Let’s break down the new Game of Thrones trailer shot by shot

Rejoice, Game of Thrones fans! Today, HBO released a trailer for the eighth and final season of the show. If you haven’t yet, watch below:

We’ve got loads of talk about. Who were those guys on that ship? What was Arya running from? Is that Jaime fighting at Winterfell? Buckle up.

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We open with Arya breathing heavily, her face is bloodied and smeared with soot.

But she pulls it together long enough to take a long run through a Winterfell corridor as something is chasing her.

Seriously, Arya looks disheveled and battle-weary. She keeps running…

…and running. Notice she’s got her Valyrian steel dagger in her hand. Is a White Walker chasing her down?

Next, we’ve got Davos walking the battlements of Winterfell. He’s armored and dressed for battle, and probably giving orders to the soldiers he passes.

We cut back to Arya, still on the run.

It’s frightening to see Arya so frightened. If it scares Arya, everyone should be very worried.

Next, we get a shot of Varys, along with Gilly and baby Sam, and the women and children of Winterfell hiding in the crypts while a battle rages above them.

We’re not the only ones who thought of the Battle of Helm’s Deep from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers when we saw this shot:

Arya’s still running, you guys. You can really see the blood on her face in this one:

“I know Death,” she says, “he’s got many faces. I look forward to seeing this one.” Contrasting her self-confident speech with her running scared makes everything that much more terrifying.

At least she’s holding a dragonglass dagger there. Pray for Arya.

Oh look, it’s three Greyjoy ships, I wonder if they belong to Theon as he goes to rescue Yara.

Nope, that’s newcomer Harry Strickland — looking like season 1 Jaime — and his Golden Company soldiers aboard Euron’s ships. Cersei’s plan is coming to fruition.

Hey look: Beric and Tormund made it out of season 7 alive and are skulking around in the dark with someone I’m pretty sure is Dolorous Edd, the current Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch! Good thing Beric’s sword is a multipurpose tool.

“Everything you did brought you where you are now,” says Bran. He’s always saying stuff like that:

Sam’s breathing cold air, you guys. The White Walkers approach.

But that’s enough of the cold. What’s happening in the (slightly) warmer climes?

In King’s Landing, Cersei and Qyburn — watched over by the Mountain — look smug about something. More than likely they’re watching Euron Greyjoy’s ships bring the Golden Company into port.

Check out this lovely shot of a kid in the winter town watching the Unsullied march into Winterfell:

It’s a nice callback to when Bran saw Robert Baratheon march to Winterfell in season 1:

Dany and Jon ride amongst the Unsullied, presenting a united front:

And where Daenerys of House Targaryen goes, her dragons are sure to follow. Here’s Drogon requesting a flyby from Sansa:

“That’s a negative, the pattern is full…oh COME ON!”

Drogon and Rhaegal don’t care about permissions; they’ll fly anywhere they please.

Next, we have Dany walking toward Jon in the Winterfell crypts.

Jon looks upset and she seems to be consoling him. Is Jon just getting nostalgia in front of Ned’s statue, or are they dealing with the whole auntcest business?

Side note: I dig Dany’s new white fur, but if she harmed Ghost in any way…

Next, we visit a forge, presumably at Winterfell:

And who should be running it but Gendry?

Ser Jorah Mormont pulls up on his horse for a nice hero shot. He’s all armored up and itching for a fight. Note that we’re not outside of Winterfell at night.

Missandei and Grey Worm get in a passionate kiss before shit gets real.

I believe Missandei is wearing a new outfit. Notice the designs on the back:

Remember when we mentioned shit getting real?

A silhouetted figure carves a path through enemies.

There’s some confusion as to who exactly this is, although according to HBO it’s Jaime:

The Kingslayer in the thick of it:

We cut back to King’s Landing. We’re in the Iron Throne room, where Cersei is holding court for two. Some people seem to think she has Sansa (on our right, in front of the throne) in her clutches. I’ll let you all debate that in the comments.

Then we get this odd shot of Cersei looking shook, drinking wine in her pajamas. She…

looks…

…upset. Did she just get some awful news? Perhaps that her brother is dead? The one she likes, not the dwarf?

Next, we have some beautiful shots of Rhaegal and Drogon flying around the North. This is the most screentime Rhaegal’s had in seven seasons of the show.

The people at Winterfell aren’t too keen on dragons, but Arya loves them:

We’re back to the nighttime battle at Winterfell. Grey Worm looks ready to get to work, and you know what that means: helmets. Safety first.

Jon Snow has a moment in front of Winterfell’s weirwood tree:

Game of Thrones loves showing off that tree; I remember Sansa having her own moment there in the season 7 trailer:

The Hound makes a cameo appearance. Who’s ready to see him and Arya have that long-awaited reunion?

“I promise to fight for the living,” Jaime says. “I intend to keep that promise.” Is Jaime to convince Jon, Dany or someone else to let him fight in the battle of Winterfell? A lot of people in that camp have reasons to distrust him, so it may take some explaining.

Next, a hand grasps a spear or a stick. We think this is Arya. More on that in a second.

Jon charging into battle. He does that often, whether it’s a good idea or not.

Next, we see soldiers running toward a gate. Are they the good guys? We hope so. But they could also be the Golden Company attacking Winterfell; notice that the guy on the right is wearing shiny golden-colored armor:

Okay, so there’s been a lot of talk about this next shot:

Are these a bunch of horse legs galloping ahead? Or are these wolves, perhaps members of Nymeria’s wolfpack here to aid the living? Notice the tails seem to be close to the ground. It’s hard to tell.

Jon and Dany approach Rhaegal and Drogon. Is Jon gonna ride a dragon in season 8, you guys?

An exquisite shot of Sansa:

And now, we get to Arya fighting with a spear or staff. The Pixel Factor, of Twitter fame, lightened up the footage so we can tell exactly what we’re looking at:

Here’s Dany looking plaintive. We’re not sure where she is. A room in Winterfell? Still on that boat? On a different boat?

And now, the ONLY shot of Tyrion in the entire trailer:

A dragon peers into the darkness…

…and vomits a torrent of fire:

The Unsullied form up outside Winterfell:

This is my favorite shot: Brienne and Podrick Payne on the front lines.

Ser Jorah Mormont is ready for battle…

…as the White Walkers approach, riding their dead horses:

And that’s a wrap, y’all.

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