Watch the official Game of Thrones season 7 trailer before reading my 5 major takeaways!

1. Littlefinger and Jon Snow clash: Defeating Ramsay Bolton and his allies at Winterfell would not have been possible without Littlefinger and the forces he brought from the Vale. But despite this and the alliance forged between the North and the Vale at the end of the season, Jon Snow has plenty of reason to hate Littlefinger. The problem is that Sansa has told Jon precious little about Littlefinger, most importantly the role he played in the torment she experienced because of Ramsay. Neither Sansa nor Jon know how integral Littlefinger was to the War of Five Kings and the extensive suffering and death it caused the Starks and their allies. It appears Jon will learn at least a piece of these matters as he slams Littlefinger against a wall in the crypts of Winterfell. Or is this the moment where Littlefinger reveals Jon’s parentage and the newly anointed King in the North lashes out at the truth? Above all, how can a ruthless manipulator and the archetypal hero (arguably the only honorable character left in the story) find a way to work together, particularly considering Littlefinger’s crimes against Jon’s family?

2. Unsullied vs. Lannister army: Queen Cersei and Queen Daenerys are two of the major players left in the game of thrones. Season 6 left them in positions of prime power but left audiences unsure of when they would face each other for the first time. The first meeting of Cersei and Daenerys is unclear, but the trailer features numerous shots of the Unsullied battling the Lannister army. This epic battle will likely determine the futures of Cersei and Daenerys and their attempts to maintain or seize control of the Iron Throne. We may even see our first glimpse of Casterly Rock through this battle.

3. Robert Baratheon’s fear has come true:

There’s been plenty of war since this scene, but more specifically we now see the hordes of Dothraki that Robert feared rampaging across Westeros. What Ned Stark claimed impossible has come to pass thanks to Daenerys, though neither Ned nor Robert foresaw the giant dragon flying above the Dothraki army.

4. Daenerys and her allies will not be at sea long: Season 7 appears to waste no time getting Daenerys and her allies to Westeros. In addition to the numerous shots of the Unsullied battling the Lannister army and the Dothraki, there are several shots of Daenerys at Dragonstone. I’m glad Daenerys, Tyrion, and the rest of these characters won’t be stuck at sea long, isolated from the core events. This will help the story keep a swift pace and I look forward to seeing how Daenerys handles the treacherous Euron Greyjoy. Among the allies of Daenerys it’s also worth noting that romance appears to be blooming between Yara Greyjoy and Ellaria Sand and blooms further for Grey Worm and Missandei.

5. Where is Arya headed? We see a couple shots of Arya with a horse out in the bitterly cold woods. This makes it look like she’s headed North where she could reunite with Jon and Sansa, and perhaps even her direwolf Nymeria along the way. But since winter has come, it’s plausible that these bitterly cold woods are farther south and she’s headed to King’s Landing to kill Cersei and the Mountain, the final individuals on her list.

This trailer did an excellent job showcasing shots of the new season and briefly reacquainting us with many of our favorite characters without spoiling anything essential. Some key characters like Bran, Varys, Olenna Tyrell, and the Hound were conspicuously absent from the trailer but I’m confident all will play prominent roles when the season airs. The story moves ever closer to the final battle not only for the Iron Throne, but for human existence against the threat of the White Walkers. We are less than two months away from the premiere of season 7!

What other takeaways do you have from watching this trailer? What are you looking forward to most in season 7? Comment below!

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