Games of Thrones is BACK! Season 5 premieres tonight on HBO at 9/8c. Get ready for the season 5 premiere with a recap of the season 4 finale, along with a sneak peek into the fifth season with videos and photos.
Season 4 of Games of Thrones ended with Episode 410, “The Children,” on June 15, 2014. In the season 4 finale, Jon Snow (Kit Harington), leaves the Wall and heads towards Mance Rayder’s (Ciarán Hinds) war camp where he is captured and brought before Mance. Jon reveals to Mance that Ygritte (Rose Leslie) has died, but not by his hands and his time spent with the wildlings was due to the orchestrated plan of Qhorin Halfhand (Simon Armstrong). Jon and Mance also discuss the others who were lost in the battle at Castle Black prior to Jon letting Mance know that the Night’s Watch are prepared to battle, and it would be best for Mance and his army to return home. Mance calls Jon’s bluff and let’s him know he sent men to the weakened portion of Castle Black and they are waiting to destroy everything in sight upon his orders. However, Mance is willing to stop all further bloodshed if the Night’s Watch are willing to let him and his wildlings pass through Castle Black.
While Mance is making his proposal to Jon, he notices that Jon is eyeing a knife and realizes that Jon would be able to kill him before his men could stop Jon. Making Mance believe this parlay was all a ruse so Jon could assassinate him and begins to question Jon if that is the case. Before Jon and/or Mance’s men could make any moves the wildling camp is being taken over by the House Baratheon of Dragonstone, which are being led by Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) and Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham). The House Baratheon of Dragonstone over power the wildlings and Mance and Jon are brought before Stannis. While before Stannis, it demanded that Mance bows before the true king of the Seven Kingdoms, which Mance refuses to do. First, they currently aren’t in the Seven Kingdoms and second, Free Folk do not kneel. Jon is able to defuse the heated situation by revealing he is the son of Eddard ‘Ned’ Stark (Sean Bean) and his father believed that Stannis was the true king, which leads Stannis to ask Jon what he should do with Mance. Jon tells of Mance’s mercy with his own life, which leads Stannis to place Mance in jail for interrogation versus killing him.
Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) is in the far North traveling with his direwolf Summer, Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick), her brother Jojen (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), and Hodor (Kristian Nairn) in search of the Three-eyed raven. In this leg of the quest, Jojen has become extremely ill and collapses prior to Bran announcing he has found the heart tree. As they attempt to get closer to the tree they are attacked by wights that are underground. Jojen is grabbed and Hodor is attacked and too fearful to fight them off. In the end, Bran enters Hodor’s mind to help him fight off the wights, but Meera must still kill Jojen to provide him a peaceful death. A young girl (Alice Hewkin) who is later revealed as apart of “the children,” emerges from the heart tree and helps defend them against the wights and brings the remaining to the Three-eyed raven. The Three-eyed raven (Struan Rodger) is in his true form as an old man and tells Bran that he will never walk again, but he will fly.
Back in the Seven Kingdoms, Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) has threatened to expose her affair with her brother Jamie (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), to the world if her father, Tywin (Charles Dance), forces her to marry Ser Loras Tyrell (Finn Jones). Tywin doesn’t take much heed to the threat and Cersei in anger finds Jamie. In this conversation Jamie confronts Cersei about her attempts to kill their brother Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and learns that she has held deep resentment for Tyrion since his birth, and that she told their father of their affair and of the children she bore by him. Jamie is concerned, but is seduced by Cersei. Later, Jamie goes to the cell of Tyrion and tells him of his escape plan for him. Prior to escaping, Tyrion finds Shae (Sibel Kekilli) in Tywin’s bed and in rage he murders her with the necklace that he gave her and murders Tywin with a crossbow as he was on the chamberpot.
In Vale, Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) come upon Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) and Sandor ‘The Hound’ Clegane (Rory McCann). A brutal fight between Brienne and Sandor commences and Sandor is left for dead. During the gruesome battle that went from weapons to hand-to-hand combat, Arya escapes because she wasn’t aware that Brienne was actually looking out for her best interest. After the battle Brienne goes to look for Arya, only for the young girl to slip back and be mocked by Sandor in the hopes she would kill him. However, she doesn’t. Instead she takes his money purse and is able to convince a captain to allow her to board his ship going towards Braavos.
Meanwhile, in Meereen, Queen Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) must deal with the consequences of her actions. Even though the unsullied are attempting to restore order among the land, the older slaves who have been set free are being taken advantage of. One in particular, Fennesz, is able to convince Daenerys to let himself be brought back by his former master, but she only allows for him to go back under a labor contract that will last for no longer than a year. Ser Barristan Selmy (Ian McElhinney) warns Daenerys that the former masters will most likely take advantage of this and before long the now freed slaves of Meereen will become salves again. Daenerys also learns that her dragons are uncontrollable when she hears that Drogon has killed a three-year old child of a shepherd. This forces Daenerys to realize she can no longer keep them in the wild. Drogon can’t be found, but Daenerys is able to trick Rhaegal and Viserion and lock them up in the catacombs, which deeply saddens her.
Tonight the season 5 premiere of Games of Thrones airs on HBO at 9/8c. In a press release from HBO, we learn that returning series regulars on Games of Thrones for season 5 include: Emmy and Golden Globe winner Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Aidan Gillen (Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Diana Rigg (Lady Olenna Tyrell), Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell), Maisie Williams, and Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark). Along with new cast members that include: Jonathan Pryce (the High Sparrow), Alexander Siddig (Doran Martell), DeObia Oparei (Areo Hotah), Keisha Castle-Hughes (Obara Sand), Rosabell Laurenti Sellers (Tyene Sand), Jessica Henwick (Nym Sand), Nell Tiger Free (Myrcella Baratheon), and Toby Sebastian (Trystane Martell).
In the season 5 premiere, “The Wars to Come,” Jamie and Cersei must deal with the aftermath of their father Tywin’s murder. Daenerys now has a new threat to her rule in Meereen. Jon is caught between two kings and Lord Varys informs Tyrion of a conspiracy.
Check out the Games of Thrones Season 5 trailer along with promotional stills below.
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