New ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8, Episode 4 Photos Just Released

The first photos from Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 4 are here, giving fans a look at what comes after the Battle of Winterfell.

Warning! Spoilers for Game of Thrones lie ahead!

Game of Thrones shocked everyone with the the conclusion to the Battle of Winterfell in the last episode. With the season only half over, the Night King apparently fell, leaving three full episodes for the war against Cersei to the south. Many expected the fight against the White Walkers to take the majority of the season, so this changes the direction of the show as many saw it.

Still, in the first photos from this weekend’s upcoming episode, it is clear that there is still plenty of action to come. By the looks of it, it will not be long before Daenerys and whatever forces she can gather are back on the battlefield, hopefully taking King’s Landing from the Lannisters once and for all. Meanwhile, by all appearances Cersei is ready for them, smiling out of her window with Euron Greyjoy by her side.

The photos also raise the question of whether the northerners will be accompanying Daenerys south. They have a lot to do at Winterfell, between burying their dead, rebuilding their home and shoring up their defenses to the north, which they now realize are vital.

We will have to tune in on Sunday to know for sure. In the meantime, here are the first stills from Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 4.

The North Remembers

One shot shows from the upcoming episode shows a crowd of northerners in front of Winterfell, with dead bodies lying in the foreground. All three Stark siblings are there, though Jon Snow is notably absent, perhaps suggesting that he will step away from his family and follow through on his promise to help Daenerys in her upcoming war. Meanwhile, Arya is with them, even though many expect her to go south given Melisandre’s prophecy.

It is not clear why this crowd is gathered or what they are all looking at, although the torch in one corner of the image seems to suggest that they are preparing to burn the bodies of the fallen. After the Battle of Winterfell, dealing with over 100,000 corpses will be a real problem.

The Dragon Queen

Meanwhile, this shot seems to correlate to the first, showing Daenerys and her followers facing a pile of bodies as well. As we will see later on, it seems the two groups are standing in front of a mass funeral pyre, paying their respects to the many, many dead.

Grey Worm, Missandei, Varys and Tyrion all stand by Daenerys’ side here, with the surviving unsullied behind her. On the far left, more men stand — perhaps regular Northmen circling around from the other side. Still, Jon stands apart.

Now Their Watch is Ended

 

Again assuming these three images come from the same scene, Jon stands somberly in the courtyard away from either group. He holds a torch, probably preparing to light the massive funeral pyre before him.

In his time in the Night’s Watch, Jon and his Black Brothers burned their dead to ensure that they could not rise again as wights in the Night King’s army. If they are still burning the bodies here, it could suggest a lingering paranoia that the White Walkers are still a threat. On the other hand, it could simply be the most efficient way of disposing of so many corpses.

Valar Morghulis

Finally, what seems to be the last shot from this scene is a zoomed out image of a massive crowd in front of Winterfell facing an even larger array of funeral pyres. From the looks of it, Tormund, Sansa, Jon, Grey Worm, Daenerys and Sam are all striding forward with torches to light the bodies, probably after paying their respects.

This shot is featured the trailer as well, and has been analyzed more than any other by eagle-eyed fans. They have noted that Jon’s direwolf, Ghost, can be seen in the crowd, confirming that he survived the deadly charge against the wights. 

Planning

This image finds Daenerys, Varys and Missandei in the Winterfell library — the same room where Arya snuck behind the backs of so many wights last week. It is unclear how much time has passed after the battle, but it looks like they are standing before a map, planning their next move against Cersei.

It is hard to say what will happen next. Daenerys will undoubtedly want to head south immediately to take the Iron Throne. However, her forces have been greatly diminished, and Cersei now has the entire Golden Company behind her.

There is also the winter to consider. Even with the White Walkers apparently gone, it is presumably still winter, meaning it should be virtually impossible to travel in the north. Daenerys may be trapped in Winterfell until spring, unable to march her troops through the snow. On top of that, she may feel obligated to help rebuild Winterfell.

For thsi reason, there is a chance we will see a time-skip between the Battle of Winterfell and this episode, picking up a while later when Daenerys can finally make her move.

Enemies to the South

Whatever is happening in the north, it seems to be making Cersei Lannister far too happy. The Lannister queen is smiling out of her window here with Euron Greyjoy, mirroring a shot from the trailer for the new episode. Behind them, we can see The Mountain in his dark armor — a threatening spector always over Cersei’s shoulder.

In all the shots we have seen so far, it is hard to tell whether Cersei’s pregnancy has progressed. Either way, it looks like she has not stopped spending time with Euron, her betrothed. In addition, it looks like it’s sunny in King’s Landing, suggesting that the winter has either passed or cleared up following the death of the Night King.

What is Dead May Never Die

This image, and the other shots of ships from the episode trailer, seem to suggest that Yara Greyjoy will return to Daenerys’ side after the battle, probably ferrying her south for the battle. We know that ships are the fastest way to get from Winterfell to King’s Landing — a journey that can take months over land. However, Winterfell is near the center of the continent, so even getting to one of the harbors could be a challenge in winter.

We can’t necessarily assume these ships belong to Yara, of course. They have the Targaryen crest on the sails and apparently dragons on their bows as well, with no sign of the kraken symbol of the Greyjoys.

Drogon

Finally, the last image shows Daenerys and Drogon with their eyes focused on something overhead, both wearing slight smiles. The odds may be against her, but anything that has Daenerys looking that happy has to be bad for her enemies.

Both dragons, Drogon and Rhaegal, were badly injured in the Battle of Winterfell, but both were shown to be alive in the trailer for the next episode. However, one shot does show Rhaegal flying with a hole in his wing. This raises the question of how fast the two dragons will need to heal from the battle, which could inform the time line going forward.

Another important question is where Rhaegal’s allegiance now lies. Daenerys is the Mother of Dragons, yet Jon has now become Rhaegal’s rider. We know that dragons will only bond with one rider at a time, and Jon riding Rhaegal into battle proves his Targaryen heritage. But have they gotten close enough for Rheagal to stay with Jon rather than Dany if they go their separate ways?

We will have to tune in this weekend to see. Game of Thrones airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.