'Game of Thrones' Season 8 Qs: Those Spirals, New Opening Credits & More (PHOTOS)
What’s with that new intro?
As diehard fans of the series know, the intro sequence to Game of Thrones hasn’t changed much since the Season 1 premiere, save for minor additions as the show expanded — such as Dorne where the Martells resided. But Season 8 made way for a new intro altogether as the fallen wall was front and center from the moment it began. So what’s the reasoning for this? Well, a final season deserves a little attention, and since winter has finally arrived at Westeros, we can’t help but see this as a necessary update. The new sequence was acknowledged by the series when it was posted on their official YouTube page.
How much do the dragons understand/know?
One moment of comedic relief from the dramatic tone of the premiere was Daenerys’ (Emilia Clarke) dragons staring at Jon Snow (Kit Harington) during a romantic moment. Since viewers already know Jon is really her nephew, of course we wondered — do the dragons know what Jon and Dany didn’t at the time? Allowing Jon to ride them makes us believe that they at least know he’s a Targaryen by blood, but the extent of what they know remains a mystery.
Is there something going on between Arya and Gendry?
One of the most talked-about reunions of the premiere was between Arya (Maisie Williams) and Gendry (Joe Dempsie). The two characters originally met at King’s Landing and later parted ways in Season 3 after Melisandre (Carice van Houten) took Gendry for his royal blood as Robert Baratheon’s (Mark Addy) bastard son. He resurfaced in Season 7 but hadn’t seen her in years, and a lot has changed since then. Could they become a couple before the season’s end? Some fans are hoping, but with the impending Battle of Winterfell, the fate of these two remain in the balance.
What does the spiral mean?
After Tormund (Kristofer Hivju), Beric (Richard Dormer) and crew discover the Umber boy nailed to the wall with limbs placed in a spiral pattern, you can’t help but wonder what it means. While still just as confusing, this isn’t the first time viewers have seen the pattern. When Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) has a vision about the Night King, he sees the spiral meshed with the Children of the Forest’s tree, and it is seen again in other scenes when the Night King has attacked. Some fans believe it resembles the Targaryen sigil, but the show creators confirmed the Children of the Forest connection after Season 7’s reveal of the cave drawings on Dragonstone.
How much does Bran know?
We know Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) is the all-seeing “three-eyed” raven, but how much of what’s going to happen does he know? His urgency to begin preparing for the battle ahead leads us to believe he may have a few secrets about the impending fight.
Will Jon tell Daenerys about his newly-discovered lineage?
When Jon arrived back in Winterfell, his admiration for Daenerys was easy to see, but now that Samwell (John Bradley) told him that he’s a Targaryen — the son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen — will he clue his aunt Dany in? The news is sure to make the pensive Jon Snow question everything, but will telling her could risk her willingness to help in the battle ahead. The dilemma has us wondering if Jon will make the just and honest decision or deviate from his characteristic behavior.
What is Arya’s weapon for?
In the premiere episode, Arya gives Gendry a “blueprint” for a weapon that includes dragonglass. Could this weapon be integral to taking down the Night King and his army? We can’t help but notice it resembles a slingshot of some sort, which is similar to the contraption Bronn (Jerome Flynn) used to shoot at Dany’s dragons. Is Arya’s weapon made for the purpose of taking down the zombified ice dragon the Night King created? We hope so.
Will Bronn really try to kill Tyrion and Jaime?
After learning that Cersei (Lena Headey) has comissioned that he kill Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), Bronn was initially reluctant. But the promise of riches in return for his services make him a possibly willing participant. Will he really turn on the brothers that he was closest to out of the Lannister children? For goodness sake, we hope not — especially not with the cross bow Tyrion used to kill Tywin (Charles Dance).
What will happen to Jaime?
At the end of the episode, Jaime rides into Winterfell and shortly after locks eyes with Bran. There’s a range of possible outcomes when it comes to the direction of their encounter, such as Bran revealing Jaime’s responsible for his “accident.” Since Bran referred to Jaime as an old friend earlier in the episode, we’re guessing there’s a more profound sequence of events on the horizon.
The Game of Thrones premiere answered some of our burning questions, but raised many more by the time the ending credits ran.
From a mysterious spiral symbol created by the Night King to a brand new title sequence, there was no shortage of moments worthy of a second guess. The premiere episode also set up some potential plots that fans may not have considered, such as a possible romance and the true power of comprehension that Daenerys' (Emilia Clarke) dragons actually have.
See AlsoThe 9 Most Emotional Character Reunions From TV (PHOTOS)
Click through the gallery above for the questions that left many puzzled and some potential answers to those uncertainties.
Game of Thrones, Sundays, 9/8c, HBO
