All avid watchers on the walls and readers of the “Game of Thrones” series have been eagerly anticipating the upcoming final season and the epic conclusion. The series that has been a part of so many childhoods for the last 10 years, and there are all sorts of bittersweet emotions running through the hearts and minds of fans as the first official trailer for the shows final season was released.
The viewing audience wants so badly for this final season to best represent the culmination of decades of work from one of the greatest fantasy authors of our generation, and at the same time, they do not want to see it end so soon. The hottest take for this trailer, however, much more so than the dragonfire that is to be felt, is that it was very underwhelming. It felt more or less like a recap of the previous season without much to go off of. The narration felt like it was specifically made for the trailer, nothing furthered the excitement for the upcoming season, and the climax of the trailer, the Night’s King’s horse at the gates of Winterfell, was not half as exciting as one would think.
What people look for in a trailer is enough information (and minor spoilers) to up the anticipation for what is to come. This does not mean the entire trailer needs to be a recap. The few pros with the trailer were the feeling of hopelessness in the narrators and Jaime Lannister saying that he “promised to fight for the living.” In addition, any sort of narrative drag will be out the window, as the shortened amount of episodes means the showrunners are going to have to move things along in terms of wrapping things up. This means the tensions that exist between all the parties that rendezvoused at Winterfell in the premiere will have to be resolved quickly in time for the infamously hyped up Battle of Winterfell.
More plot threads to be further explored this season include Bran and Samwell’s revelation of Jon’s true parentage, which simultaneously creates conflict with Daenerys’ claim to the throne. Things to wrap up this season include Bran’s unfinished business with Jaime, who is riding hard north for Winterfell when the audience last left him; Cersei, alone and seemingly defenseless in King’s Landing, an entire armada of mercenaries being led there; and Theon’s attempt to rescue his sister Yara from their uncle Euron’s clutches. Other theories that may work themselves in there are how will Cersei’s prophecy from Maggie the Frog be answered? Will Arya finally get her revenge? How are Melisandre and Varys destined to die in Westeros? And will the fans finally get an answer as to what the Song of Ice and Fire really means?
Just from a technical standpoint, however, the trailer itself is gorgeous. The scenery has never looked better, and neither have the dragons. Despite the fact that the audience knows there are two CG creatures standing before us, Drogon and Rhaegal still look fleshed out and terrifying enough to be real. The actual imagery being presented, the dragon flying over Winterfell, the ships hoarded up with mercenaries reflecting the sun, the Unsullied gearing up for War and the overall darkness of the trailer really help to get across exactly what we are in for this season: death, death and a whole lot of death.
All the answers to the questions above and many more will be answered when the final season premieres on Sunday, April 14.
Image from GameofThrones via YouTube
