There are very few shows these days that I watch at the exact moment they air, simply because I hate having to set my schedule around television programming. For HBO's Game Of Thrones, though, I do my best to see them the moment they are available for two reasons. One, I am a shameless addict at this point, and I wish there was a new episode every week of every year. Two, I am deathly afraid of spoilers from other viewers.
One of the nice things about not reviewing the show is that I get to just enjoy it as a viewer. I get to be a shameless fanboy about what I consider one of the best uses of the ongoing TV format that I've ever seen. While I admire much about George R.R. Martin's books, I think the show improves upon the source material, streamlining it and taking advantage of the excellent ensemble cast when it becomes clear they have an opportunity. Every week, when the new episode airs, I happily sing along with the theme song, making up my own lyrics based on whatever happened the week before, and I consider that hour a vacation from everything.
The new trailer for the upcoming sixth season of Game Of Thrones is a nice tease. I have no idea what's coming this year, and I like it that way. Do I have questions? Sure. Last season ended in spectacular cliffhanger fashion, and I am eager to see how they pick up the various stories and characters. All I want from this season is more of whatever that magic was that happened when showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss finally put Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) together. If those two aren't the last ones standing when all is said and done, I will be very disappointed. Then again, there are plenty of other contenders still in the running for the Iron Throne, and no one is going to give up their claim until they are dead.
And, if you're Jon Snow, maybe even after that.
I love Lena Headey's quiet “I choose violence” here, and overall, I like the mood set by the new arrangement of “Wicked Game” that plays over the trailer. This is a show that frequently erupts into shocking violence, but it's all the character stuff between those moments that really makes it hurt. More than anything, this trailer tells me that these past five seasons have left a mark on everyone, and each year, we draw closer to the end of what Tyrion calls “the great game.”
Game Of Thrones returns to HBO on April 24, 2016.