Suspense Heightens Over New “Game of Thrones” Season

I cannot tell you how pumped I am for HBO’s new season of the hit show “Game of Thrones.” And it’s almost here. The fourth season airs on April 6.

I’m going to admit something. I’m not a hipster. I know what you’re thinking, “What about those hipster glasses?” Well they’re not actually hipster glasses. They’re full fledged nerd-glasses. The only way they could be nerdier was if they were made by Google. I am a nerd. A nerd obsessed with “Game of Thrones.”

I started watching Game of Thrones last summer. I just finished season three about a month ago — for the second time. The first time I watched the show, I went through three seasons in about three weeks. Around 30 medieval, fantasy, dragon and Joffrey’s-a-tool filled hours of stupendousness jammed into 21 days.

Ever since then George R.R. Martin, the creator of the books, has had me dangling perilously off of his cliff. (I’m going to try to avoid as many spoilers as possible here). Will the Starks be able to come back after the Red Wedding? What will happen at King Joffrey’s wedding? What will happen to Tyrion? Who will be killed? Who and what body parts will people lose this season? I haven’t read the books so I have no idea.

Each show has you on the edge of your seat by the end of the 50 minutes before leaving you standing and screaming at your TV, “What?! You can’t just kill him!” What adds to these cliffhangers is the fact that no character is safe. *OLD SPOILER* Just ask Ed Stark. Well, ask his head at least.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

And after last season’s end, everyone is wondering what happens next. The Starks, led by Robb Stark, who was fighting a winning war against the Lannisters, was decimated at the Red Wedding at the end of the season. Now, without Robb to fight against, it’ll be interesting to see who the Lannisters main enemies will be.

On the other side of the Narrow Sea, Daenerys Targaryen, mother of dragons and daughter of the deposed “Mad King,” now has an army, three dragons and a nation at her back. She’s conquered three city-states and has formed her own empire. Now she has to rule it, and according to the trailers HBO is putting out, that isn’t going so hot. The big question this season is will she be able to control the cities she’s taken control of, or will they rebel against her?

The first trailer shows the shadow of an enormous dragon flying over King’s Landing, the capital of Westeros. The place of the Iron Throne and ruler of Westeros, and the trophy Daenerys so desperately wants. This raises the question, does she invade Westeros? She has the only known dragons in existence, but hers aren’t nearly as big as the one soaring over the Red Keep. It’s hard to say. Daenerys still isn’t ready to invade Westeros for two reasons; 1) growing unrest in her empire and 2) she doesn’t have a navy yet to cross the Narrow Sea. From the trailers, it also still looks like she’s conquering city-states in Essos, across the Narrow Sea. Does she raise a navy? Does she make a go at the Iron Throne? Your guess is as good as mine because I have not read the books. But I’m dying to find out.

Speaking of dying, George R.R. Martin, the story’s creator, has this sick, awful tendency of killing off people’s favorite characters. Season one, we saw Ned Stark get his head cleaved off. Season two brought the end of Renly Baratheon. Season three brought down Robb, his wife Talisa, and his mother Catelyn Stark.

This season, I’m honestly not sure who’s going to die. I can’t make an honest prediction. But I have a feeling we’ll see the first major Lannister death this season. And of course, because it’s Game of Thrones, it will be one of the two Lannisters we love; Jaime or Tyrion. I can’t give you reasons why I think this. I haven’t read the books so I have no real idea of where the show is going. I just have a bad feeling that one of these two won’t make it to season five.

There is so much more I could predict. Will the Wildlings breach the wall and defeat John Snow and the Knights’ Watch? Will the North rally and keep fighting for their independence? Who are the newcomers in the capital from Dorn? Will Theon’s voice get really high after becoming a eunuch? Season three left me with so many questions that have just been eating away at me for the past eight months and the trailers have raised even more. I can’t see this season being anything other than amazing. This Sunday honestly cannot come quickly enough.

Season Four Trailer: