Game of Thrones Season 5 Trailer #2 Frame by Frame

Another Game of Thrones season 5 trailer, another dissection for every last telling detail I can get a good look at in a freeze frame!

WHEN YOU SPOIL THE GAME OF THRONES YOU DIE!

0:00 – 0:03 “Lannister.” Jaime and Cersei, with a birds eye shot of Kings Landing, Cersei emerges from a carriage and Jaime is escorted into what we can reasonably guess is the Dorne Water Gardens.

0:04 – 0:06 “Baratheon.” The Execution pyre at Castle Black from the previous trailer, Stannis the Mannis presiding and Melisandre carrying the torch. As per the books, this is likely the staged execution of Mance Rayder.

0:07 – 0:09 “Stark.” New shots of Sansa at the Vale of Arryn and Arya clutching Jaqen H’ghar’s coin in a brick room.

0:09 – 0:10 “Tyrell.” Margaery in the same shot from the previous trailer. I’m just about certain it’s Tommen’s chest she’s resting her head against without him being able to see her expression. I’m still trying to read where Margaery’s head is at in this scene. Is she upset or worried about the personal and political manipulating she’s inevitably going to have to do with Tommen, who’s still very young? We’ll have to wait and see.

0:11 – 0:12 “They’re all just spokes on a wheel.” Daenerys holds her court in Meereen, with Grey Worm, Barristan Selmy, Missandei and Daario Naharis. It looks like it’s Hizdar zo Loraq holding an audience with Daenerys. This metaphor of hers is probably something she’s deploying to protest the prospect of marrying Hizdar, saying that the established Westeros houses won’t stand in her way.

0:13 – 0:15 Daenerys’s Unsullied and the Sons of the Harpy brawling in a Meereenese Pyramid passageway. Grey Worm prominent among them. If the Harpies are getting that close to Daenery’s throne room, she’s in trouble.

0:15 – 0:18 Some flyby shots, likely of the Long Bridge of Volantis based on the way it looks and by recently released synopsis from HBO for the first three episode of Season5. Volantis is a free city across the Narrow Sea. Here’s we see Varys and the hooded Tyrion in the streets

0:19 – 0:21 “This one’s on top then that one’s on top and on and on it spins.” Appropriate narration to go along with Tommen and Margaery’s wedding. Focus shift from the newlywed royals to now, definitely, former-Queen-Regent Cersei is a perfect example of the shifting of power from one house to the next. Cersei is going to fight tooth and nail to keep as much influence over Tommen as she can.

0:22 – 0:23 More shots of a scene from the previous trailer where black robbed men were smashing barrels of wine. A later shot will exactually firmly set this scene and characters, whoever they turn out to be, in King’s Landing.

0:24 “Crushing those on the ground.” Daenerys, in her brightest white dress, turning towards something that frightens her with Daznak’s Pit in the back ground, packed with people. Likely Sons of the Harpy rushing towards her box.

Also an Unsullied soldier rushing through a street in Meereen. Hard to tell what’s on fire in the foreground but more than likely the Sons of the Harpy are making a mess.

0:25 Lo and behold. A Harpy slitting the throat of who looks like an average citizen. It will be a popular tactic of the Harpies to punish Daenery’s subjects for upsetting the old slave order.

0:26 – 0:28 Two long boats with two obvious characters to spot. Jon Snow at the head of one with the wildly ginger Tormund Giantsbane seated behind him. Looks like the Night’s Watch sailing with some prisoners to Hardhome. Hardhome is a harsh ruined shore town north of the Wall where many wildlings have gathered.

0:29 – 0:31 “I’m not going to stop the wheel.” Tyrion in a boat looking up in the sky with horror as Drogon, now quite fearsome in size, flies overhead.

0:32 It’s a quick shot but this is without question the twisted Ramsay Bolton, the legitimized heir of Roose Bolton, Warden of the North, as of the end of Season 4. We’ve seen some of his sexual and torturous depravities before but legitimate titles are sure to stroke his ego even more. Hard to tell who the woman he’s practically biting is.

Sansa. This is likely some dungeon in the Eyrie, the stronghold of house Arryn where Littlefinger has whisked Sansa away to. What’s she’s up to or who she may be visiting isn’t clear form this shot.

0:33 – 0:34 More shots of the fighting pits that Daenerys will evidently attend at some point. Hard to tell if the figure emerging from an entrance is meant to be an important character or not.

0:35 – 0:36 “I’m going to break the wheel.” You remember in my frame by frame break down of the previous trailer when I said that this wasn’t my favorite ominous anti-establishment threat from Daenerys? Now I’ve heard the context and the full metaphor, I take that all back! It’s awesome!

0:37 BREAK IT WITH DRAGONE FIRE!!!

0:38 Cut to a camp on fire. It’s hard to tell where this may be but it looks like snow dustings on some of the supplies.

0:39 Melisandre with a lantern. It looks as though this is in the same location as the previous shot which means it’s likely at the Wall. Still not certain what may be happening.

0:40 – 0:42 “Stannis Baratheon has an army at Castle Black.” The dry, calculating rattle of Roose Bolton, without question. Stannis himself surveying a war table in his tent with Melisandre in the background.

0:43 – 0:44 “He means to take the North,” continues Roose. Judging by the architecture, the rigging and the formal assembly that we can’t quite see, I’d say this is taking place at Winterfell, being rebuilt by the Boltons. The shields on the backs of the riders confirm it is House Arryn.

0:45 – 0:46 “This is the time, and I will risk everything.” This is definitely a different shot/scene from the previous one. It’s subtle but the architecture in the back ground can be distinguished as Castle Black. Can’t get a clear shot of who Stannis is making his declaration to.

0:47 – 0:48 Wildlings at archery. At least I think it’s just practice, the second and third shots look like they could be not for practice.

Also a similar shot from the previous trailer where we see Wildlings standing outside a wood-picket gate.

0:49 “Winter is coming”. Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne, staring the down the brunt of a new Winter in Westeros.

0:50 “We know what’s coming with it.” Jon Snow. It looks as though the back view profile could be that of Stannis. Jon Snow is going to have to be careful about how he treats with Stannis but Jon’s had plenty of experience being forthright about problems with intimidating people.

0:51 – 0:54 “We can learn to live with the wildlings or we can add them to the army of the dead.” I speculated in the last trailer that the armored figures tussling with the wildlings were Boltons, but with more shots and better looks it’s apparently the Night’s Watch. They seem to be desperately trying to keep things organized while Tormund Giants Bane is his raucous defiant self. The animosity between those on either side of the Wall may run too deep for Jon’s plan to work.

0:55 – 0:56 A scene from the previous trailer showing a ritual blood-letting, this time we see it sink into the dirt. I’m still confident this will be part of Flashback with Cersei and Maggie the Frog.

0:56 – 0:58 The statue of the Harpy tumbling down from atop the Pyramid of Meereen. Still a great shot.

0:59 Arya. Undoubtedly entering the House of Black and White. Some seriously trippy stuff goes on in there. We can expect plenty of baffling tricks and harsh lessons from this place.

1:00 Sansa at a thoughtful moment probably in her chambers. I wish we could see a few more shots of her interacting with other characters in the Eyrie, but part of Sansa’s arc at this point in the show is her isolation. She really doesn’t have any one that she can let her guard down with.

1:01 “You are the few. And we are the many.” The High Sparrow, giving (garb makes it uncertain but I’m still going to guess Cersei) some perspective about different types of power.

1:02 – 1:03 Whoah boy. King Tommen ascending the steps to likely the Sept of Baelor, escorted by 5 of his King’s Guard. His way is being blocked by the black robbed men we’ve spotted in the trailers before. These chumps are asking to be executed. A stunt like drawing weapons and accosting the King and his guard makes me think that these guys are resigned to sacrifice themselves to make some kind of populist point. It will get Cersei’s attention for sure. I don’t expect there to be another riot like the one we saw in Season 2 though. Tommen will likely get out of it.

1:04 Close up of Tyrion. Whiskery beard and all. Can’t say where.

1:05 – 1:07 “We serve the gods. And the gods demand justice.” Cersei makes her way across the empty floor of the Sept of Baelor, while the High Sparrow makes another humble reminder that he is not threatened by, nor beholden to Cersei’s political power.

1:08 With some digging on the Game of Thrones Wiki, and finally with this close shot of their foreheads, we know for sure that these black robbed men are the Poor Fellows. Note the red seven pointed stars tattooed on their foreheads. In The Faith of the Seven, the Poor Fellows are a militarized order of commoners that fight for and defend the faithful. They have no formal training. Any one devout and brave enough to swing a club can join them. Maegor I “The Cruel” Targaryen repressed and officially disbanded the Poor Fellows since they held no regard for secular social status and favored more devout nobles. But since destitution and violent strife are rampant after the War of the Five Kings, the Faith of the Seven has been resurgent, even engendering militant tearing down of the Lannister’s decadence. Cersei’s dealing with the Poor Fellows and the High Sparrow are going to be intriguing.

1:09 – 1:10 We can clearly see Cersei, Tommen, the High Sparrow, Olenna Tyrell and in the next shot, Loras Tyrell. Some Poor Fellows are holding him back from someone seated to camera right. A conspicuously placed arm keeps us from seeing him. Margaery is presumably seated to Tommen’s right, blocked from view by Loras scuffling.

1:11 Fights breaking out in Meereen. It looks like it’s between nobles and commoners.

1:12 This kind of chaos is not what Daenerys hopes to inspire. Being led away from the suffering of her subjects under the shields of her soldiers isn’t the kind of leadership she hopes to project.

1:13 “Clean this city out.” Daario Naharis ready with his pragmatic, violent attitudes about getting things done. Since the Sons of the Harpies wear masks and the old slave powers are making her people pay for her rule, Daenerys is hesitant to dispense justice so summarily in this case.

Some of the Unsullied march in formation down a street. Their presence makes everyone nervous in Meereen since they are public enemy number 1 to the Harpies.

1:14 Here we get a look at the fighting between the Unsullied and the Harpies in Daznak’s Pit. Daario cuts down a masked assailant with ease, but an unnamed Unsullied gets his face smashed with the brunt of his own shield.

1:15 Obara Sand practicing her spear-play with another Dornishman in the Watergardens at Sunspear.

1:16. Our main still shot of the Sons of the Harpies, obviously with some quarry in their sights. This looks as though it could even be inside the Great Pyramid with the way the shafts of light are coming in.

1:17 “So the rats have nowhere left to hide.” The Harpies rush into Daznak’s Pit. From the looks of the stands, many of the spectators have been killed. Then we go to the shot from the previous trailer of Daenerys, Daario, Missandei, Jorah and the Unsullied surrounded by golden masked thugs.

1:18 These three are probably the major sand snakes we’ve been introduced to and get a glimpse of in the next shot. Which means that this foggy dark passage is probably part of the Watergardens.

1:19 From left to right. Nymeria Sand with the whip, Obara Sand, Tyene Sand, the three eldest daughters of Oberyn Martell, each from separate mothers and Ellaria Sand, Oberyn’s paramour and mother of his four youngest daughters. Still not sure who this poor chump with his head sticking out of the sand is.

1:20 Jaime puts his shaky left handed swordsmanship to the test against a Dorne soldier.

Daenerys takes her seat in the Great Pyramid of Meereen.

1:21 “I am a Queen. Not a butcher.” Daenerys shares her ruler quandaries in an intimate moment with Daario Naharis. It’s a little unclear even in the books how much Daario and Daenerys really love each other. Certainly the attraction is there but Daenerys thinks of all kinds of reasons why getting involved with him is not the best idea.

1:22. Brienne most certainly butchers this log. Hard to tell if she’s gotten into a fight or if this is some venting of frustration. Both seem likely, though Brienne has plenty of angst to be frustrated about.

This shot perplexes me. I cannot figure out who the elevated woman in the center is or where this is supposed to take place. The garb puts me in mind of Meereen, but I’m still at a loss to call the identity of the black haired woman.

Hooded Tyrion on the ship bound for the east. He looks as though some of the realization that he is truly a fugitive now is on his mind.

1:23 Once again the shot of Ellaria Sand being taken into protective custody by Doran Martell. Oberyn’s more cautious brother, Doran doesn’t want Oberyn’s family to spark open war with the Lannisters just yet. For now he wants to fool the Lannisters into thinking that Dorne can be mollified. If the shots we’ve seen with Jaime are any indication, that’s not going to last.

1:24 I’d bet that this is the same group of unidentifiable riders we spotted in Westeros from the last trailer. Still no obvious sigils or colors or armor patterns to indicate specific characters or allegiances.

It looks like Podrick on foot with Brienne approaching on horseback from left and an unidentified rider on the right. Who is coming after Podrick? It looks like he’s in armor so he’s probably from, or an agent of some noble house.

1:25 Bronn twirls his sword into a charging Dornish cavalryman. Jaime looks on in the background. It’s still not quite clear exactly how Jaime and Bronn come to blows with the Martells. The elements are all there but the specifics of how it shakes out will have a bearing on the fates of the Lannisters and the Martells.

1:26. Grey Worm and Daario break into a Meereenese house, weapons drawn. Might this be part of the cleaning house that Daario suggested? Might they be looking for someone specific?

Missandei and Grey Worm sharing a tentative kiss. Basically the same shot from the previous trailer but I’m still very eager to see this developed.

1:27 Jorah Mormont. Without question in Daznak’s Pit. In the books, Jorah actually kidnaps Tyrion in Essos thinking he can regain favor with Daenerys if he delivers the Lannister’s clever imp. Also Jorah is not present in the scene in Daznak’s Pit in the books, or at the very least he never encounters Daenerys there right in the fighting pit. Perhaps Tyrion has a hidden part in this scene too.

Selyse Baratheon. Stannis’s neglected but still devoted wife. The only living child she has managed to bear for Stannis is the scale-faced Shireen, whose great literacy for her youth doesn’t necessarily make her a politically viable heir for the would be King Stannis. Here we see Selyse in a heap in the snow surrounded by booted figures. Could be some serious humiliation. It’s probably Stannis she’s staring despairingly into the distance after.

1:28. Margaery Tyrell, bursting into what looks like the chambers of the King. Notice the three-ridged King’s Guard helms of the men outside. It could also be her own chambers since she would come under the protection of the King’s Guard after being coming Queen. Some scheme of Cersei’s has likely made her drop her regal composure.

A previously seen shot of the Wildlings wading into the river at Hardhome. Makes me think that perhaps at first, or maybe later, the Night’s Watch and the Wildlings do cooperate for a bit.

Did we really need another shot of Jon Snow swinging his sword in a climatic dramatic manner as a final super cut shot before the title? Whatever, still looks cool and we can count on it being even cooler in context. We all still remember Jon bringing the hammer down on Styr’s head.

1:32 Always there are carrion ravens. It could be that the poor sack of meat on the cart is a flayed man victim of House Bolton. Just a hunch based on the background.

1:33 – 1:34 “All rulers are either butchers or meat.” Speaking of…a rather typifying world view for Game of Thrones. Brutal and simplistic as Daario would put it.

1:35  But soft! What dragon over yonder pyramid flies! Daenerys reaches out in reassurance up to the now colossal maw of her fearsome dragon, only for him to take flight right towards the wider city of Meereen. It is without question Drogon, who we’ll remember fled Meereen after one of Daenaery’s subject brought the charred remains of his daughter before her. Is he back? In the books, the circumstances of Daenerys’s and Drogon’s reunion are a bit different but I can’t wait to see all of the dragons in action now they are at least big enough to eat a person whole!

We’re less than a month away from the Game of Thrones Season 5 premiere on April 12. Rally the Realm! We can’t wait!