On April 15th, millions of people will jump to their TVs to catch the first episode of one of the most anticipated final seasons of a TV show in years. With a month before it airs, the two-minute trailer HBO released for Game Of Thrones’ eighth season has fans playing it on repeat to squeeze out as much information as possible. Warning: Spoilers Ahead.

From the trailer’s opening moments, we can see that the beginning of this finale will mirror the show’s first season. Shots of now grown up Jon and Sansa as the leaders of House Stark mirror those of their predecessors in earlier, more peaceful scenes at Winterfell. Everything’s finally coming full circle, and the trailer doesn’t waste any time in establishing that fact.

Further clips show Cersei being as evil as ever, as well as confirming the fact that Tormund and Beric survived an icy blast from an undead dragon at the end of season seven. Jorah, Jamie, and The Hound are all seen at Winterfell standing against the undead and there is a real sense that the show is drawing to a cohesive and somewhat cyclical conclusion.

One major point of tension in the trailer comes from short clips of Arya running, scared from something inside Winterfell. For fans who have not recently rewatched earlier seasons of the show, the sight of Arya scared may seem unfamiliar. What could have inspired terror in such a steadfast and unshakeable character? With the looming threat of the dead-raising White Walkers and the trailer’s returning attention to the Stark crypts, one can’t help but think that of the few things that could scare Arya; most are probably buried there.

Aside from that, the trailer busies itself with touching base with its vast lineup of characters, quickly reminding the audience that each one exists, before skipping to the next. Melisandre stands noticeably absent, having not been seen for half a season now.

Despite only being two minutes long, the trailer manages to pack in a vast array of information as it teases Game of Thrones’ final season. It has provided its fans with just enough to whip up excitement and intrigue about the final six episodes to let speculation and debate do the rest. Will the Night King be vanquished? What is Cersei up to? Who will end up on the Iron Throne? Only one thing is for certain about this show: it will keep us on the edge of our seats and guessing until the very end.

Matthew Jeffery

Image: Game of Thrones