It’s the week we’ve all been waiting for! Our alarms are set for the middle of the bloomin’ night, Sky Plus boxes ready to go just in case we nod off, the group chat for discussing plot theories is waiting after a period of silence, the fan forums bookmarked – guys, Game of Thrones is back.
The planet’s favourite fantasy epic is making its long-awaited return to Sky Atlantic and Now TV for its seventh – and penultimate – series. We’re expecting blood and guts and gore and naughty bits and we just. Can’t. Wait.
Here are seven things we’re looking forward to most from the return of Jon Snow and the gang.
(This is packed with spoilers, so if you’re not up to speed? Walk away!)
1. A Stark reunion
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OK, so half of the Starks have croaked it. And none of them under normal circumstances. Heads being chopped off, stabbings at weddings – they go out in style. But series seven could see the remaining Starks being reunited. The trailer showed Bren in the Winterfell courtyard, we already know that Jon and Sansa are back together – all we need is for Arya to join the gang and we’re jamming.
2. Cersei’s reign as queen
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The monarchy don’t last long round these parts, so Cersei’s stint on the throne could well be short-lived. But while she’s there? We’ve got a funny feeling this queen isn’t going to be a pleasant one. She’s lost all three of her children, after all. We have a feeling someone might be feeling a little bit angry.
3. The fight for the Iron Throne
Here’s the other thing – Cersei’s claim to the throne isn’t altogether legit. Following the death of Tommen, the crown is in limbo – and a whole lot of people think it’s theirs for the taking. With Jon Snow, the Lannisters and Daenerys all after the Iron Throne – amongst about a million other characters – all hell is about to break loose.
4. Dragons
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This isn’t going to be your average war. This one has dragons in it. Dragons! Imagine going up against someone with dragons on their team. You’d have to be mad.
5. Ed Sheeran’s cameo
Like Sigur Rós and Snow Patrol’s Gary Lighbody before him, everybody’s favourite ginger singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is going to be cropping up this series for a sneaky cameo. We have no idea what he’ll be doing (hopefully not singing Galway Girl), but we can’t WAIT to see. Bastille are also rumoured to be making an appearance.
6. Euron Greyjoy
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If you thought Ramsay Bolton was the ultimate bad guy, you ain’t seen nothing yet! The uncle of Theon and Yara, Euron Greyly is rumoured to be the baddest of the bad. We’re almost too scared to look already.
7. Even more complicated relationships
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You practically need a family tree to watch an episode of GOT as it is, but things are getting even more complex. At the end of series six, we learned that Jon Snow isn’t in fact the illegitimate son of Ned Stark – his mum is actually Llyana Stark, Ned’s niece. And his dad? Rhaegar Targaryen. Daenerys’ older brother. So the Mother of Dragons is Jon Snow’s aunt. And he’s going to be fighting her for the throne. Do keep up.
Catch Game of Thrones on Sky Atlantic, 17 July at 9pm.
