Courtesy of HBO
Heads will roll, and faces will come off, when fans return to Westeros.
[Warning: This story contains spoilers from the A Song of Ice and Fire books on which Game of Thrones is based.]
HBO showed viewers how it feels to lose what they love, by bringing those beloved faces back from the grave for a brand-new Game of Thrones teaser.
The minute-and-a-half look at season six of Thrones comes equipped with dark words, if not wings, about what viewers can expect from the show's future. In short? Expect a lot of death, as Jon Snow warns — and if you're a fan of Tyrion Lannister, start saying a prayer.
Even with a short run-time and limited focus, there's much to unpack from the latest look at Thrones. Here are seven of the most important takeaways from the teaser:
1. House Party
The teaser takes place entirely inside the House of Black and White, the shadowy organization currently employing Arya Stark as an assassin-in-training. Specifically, it takes place inside the Hall of Faces, a key source of power for the shape-shifting Faceless Men. It's only the second teaser for season six, so the fact that Arya's surroundings are so strongly emphasized says a lot about the big things in store for Maisie Williams' character in the coming year.
2. Ned's Dead, Baby...
… but that doesn't mean we've seen the last of his head. Rumors persist that Eddard Stark will once again appear on Thrones in season six, if not played by Sean Bean, then perhaps by a younger actor. If it comes to pass, you'll have flashbacks to thank, or perhaps even Bran Stark's new abilities learned during his training with the Three-Eyed Raven.
3. Hearts of Stone
The season six teaser was viewers' first look at Catelyn Stark since her gruesome death at the Red Wedding. But if the show was following the books to the letter, viewers would have seen her again more recently on the show, as Lady Stoneheart — a zombified version of Cat, resurrected by Beric Dondarrion, hell bent on vengeance against the Freys and Lannisters. Is her appearance in the teaser a sign that the Stoneheart twist will occur on the show after all, or just a nod of respect toward the late Lady Stark?
4. The Return of Robb and Joffrey
Actually, that was it. Don't expect to see the King in the North or the cruel king of the Seven Realms on your televisions again; they're dead, full-stop.
5. Jon is Snow More
How about Jon? His fate has been hanging in the balance ever since his brutal betrayal at the hands of the Night's Watch in season five's finale. Most fans expect Jon to survive his encounter, but the inclusion of his face in the House of Black and White suggests that he's a dead man — at least for now. Consider it as much of a tease as the season six poster containing a bloodied Jon Snow, then, and not so much a be-all end-all confirmation that the beloved Lord Commander is gone for good.
6. Dead Imp Walking
The most troubling image of the teaser comes right at the end: Tyrion Lannister's lifeless face, positioned next to all the other grim members of the Hall of Faces. It's a visual that will rightfully send fans into full-on panic mode, wondering whether or not Peter Dinklage will make it out of season six alive… but what's even more troubling is that he's surrounded by other fan-favorite faces, like Daenerys and Arya. Which speaks to one last point…
7. They Are No One
"The long night is coming, and the dead come with it," Jon Snow says in the final words of the teaser, just as all the pale faces of still-alive characters come into view. It's a sign that on Thrones, no character is sacred — just ask departed Starks Ned, Catelyn and Robb. There's much to read into the teaser, but one of the biggest takeaways is a promise that even if Jon Snow can crawl out of the grave, it's inevitable that one or more of your favorite characters will replace him on the body pile before long.
Watch the new teaser again below.
The sixth season of Game of Thrones premieres on April 24.
Game of Thrones
