You've already watched the new Game of Thrones season 7 trailer, haven't you? If not, you can watch it below, before purchasing your ticket for the hype train at the nearest available station. It's 90 seconds of sweet Thrones-style sex, violence, and grand-standing. If you're a casual fan, you're probably just pleased to be seeing some dragons. However, for many, this most thrilling of teases leaves us with more questions than answers for Game of Thrones season 7. Questions like is Cleganebowl confirmed? Soon. So very soon. Get hype. But seriously, here are some more questions raised by the trailer...
1. Where the hell are the Tyrells and the Dornish?
This first full trailer focuses on the conflict between the Lannisters and Danaerys’ mix-n-match army. Are they technically Targaryen soldiers now? Maybe. We see the Dothraki in an open plain, with her dragons, and the Unsullied fighting Lannister soldiers at a location likely to be Casterly Rock. However, what we don’t see are any Tyrell or Dornish soldiers. They’ve allied at the end of season 6, and they’re referenced in Cersei’s monologue at the start of the trailer (it’s safe to assume enemies from the West refers to Highgarden, and enemies to the South are Dorne). So where are they? My best guess is that we simply haven’t seen footage of them, or that HBO is saving them for season 8.
2. Similarly, where are the Tarlys and Euron Greyjoy?
The other side to this conflict - and those missing from it - are the other ‘bad Houses’ in Westeros. We know the Tarlys are Lannister allies, we know that the actors who play Randall and Dickon Tarly will appear in season 7 (Dickon has been recast, by the way), and we know they were spotted on set with the likes of Jaime Lannister. So… where are they? Surely the Tarlys aren’t sending an army to recover Heartsbane - the family sword - from Sam in Old Town. Are they? And what about Euron? He was hellbent on marrying Danaerys, but she has chosen to ally with Yara and Theon. Seems likely, then, that he’d choose to join forces against them, and maybe make a play for Cersei’s hand in marriage. Sadly, he’s totally absent from this trailer.
3. How do Yara and Ellaria end up together?
Tying the previous two points together into a massive ball of WTF… we see Yara Greyjoy and Ellaria Sand having a cheeky kiss in the new trailer. But what the hell does that even mean? Perhaps Danaerys’ fleet simply stops off at Dorne on the way to Dragonstone. While there, Yara and Ellaria have a romance, because they’re both bi-sexual in the TV show. However, that seems a little too simple, and it raises all kinds of questions: does this mean Dorne and Yara’s Greyjoy fleet are allied? If so, do they split from Dany’s main army to attack elsewhere? Is that what the burning boat battle in the trailer is all about? Can Ellaria even be trusted after the way she claimed Dorne and murdered Myrcella Lannister?
4. Is Danaerys attacking Casterly Rock and King’s Landing? Or will we need to wait for S8 for that?
We see Dany’s army in two very different scenarios in this trailer. The Unsullied are attacking Lannister soldiers inside a castle setting - likely Casterly Rock. Meanwhile, the Dothraki are fighting in an open field. The question is: are they all part of the same battle? It could easily be different phases of an attack on Casterly Rock but, equally, could be a two-pronged attack with Dany sending her foot soldiers to the Lannister stronghold in the west, while attacking King’s Landing in the east. My best guess is that it’s a two-sided attack on both Casterly Rock and King’s Landing, as an epic season finale. That leaves season 8 clear to focus on the battle between ‘all men’ and the Whitewalkers.
5. Why did Jon and Tormund head north of The Wall?
We know Jon, Tormund and a small bunch of Wildlings / Night’s Watch head north of The Wall at some point. The big question is: why the hell would you do that? There are several potential reasons. The first, and most likely, is that they’re heading back to the Fist of the First Men to try and get more Dragonglass. That’s the stuff that kills Whitewalkers, and they lost their last stash at Hardhome. Only Jon has a Valyrian steel sword (the only other way to kill them), so they need something to arm themselves with. Another potential theory is that they’re off to recover Bran… but how would they know where he is? And last time we saw Bran he had been saved by his uncle Benjen, and was already pretty close to The Wall. Finally, it could be an attempt to strike at the Night King before he even attacks. Jon tried to take out Mance Rayder when he thought the Wildlings would overrun The Wall, so he could be attempting the same thing here. Pretty unlikely, but he has form for it.
6. What’s Melisandre’s game?
Melisandre, the Fire Priestess formerly travelling with Stannis, has been banished from the North by Jon Snow. The trailer seems to suggest she’s returned to Dragonstone, where she lived with Stannis before he lost the Battle of Blackwater Bay. That all makes sense. But what now? Danaerys is at Dragonstone in S7, and we actually see Melisandre watching her army approach. So does this mean an alliance between her and Dany? It’s very possible, especially as Tyrion previously used a Fire Priestess in Meereen to try and quell the city’s civil unrest. However, her dark arts won’t sit well with Danaerys, especially after what happened between her and the witch at the end of season 1, and she’s already convinced that Jon Snow is the Warrior of Light, as seen in her visions. So, why would she follow Danaerys?
7. Why is Arya travelling north?
Arya is blasting through her death list nicely. She just ticked off Walder Frey at the end of S6, and has The Mountain and Cersei Lannister as the remaining highlights. So, why does she appear to be heading north in the trailer? She’s alone, and camping out in the snow. It seems likely Arya is going back to Winterfell for a reunion with sister Sansa but… that seems slightly out of character. Never much of a family girl, Arya became obsessed with her death list from season 2 onwards. It motivates her to kill Meryn Trant, and leave the Faceless Men in Braavos. It seems most likely that she’s going back to Winterfell, unless she’s looking for Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr (also on her list, although less well publicised than the others) who are in the Riverlands, er, somewhere… Who knows? Maybe she’s just lost.
8. Greyworm and Missandei - how does that even work?
Physically? I have no idea. Emotionally? Awww, they’re so sweet.
Want more? Here are 15 brilliant Game of Thrones theories for season 7
