HBO likes to play a game with us. It is not a game I am enjoying any more now than when it began. In fact, it really needs to stop. The premium network's marketing has tripled down on the "Is Jon Snow Dead?" question with a Game of Thrones Season 6 trailer recently that showed many faces in the House of Undying (where faces of the dead are stored for use by those in assassin work). Some were of characters we know are dead, but most were those who are still alive. So far. We think.
Throughout the day, HBO's Twitter feed will be releasing a total of 16 character posters that more clearly detail the faces of the dead, the soon to be dead, and the not yet dead. What is the meaning of this? Maybe it's to reinforce the fact that none of your favorites are safe on the show ... but that's a lesson learned in Season 1, and one that has been mercilessly repeated throughout the series' full run over the last 5 years. Or, by including Jon Snow (of course) alongside both those we know to be living and dead, it's just giving even more context to the ambiguity of his situation ... something we have not forgotten, HBO, despite everyone being stuck on this "he's dead! He's dead, he's totally dead, super dead" broken record quote train. ("You keep using that word, but I do not think it means what you think it means"). "Dead" means nothing on this show, something else we know very well.
So at the very least, it's a look at some pretty faces, plus the brain game bonus of trying to remember everyone's name (hint: the one you can't think of is Nymeria Sand). But what it actually reveals about their fates, who knows (Dany looks oddly peaceful, though). Anyone could die, and most probably will. But that's all part of it. And now that the show doesn't have the books to go off of anymore, we can all be shocked and horrified together when more deaths start to occur. Valar morghulis!
(Update: Looks like we have all of the posters except perhaps Ned or Robb? They're featured on the final poster collage of faces, but we're supposed to get 16 ... stay tuned).
Game of Thrones Season 6 premieres April 24th at 9 p.m. on HBO.
