GoT: WINTER HAS COME
Jon Snow’s watch at The Wall may have ended, but yours is about to begin as Season 7 of ‘Game of Thrones’ brings big action, intrigue and treachery.
THE night is dark and full of terrors; the internet is also dark in places – go there at your own peril – and overflowing with speculation about what’s coming our way in season seven of Game Of Thrones.
The penultimate season premieres in the US on Sunday, which is 3am CAT (Central African Time) on Monday so we’ll once again be seeing it on M-Net 101 at the same time as American viewers. There will be a repeat in prime time at 9.30pm on Monday.
A long time ago I set a Google alert for Game Of Thrones news and as the new season approaches, these daily updates are flinging so many links at me, I don’t even know where to begin.
It’s been more than a year since season six concluded, and several patterns that were set before have been shattered. Besides moving the date later in the year, season seven will consist of seven episodes as opposed to the previous 10 per season. This will drop to six in the eighth season. The reason is mainly because George RR Martin has inconveniently not written enough books to sustain the television series.
The previous season was cobbled together largely with original content not found in Martin’s A Song Of Ice And Fire series. Some material was adapted from the upcoming sixth novel The Winds Of Winter and the fourth and fifth novels, A Feast For Crows and A Dance With Dragons, by showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss.
Season seven follows the same route, with Benioff and Weiss writing from material adapted from what Martin shared with them. It will be interesting to see how closely it matches Martin’s books when he does eventually write them because all the external influences – especially from fans – are bound to affect what he finally delivers. Or he could flip a finger at the world in general and write something completely different.
The absence of original material, and Martin’s non-involvement in the writing process, was why I found season six lacking in many ways. It sprawled more than ever, and surely only the most dedicated of enthusiasts could keep up. There are those who dissect every episode, scene by scene and every trailer and it is because of them we can turn to the internet for information we – and by “we” I mean me – cannot be bothered to retain in the limited memory of my brain’s hard drive. Also, I have a life.
Filmed primarily in Northern Ireland (where there is a purpose-built studio in the Belfast dockyard as well as dozens of outdoor locations), Spain, and Iceland, Game Of Thrones features a massive ensemble cast; among the new faces this season are Jim Broadbent and Tom Hopper. Although online leaks are commonplace (episode one appears to be available through a series of links if you know where to look, and hand over your credit card details), HBO released the titles of the first three episodes and very cryptic synopses in the past week, which in turn have led to all sorts of new speculations.
Episode one is entitled Dragonstone in which Jon (Kit Harington) organises the defence of the North. Cersei (Lena Headey) tries to even the odds. Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) comes home.
According to an article on fortune.com, “Dragonstone, a castle formerly held by the doomed Stannis Baratheon, is an ancient Targaryen base, so it’s likely the ‘home’ that Daenerys Targaryen is returning to in the season’s first episode – and her starting point for retaking the Iron Throne of Westeros.”
Stormborn is the title of episode two, in which Daenerys receives an unexpected visitor. Jon faces a revolt. Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) plans the conquest of Westeros. “The second episode also seems to put Daenerys front and centre, while returning Jon Snow to the picture,” says fortune. com. “Jon has dealt with plenty of revolts (including a Night’s Watch uprising that killed him for a short while), but he’s now the King in the North, so the stakes are higher. He, the Lannisters, and Daenerys are also seemingly headed for a threeway showdown.”
In episode three, The Queen’s Justice, Daenerys holds court. Cersei returns a gift. Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) learns from his mistakes. Could they be more vague? Apparently fortune.com agrees: “The third episode’s synopsis seems to offer least of all in terms of substance, though the title is a play on the title of an executioner. Cersei managed to get herself a crown at the end of season six, so that could mean either her or, less likely, Daenerys putting someone to the sword.”
The more you research, the more opinions you will find about the possibilities season seven holds for us. You’ll also pick up things you’ve forgotten, which apparently you need to remember. The pressure is enormous.
Some tips from Meghan O’Keefe at decider.com include looking out for the catspaw (an assassin sent to kill Bran in his bed in season one) dagger, which once belonged to Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) as well as Tyrion Lannister. Another reason it’s special, says O’Keefe, is that it is made of Valyrian steel: “Valyrian steel is not only rare in the Seven Kingdoms, but it’s also one of the only materials known to be able to kill a White Walker. So, this dagger that we haven’t seen or heard about in six seasons could be a useful addition to our heroes’ artillery.”
O’Keefe postulates Ser Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) still has a part to play, and the glimpse of a hand covered in grayscale reaching out from behind a locked door in the first official season seven trailer is sufficient to render this possible; even the tiniest detail matters in this complex universe. Similarly, Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbaek) and his navy of pirate ships are believed to have not run their course either, and theories about alliances abound.
Then there is the little matter of Lady Sansa (Sophie Turner). She and Tyrion Lannister were married in season three and in season five she was handed off to the late Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) by Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish. Although Sansa and Tyrion didn’t consummate their union, the consequences of these relationships are unclear. Since then, Tyrion has joined forces with Daenerys while Sansa stands side by side with her half-brother/cousin Jon Snow; with Tyrion’s sister Cersei forming the third prong of the quest for the Iron Throne, it seems likely loyalties will be brutally questioned.
Trivia: Microsoft Word doesn’t question the weird spellings of any of the main characters’ names, which shows just how GoT has incorporated itself into real life.
IN THE WEEK
Michael McIntyre’s Big Show (BBC Brit, Tuesday at 8pm): I love this funny little man and chortle every time I watch him, whether I’ve heard the jokes before or not. This family entertainment series guarantees big laughs, big stars and big surprises. Each episode features performances from various musicians or dance troupes, “Celebrity Send To All” is a delicious prank in which McIntyre composes a hilarious message to send to everyone in his guest’s phonebook (something we’ve seen him do with audience members in other shows), and the “Unexpected Star Of The Show” which sees an unsuspecting member of the public asked to perform at the end of the show.
Guests featured in this series include rap star Tinie Tempah, rock legend Bryan Adams, comedian Josh Widdecombe, Irish pop star Ronan Keating, Dragon’s Den star Peter Jones, Strictly Come Dancing’s Bruno Tonioli and the stunning mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins.
Veep (M-Net 101, Monday at 10.45pm): The last three episodes of this hilarious award-winning comedy series will be played out back-to-back. In episode eight, Selina (Golden Globe-winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus) turns Gary’s (Tony Hale, Arrested Development) birthday party into a publicity stunt. In the next one, her book comes out; and in the season finale, there are a series of flashbacks. A lazy gimmick, in my opinion.
The Night Shift (M-Net 101, Wednesday at 11.35pm): Season four of the series which follows the overnight shift at San Antonio Medical Center – with a strong army medic connection which provides plenty of sentimental content – sees the staff adjusting without former administrator and close friend, Dr Topher Zia (Ken Leung).
Head of the night shift, Dr Jordan Alexander (Jill Flint), works out a deal with new hospital owner, renowned neurosurgeon Dr Julian Cummings (James McDaniel), to rehire most of the staff. Meanwhile, Dr Drew Alister (Brendan Fehr), struggles with becoming a working father, having adopted a foster daughter previously, while Dr TC Callahan (Eoin Macken) has been overseas at the Turkey-Syria border dealing with the humanitarian crisis.