Kevin Also Blogs: Small Council: What do we want out of a trailer for Game of Thrones season 7?

We’ve already gotten a couple of promos for Game of Thrones season 7, plus official photos. Can a proper trailer be far behind? What do we hope it brings us? The Small Council is in session.

DAN: At this point, I think we’ve all become accustomed to the kinds of trailers HBO produces for Game of Thrones. Regardless of whether you’ve heard any spoilers for season 7, you can expect any upcoming trailer to feature dramatic shots of battle and Cersei glowering at the camera from under her crown, and to make a big deal of the fact that fan favorites like Arya and Daenerys have returned to Westeros.

And I’m looking forward to all of that. Looking back, it seems clear to me that seasons 5 and 6 were parts 1 and 2 of one long story — the rise of the Sparrows in King’s Landing, Arya’s time in Braavos, the Bolton’s unsuccessful occupation of Winterfell, etc. The board has now been reset for one final act, and I’m eager for any glimpse of it.

But mostly, I’m hoping to see something surprising. Will the final two seasons have a different tone than the last two, and will that come across in the trailer? Now that Game of Thrones is nearing its end, will there be a new kind of urgency — in the cinematography, the performances, or the pacing? I want snatches of that.

And I’m hoping that HBO doesn’t use a modern piece of music to score the thing, but I’m not getting my hopes up. Ramin Djawadi’s compositions are right there, guys.

KATIE: Let’s face it, Dan — it’s going to be another macabre cover of a pop song, and I for one welcome it. As always, my vote is for a rendition of Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero.” I actually think it’s sort of insulting that HBO hasn’t yet taken this opportunity. I never thought I’d say this, but in the case of a solid Bonnie Tyler cover, Game of Thrones could really take a leaf out of Shrek 2’s book.

Aside from dreaming apparently impossible dreams, I want to see the Starks in the season 7 trailer. We left them at the end of season 6 more or less triumphant: Sansa and Jon retaking Winterfell, Arya exacting revenge on the Freys and heading home, and Bran taking his mystical powers to the other side of the Wall. I want to know what’s next for the last family standing — which, in a sense, is exactly what the Starks are.

The Baratheons and Tyrells are all but snuffed out, I don’t think any of us think the Sand Snakes are long for this world, the Lannisters are splitting at the seams, and — discounting Jon — there’s only one Targaryen left, and quite frankly I just don’t care about Daenerys anymore. If the trailer gives me dragons and another war-mongering speech but is sparse with the Starks, I will be entirely disappointed.

Of course, I can’t believe a trailer would be sparse with the Starks, so I’m not too fussed about it. But they’re what I want from a preview, and from the season as a whole. This family has been separated from the beginning, and despite their tragedies, those left have emerged with incredible fortitude. That’s my big takeaway from Game of Thrones, and it’s what keeps me hooked on the series: characters who have been torn apart, only to reunite and become stronger. Sure, the White Walkers are coming and the battle scenes will be unparalleled, but the only reason we care so much about the ultimate showdown is because we care about the characters, and how they’ll be affected afterwards.

I would also accept a shot of Sansa casually flipping Littlefinger over the railing here, spoilers be damned.

SARAH: Sorry, Dan, but I’m entirely with Katie, which I often am. I enjoy the strange, vaguely out-of-place covers of popular songs that the trailers employ. Ramin Djawadi is an excellent composer and I really love his work on Thrones, but we’ll get plenty of it in the season. Last year’s cover of “Wicked Game” is one of my most-played songs on Spotify and introduced me to James Vincent McMorrow, for which I am eternally grateful. I’m personally holding out for some Fleetwood Mac. “The Chain” is a particular favorite of mine.

On what I want to see, I’m with Katie again. The Starks are the family that keeps me coming back, year after year. I want to see Bran, Sansa and Arya sitting together at the high table in Winterfell. I want to see Arya practicing her fighting skills in the courtyard with Brienne. I want to see Arya hugging Sansa and Sansa hugging Bran and Jon hugging Arya. I want to see the hint of a positive connection between the Stark sisters. I want to see a terrified Littlefinger and I want to see a confident, composed Bran totally owning his powers and preparing to take on the Night King. Basically, I want as much evidence as possible that the Starks are joining as one this season. Like Katie, I can’t bring myself to care about Daenerys and her pumpkin-spice latte plot. I’m all about the Starks.

Here’s what I think we’ll see in the trailer.

Cersei sitting on her throne looking fierce, gurl
Dany on her throne, at Dragonstone, trying and failing to look anywhere near as fierce
A scared wildling/brother of the Night’s Watch
Jaime riding a horse, looking pensive
Arya riding a horse, looking less pensive than Jaime
Jon saying, “The dead are coming,” whilst looking concerned
Possibly Davos saying, “The dead are coming.” These two are practically interchangeable at this point.
The Night King wearing an unreadable expression, surrounded by his army
Swords
Battles
Dirt
War-cries
Blood
A dragon, or all three dragons
Tormund holding a weapon
Brienne wearing an expression of consternation while Pod stands next to her, smiling at nothing in particular
Snow
Bran’s eyes turning white
Daenerys saying something along the lines of, “I will take what is mine,” or “I will sit the iron throne.”
A beauty shot of Sansa
Littlefinger looking smug with his smug goatee
A witty/profound/intelligent line from Tyrion

Things I desperately want to see in the trailer, but know we won’t see:

Gendry
Gendry beating some steel in a steamy workshop, sweat dripping from his pure and godly form. Meow.
Gendry standing proudly on the prow of a ship, dressed like a grade-A Baratheon while Papa Davos looks on with pride
Gendry full-on making out with Arya
Jon breaking out a choreographed dance routine
Sansa and Arya taking turns to smack Littlefinger in the face, Robin Arryn-style
Jaime bursting into the Winterfell courtyard, dressed as a Shakespearean hero and brandishing a bunch of roses for Brienne, just as Tormund is about to declare his undying love
Cersei doing anything at all, as her mere presence brings me great joy
More Gendry

Basically, I love Gendry, but feel certain that the show is going to make us wait for him.

COREY: Honestly, at this point I will settle for any kind of trailer with actual footage from season 7. With filming pushed back this year, the wait has begun to feel insufferable. Do we even realize that at this point last year we were weeks into season 6?

If I was forced to choose exactly what I wanted to see, I would have to say I’d like to see some goings on in King’s Landing. Filming spoilers have left us with a pretty good idea of what Jon and Daenerys will be up to in season 7, but we’re more or less in the dark about House Lannister. More details would certainly be welcome.

I will admit, though: if we get the money shot of Daenerys stepping foot on Westerosi soil, I would certainly get goosebumps. If I had to guess, the trailer will be light on proper spoilers. We are getting close to the end of the series, so most of the proverbial cards are on the table. But then again, it might be hard to cut a trailer that doesn’t reveal major portions of the story. At only seven episodes, there probably won’t be much filler in season 7.

But again, I just want to see something. Give me anything. I’ll even take Tyrion telling some jokes.

RAZOR: Here’s what I’m hoping for in the Game of Thrones season 7 trailer: a dimly lit room, the voices of characters long dead reciting some of their better lines, candles flickering as the camera pans up and we see a bunch of faces on the wall…I’m kidding. What I really want to see is glimpses of Jon Snow doing King in the North stuff. I want to see him sitting at the high table in Winterfell as the Lords of the North come to pledge fealty. I want a shot of Dany in Dragonstone, and while we’re at it, I want shots of each of the dragons — Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion.

Give me a glimpse of Sam working with the maesters in Oldtown, and then show us an angry Randyl Tarly riding alongside his son, New Dickon (that’s his name now), with an army of Tarly soldiers looking down on Oldtown because he wants his sword back. Sam didn’t really think he was going to get away with that, did he?

Mainly, what I want to see is snippets of battles. Whether it’s on land, with the forces of House Lannister fighting House Tyrell, by sea, with the Ironborn and other ships in Dany’s new fleet fighting Euron, or by air, with Dany’s dragons raining death and destruction down upon her enemies. That’s what I want in the season 7 trailer. Oh, and throw in a few White Walkers for good measure.

RICHARD: Good stuff from everybody! What do I want to see? The Starks and company (the new family, really) — Jon, Sansa, Arya, Tormund, Ser Davos, Brienne and Lyanna Mormont — marching out of Winterfell. The ragtags tend to latch on to the Starks, so perhaps the Brotherhood Without Banners could be there as well, complete with a weird Hound-Arya reunion.

Also, glimpses of the lost and exiled characters, such as Bran, Meera, Benjen, Gendry and Melisandre. Power players Cersei, Jaime and Qyburn overseeing a huge army in King’s Landing and Daenerys turning her armada to face Euron’s fleet. If HBO leans stylistic, it would be cool to see a set of flags — Lannister, Stark, Targaryen and Greyjoy — that darken to silhouettes and mix so you lose track, and then one of them burns. Or perhaps a long single shot of Hodor, now a wight, his eyes bright blue. And of course, the Wall coming rumbling, tumbling down.

Then again, any new Game of Thrones trailer, no matter the style or design, will get this reaction from me: