15 Reasons Why Game Of Thrones 7 Is Going To Be The Best Season Ever
The countdown has begun. The proceedings of the last couple of seasons have been strewn with ghastly bloodbaths and unnerving, untimely deaths - but that's Game of Thrones for you. It wouldn't be the same if the character you were rooting for right from the very beginning, knowing in your gut that this is the person; the one last standing horse, did not drop dead announced in the middle of nowhere! The upcoming season, however, promises to be all this, and much more. With mighty dragons flying across the Narrow Sea and hair-raising White Walkers in the offing, bidding their chance to wipe out the entire race - the stakes, this time, go way past the paltry wars between different kingdoms. The latest trailer, with its expansive shots of vulturine armies thundering down flaming battlefields only reinstates the epic grandeur that's about to hit us this July.
Now, with just days to go before the opening of the seventh season of Game of Thrones, HBO too has amped up their marketing in full gallop. Playing on this, Time Magazine has released a GOT issue, replete with exclusive photos and behind-the-scenes coverage of the production. And, then there are the conspiracy theories, spreading like forest fire, more riotous than ever before. In the run-up to the much-awaited new season, here are 15 reasons why we think GOT7 will surpass all our nail-bitten anticipations and end up being the best flavour so far.
After six seasons waned with red flags for an impending winter, the Emmy-winning fantasy drama seems to have finally nose-dived into its sinister grasp in its penultimate run. And, judging by some of the epic scenes in the latest trailer, an all-out battle appears eminent too. At the end of the first full-length promo, Kit Harrington's Jon Snow almost spills the beans when he remarks, “The great war is here” - but we are yet to know which war he is referring to. It might be the battle of the Houses or a marathon carnage involving white walkers. However, if there is one thing that Game of Thrones gets consistently right, it is its set-piece, action-driven chapters - be it the Battle of the Bastards from last season or season 2's Blackwater - the outcomes were epic! So, we can safely predict the battle promised in the trailer to be more magnificently cinematic than ever.
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14 The Imp and The Bastard
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His homecoming may not parallel what we expect, when Tyrion Lannister sets foot on Westeros soil this time. The imp will be building coalitions on behalf of his queen, Daenerys Targaryen and if conspiracy theories are to be believed, he might have already found one in the new King in the North, Jon Snow. Jon, of course, may have ulterior motives behind this alliance, keeping in mind the army of ice zombies breathing down his neck! During the filming of this season, Snow and Tyrion were spotted shaking hands for the first time since their meeting in season 1. Their last encounter saw Jon as a fresh recruit in the Night's Watch, even as Tyrion made himself busy whizzing off the top of the wall. Jon, as it was revealed last season, is a Targaryen, but it remains to be seen if Tyrion might be one too!
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13 The Lannisters Send Their Regards
Towards the wind-up of season 6, the Houses of Lannister and Tyrell looked ready to go to war. In this season, they follow through. Jaime, supposedly leads an assault on the Tyrell ancestral home in Highgarden which doesn't end well for the Tyrells. Sam Tarly's father Randyll Tarly makes a comeback as an ally of the Tyrells. However, the Tarlys have a change of heart and they flip their allegiance over to the Lannisters. We do not know what exactly inspires the switch, but with the former's knowledge of the Tyrells and the Reach, the Lannisters sure get the required edge. Sam's younger brother Dickon Tarly will also reappear this season, although the role is to be filled in by Black Sails' Tom Hopper instead of Freddie Stroma from the Harry Potter franchise.
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12 Euron Greyjoy is Up to No Good
Euron Greyjoy is here to raise hell “enough to get satisfied - good satisfied”! At least, that's what actor Pilou Asbæk, who plays Euron promised fans in an interview with MTV news. In this season, Euron is all set to come aboard with Cersei, although we do not know if the treaty is coated with a marriage or if it's just a strategic pact. He will also engage in a battle at sea against Theon, Yara and the Dornish. One of his recent interviews with Empire magazine quotes the actor as saying: “After this season, Ramsey's gonna look like a little kid.” Dare we say, we are actually relieved that the Thrones showrunners have not given up their faith in good-old-fashioned human nastiness, leaving us, bloodthirsty fans, to enjoy our weekly sadism-and-murder quota in peace.
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11 To Cersei With Love: Jamie
Notwithstanding the manifold collusion theories doing regular rounds, we are not at all convinced of Cersei's death this season. Fans of both the show and George RR Martin's book series have been for long hypothesizing that Jaime might, in the near future, kill Cersei himself on his path to redemption, despite his love for her - especially with part of the “Maggy the Frog Prophecy” in Martin's books, debatably cueing that this might indeed happen one day! Trailer shots of Cersei looking ambiguously dejected, camouflaging with the darkness, do, however imply that her downfall is not probably too far off. But, we are definitely looking forward to the ever-altering power play between the twins, and the already complicated trail their incestuous relationship is treading - particularly since her latest machinations led to the suicide of their last-surviving child, Tommen.
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10 When Targaryen Met Stark
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Admit it, this is the moment we have all had our fingers crossed for! Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen, together at last. At least, that's what some very blurry photos from the show's sets have to say. And going by the grapevine, the mother of dragons might even introduce Snow to her three kids. Throughout the six seasons so far, Jon and Dany have never crossed path but now that they will, you can sure expect some sparks to fly as the two team up to prepare for the great battle. We can't wait to find out how these two will get along - if they will hate each other or fall hopelessly in love! But as far as their political alliance goes, they would sure have a lot to talk about.
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9 There Might Finally be a Cleganebowl
Well, we can at least hope! For those not in the know, “Cleganebowl” is a term used by fans to describe the much-awaited final slugfest between The Hound (Sandor Clegane) and his brother, The Mountain (Gregor Clegane). The latter, after a murderous combat with Oberyn Martell (The Viper), came back from the dead last season, and is currently serving as Queen Cersei's personal bodyguard. While there's no real evidence backing the Battle of the Brothers, we are optimistic that, should such an even arise, The Hound will emerge as the eventual victor. However, the recent trailer has made us hopeful by a shot of the Hound coming on strong on an unseen contender with a sword, in what appears to be the Dragonpit in King's Landing.
8 Watch Out for Sansa, Little Finger
Sansa may not be part of the big on-location battles, but she is all set to enjoy a bit of a power trip this season. In a chat with Vulture, Sophie Turner who plays Sansa in the series, said: “At the end of season 6, Sansa gets a taste of power - and it's the first time she's had that ever, really.” Turner further revealed to the Entertainment Weekly: “She (Sansa) holds a power of Littlefinger. And after she confronted him about selling her to the Boltons, he owes her big time. He knows he has to be loyal to her now, and he has to serve her well… It would destroy his reputation if she revealed any of the stuff she knows about him.”
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7 The Much-Awaited Stark Reunion May Finally Take Place
In the latest trailer, Arya appears dressed for the dreaded winter - suggesting she too might be heading home (it's tricky to tell even though the backdrop does resemble a bit like the ancestral Stark fortress), now that her sister also made it back to Winterfell last season. Bran Stark, who appears at the Wall with Meera Reed in the trailer, and then in a wheelchair in the Winterfell courtyard is slated to make his way home too this season. We can presume that at long last, he will be united with his sisters Sansa and Arya (if the latter is indeed on her way to the North), and cousin Jon Snow. After seeing the family scattered for so long, seeing the surviving Starks unite on season 7 is sure to be an immensely satisfying experience.
6 Jorah is Back
When everyone is entitled to a comeback, why not Ser Jorah? He was definitely spotted on the sets in a new black outfit - after six years of wearing the same pale yellow shirt - standing next to Peter Dinklage, who plays the hugely popular Tyrion Lannister. We do not however know the exact context of his return nor are we sure if he has been healed of his greyscale by this point. But, word is that he's gotten rid of it. There are theories suggesting that he travels to Oldtown to consult the maesters, where he runs into a trainee - who happens to be our very own Samuel Tarly! Apparently, Sam helps Jorah with his task once he learns that he is the son of former Lord Commander Jeor Mormont.
5 More About Daenerys & Co
Last we knew, Team Targaryen was sailing for Westeros with a giant fleet. We are not sure if anything happens on the way, but the navy is scheduled to reach Dragonstone, early in the season, where Daenerys will set up her shop. The choice of place carries a lot of weight because not only was this Stannis Baratheon's hang-out across two seasons, but this is also the ancient seat of House Targaryen - the dragon queen was born here. Dragonstone is expected to host many interesting guests this season, as Dan sends out ravens calling for commitments to her authority. Matt Shakman, who will be directing two episodes this season, told Entertainment Weekly: “The dragons this year are the size of 747s. Drogon is the biggest of the bunch - his flame is 30-feet in diameter.”
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4 Arya Among The Wolves
By the end of season 6, majority of the key players had their teams sorted - be it Dany, Jon or Cersei. Arya Stark, however, still continues to be a lone wolf. Now, much of the back-fence talks refer to a possible return of the direwolves this season. According to FanSided, Instinct Animals for Film, the company that supplies the show with its direwolf actors, shared a picture of Quigley (the wolf who plays Ghost) on their page, followed by another that resembled Nymeria (Arya's pet from season 1) and tagged them both as “Ready to work”, with the all-inclusive hashtag, “winteriscoming”. Soon after, fan theories started spinning out of control and Instinct Animals locked its Insta account. Can we expect another reunion? May be! In the books, Nymeria has her own wolfpack by now - the largest ever seen in living memory - and is roaming the Riverlands.
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3 Casterly Rock, Finally
If we are to take the Watchers on the Wall at their word, then Casterly Rock will finally be a base to reckon with this term. So far, the Lannister family ground of operations had often been talked about but we were yet to set our eyes on it. It's hard to say why the show will visit Casterly Rock, even though it makes sense for Dany to pay it a visit, if she intends on taking over the Seven Kingdoms. In the finale of season 6, Daario had also suggested as much when he asked Daenerys to attack the Lannister base. If the dragon queen resolves to go ahead with the notion, she might find the needed help in Tyrion, who grew up there and is well-versed with its defences.
2 Beyond The Wall
This season, a lot sinister is lurking beyond the wall. Jon Snow is getting ready to fight the Night King, his White Walker deputies and a brutal army of the walking dead - the man would sure need some back-up! So, towards the end, Jon will probably head north of the Wall, capture a wight and bring it back as proof for the sceptics, who are unwilling to side with him because they have a hard time believing his theories about deadly ice zombies. According to the Watcher on the Wall, Benjen Stark is likely to be part of this huge wight fight alongside his nephew. On the other hand, Bran Stark was reportedly seen filming a scene with the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch Dolorous Edd, once again implying that he might be re-entering the North, through the tunnel.
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1 The Red Woman, The Big Tree and The Vast Unknown
Despite the very many conspiracy theories and tit-bits nipped off the grapevine, we are still in groping in the dark with some essential pieces missing from the big season 7 puzzle - the largest chunk of them being Melisandre. After being banished from the North by Jon Snow, the Red Woman is only left with her faith in R'hllor, the Lord of Light. Whether she will join the Brotherhood Without Banners (also worshippers of the Light) in their cause or try to sneak back in Winterfell, remains to be seen. For all we know, she might even be joining team Dany, if she believes the Mother of Dragons to be “The Prince that was Promised.” Also, there might be an entire episode on The Big Tree that we know so less about! Well, we can only hope that this season will shed some more light on the vast dooming unknown.
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