Vengeance is a bloody thing, and Game of Thrones fans are in for plenty of it.
Following the premiere of the first episode of season six Sunday night in Los Angeles, HBO showed the lucky few in the theater what they could expect from the rest of the season. Now it’s our turn, as the latest (and likely final) trailer was released this morning.
We get to see a lot of brand new footage, though the dark mood and violence of the previous trailer is only amplified here.
This trailer opens with Castle Black soon after the murder of Jon Snow, with a fight in store for Davos Seaworth and those loyal to their dead (yes, dead) commander against the conspirators. It looks like Davos will manage somehow, as he's shown later in the trailer in a couple of new locations -- with a Stark banner flying behind him, no less.
Also flaunting some Stark love is the oldest surviving Stark child, Sansa. This time she's not fleeing in the snow but on horseback, with bannermen behind her and the direwolf sigil of her house shown proudly on her clothes.
Now that Sansa's seemingly escaped from the clutches of the Boltons, we (finally) get to see a Stark rise from the ruins of the North.
And she's got a bone to pick with some particular lowlifes. "It's all I think about, what was taken from me," she says over footage of her vile husband Ramsay and the man behind the traumatic Red Wedding, Walder Frey.
Of course, Sansa's not the only one out for revenge. Cersei and Jamie Lannister have plenty of unfinished business, with Jamie ready to lead the family forces (with some Tyrell troops thrown in as well, it seems) against the Faith Militant after they humiliated his sister/secret lover last season.
"Show them what Lannisters are, what we do to our enemies," Cersei says in that proud, vindictive way only Cersei can.
Across the Narrow Sea, Tyrion Lannister is having a different problem: ruling a city on the verge of civil war. He's also concerned for the state of Daenerys' dragons, who've been in captivity under Mereen for some time. He's so concerned, in fact, that he goes to pay them a visit. I just hope they'd been fed recently.
There's a ton more in the trailer that's worth hours of discussing (and writing, but I'll spare you): Daenerys in captivity, Drogon flying over the Khalasar that took his mother, Arya getting beat up (twice), Melisandre brooding in black, Brienne and Pod in a tight spot, Jorah's grayscale looking worse, white walkers walking, and more fighting from the likely flashback at the Tower of Joy.
We also get several more shots from the battle outside Winterfell, with the Boltons on one side, the wildlings on the other and who know's who in-between. Each trailer has only made this look more epic; this promises to be the most spectacular fight in the show's history.
With so much footage dumped on us, it's easy to think we can piece together the plot now. Be careful, though; Game of Thrones has been very good at surprising viewers before, and some of the lucky ones who have seen the first episode say it hits the ground sprinting and packs more than a few twists.
Game of Thrones season 6 premieres April 24 on HBO.
**Update** It seems HBO is enjoying itself; here's three new clips from season 6:
Cersei shares her memories of their mother's death with Jamie, memories made fresh with the death of their daughter, Myrcella.
Dany is "welcomed" home.
Sansa and Theon, on the run.
At this rate they might as well release the whole first episode in a couple days, tbh.
