Kit Harington teases a “power struggle” between Jon and Sansa in Game of Thrones season 7

Near the end of season 6, Jon Snow was elected King in the North, his half-sister/secret cousin Sansa Stark by his side. While she appeared happy for Jon, Sansa’s expression hardened after she locked eyes with Littlefinger. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Kit Harington (Jon Snow) thinks that tension is only going to escalate in season 7,

"There is definite tension between them right from the first scene. There are the same problems — she questions his decisions and command; he doesn’t listen to her. But as far as where that goes or takes them or how dark it can get, we’ll see. It gets past sibling squabbling, it gets into two people power struggling."

Well, that’s not good news for House Stark. At the end of season 6, things were looking up for the first family of Game of Thrones for the first time in a long while. Are Jon and Sansa going to move past the minor spat we saw the night before the Battle of the Bastards and into Cersei-Tyrion territory?

Still, it’s not all doom and gloom. Kit Harington, for example, is enjoying getting to play a new side of the newly crowned Jon Snow.

"It’s a nice change for me this season, he talks more, he’s more sure of himself. He doesn’t just know what he’s got to do but he’s more sure of what he’s saying — whereas before there was always some fear and doubt. I’ve gotten to enjoy not just grunting."

The much thinned-out cast also plays a factor, since the survivors get more screen time.

"Everyone gets a bigger slice of the pie. Everybody is left is left with more stuff to do. This season is really different than any other season because of the fewer episodes and everything accelerating toward the end. A lot of stuff collides and happens much much quicker than you’re used to seeing on Thrones — it was a plodding slow machine and it’s now turning into a thriller. It’s quite exciting how it ramps up speeds up toward a dangerous climax."

We’re not sure we’d call all the previous episodes “plodding,” but we are intrigued to to see how this new, faster pace feels.

Finally, Harington address the various Game of Thrones prequel series’ under development at HBO. He’s all for bringing in a new set of characters, but said he is “happy to step away from Jon Snow, though I’m still interested in TV.”

Next: Maisie Williams shares her hopes for Arya Stark in Game of Thrones season 7, and beyond

Game of Thrones season 7 debuts July 16.