cersei hopefully destroying some fanatics! Yaaaaay!

    I will only be excited for a Sansa/Littlefinger reunion if Sansa finally has some consciousness regarding LF’s true nature. If she’s going to continue to think he’s her savior or warden, then they can stay apart. Regarding Cersei, it’s amusing to remember that many people last year were happy thinking about her being knocked down several pegs, until the shit actually began to fly. With three words: “I choose violence,” we are back to cheering for her. The High Sparrow will probably last out the season, but I’m rather hoping to see the Septa get conked with her own bell.

    As for Dany, she really needs to get out of Vaes Dothrak and get those Dothraki in step. Can’t wait to see how she does it and will be mightily annoyed if she isn’t out of there by the end of the season.

  73. Thronetender:
    With three words: “I choose violence,” we are back to cheering for her.

    When were people ever cheering for Cersei? I’m certainly not.

  74. Thronetender:.Regarding Cersei, it’s amusing to remember that many people last year were happy thinking about her being knocked down several pegs, until the shit actually began to fly. With three words: “I choose violence,” we are back to cheering for her.The High Sparrow will probably last out the season, but I’m rather hoping to see the Septa get conked with her own bell.

    While I liked the line “I choose violence” it’s done nothing to make me cheer for Cersei. Much less ‘again’ since I’ve never rooted for her. All she’s gonna do is unleash FrankenMountain on the Sparrows and most likely there will collateral damage in the form of King’s Landing citizens. And she won’t give a crap as long as she gets her revenge.

  75. I’m very confident that this will be one of the best seasons yet. Everything I’ve learned so from both the trailer and WotW’s reports over the last several months have boosted that confidence immensely. The Iron Islands, Riverlands, Tower of Joy, Snowbowl… it should be a very juicy season indeed.

  76. Sean C.,
    *I* am cheering for Cersei! Show Cersei feels like a human being who’s had shit piled and piled on her, not the boring book caricature. So obviously I’m cheering for her to get some righteous wrath-revenge.

    Thronetender,
    I want some kinky Sansafinger relationship! I think it would be an interesting twist if Sansa learned that Littlefinger betrayed Ned and still chose to be with him, though. Although I’m not sure if the series is daring enough to do that – Ned has been beatified a bit in the fandom, methinks.

  77. Yaga,

    Agree. Lena gives Cersei a lot more nuance then her character has in the books.
    Especially after AFFC turned her into a crazy cartoon villain.

    It’s amazing how good Lena and the writers managed too improve the character, by making viewers feel sorry for Cersei r even sympathize with her, even if only a little bit.
    Something that Martin failed, even if he had access too her inner thoughts….. Well looking back, it’s this inner thoughts that make Cersei such a comically character in the books. They completely take you out of the moment. Like the ”mirysh swamp” scene, I just put the book down that moment and didn’t pick it up again for 1 week or more.

  78. Sean C.: When were people ever cheering for Cersei?I’m certainly not.

    I’m not. She’s had enough opportunity and called for enough heads. Her Walk of Shame SEEMS to have resulted in nothing but more of the same. If she was as clever as she thinks she is, maybe I’d care more. I love Lena, but at some point Cersei needs to do more than smirk and raise her eyebrow and be manipulative.

  79. Pigeon: I’m not. She’s had enough opportunity and called for enough heads. Her Walk of Shame SEEMS to have resulted in nothing but more of the same.

    No one’s cheering? It started to read like people were enthusiastic about her arc. Whatevs. I guess it’s just that all the bloodlust had abated a bit, and I construed it as encouragement. My bad.

    I still would be glad to see her conk the Septa, unseat the HS and get a moment of sanity to get Marge out of the clink. She might do the first two things, but I don’t think she’ll ever gain sanity where Margaery is concerned – not unless Tommen grows up quick and exerts some influence.

  80. Yaga:
    So obviously I’m cheering for her to get some righteous wrath-revenge.

    What would be righteous about it? Even the show’s version still empowered the Sparrows for the specific purpose of using them against her enemies. What happened last season was that she stepped in a bear trap she had set up to hurt somebody else (and which did, in fact, do that).

    That doesn’t make the Sparrows themselves nice people, mind you.

  81. Loved the trailer. The right amount of everything and everyone without revealing too much (I’m sick of these spoilery trailers that sum up the whole story, especially in film more than tv).

    @Valaquen : `That”s actually a very good point !!

    Valaquen:
    Given that every king prior to Robert had been a Targaryen, it makes sense their sigil should adorn the kingsguard uniform. Robert I suppose would want that removed, and the current golden armour always seemed like it was given a specifically Lannister touch.

  82. TyrionS:
    When do you guys think they’ll start releasing episode titles?

    Should have had the premiere title by now I think. The Red Carpet premiere is in 3 1/2 weeks.

  83. The biggest twist of the season isn’t “is Jon still alive” but, “Who cut Bran Stark’s hair? Are the CotF secretly barbers?”

    I’d also like to thank them from ditching the hideous hair Bran had previously. Someone needed to kill that rug and put it out of all our misery.

  84. Trailer was really exciting. I watched it twice day it came out & again today cuz of this post. I am remaining unspoiled except for HBO-release content. I am pumped for 90% of it, especially Dany’s plot, and everything Bran! I’m still not sure about all the Greyjoy stuff – unlike apparently everyone in the original post I find them to be mostly uninteresting. But I trust HBO will make me care.

    That said – I have a concern. I don’t understand what they are doing with Jaime here. It seems from the trailer like he is all in on the Cersei “us vs them” revenge plot. I am having a hard time understanding how they are going to get him to where I think he ought to be already – even the end of the season (which would be rejecting Cersei and choosing honor & duty for himself, and probably meeting up with Brienne). It seems like he’s been sliding backwards in his character development that was IMO really well realized during S3-S4 and I don’t like it one bit…

    Don’t get me wrong, I love Cersei seeking glorious revenge as much as Sue says in the post, but Jaime shouldn’t be involved in it. He’s supposed to be a changed man – who is able to see that Cersei is the core problem and has dug her own grave – and thus no longer willing to be at her beck and call.

  85. Thronetender,
    I didn’t make it very clear in my comment but Sky Atlantic is the only channel where they would be showing a GoT trailer as it’s the only one which shows it here. They have some other HBO shows on there, like Girls and Vinyl, but also ones from other production companies. So we get some of what HBO shows but not all of it, for example not the Previously on or Inside the show segments.

    TLDR: Sky Atlantic would usually show the official trailers but don’t seem to have started yet.

    Totally agree with you on HD. Watched Monsters Inc at my parents’ house when they had an HD tv in one room and a normal tv in another and ran between the rooms to spot the difference, which was really obvious, you could see massively more detail in Sulley’s fur. We should go door to door in a Jehovah’s Witness style trying to convert everyone to HD 😀

    Oh and agree on Cersei too. “I choose violence” made me think “You go girl” and then instantly, what am I doing cheering Cersei? There really is no clear cut black and white in this.

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