After a fascinating but somewhat sedate first episode Game of Thrones season 7, the trailer for the second episode — “Stormborn” — came and went in a flash. It was brief: fourteen seconds, including seventeen separate shots, and most of those offered mostly atmospherics. Thematically, it looks like “Stormborn” will be about players making their first major moves in the upcoming great game. Each of the three main alliances in action at the moment gets a segment, and all of them focus on strategy and/or diplomacy.
Let’s break down each shot and see what we can see. The trailer starts with the northern lords assembled again at Winterfell.
Looks like all of the the usual northern suspects are there, including Lyanna Mormont (low center) and Robett Glover (center left). Littlefinger lurks in the far right lower corner.
“A Targaryen cannot be trusted!” says Lord Yohn Royce. It sounds like the Lords of the Vale are butting heads with somebody who may have suggested an alliance with Daenerys.
Odds are Jon Snow made that suggestion, and now he’s got another disagreement on his hands. Sansa and Brienne watch the proceedings in the background. Nope, thinks Sansa. Not gonna say anything this time. Nope nope nope.
Jump to the Red Keep throne room, where Cersei looks down from her perch on the Iron Throne. Jaime Lannister and Gregor Clegane flank Cersei on both sides.
Queen Cersei is making the case for resisting Daenerys. “The Mad King’s daughter will destroy the realm.” So that’s Cersei and Yohn Royce who don’t like her. Anyone else?
An fleet of Ironborn warships appears from the darkness, silently approaching.
Meanwhile, at Dragonstone, Yara Greyjoy stridently argues the need for the Targaryen alliance to strike the Lannisters as soon as possible: “We have an army, a fleet and three dragons. We should hit King’s Landing now.” The Ironborn are not the kind to sit back and wait (or, perhaps, worry overmuch about tactics) but we’ll have to see what Daenerys thinks.
The leaders of the Targaryen alliance: Varys, Grey Worm, Lady Olenna (seated, foreground shadow), Missandei, Tyrion, Dany, Yara, Ellaria Sand and Theon, strategize at the Painted Table. It’s fun to see them all together like this.
From her balcony on Dragonstone, Dany makes an ultra-dramatic turn to camera. She’s got something to say.
And cue the fast-cutting montage. First, horsemen burst out of a gate at Winterfell.
Next comes one of the most intriguing shots in the trailer. Is it just a wolf? Or could this be Arya Stark’s long lost direwolf Nymeria?
It’s telling that the next shot is Arya, looking up at wonder and fear at something. She is in the Riverlands, which is where she and Nymeria were last together, so a reunion isn’t impossible.
In the next shot, a figure darts through an action scene. She moves so quickly, it’s hard to be entirely sure who she is, but it looks like Nymeria Sand (Jessica Henwick).
Next is Sansa, glowing as usual, looking out on a wintry world full of dangers.
We’ve seen shots of Yara and Ellaria Sand getting it on before. Here they are again.
Danerys makes another dramatic turn to camera, this time in the company of Varys. She’s getting really good at that.
And finally, we get a nice close-up of Littlefinger being choked by Jon. Let’s all admit it — we could have watched this go on forever.
Next: Tourism Northern Ireland debuts enormous Game of Thrones tapestry to celebrate season 7
Can’t wait for “Stormborn!”