The fifth season of “Game of Thrones” is coming in a month and a half, and HBO are making sure that everyone is aware of that. The studio has been releasing various short trailers to promote the upcoming season of the show, showing scenes from the new episodes in brief cuts. In order to receive the videos, one must sign up at the Three Eyed Raven website, after which they will start getting “visions”, as HBO calls them, giving them a glimpse into the new episodes that they’ve prepared.
The idea for these “visions” is actually not that new, as HBO have been doing that for a while now, although they previously only released clips from season 4, with a few rare still images from season 5. Now, with this week’s visions, fans finally got to see some actual clips from the new season, revealing what they can expect to see in the new episodes.
First, we got to see Jon Snow talking with Mance Rayder about the true reasons behind Mance’s decision to bring the 90 wildling clans together. It should be noted that this is one of the few times the two have spoken since the wildling’s fall, and the exchange will be quite heated, with a lot of implied resentment on both sides.
Then, there’s a clip that shows a tired Brienne of Tarth telling Podrick Payne who accompanies her on her travels that she doesn’t want to be followed by anybody, as she doesn’t see herself as a leader. According to her, all she ever wanted to do was to fight for a lord she actually believed in, but she states that all the good lords are already dead, and all that’s left are monsters. Brienne seems to be getting tired of what she’s doing, and she’s not that sure she should continue.
In general, it’s clear that a lot of tension is building up in Westeros and Essos, alluding to a dark story in the new season. Of course, it wouldn’t be “Game of Thrones” without a serious dose of drama, but it seems like even fans who were prepared to see some dramatic developments in season 5 might be surprised by what they get.
Meanwhile, George R.R. Martin continues his work on the next installment in the book series the TV show is based on, but it’s not clear if we’ll get to see the new book in 2015 or not. Current indications seem to be that we’ll have to wait until at least 2016 to read the continuation of the story, but knowing Martin’s previous work and his general dedication to what he’s doing, the wait should definitely be worth it.