What’s up with Beric, Tormund and Dolorous Edd in the season 8 trailer?

Yesterday, HBO blessed us with an action-packed trailer for the final season of Game of Thrones. Haven’t seen it yet? Have a watch:

After we caught our breath, the questions began. One of them occurred to me around 0:31, when a trio of figures stepped through a door:

First of all, who’s here? It’s easy to pick out Beric Dondarrion and Tormund Giantsbane, the one with his signature flaming sword and the other with his signature magnificent red beard, but the third one is a little less clear. After looking closely, we’re pretty sure it’s Eddison “Dolorous Edd” Tollett, current Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch.

Last we saw them, Beric and Tormund were watching the Wall fall at Eastwatch. Obviously they survive. Perhaps they ran along the length of the Wall, reached Castle Black, and warned Edd of what was coming?

The next question is: where are these three? Are they still at Castle Black or have they fled someplace safer? Well, the stonework on the wall behind them looks a lot like the stonework in the great hall at Winterfell. Notice the darker stones capped at each corner:

Castle Black as a similar pattern with its stonework, but doesn’t have the same color pattern:

Of course, these three could be at another Northern castle we haven’t seen before, such as Last Hearth or Karhold, both of which lie between the Wall and Winterfell, but odds are that the simplest answer is the correct one: these three are at Winterfell.

Now we come to the next question: what are they doing? Beric and Edd have their weapons drawn, so it seems like they’re on guard. (Sure, Beric could have his drawn his sword to provide light with that nifty fire trick of his, but Edd’s sword can’t light on fire and he still has it out.) But they don’t look particularly tense. They kind of look like they’re wandering or exploring the castle. And while we can’t be sure because the clip is only a couple second long, they seem to be alone.

Another note: Beric is now wearing shoulder and neck plating over his mail coat, which he wasn’t when we saw him in season 7:

We also know that Beric (or at least people with flaming swords) will participate in the Battle of Winterfell, which we see a lot of in the trailer. Putting this together with Beric’s new Stark-style armor, that would suggest that he and his companions arrive at the Stark home base before the Night King does.

But if that’s true, why are they exploring the castle, and where is everybody else, and why are they on guard? Perhaps this happens during the battle? Have wights brown in and this trio is chasing them down? Or could they arrive after the fight is over to find the place deserted?

What does everyone else think? Am I reading too much into everything? Or is something else at play? Give us your thoughts!

To stay up to date on everything Game of Thrones, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Watch Game of Thrones for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels