Winter is definitely coming this time.
Season three of HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones (based on the series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin) is set to premiere on March 31, and is expected to be as exciting and bloody as ever. Based on the two trailers currently available to watch on HBOGO (HBO’s online viewing website), season three will pick up exactly where the previous season left off. For those of you who may have forgotten and need a small refresher (spoiler alert for anyone who isn’t fully caught up), Joffrey Baratheon has become king of Westeros (though I don’t think anyone is arguing that he is a good king, or even a good person, and he is seen in the trailers as saying, “Everyone is mine to torment”), but he now faces threats from all across the kingdom. His uncle Stannis Baratheon may have been defeated in the Battle of Blackwater, but don’t count him out, especially with Melisandre, the priestess of R’hllor, using her dark magic to further his cause. Robb Stark, son of Ned Stark, has been proclaimed King in the North, but while he and his army march down south, Theon Greyjoy, the previous ward of his father and one of Robb’s most trusted friends, has sacked Winterfell, and everyone believes Bran and Rickon Stark are dead. Across the world, Daenerys Targaryen, the last of her house, may have three infant dragons, but she clearly underestimated the distance between her army in Qarth and the throne she covets in Westeros. And while these petty southern problems are being dealt with, Jon Snow and the men of the Nights Watch on the wall must contend with attacks from the Free Folk and the White Walkers (basically frozen zombies).
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For anyone who reads the novels as well as follows the show, you know that with each passing book, Martin introduces dozens of new characters for the reader to love to hate, hate to love and, overall, struggle to keep straight. Season three will be no exception, as over eighteen new actors have been cast. The new cast members include: Ed Skrein as Daario Naharis; Tobias Menzies and Clive Russell as Edmure and Brynden Tully, respectively; Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell, the “Queen of Thorns”; Ciaran Hinds as Mance Rayder; and Thomas Sangster and Ellie Kendrick as Jojen and Meera Reed, respectively. For those of you who only watch the show, know that the coming of these characters expectantly means more of the plot twists and complications that have made the show so popular. And for those of us who read the books as well, hopefully it will all remains as faithful as possible to the original series.
The official trailers spare no moment to get across what seems to be a main theme of season three: revenge. Varys, a member of the small council for King Joffrey and one of the most manipulative and cunning characters of the series, narrates over a montage of Robb Stark (his mother, Catelyn Stark, is seen in the trailer telling him, “Show them how it feels to lose what they love.”), Arya Stark, Jaime Lannister, Cersei Lannister and Tyrion Lannister. Varys affirms, “The revenge you want, will be yours in time.” Though revenge is something wanted by almost all of the characters in some form or another, expect to see these five truly go after those whom they feel have wronged them: each other. One of the most interesting visuals in the trailer is the split-second image of a chess piece being moved, possibly indicating that while much of the fighting done this season will be on the battlefield, the viewer shouldn’t forget about the most calculating and scheming people who spend their time behind the scenes. Fire is also a recurring element seen in the trailer, and after the brilliantly-executed Battle of Blackwater at the end of season two, the destructive powers of fire are sure to be seen often in every corner of the world. Also highly anticipated based on the trailers are multiple invasions, including Mance Rayder and his army scaling the Wall, and Daenerys Targaryen preparing for battle (for those of you who are fans of her three dragons: they’re bigger now, and they can fly).
The newest season of Game of Thrones will premiere on HBO Sunday, March 31 at 9 PM, and if the trailers are any indication, it will not disappoint.
