As always, this post contains a multitude of spoilers. Otherwise, it would be very short.
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Now that the great battle is over, Game Of Thrones will move onto uncharted - or perhaps it's more accurate to say, previously charted - territories. How will the show come down from such a tremendous (and tremendously bloody) high? Let's dig into the 40-second teaser trailer and find out what to expect in Sunday's episode.
The teaser opens with Theon and Jorah tossing back a few cold ones while playing a couple hands of Texas hold 'em. Edd and Beric walk in laughing, passing a bottle of Kentucky's finest between them, and throw "Nilsson Schmilsson" on the record player.
LOL.
Obviously, we're kidding, because all of them are rotting piles of flesh and bones after suffering horrible deaths!
Sad as that might be, theirs are unlikely to be the last deaths on the show. Arya Stark saved the day (and the world) by killing the Night King last episode - but another "villain," if you choose to see her that way, awaits: Cersei Lannister, who sits on the Iron Throne.
The teaser opens with a brief shot of fires burning at Winterfell before quickly cutting to Cersei and Euron Greyjoy standing on a balcony, looking out at her amassing troops. She's wearing that infamous half-cocked grin, as the swaggering seaman stands behind her, staring at the back of her head like she's an Instagram model and he's flipping through his phone.
The teaser then cuts back to Winterfell, where Sansa is watching troops march through the castle (and two guys carrying logs, for some reason). Then, we see the Starks reunited, as Sansa, Arya and Jon Snow stand at attention next to each other as Daenerys speaks. Bran is nowhere to be found, but there's nothing new about that. He's probably rolling his eyes and speaking in weird riddles that aren't helpful to anyone. Teenagers!
Next, there's Daenerys, flanked by Missandei and Varys, addressing what remains of the living in the North.
"We have won the great war," she says. "Now we will win the last war."
We're then treated to several garden-variety (but rousing!) shots of soldiers, the North's boats with dragons flying overhead, Sansa watching a dragon, Daenerys communing with a dragon, and the like. Of particular interest to the Internet, most likely, is what appears to be a shot of Arya kissing someone (she may find out "what it's like" more than once). So, to everyone who freaked out over her sex scene, we'll save you some time: Maisie Williams is a 22-year-old woman, and Arya is 18 years old in the show.
Another point of interest is Euron on his knees in front of Cersei, seemingly proposing (though, he's already proposed, so maybe this is making things official?).
The teaser ends with Queen Cersei wearing what appears to be a less-than-pleased grin (maybe even a grimace) and a crown, staring straight ahead.
Sound-tracking the shot is a voice-over from Daenerys: "We'll rip her out, root and stem."
Oh, boy!
So if there were any lingering doubts about what's coming, you can set those aside: Another great battle is on its way, and it's arguable that, though the stakes are inherently smaller (we're not talking about the end of all living things this go-round), the emotional stakes are higher. We know everyone involved, their motivations and their backstories. Most importantly, we know what sort of evil acts a desperate Cersei is capable of (Sept of Baelor, anyone?).
Interestingly, Cersei doesn't say a word throughout the trailer. She just stares, looking queenly, and she's all the more menacing for it.
One final takeaway: It appears that Jon Snow is in the crowd, looking up to Daenerys as his queen, meaning that even though he now knows the truth about his parentage, he A) probably hasn't shared it widely and B) might sincerely not care, especially after the battle he just fought.
The only thing we know for sure is the bloodshed isn't over.
Then again, in Westeros, it never is.
(c) 2019, The Washington Post
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)