Game of Thrones Season 8 SPOILERS: We finally know what that giant set is for

Thus far, the Game of Thrones production has been pretty good at keeping SPOILERS for season 8 to a minimum. But no more. There’s some juicy new info to go around, so if you’d rather remain in the dark, please exit via the side and rear doors.

Okay, for all those remaining, there are two things to go over, both of them reported by Game of Thrones fansite Watchers on the Wall. The more minor of the two involves the Winterfell set at Moneyglass in Northern Ireland, which is currently abuzz with activity. Thrones fan @Cathair96 snapped some new photos of the set, which has undergone heavy construction between seasons 7 and 8. The pics give us a better idea of what might go down here.

With all the snow against the walls, the place looks fit for winter. Again, the fact that the production went to the trouble of actually building these outer walls and battlements makes us think that they’re going to get a lot of use of them, by which we mean someone will attack them.

That’s reinforced by the trebuchet in the above picture. Someone’s brought a siege weapon to the scene. Are the Northerners firing out at the White Walkers, or is someone firing in?

But we’d already guessed that there was going to be a battle at Winterfell. It’s time for the major SPOILERS. Ready?

For a while now, we’ve been wondering about the purpose and nature of a gigantic set — bigger than anything the show has previously constructed — going up in a lot outside Titanic Studios in Belfast. Watchers has learned two things.

First, the set will stand in the streets of King’s Landing. That’s not surprising — it’s hard to imagine what else such a massive set could be.

But why wouldn’t the production just use cities like Dubrovnik and Girona to stand in for King’s Landing like it has before? As it ends up, the production needed to build its own version of King’s Landing because it’s going to burn a good portion of it down. And not only that: it’s going to be burned down by dragons.

That brings up a lot of questions. Is this Daenerys ordering Drogon or Rhaegal to torch the place? She’s considered the possibility before, and Cersei did betray her in “The Dragon and the Wolf.” Did someone else gain control over her dragons? Or are the Night King and Viserion behind this, assuming that whatever Viserion breaths now is still fire?

Next: HBO CEO Richard Plepler gives update on Game of Thrones prequel series

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