HBO Releases 2 More Promo Videos Revealing Game of Thrones Season 7 Looks

Arya

The other day a short new HBO promo turned up on Twitter providing a brief view of a few Game of Thrones actors in season 7 costume. Today, HBO uploaded that video onto YouTube themselves, in HD, along with two other clips in the same promo series, and happily there are even more Game of Thrones actors visible in the lot now!

Along with shots of characters/actors that we saw in the first video such as Sophie Turner (Sansa), Kit Harington (Jon Snow) and Emilia Clarke (Daenerys), we now can see Maisie Williams (Arya) and several more actors in season 7 costuming.

The videos feature a long list of Game of Thrones stars: Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Rory McCann, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Nathalie Emmanuel, Alfie Allen, Gwendoline Christie, Kristofer Hivju, Conleth Hill, Liam Cunningham, Isaac Hempstead Wright and Kristian Nairn (the late lamented Hodor *sniff*)

We grabbed just a few screencaps of costumes of interest. (And okay, Nikolaj is beautiful, like I’m going to ignore that face.) I love Arya’s new costume (at the top of the post) showing a return to her northern roots, but as an adult, on her own terms.

Tyrion Lannister

The Hound

Brienne of Tarth

Daenerys

Sansa Stark

Bran Stark

Missandei

Tormund

Jaime Lannister

What do you think, readers, of this unusual sort of sneak peek?

Sue the Fury
Susan Miller, Editor in Chief of WatchersOnTheWall.com

176 Comments

  1. Looks like Nicolaj is eating an imaginary taco and I love the dragon pin Nathalie is wearing. Is that new? I don’t recall seeing it before but I don’t rewatch the episodes so I miss a lot of details.

  2. Does this mean Hodor is coming back….as a wight?

    I gasped when I saw Arya’s new look and Brienne’s northern cloak. Poor Davos is stuck in the same rags though lol.

  3. Arya and Brianne a rocking it that Northern outfit!!! Arya my baby looking fierce… and Needle

  4. The hounds outfit looks really Northern to me.
    That Dragon pin and Natalie looks beast!!!
    Northern Brienne XDD
    And arya looks really cool/amazing ^^
    The costumes are looking breathtaking this year, they’re always amazing.
    The costumes reached a new level, can’t wait for the Trailer next month 🙂

  5. I think I’m going to laugh forever when “Hodor” pops up unexpectedly. 🙂

    Missandei’s outfit is going to ROCK again this season! She always gets the coolest clothes. She and Daenerys are going to look appropriately badass together!

  6. Goodbye colors you were nice while you lasted lol.But I love the clothes they all look great even though winter being here means that the northern crew has to wear dead animals on their shoulders.I love Arya’s new outfit it really suits.Tyrion’s looks great too.

  7. *hyperventilates*

    OMG, Brienne is in Northern clothing and a fur cloak!!! She’s gone full team Stark!! I hope Pod finally gets out of that red Lannister squire’s outfit too.

    I am absolutely loving that the Stark family is looking like royalty in S7, as befits the ruling family in the North. Sansa must be working overtime making team Stark apparel.

    The inclusion of Hodor better not mean wight-Hodor will make an appearance. I will not stand for that, show!!

  8. TYRION looks awesome with his new “hand of the queen look” YASS
    THE HOUND is not wearing those drags again….he dresses know like the NOTHERN version of Jaime and Bronn….just saying.
    BRIENNE! wearing the Stark armour, about damm time girl…but i am so happy!
    DAENERYS serving us some Targaryen realness.
    SANSA, the nothern queen of fashion (and the only one lol), she should open a boutique or something haha, she slays in that stark outfit, but it also has that necklace, wich means that she will be around LF.
    ARYA, my girl, wearing the Stark looks again, I cried.
    BRAN
    MISSANDEI, I am so proud of her, from slave to badass councilor, you go girl
    TORMUND the same as always, I just want to see his reaction when he sees Brienne in that outfit, lol.
    JAIME, he would be hot even if he was wearing a sack.
    Cersei looks amazing in that dress, just as she is trying to protect her pale neck from a certain valonqar.

  9. BunBunStark:

    I am absolutely loving that the Stark family is looking like royalty in S7, as befits the ruling family in the North. Sansa must be working overtime making team Stark apparel.

    😂 Hopefully she’s working on Davos’ now; he’s really in need of an upgrade!

  10. They all look great, and Sophie’s wig doesn’t look as bad as I’d feared. Is it a fair guess that we’ll see wight Hodor? Makes a lot of a sense from a dramatic, punch you in the guts perspective that we’ve come to expect. In fact I’ll be disappointed if we don’t see that. Now, enough of these damn promos…give us a trailer! ??

  11. Finally after all these years, all of my favorite characters (Theon,Varys,Davos) made it to the official GoT promotion! Never thought this day will happen ??? *crying of joy

  12. Jon and Arya are really going to look related with the similar hair style, color and clothing. I froze the first two videos on each to see them together. 😛

  13. Clob:
    Jon and Arya are really going to look related with the similar hair style, color and clothing.I froze the first two videos on each to see them together.

    Just about to say that myself. Speaking of KitN can we not have a pic of him in his new clobber, just because…..

  14. Sandor Clegane’s outfit looks a lot like Jon Snow’s outfit during his Night’s Watch days. Sandor’s outfit looks waaay better than those rags he had on during season 6.

  15. smh at not including a screencap of cersei in the post. she looks amazing in that dress. and with the lighting in the video, you can clearly see that she has spikes around her neck too.

  16. I’m glad they appear to be leaving Tormund in his wildling garb, as they should. It’s probably tempting to dress him up in some new stuff but simply doing that would change his identity to the eye.

  17. Lut,

    Yes, and one day, they will all make it into the sacred land of enlarged screenshots on wotw too, ensuring more people here actually noticing and talking about them, but only if you are very, very lucky. 🙂

  18. I almost screamed seeing Arya wearing that. I can’t wait to see what she does this season. And Tyrion in a pinstriped suit?? I’m in love.

  19. Brienne in full northern garb pretty much owns my internet today..love it

    Ayra looking sooo very Ned like..I CANNOT wait to see her and Jon together (pleeeaaase let it be this season)

    Missandei looking tooo bad ass.. and that pin is new isnt it?

    YEEAAA Theon!! after the awesome work during last couple season nice to see Alfie Allen getting some time in the promo spotlight

  20. This is just a promo and Emilia’s face is already annoying me, I’m such a child, Dany’s powerhungry smug face is going to ruin season seven for me.
    On the bright side… Arya looks a-maaazing, Brienne too, and Kit is in it I mean.
    Sophie’s wig is… not promising. Please please don’t disappoint me. The wig department has been making some rediculous orange colored plastic versions lately.
    And I don’t like that chain. Littlefinger must die.

  21. geegee,

    We were highlighting a few new outfits, and not screencapping every single thing, like we said. That’s the exact same outfit Cersei has in the Long Walk promo, so we’ve seen that one already quite a bit.

    And yes, the site is crashing because we’re getting hit massively with traffic because of the promos- if it goes down, don’t refresh over and over, that makes it worse. But we’re on it, sorry!

  22. Jon has new gear too – where the cloak straps cross on his chest – under that is a steel plate with what I assume is two direwolves looking at each where previously it was just the brigandine.

  23. They all look splendid, good looking cast in great costumes! Arya like a true Stark, Missandei as an elegant councilor, the Hound showing his allegiance… Dee, I’m borrowing now from your enthusiasm 😉
    But speaking about allegiance: Brienne looks cool and at the right side, but I fear her giving up the beautiful armour which was a present from Jaime may be of a bad omen…

  24. Jay Targ: Hopefully she’s working on Davos’ now; he’s really in need of an upgrade!

    He sure is. I was smiling like a fool seeing everyone in their new snazzy outfits and then was like “oh” when they showed Davos in the worn & faded clothing he’s been wearing since S2. At this point Davos’s green trench coat is giving Jorah’s yellow shirt a run for its money.

    selena,

    YEEAAA Theon!! after the awesome work during last couple season nice to see Alfie Allen getting some time in the promo spotlight

    It’s a shame that Alfie/Theon never gets any promo love, when he’s one of the best actors and has been on the show since S1. His inclusion in this promo was nice.

    Gina:
    They should have added a white walker screeching

    Hahaha, that would have been perfect.

  25. Wow, Arya looks amazing!! Brienne in Northern getup also! Nice, nice… even The Hound looks like he’s cleaned up a bit. I love that dragon pin Missandei is wearing. I want it. Love these pictures, so exciting!

  26. serum:
    Jon has new gear too – where the cloak straps cross on his chest – under that is a steel plate with what I assume is two direwolves looking at each where previously it was just the brigandine.

    Yup, the gorget is a new addition. King Robb wore one too in S2 except his didn’t have the two direwolves on it. I find that Jon’s appearance in S7 is far more similar to Robb’s kingly look than Ned’s lord look. Which I think is a nice touch by the costuming department.

  27. Someone: This is just a promo and Emilia’s face is already annoying me, I’m such a child, Dany’s powerhungry smug face is going to ruin season seven for me.

    You sound simply like Someone that is a Daenerys hater. I don’t understand those type as I love the character in both mediums, but whatever. At any rate, it is the face they want her to have when she’s being ‘queenly,’ regal, hiding her emotions, etc. She doesn’t have it ALL the time like say, Cersei, Tywin or Joffrey.

  28. Not to ruin anything, but Brienne is wearing her gift armor from Jaime under a decidedly Northern cloak. It’s not a full new costume.

  29. HotPinkLipstick,

    Are you sure? The little bit of Brienne’s armour that I can see looks black to me… I hope you are right, not wearing her gift armour seems like a bad sign 🙁

  30. Shy Lady Dragon: Brienne looks cool and at the right side, but I fear her giving up the beautiful armour which was a present from Jaime may be of a bad omen…

    She’s still wearing it as you can see the lines of the top of her breastplate. She just has a cloak on over the top of it.

  31. Clob,

    Thank you! I own a Brienne figure wearing the armour from Jaime, which looks dark blue. I had thought she had a new black armour under the Northern cloak. Comparing it now with both pictures, I can recognize the same design.

  32. Shy Lady Dragon,

    Ahh yes, so THAT’s why they were being tortured at Harrenhal by the Tickler? It all makes perfect sense now 😉 The gravy that was promised…Perhaps that’s the key to making Valyrian Steel! Whoaaaaa

  33. Brienne with a Stark/Northern cloak? *eyes get watery*

    My Starks looks amazing and Missandei’s new outfit is great!

    The costume department continues to impress me.

    Shy Lady Dragon,
    Clob,

    Well, there’s no reason to throw away a pretty good armor… 🙂
    It also kind of channels her inner struggle: her loyalty to the Starks (to Sansa al least) and her feelings for Jamie…

  34. Someone:
    This is just a promo and Emilia’s face is already annoying me, I’m such a child, Dany’s powerhungry smug face is going to ruin season seven for me.

    If it’s going to ruin it for you you should perhaps considering not watching it then? you know, she’s going to be in it a lot now that she’ll be in Westeros.

  35. This gives me hope that Bran makes it to WF. I don’t think Meera made that outfit in her spare time.

    If Jon and Bran reunite this season, I’ll cry more than if Jon and Arya reunite. Jon wasn’t even allowed to say goodbye to Bran.

  36. I am having ALL the Team Targaryen & Team Stark hype

    Tyrion, Dany, and Missandei look especially incredible I can’t.

    Clob: Her armor from Jaime is black.Her previous armor was gold. ?

    Actually Jaime’s present was shiny Dark Blue – aka Sapphire – in color. <3 Glad to see that's still there… But the Northern look on pretty much EVERYONE is awesome.

  37. Arya’s cloak has the Stark direwolf sigil *fur* pattern woven in. Looks amazing! Like a Warrior Queen.

  38. Sue the Fury,

    Game of Thrones fans are so starved for entertainment we’ll crash a fansite just for a glimpse of our characters sounding like they are in a doctors office LOL

  39. I complied all the Game of Thrones characters into one video, if you just want to see them:

  40. Here is the evidence, actors will literally do everything for money. Even awkward and awful advertising. And i heard a rumor that season 7 has a secret 8th episode… sorry HBO for destroying the surprise.

  41. The costume department has outdone itself this season. Everyone is looking awesome in their new costumes, but I just can’t stop looking at the Northern Warrior girl Arya!!

  42. I am loving Sandor. Always do but loving the new garb (Night’s Watch?). He looks so northern now.
    I agree Brienne is still wearing the gifted armor and, like the lion’s head pommel on Oathkeeper, this it’s all purposely done and foreshadows the conflict to come for her (choosing between Jamie and Stark loyalty, ugh). I’m a little done with this arc.
    Arya is so Stark. Jon and Arya FTW (not romantically, of course)!

    But even with these nuggets showing the new outfits, this promo is lame. HBO can do better than this to build hype and I am sure they will as the season gets closer.

    Hodor? Ohh…no.

  43. It’s not a promo for the show. It’s a promo for HBO. The purpose isn’t to give us hype for the show. The purpose is to encourage people to subscribe to HBO. The promo is saying, “Look at all our awesome shows and all of these fantastic actors that you can only get if you subscribe and pay us money.”

  44. Awesome, Brienne pledged to House Stark hand over heart, Sansa and LF chess match # 2, she started creating it and wearing it after her aunt was murdered and after vouching for LF ( which to me is a setup against him ) so I think this is signaling setting him up again; I hope it goes well.

  45. Shy Lady Dragon:
    Mr Derp,

    Not before he explains the detailed recipe for the gravy.

    Hehe – Well, they brought back Gendry and they ought to do the same with Hot Pie. It would be great to see a reunion with him and Arya again 🙂

  46. Ryan Neuner,

    THANK YOU! sorry for screaming, but really I so appreciate people who know how to do these things esp when I am thinking it would be cool to see!

  47. Arya actually strikes me as more of a mini-Robb than mini-Ned in that shot. Hope that’s foreshadowing some sort of leadership role, rather than continuing as the murderous lone Wolf indefinitely.

    Looks like subtle black-on-black patterning is going to be a visual theme this season. Tyrion definitely looks like an executive in his tweeds. Goes nicely with Dany’s herringbone. Let’s see some serious teamwork!

    Like everybody else, I’m loving Brienne’s new Northern look. She looks psyched to battle the Others. I wonder if we’ll get to see her in a full-fledged battle this season, and not just single combat or easily taking out a small posse of baddies.

  48. Kells,

    You do know this promo isn’t for GOT right,it has all the main HBO stars in it so they couldn’t care less if you are hyped or not as it wasn’t intended to do that .

  49. Yeah this is not a promo for GoT at all, it’s an HBO promo. It’s just a nice bonus for us that it happened to reveal some new costumes.

  50. ash,

    Oh no I didn’t mean it that way.I was talking purely from a fashion point lol.The heavy furs hide all the outfits and make the people look smaller that’s it.

  51. Jenny,

    Oh gosh Im sorry Jenny! Im on pain meds and they make me extra sensitive (Im using that excuse as long as I can 🙂 You are right – it would be cool if they showed the costume underneath the cape, yes. (sorry again!)

  52. John Oliver says that nobody listens to HBO for the static, but I’m sure that I’m not the only one who fully expects the GoT main title theme to follow immediately the moment I hear the ‘AAAAAHHHH’ tone. It’s the bell that makes all us Pavlov-puppies salivate.

  53. I agree with those who said Arya and Jon look like each in those photos. I love that! I’ve wanted to see it for a while now and here they are, looking like each other. I hope this will be the year for their reunion. Out of all the reunions I want, including Stark reunions, theirs is the one I’m most excited for. Their relationship is beautiful.
    I love seeing Bran and Tormund’s new outfits.

    Bring on season 7! <3

  54. MeeraReed,

    I’m sure I’ll cry when Jon gets reunited with Bran and Arya… When, not if, I’m feeling optimistic now.
    Meera won’t make any clothes, no matter how dear the person might be to her. GOT ladies use either a needle, or a Needle (read “bow” in Meera’s case).

  55. QueenofThrones: Actually Jaime’s present was shiny Dark Blue – aka Sapphire – in color.

    You’ve just blown my mind!!!! I can’t believe it took me so long to learn that the armor Jamie gave Brienne was “sapphire” blue…

  56. Firannion,

    Pavlov’s direwolves, that’s what we are…
    I’ve meant to ask for a long time if you watch Time after Time – the show. I share your admiration for Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen in the original film. I have recently rewatched the film, enjoying it almost as much as I did in my childhood, when it had impressed me a lot. Now I think it was for the first time I saw real love on screen.

  57. QueenofThrones:

    Actually Jaime’s present was shiny Dark Blue – aka Sapphire – in color.

    This is blowing my mind tbh. Oh my God! Tarth!!! Sapphires!!

  58. Firannion,

    It happens with all the good HBO shows. Previously, I was so used to The Sopranos theme following it and other shows’ themes, like Oz. And I got used to the Westworld theme kicking in after it as well. It’s practically a part of the shows for me. It’d feel strange without it.

  59. BunBunStark: OMG, Brienne is in Northern clothing and a fur cloak!!! She’s gone full team Stark!! I hope Pod finally gets out of that red Lannister squire’s outfit too.

    It depends whether Sansa “Lightning Fingers” Stark had five minutes spare to sew Pod a new outfit once she’d finished Brienne’s awesome new garms.

  60. I’ve been looking at the Arya picture/outfit all day and just now really noted a couple of things. The first being that her cloak is laced and tied on across her right shoulder, almost like a fur armor. Other northern style cloaks typically have the straps to hold them on. The second is how it’s made to be more ‘open’ on her left side which would provide more freedom in movement for her left sword arm. Very neat!

    I also found this larger gif of her on Buzzfeed:
    https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2017-04/7/13/asset/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane-02/anigif_sub-buzz-30170-1491586482-8.gif

  61. I agree. It’s more a HBO promo, than a GOT promo, but it’s very cool to see a new promo with the new costumes. and also: HYPEEEE. Arya is really glowing in this outfit!!

  62. Dee Stark:
    Omg ARYA!!!!!!!!!

    Ditto – loving her S7 outfit. It is very Northern and Starkish. For me, S6 was very much about the remaining Starks recovering their identity, and their S7 outfits really reflect that.

  63. As for Sansa’s new look:
    The texture and the grey (mockingbird ?) color are quite unusual, it’s like a mixture of her roots and petyr’s influence or something like that. That silver circle clearly represents her relationship with baelish, but in what way? She used that symbol when she wanted to take advantage of his weakness for her. It’s also interesting that the silver is Petyr’s favourite according to the book. As for her wig, well it looks strange, I dont know… a little messy..:S

    I don’t understand why Baelish isn’t in the new promo…every main character is in, but him! Maybe itvus because he will wear a crown? 😀

  64. I can’t wait to see more of the other costumes on the show ^^
    I wonder if Euron will wear some kind of special armor for Battle, and switch out when he’s not fighting.
    didn’t think I’d ever get pumped up looking at new costumes :p

  65. I know they’re all wearing black because things are getting more ~~intense~~ as the show draws to an end

    But they just look so emo omg I can’t take it seriously

  66. I really enjoyed looking at the costumes. It sends a message that they are finding their identities again. I hope the Hodar picture is just a cameo and not what I fear. But I mentally prepare myself.

  67. Shy Lady Dragon:
    Firannion,

    Pavlov’s direwolves, that’s what we are…
    I’ve meant to ask for a long time if you watch Time after Time – the show.

    Whoa, I’d forgotten that the new TV version had started! I’ll have to go catch up. Thanks for the reminder! Are you enjoying it so far?

    If there were a musical genre specifically for ASOIAF/GOT fandom (like Wizard Rock/Wrock for the Potterverse), ‘Pavlov’s Direwolves’ seems like an excellent name for a band!

  68. Pod saved Sansa’s life. Of course she’ll sew him a new outfit. Davos is Jon’s most trusted advisor. He ain’t gettin’ shit.

  69. GoT has always been a programme where clothes make the man/woman. It can be a symbol–Littlefinger’s mockingbird pin, Cersei’s armour-like jewelry, Qyburn’s single maester’s link pinned on as a badge of honour, even Olenna’s voluminous headdresses. It can be a slew of outfits to reflect moods and power–all the Lannisters, Dany, Margery, Sansa. Truth to tell, I’ve felt rather sorry for Maisie, Gwen, Iain, and Liam, all of whom had only a few outfits over six bloody [literally] years.

    So even this HBO promo says something about S7 and the turn of events. The outfits are dark, befitting the seriousness of the Game and the Threat and especially the Long Night. By season’s end, all of them will informally become a civilian Night’s Watch, the bulwark that protects the realms of men from the Dead. The promo costumes are necessarily warm and protective, but also bellicose, glistening with metal and fur. Only Arya brandishes a weapon–it’s exciting to see she’s actually asserting herself as Arya Stark of Winterfell. Only 100 days, 1 hour and 18 minutes to go till we see them all in action. Ahhhhhh.

    Re: Hodor. Surely D&D wouldn’t wight-ify him. I’d welcome seeing Kristian Nairn again via beautiful, technicolour Bran-vision.

  70. Nice to see the actors and the costumes, but HBO has always had the lamest and cheapest ad campaigns, and I submit these are prime examples. A&E, for example, has a much more creative marketing team, but they’re only basic cable so they have to try harder.

    Oh well, at least we’re about to break the 100 days until air time mark, so salute, Watchers!

  71. N355UN0,

    I shoulda known Catelyn Stark would sell that on eBay. Whatever, it was Joffrey’s mom’s money anyway.

    Btw, for a show that’s deservedly renowned for its attention to detail that is awfully shoddy. 😉

  72. Laura:
    Too bad they couldn’t get Littlefinger and Sam to do it.

    Perhaps this is the show’s way of hinting that they’ll be the only ones to survive the next season? Rumor mill, here we come! 😉

    Less than 100 days to go, yippee!

  73. I see that Houndie has gotten a rather nice jacket/coat/whatever and some highlights as well. *thumbs up*

    I think they should randomly throw in a few other deceased characters for a millisecond. Can you imagine if they just casually had Ned standing there going “Ahhhhhhh!!!” (given Sean Bean’s resume, I think he’s probably yelled that in 95% of his movies.)

  74. Firannion,

    I find Time after Time a nice enough show to watch, but I had prepared myself beforehand that it would be just pleasant entertainment, not much. I keep reminding myself that Malcolm McDowell and Freddie “That’s no such thing!” Stroma have nothing in common.

  75. Pigeon:

    Can you imagine if they just casually had Ned standing there going “Ahhhhhhh!!!” (given Sean Bean’s resume, I think he’s probably yelled that in 95% of his movies.)

    It would have been fun! I’m really shocked when I see Beanie’s characters surviving. But he played Ulysses in Benniof’s Troy and Homer had been determined that Ulysses must leave the place unharmed.

  76. Shy Lady Dragon: It would have been fun! I’m really shocked when I see Beanie’s characters surviving. But he played Ulysses in Benniof’s Troy and Homer had been determined that Ulysses must leave the place unharmed.

    Oh man, that movie….I had a very stern conversation with myself prior to seeing it (my first degree was in Classics) to make sure not to nitpick and just watch it for fun. Which I did. It was nice to look at! And certainly more entertaining than reading The Iliad, good lord. I still got irked over a couple of things (But….but….then The Odyssey wouldn’t have haaaaaappened!!!! And The Aeneid would be diiiiiiiifferent!!!!) LOL. But what a great cast they had. I really liked Eric Bana, tbh.

    Truly though, what is really baffling is why good ol Achilles’ mom didn’t just have the kid dunk his foot in the river after getting the rest of him done anyway. But that’s kind of the common way with mythology…”OH LOOK AT THIS LOVELY LIFE. GOSH, THERE IS JUST ONE TINY AND BLATANTLY OBVIOUS THING THAT COULD EFF IT ALL UP, BUT THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN CUZ REASONS!!!”

    *cough* OK I’m good now. ?

  77. Pigeon: But what a great cast they had. I really liked Eric Bana, tbh.

    Truly though, what is really baffling is why good ol Achilles’ mom didn’t just have the kid dunk his foot in the river after getting the rest of him done anyway. But that’s kind of the common way with mythology…”OH LOOK AT THIS LOVELY LIFE. GOSH, THERE IS JUST ONE TINY AND BLATANTLY OBVIOUS THING THAT COULD EFF IT ALL UP, BUT THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN CUZ REASONS!!!”

    Right?! I was wondering as well! Also while thinking at The Nibelungenlied, referring to Siegfrid’s place on the shoulder, untouched by dragon blood. Maybe he has an excuse, maybe the damn blood was already solid when he discovered the spot. Or he just didn’t notice it. Serves him right for killing the poor darling creature!
    I loved Eric Bana as Hector, although I’m a fierce supporter of the other team.

  78. OHHH!! MY HOUND!!!

    /wipes drool off chin
    /reaches for more whisky
    /assures Saner Half nothing is amiss

  79. Can I ask, why did they leave Petyr Baelish out from the promo video??
    He is one of the most important main characters, Varys, Davos, Theon, Sandora are even in it, except littlefinger.
    What a dissapointment…

  80. They all look great!! ?
    I can’t wait to see the remaining Starks reunited. The big reunion for me will be Arya and Jon ☺️

  81. They left out Aidan Gillen, but why? :'(
    Sansa’s outfit bespeak quite a lot, I think she won’t survive the season 7, her fate will be similar to her direwolf’s in my opinion.
    The wig looks strange…I cannot wait until july!

  82. Sansa looks good, I really want to see what her new dress looks like beneath her fur cloak.

    Even though I think her silver chain thing may be a reference to her black dress, It reminds of me of something… else.

    (Now I’m wondering if she’ll beat someone up this season).

  83. Such a nice sneak peek!

    When you first watch the clips, everybody rushes past so fast but Hodor stands out. I hope it’s just a wee joke on the part of HBO, to have him “hodoring”, there, while everybody else is doing the aaah thing.

    I really hope we won’t see a wightified Hodor, it would really break my heart… so this being GOT, it is a possibility 🙁

    He could be in some Bran vision (but why alive adult Hodor?) but probably he isn’t in S7 at all and his appearance in these promo clips was just a nod to a beloved character.

  84. TheSpider: Where’s Littlefinger???

    With Davos, Varys, Qyburn, Greyworm, etc. To this end, where is most of the Westworld cast? They cannot include everyone, even in these sorts of ads.

  85. Pigeon: Oh man, that movie….I had a very stern conversation with myself prior to seeing it (my first degree was in Classics) to make sure not to nitpick and just watch it for fun.

    Heh, I remember the interesting “purist” vs. “purist” debate that film inspired. One set of people were upset that the gods were not in the film, because they were in the original. Other people said, no, the gods never were in it because they never existed, and that the story was based loosely on historical events in which people believed gods were involved.

  86. Sandor’s hair looks so blond! It’s always looked dirty dark brown. Maybe he just washed his hair, lol! The burns scarring also looks different. Maybe the HBO people filming Rory McCann’s one or two seconds just didn’t have time (or access) to apply the actual GOT “prosthetic scars” (or the actual wig, for that matter)? I’m not trying to nitpick, it was just something I noticed, and it in no way takes away from my squealing delight of getting a glimpse of Sandor!

    The thing he’s wearing (black leather with some studs and “tufts”) definitely looks more martial than his “soft” S6 outfit but nowhere as much as his standard outfit in S1-S4. It was all boiled leather and mail and plate… and that’s why the scene where Arya offers to clean his would and we see him in his shirtsleeves, collar open, skin exposed, was so powerful. He was vulnerable, and there was some real trust and even affection in that scene (in tearing up even now thinking about that scene.)

    BTW, I seem to remember some Michelle Clapton interview, or maybe it was even her commentary track on one of the episodes… Anyway, she recounts how, when they created and made the Hound’s armour, they didn’t realise how much wear and tear it’d have to take over the next few years, so by S3 and S4 it was falling apart and the costume department had to do unnoticeable repairs all the time (a continuity nightmare, the scenes aren’t filmed in sequential order).

    However, what we viewers saw was the Hound’s armour getting progressively more tattered, literally falling apart. It might not have been the original intention of the costume department, but they went with it, and a very good thing they did, it adds to the Hound’s/Sandor’s story. His old life is falling apart, his armour (=being the cruel, cynical non-knight) is literally shedding pieces, the chainmail is unravelling, falling off.

    The culmination is the softly-coloured “rough-spuns” he wore in S6. His shirt even looked like the “waffle fabric” that primary school kids in my country use to make decorated and “monogrammed” small towels or place mats or whatever to their mums, grandmums or even aunts.

    So now this tiny glimpse shows us the Hound/Sandor back in more martial mode, after a decided break (as signalled by his soft clothes in S6) with his (Lannister?) past. I’m soo excited!!!

    Ooops, sorry, seem to have written nearly an essay about this, haha!

  87. Wimsey,

    I would have liked some gods in Troy to be honest… The Greek gods have always been dear to me.
    When I was a child in the 70ies I was watching, with much delight, RAI L’Odissea and I was both charmed and disappointed that I couldn’t see the gods… only their statues (plus the actors’ voices) or their temporary human form, when they decided to show up in front of Ulysses to guide him. Irene Pappas played Penelope.

  88. Wimsey: Heh, I remember the interesting “purist” vs. “purist” debate that film inspired.One set of people were upset that the gods were not in the film, because they were in the original.Other people said, no, the gods never were in it because they never existed, and that the story was based loosely on historical events in which people believed gods were involved.

    Hey, I really like this analogy because people in the ASOIAF and GOT fandom are arguing whether the gods are real or whether people in-universe only believe they are real.

    Also, reminds me how even supposedly serious academics can descend into “warring” fandoms. When I took my compulsory basic Latin course at uni in 1990, the academic “fandom war” in my country was long gone and past any relevance. But still my Latin teacher insisted OUR university’s pronunciation of Latin was the right one, not the one used by another university.

    Our uni favoured the later, Roman Empire type pronunciation, the other the more “classical” pre-empire one… as if either would actually know how all of it was pronunced. The Romans didn’ exactly carry tape recorders or iPhones around with them, huh? Plus, as a linguist, I know pronunciation can change quite quickly, within a person’s lifetime. Also, early writing is often an approximation before some central goverment standardised writing. “Grammar”, the way words are put together (in linguistic parlance morphology and syntax) changes more slowly. But in my country, two universities had a feud about how Latin should be pronunced… Depending on their fanboyism/fangirlism of their particular Latin writers along a 800-year time-span. That’s like saying modern English is the same as Geoffrey Chaucer’s English. Aprilles shoures soothe begynne yfallen, that kind of thing (and, yes, I’m very rusty on my Middle English, apologies, but this was just a facetous attempt at an example to prove a point.)

  89. They tried to get Littlefinger in it but Aiden couldn’t figure out how to do an awkwardly placed pause in the middle of “ahhh.” 😉

  90. Shy Lady Dragon:
    Wimsey,

    I would have liked some gods in Troy to be honest… The Greek gods have always been dear to me.
    When I was a child in the 70ies I was watching, with much delight, RAI L’Odissea and I was both charmed and disappointed that I couldn’t see the gods… only their statues (plus the actors’ voices) or their temporary human form, when they decided to show up in front of Ulysses to guide him. Irene Pappas played Penelope.

    We all love the Greek gods, don’t we?

    There wasn’t a TV show about Greek gods in my country when we, I and my brother and our cousins were kids, just the vague stories from our parents and some books, mostly the well-thumbed paperback of Greek myths and legends. Every summer we played out the stories, made our own. I was always Pallas Athene… Well, my only female cousin also wanted to be her, so often we both were. Neither of us wanted to be Afrodite. The god of love, yuck! hahaha. Sometimes my female cousin would be Poseidon, when we were on the lake and she was the best boatsman and the best swimmer. The boys always wanted to be the “heroes”. Mainly, fighting and doing heroic thingys. Never Zeus. Nobody ever got that role, none of us ever wanted to be the “father of gods”, ruling over all us gods.

    We were kids and enjoyed our god-given adventures and fun. Our parents let us. I don’t think parents in this day and age let their kids live so freely, my brother with his two daughters certainly doesn’t. Grandparents secretly let grandkids to do “dangerous things” like climb trees, don’t tell “snowflake” parents.

    My and my cousin’s parents, good middle-class people, saw nothing wrong in the mid 1980s in letting their two 16-year old girls go on a three-week bicycling tour abroad. They’re old enough to take care of themselves, right? No mobile phones, maybe a postcard or a short call from a phonebox. It was all so different back then.

    Later on, my brother has turned out to be an Odysseys figure. Not a god, but he has got a sailboat, never coming home. I don’t mind being crew, last summer over the top of Norway, Bartens Sea to North Sea. The boat is overwintering in the top east coast of Scotland (Moray) and I’ve been telling my brother to do the Caledonian Canal (Inverness to Fort William) to reach the west coast and the whisky isles of Islay and Skye. My “Odysseys” brother wouldn’t mind taking his boat wherever, but the part-owner might want his boat coming home to Helsinki this year, not next.

    That said, nothing is like being on the sea. Navigare necesses est, if we want to reference Latin.

  91. To get back from the gimpses we got of GOT characters in this HBO promo…

    Brienne in Stark cloak… but still wearing the armour Jaime gave her. It might be interesting, but I think not. The show has decided to make Jaime Cersei’s lapdog. In the books he’s much less so. I’m just waiting for his show arc to catch with his book arc. Maybe it never will, and Jaime will be a secondary character in Cersei’s arc.

    (Gods, if I couldn’t hate Cersei more…)

  92. Clob,

    I’m sorry, I’m not aware of this work, but thank you for providing links, I’ll certainly look it up when I have time. Thank you.

  93. talvikorppi,

    Such a beautiful childhood you had, I’m happy for you!
    During my childhood I had few relatives of my age around, and none was a nerd, so I spent my free time reading, watching TV, going to the movies – fortunately, I had friends to talk about books and films. If someone could predict that one day there will be such a magnificent thing called “computer” to see all the films and series I want and to discuss with people around the world about my beloved HBO show!
    I was familiar with Greek mythology very early because in my country there’s a book about Greek gods, heroes and their adventures written in a very pleasant and poetic style, fit for children to understand and enjoy. Athena has been the dearest to me.
    I love the sea, it’s my favourite holiday destination. I also love swimming. Whenever I can, I enjoy little boat trips organized in seaside resorts. But to own a boat and actually sail it! That’s what happiness should look like!
    Happy sailing!
    Jaime will leave Cersei in season 7. Me nem nesa.

  94. talvikorppi,

    This is one of my favorite comments that anyone has ever posted on this site. Seriously.

    On a different note, all this conversation of gods reminds me of something I hadn’t thought of in years: a really silly show from the mid-70s called Isis, which was part of the CBS Saturday-morning children’s lineup. The title character was a schoolteacher (Andrea/Isis) who had discovered a magical amulet during an archaeological dig. Said amulet bestowed the descendants of Hatshepsut (of course, our schoolteacher was one) with the ability to channel the goddess Isis for purposes of helping other people.

    Sound cheesy? Oh, it was. And I didn’t even see it in the U.S.! I was in Brazil, so I got to watch it badly dubbed into Portuguese… which elevated it to epic levels of cheesiness.

  95. Two more things I want to say about these glimpses.

    Bran doing his vision thing… How can Isaac Hempsted-Wrigh do that? I’ve tried and it hurts my eyes.

    And Arya!

    Such a northern look… though she seems to be wearing Jaime’s sexy leather jerkin. Look at the threading at the shoulders and the colour and the front. However, what I find best is how her unusual “cape” leaves her left arm (her swoed arm) free. Arya is going to weild Needle.

  96. Another thing that I like about Outlander: It totally upends the romanticization of Bonnie Prince Charlie that one commonly associates with bodice-rippers set in the Jacobite period. Even in all the old ballads, the Young Pretender is this gallant, handsome, dashing, patriotic hero. But in Gabaldon’s interpretation, he’s an effete, dandified, Frenchified upper-class twit. He has never lived in Scotland, cares little about the land or the people; he’s just an entitled kinda guy who wants his inheritance back.

    And in Season 2 poor Jamie has to endure his company, pretending to be pals, as one of his court-in-exile in Paris, because he needs to win his trust. That makes for some humorously awkward scenes. And the King of France is even worse… he kind of reminds me of someone currently occupying the White House.

  97. Gina: almost screamed seeing Arya wearing that. I can’t wait to see what she does this season.

    Me too! Well, with the shortened season, at least we know she won’t be wasted by sweeping floors for 3 episodes, and being blinded for two more. It’s a testament to Maisie’s acting that even with those slightly off-kilter seasons, she managed to keep the essence of Arya. I love the character and admire the actress greatly. Even though the leather clothing shown is heavier than what she’s worn before, to me, she looks more womanly, more pulled-together, mentally and physically, and less a ragged little girl.
    I couldn’t get this site to load for most of yesterday. Glad to be here today.

  98. And Tyrion, all pinstripy Hand of the Queen. Yes very nice glimpses. Even Missandei and a dragon brooch on her shoulder, lovely. The game has changed. Cersei probably doesn’t realise, the golden fool, but she’ll fight best as she can, using her brother.

    When will Jaime dump mad Cersei for the greater good? Aaargh!

  99. I remember learning about the greek egyptian and roman gods, and mythology in 6th grade. But it was the norse gods that I really took to, once we got into that in HS. Read many of the Sagas then; I found them more appealing than Homer, tho I enjoyed the stories there too.

    I will be curious, in the American Gods series, how many of books constant references to the gods of the world’s cultures will be included. There were many I knew or at least heard of, but so many I didn’t, it was fascinating to learn about so many, and to realize how many more stories are out there.

  100. Oh speaking of Egyptian gods, I have had in the last couple of years, two sweet girls with the given name as Isis. One was named after the Egytian goddess, the other after the Dylan song. They are very little right now; but given how stupid people are, I so hope they don’t get trouble for that.

  101. Firannion: He has never lived in Scotland, cares little about the land or the people; he’s just an entitled kinda guy who wants his inheritance back.

    Yes and no. Charles certainly was not the heroic figure of Scottish legend. However, he did not view himself as “entitled” to an inheritance as we use the word: he genuinely believed that he was morally obligated to take back the Thrones of England (oh, and Scotland) for his father. (One of the problems was that the Scottish Jacobites really didn’t care who was King of England: they were still pissed that the Kings of Scotland had been taken from them without their say!)

    The problem with looking at the Stuarts as feeling “entitled” is that in no way would they have viewed giving up that claims as somehow “unselfish” or anything like that. Quite the opposite, they viewed giving up the claim as immoral: had Charles gone off and lived his own life, then the Stuart supporters would have viewed him as feeling “entitled” to live for himself rather than for his house! (Obviously, the concept of “entitled” is very modern: it really is anachronistic to apply it to other time periods.)

    As for how “effete” Charles was, we have to standardize. Aristocratic males in 18th century France were very “effete” by modern standards (or even by the standards of other cultures of that time). Charles probably was not out-of-place there. Of course, when you see portraits of the great Lords of Europe from that time, they all look like border-line drag-queens!

    All of that written, with Brexit, are the Scots looking to restore the Stuarts? 😀 (I think that a noble house in Germany actually has the heirs to the Stuarts.)

  102. ash: two sweet girls with the given name as Isis. One was named after the Egytian goddess, the other after the Dylan song.

    It is also somewhat funny (in that cruel, ironic way) that an organization so devoted to oppressing women has an Anglicized acronym for a goddess! (Obviously, you never would get Isis from the name that they call themselves in Arabic.)

  103. Wimsey,

    Oh I know – not sure why the world doesn’t just use that name instead, would make lots of young girls lives easier (oh and yeah, there is a bookstore in Colorado that got death threats because they dared to call themselves Isis Bookstore – the logo of course being a lovely profile of an Egyptian Goddess. They refused, and afaik, are still in business.

  104. Apologies if this has already been posted, but Gemma Whelan (Yara) was on Graham Norton’s chat show yesterday. (Although this is a British show, the clip can’t be viewed in the UK for some strange reason.) There’s also a shorter version with just her talking about working with farty horses and her embarrassing audition. When asked if this series was the last she confirmed what a lot of people have speculated (but I don’t think was officially confirmed?), that S7 and 8 are one final series chopped in two. I am paraphrasing but she did say “like Breaking Bad”. Asked if she appears throughout the answer was I can’t say (as in I’m not allowed to tell you, not I don’t know) she but hopes so.

  105. Leaving this here just for shits and grins, because as long as we’re discussing gods and goddesses, we might as well discuss classic fairy tales…

    Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf
    Roald Dahl

    As soon as Wolf began to feel
    That he would like a decent meal,
    He went and knocked on grandma’s door.
    When grandma opened it she saw
    The sharp white teeth, the horrid grin,
    And Wolfie said, “May I come in?”
    Poor Grandmama was terrified,
    “He’s going to eat me up!” she cried.
    And she was absolutely right.
    He ate her up in one big bite.
    But Grandmamma was small and tough,
    And Wolfie wailed, “That’s not enough!
    I haven’t yet begun to feel
    That I have had a decent meal!”
    He ran around the kitchen yelping
    “I’ve got to have another helping!”
    Then added with a frightful leer,
    “I’m therefore going to wait right here
    Till Little Miss Red Riding Hood
    Comes home from walking in the wood.”
    He quickly put on Grandma’s clothes
    (Of course he hadn’t eaten those.)
    He dressed himself in coat and hat.
    He put on shoes and after that
    He even brushed and curled his hair
    Then sat himself in Grandma’s chair.
    In came the little girl in red
    She stopped. She stared. And then she said,

    “What great big ears you have, Grandma.”
    “All the better to hear you with,” the wolf replied.
    “What great big eyes you have, Grandma,”
    said Little Red Riding Hood.
    “All the better to see you with,” the Wolf replied.

    He sat there watching her and smiled.
    He thought, I’m going to eat this child.
    Compared with her old Grandmamma
    She’s going to taste like caviare.

    Then Little Red Riding Hood said, “But Grandma,
    What a lovely great big furry coat you have on.”
    “That’s wrong!” cried Wolf. “Have you forgot
    To tell me what BIG TEETH I’ve got?
    Ah well, no matter what you say,
    I’m going to eat you anyway.”
    The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers.
    She whips a pistol from her knickers.
    She aims it at the creature’s head
    And
    bang bang bang, she shoots him dead.
    A few weeks later, in the wood,
    I came across Miss Riding Hood.
    But what a change! No cloak of red,
    No silly hood upon her head.
    She said, “Hello, and do please note
    My lovely furry WOLFSKIN COAT.”

  106. Wimsey,

    I know a story where Red Riding Hood is a teenager and the Wolf misunderstood (in fact a vegetarian wrongfully acused) by everyone but her. So, they have a romance…

  107. I love fractured fairy tales – some of my fav collections and novels that have great takes include:

    Emma Donogue Kissing the Witch,
    Michael Cunningham A Wild Swan,
    Greogory Maguire Wicked, and Mirror Mirror, and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
    A S Byatt The Jinn in the Nightingale’s Eye
    John ConnollyThe Book of Lost Things by

    Some of these are quite dark, some hysterically funny but most really interesting.

    Oh and I cannot forget these classics for kids
    Jon Scieszka The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs
    Ellen JacksonCinderedna
    Robert Munsch Paper Bag Princess

  108. Shy Lady Dragon,

    I think Wimsey nailed it… She’d make friends and start feeding it! As for the romance part, the original was written by Charles Perrault as a warning to young women against the “wolves” of the Sun King’s court, so there was a strong sexual element that the Grimms completely excised from their own version of the tale.

    ash,

    Thank you for the list! I’m always looking for more of these. I love Angela Carter’s now-classic The Bloody Chamber, Tanith Lee’s Wolfland (short story) and White As Snow (novel), and a series of 1990s anthologies co-edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling: Snow White, Blood Red; Black Thorn, White Rose; Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears; Black Swan, White Raven; Silver Birch, Blood Moon; and Black Heart, Ivory Bones. I don’t universally love all the stories (there are quite a few I don’t care for at all), but some are outstanding, and I discovered quite a few great writers in them (including Tanith Lee, Neil Gaiman, Jane Yolen, Midori Snyder, and Delia Sherman).

    I also highly recommend anything annotated by Maria Tatar, including The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales and The Annotated Brothers Grimm. In case you haven’t read of her… Tatar is a professor of German literature at Harvard, and her insights into folklore and myth are wonderful.

  109. What if Hodor wasn’t wightified and the Knight King is using him as bait to snare Bran, but Hodor turns the tables on him and saves Bran, Meera and himself and they make it safely to Castle Black where Dolorous Edd gives them their first hot meal and bath since season three?

    Hey, you never know! ¯\(◉‿◉)/¯

  110. Wolfish,

    It’s very interesting what you wrote about Perrault’s intention. I had no idea about it and I’m sure the author of the above mentioned story (about the interspecies romance) didn’t know either – he’s a friend of mine and would have mentioned his source of inspiration.
    I must admit Wimsey had a better version on Arya’s conduct, had she happened to stumble in the fairytale…

  111. Shy Lady Dragon,

    Your friend might enjoy Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked: Sex, Morality, and the Evolution of a Fairy Tale, by Catherine Orenstein (2002). It’s a fascinating look at the history and different iterations of the story.

  112. Every one of these costumes is superb. Seeing Brienne in a Northern cloak with wolf fur trimmings was the best surprise. I wasn’t expecting that, but it makes perfect sense, and she looks great.

    Dany’s new costume is awesome as well – I’ve said that before, but there’s no harm in repeating it. And of course, Arya’s new clothes are fantastic. Maisie Williams must be thrilled.

    BunBunStark:

    I am absolutely loving that the Stark family is looking like royalty in S7, as befits the ruling family in the North. Sansa must be working overtime making team Stark apparel.

    I was thinking the same thing. 🙂 Kings and Queens of Winter indeed!

  113. Shy Lady Dragon: I know a story where Red Riding Hood is a teenager and the Wolf misunderstood (in fact a vegetarian wrongfully acused) by everyone but her. So, they have a romance…

    heh, that is hysterical! OK, a little kinky and perhaps even ethically dubious, but still really funny.

  114. Wolfish,

    series of 1990s anthologies co-edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling: Snow White, Blood Red; Black Thorn, White Rose; Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears; Black Swan, White Raven; Silver Birch, Blood Moon; and Black Heart, Ivory Bones.

    Oh I heard about those years ago! Will have to check them out, thanks! And thanks for the Carter rec, as well as the Catherine Orenstein . Will have to check those out! (would be fun to swap our bookshelves for a few months!)

  115. ash,

    He’s the best. I watched his show religiously for the first three years, but I’ve been so inundated with the news recently that I haven’t been inclined to watch on Sunday night without a lead-in to prompt me. I need to get back in the habit. I expect I will by the time GOT returns, if not sooner.

  116. On Iliad and Odyssey, fascinating to read posts by talvikorppi and by Wimsey. I grew up reading mythology, particularly Greek mythology as that was what was in the household; and later progressed to the Iliad and Odyssey.
    And within both Iliad and Odyssey, the Gods are active players. They are not imaginings of the other actors, though they may be imaginings of the poet/s (whomsoever ‘Homer’ was). And that I really missed in the film.

    Back to real life… I loved Missandei’s costume which indicates the move to the cold of Westeros with winter on the cusp.

    On the Stuarts and that right bloody Charlie, I’ll save comment for now. Pluses and minuses, and not seen here as a particularly heroic figure though with some ‘romantic’ slants such as Flora McDonald and the escape. And likewise I won’t comment on ‘Outlander’, which I haven’t seen but which I hope has some more grounding in history than did the first book, which is all I’ve read…

  117. Jared,

    I bet Comedy Central is kicking themselves for letting him slip through their fingers He would have made the perfect replacement for Stewart (I like Noah well enough but he cannot interview people other than actors and musicians. Miss the really cool long interviews Stewart had with writers, news makers, and interesting people) Oliver is so quick and so smart – and with his sense of irony and humor is able to make the most boring or complex issue one that matters to us. I know there was a lot of news, but go back to his first show this season (February I think) and binge through them. You won’t be sorry

  118. Wolfish,

    For a warped, but great take on Little Red Riding Hood, check out “Freeway” with Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland, and Amanda Plummer. It was one of Reese W’s first roles, and her best ever. If she won an Oscar for “Walk the Line”, she should’ve won one for “Freeway.”

    PS. I saw, and replied to your Apr. 5 comment under the March 22 post (re: Septa Unella).

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