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01
Bigger Dragons
According to the show's visual effects supervisor Joe Bauer, "Drogon is twice the size he was last year. He's about 40 feet long and 20 percent bigger than the other two dragons."
To make him come to life for this new season, the VFX team created the world's only giant firebreathing crane that consisted of a fifteen foot robotic arm with an attached flamethrower. They used that to serve as Drogon during filming, then added in his CG body later.
If you're worried that this season will lack dragons, fear not: "Drogon gets to perform more this year than ever and have more complex interactions with Dany." Looks like we'll be seeing loads of at least one lizard in season 5. -
02
Arya's New Look and New Locale
Arya Stark has been wearing the same costume for three seasons, wandering the countryside covered in mud. But when we last saw her, Arya had escaped near capture and set sail for Braavos where she'll take on a whole new look.
As much as I'll miss the misadventures of Arya and the Hound, it'll be good to see her story move forward in a big way.
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03
Nipple Armor
The cut of the Sand Snakes' armor was apparently unintentional, but it sure does stand at attention.
Oberyn's daughters and their oddly outstanding armor will make their debut this season as the show heads to a new location, Southern and sandy Dorne. -
04
Cersei's Face When She Sees What Happened to Tywin
I hope Cersei's got a lot of wine on hand, because she's gonna need it. Not only did she lose her son last season, but she lost her father in the finale and she has no idea it happened.
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05
More Stannis the Mannis
Stannis finally showed up to play the game last season when he went to the wall and saved Jon Snow's ass.
Move over Starks and Lannisters, it's Stannis Baratheon's time to shine!
Plus, wherever Stannis goes, Melisandre goes, and she is one titillating lady.
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06
Darth/Dark Sansa in Action
Sansa also started playing the game last season, and emerged as a new darker, more confident version of herself. Her final few moments of season four were a pretty big departure from what happened in the show, so it'll be exciting to see where the new Sansa goes. -
07
No More Smug Book Readers
Speaking of divergence from the books, this season will bring a whole new era: the show is going to start spoiling the books.
According to the showrunners, "we'll eventually, basically, meet up at pretty much the same place where George is going; there might be a few deviations along the route, but we're heading towards the same destination. I kind of wish there were some things that we didn't have to spoil, in terms of… for the books, but we're kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. The show must go on."
There are those who took joy in ruining the show for others, and now there will be those who can take joy in the fact that those jerks have lost the upper hand. -
08
Brienne and Pod's Odd Couple Spin-off
Between the goofy antics of these two and the plethora of jokes about Theon's junk (or lack thereof) there's bound to be enough comedy to carry us through the vast number of deaths this season will surely bring. -
09
Flashbacks
Young Cersei has been cast alongside some other spoilery characters who point directly to the inclusion of flashbacks this season. Sean Bean has also talked about Ned Stark appearing in flashbacks, and who doesn't want more Papa Stark?
That guy is just so honorable. -
10
Nodor
Last but not least, we're excited to get a break from the endless stream of Hodor jokes.
Hodor and Bran won't appear in season five because their storyline got too far too fast. The showrunners have made the choice to bench the pair now that they've stopped trekking north and finally made it to their destination:
He's now entering a training period which is going to take quite some time, much of which isn't particularly cinematic. So rather than being stuck in a cave for a year, we figured it would be interesting to leave him out for a little bit, so when you see him again…
As much as we love the heir to Winterfell, one can only enjoy so many Hodor dance remixes before the tide shifts and you find yourself drowning in a sea of the same joke. Maybe by the time we see him again, there'll be some new material to work with.
You've heard our hopes and dreams for the season, but what are yours? Let us know what you're itching to see this season in the comments below!
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