'Game Of Thrones' Season 6 Teaser Brings The Death And Decapitation And Destruction And Dragons And... Bran
When the fifth season of Game of Thrones concluded with a main character lying dead on the ground, countless fans took to social media to express their disgust, declaring that they would never watch the show again. The very next day, they all started counting down the days until the next season. This is the way of the Game of Thrones fan and they've been this way since poor Ned Stark had his head lobbed off back in season one.
The next season of HBO's flagship series won't begin airing until next year, so fans have to bundle up and survive the harsh winter if they want to feel the bloody warmth of Westeros again. But HBO knows your pain and from their high castle walls, they have thrown us, the peasants, a bone. Yes, it's the first trailer for the new season. Praise the Seven!
Watch the first Game of Thrones season 6 teaser after the jump.
Anyone expecting new footage from the first Game of Thrones trailer obviously hasn't been watching Game of Thrones for very long. HBO knows they have your full and undivided attention, so the first teaser is always just that – a tease. This one, while undeniably an effective piece of advertising that will keep the fans satiated for a day or so, consists entirely of footage from past seasons. However, the footage consists almost entirely violence and dragons and lingering shots of the deceased-but-not-really Jon Snow, so it's still pretty cool. It does feature one new line of dialogue, courtesy of Isaac Hempstead-Wright's long-absent Bran Stark: "They have no idea what's going to happen."
That Bran line, while certainly from the show itself, is a firm poke in the fanboy ribs. After all, this season finds the show officially outpacing George R.R. Martin's novels, which means that everyone, show-watchers and book-readers alike, are setting out into uncharted waters. Sure, the book fans can lean on the elaborate theories they've constructed using evidence from the text, but they're operating in the dark now. The days of people spoiling major events three seasons in advance are over!
Although much of the new season is cloaked in mystery, we do know that Ian McShane will be be joining the cast as a not-so-mysterious mystery character and that the legendary Max Von Sydow will be stepping in to play the Three-Eyed Raven, Bran's mentor in the mystic arts.
Game of Thrones season 6 will premiere in April, but HBO has yet to reveal the exact date. In any case, we have our response to that announcement: not soon enough.