Over its past six seasons on the air, Game of Thrones has accumulated a sterling reputation as the series-to-beat when it comes to what’s worth watching every week. For good reason to, as it has consistently proven to be the best written, best acted and best realized show on television.
Based on George R.R. Martin’s best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels, the series tells of the political machinations surrounding the fantastical land of Westeros. Although the series is full of the usual dragons and magic, what has made it uniquely appealing within its genre is how little these elements are emphasized.
The majority of the series’ events are decided behind closed doors. Kings direct national policy, their advisors subvert their orders to further their own ends and games of four-dimensional political chess see the expansive cast of characters drop like flies. After killing off numerous key characters over the years since it first aired, fans have learned one hard truth above all others: anybody — from the despicable prince to the venerated King of the North — is fair game for execution.
The series has reached an especially interesting point in its narrative. The series it adapts has yet to be completed. As fans eagerly await the latest novel’s — The Winds of Winter‘s — release, the season adapting both its and its eventual sequel — A Dream of Spring — is about to hit the airwaves, spoiling literary loyalists years before they’ll ever see a word of it in print. It will doubtless remain a sore subject among the two groups of fans for as long as either version of the story remains incomplete.
The latest trailer for the latest season shows off events that have long been anticipated by loyal viewers. Amid narration that forebodes the death of the Stark family and possibly the entire land of Westeros, all the disparate plot threads woven over the course of the series seem to come together.
We see Daenerys — the so-called Mother of Dragons — finally reach the shores of the Seven Kingdoms after years in exile across the sea. With her are her now fully-grown trio of dragons, unleashing literal hellfire upon any foolish enough to cross their paths.
We see the White Walkers of the North — first shown in the first scene of the first episode — finally breach the great wall protecting the Kingdoms’ uppermost border. These zombie-like creatures portend the greater doom threatening the lands as a decade-long summer comes to a close, beginning just as long and terrible a winter.
We see the warring kingdoms continue to clash over control of the Iron Throne: the ruling seat that commands the loyalties of all nations on the continent. Tyrian Lannister — the pocket-sized genius maligned for his stature — looks out over the scene as if promising us his ultimate retribution is still at hand. And Sansa Stark, daughter of the long-dead protagonist of the first season, walks with purpose toward the fray, proclaiming that “When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives.”
At long last, Winter isn’t just coming. It’s finally here.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=1Mlhnt0jMlg%22+frameborder%3D%220%22+allow%3D%22accelerometer%3B+encrypted-media%3B+gyroscope%3B+picture-in-picture%22+allowfullscreen%3E%3C
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