Dear Gossips,

HBO has still not confirmed exactly when the final season of Game of Thrones will premiere. Most people expect it to be either late March or April and if that’s really the case, winter will come after winter. It’s closer, sure, but it’s not that close. Between now and then there’s an election happening in the US, the holiday season and an award season to go through, and the release of Captain Marvel. With the exception of Season 7, which premiered in July because it took longer to shoot, all the other seasons of GoT had April starts. (Season 3 began March 31 which, I mean, close enough.) Interestingly enough, at least to me, Avengers 4 comes out in the UK April 26 and May 3 in North America, although I feel like that week-long gap is not going to hold, especially with so much riding on the story outcome, and that hilariously sets up the Thanos vs Night King comparison that nerds have already been fantasising about since last year.

But even though we’re still probably half a year out, the early promotion for the end of Game of Thrones is beginning. Entertainment Weekly’s latest issue offers an exclusive report on the final season, featuring a new photo of Daenerys and Jon Snow on the cover, in the cold. Presumably, then, this is at Winterfell, since that’s where they were heading at the end of Season 7. As they repeat over and over again in the article, they’re going to great lengths to make sure nothing is spoiled, nothing given away that they don’t want to be given away. So they would have pre-approved this particular image, to make sure they’re in control of whatever clues that can be extracted from it. 

What I’m extracting from it is that it’s a cheesy engagement portrait. Like Sears-style. Sears of the Seven Kingdoms. Daenerys and Jon are not standing side by side, ready for battle, ready to save humanity. They’re turned in towards each other, his arm around her back, her hand on his chest, protecting their love. Which, basically, at least to me, is almost like a cruel trolling tease to those who ship them. You better enjoy this now, because we are tearing them apart. That’s what we do here, haven’t you learned? 

Next observation – this f-cking coat. It’s a continuation of her glow-up coat game from last season. The costumes got better and better with every season and last season, her costumes got better and better with every episode. Clearly that trend is continuing. Look at those red streaks coming out from under the white stripes. It works with the narrative too. These are bloodlines and bloody times. 

Click here for the full article at EW.com. There’s more to say but read it first, it’s not like we’re in a hurry or anything. It’s only been over 400 days and a couple hundred more to go. 

Have a great weekend!

Yours in gossip,

Lainey