The monumental Game of Thrones conclusion is starting to feel like something closer to reality now that some legitimate footage from Season 8 is out there, and it teases a much-needed reunion between two Starks at Winterfell. Jon Snow embraces Sansa after returning to Winterfell with Daenerys Targaryen, but Arya must be standing there for the next hug.
On Sunday night, HBO released a new sizzle reel for its upcoming year of programming to coincide with the release of the Sharp Objects series finale. Intercut with plenty of Game of Thrones Season 7 scenes and clips from other shows like Barry, The Deuce, Big Little Lies Season 2, and True Detective Season 3 was the faintest glimpse at footage from the final Game of Thrones season.
Unfortunately, the new footage only amounts to about 3 seconds of spoilers: Having been gravely wounded in his adventure to the North and met with Cersei just outside King’s Landing, Jon returns to Winterfell and hugs his sister Sansa who is actually his first cousin. We can only hope that Arya is standing behind Sansa and that Jon also gets reunited with his little sister immediately after this. But something also seems a bit off here.
While the scene is deeply reminiscent of Jon and Sansa’s Season 6 reunion, this is absolutely something we have not seen before. Jon looks at least somewhat happy to see Sansa, but Sansa’s puzzling look comes off as a bit striking. She glances upward to someone or something behind Jon and doesn’t look all that happy about what she sees. Sansa might look at Daenerys, who was probably standing by Jon’s side as they strode into Winterfell.
Probably the last thing Sansa heard from Jon was a letter explaining that he pledged their forces to fight the war against the Night King and that he renounced his title as King in the North:
Given her efforts made to strengthen the North in recent memory, Sansa probably has a bone to pick with her brother these days. So while this ought to be a happy reunion, it’s probably going to serve up tons of tension even more so, especially when Sansa has become a conniving mastermind in her own right. Who knows what kind of dynamic Sansa and Daenerys will have and what Jon will think of Arya’s transformation.
Can we just get a Game of Thrones Season 8 season premiere date already?
Game of Thrones Season 8 will begin sometime in the first half of 2019.
