…Or not. I mean, depending on what other entertainment blogs you follow. If FictionRow is the only blog you follow, then thank you one-person-out-there, but you’re really strange. Even I read my entertainment news elsewhere.
Still, perhaps you prefer your news of the roundup variety. Well, that’s why I’m here. Every time I’ve come across an article about the upcoming (as in, this coming Sunday, April 12th!) new season of Game of Thrones, I’ve bookmarked it as a reference for this very article. So yes, it’s true. FictionRow reports secondhand news. But, I try to make up for that with sharing my reactions to the news. That, at least, I hope is unique. So about what am I most excited regarding the new season of the hit HBO show? Let’s break it down one segment at a time.
HBO Now, the new app for cord-cutters
Oddly enough, I’m most excited for the new HBO Now app. I myself have never had cable (or any live TV for that matter). Instead, I’ve used services like Hulu (or, occasionally, Amazon Instant Video) to stream my favorite TV shows. So, yes, your assumptions are true. I, like most people, have been watching Game of Thrones from someone else’s HBO Go account. However, that’s not because I’m simply too cheap for cable. It’s because I honestly can’t get the HBO channel through the cable provider where I live. Trust me: if I could, I would. Because I have such a high respect for those who create great entertainment, whether it be movies, music or TV shows, “stealing” media leaves me with a guilty conscience.
Guilty conscience no more! On March 9th, Apple (yes, Apple, the folks behind the iPhone, iPad, and that newfangled but incredibly pricy Apple Watch, which they also announced that day) revealed that its existing Apple TV would drop in price from $99 to just $69 (which is probably in advance of a new Siri-activated Apple TV or something). In addition to that revelation, they announced the new HBO Now app, which is Apple TV-exclusive for three months. As of yet, it has not been released, but it will likely be released this weekend ahead of the Game of Thrones season five premiere.
HBO Now will also be available for iPhone and iPad, but I bought an Apple TV (refurbished, for $59) specifically so that I can watch Game of Thrones on my TV, the largest, HD-est screen in my house. HBO Now will function very much the same as HBO Go, but instead of being free with a cable subscription, it’ll cost $14.99 per month.
Clips and Posters and Trailers, Oh My!
Additionally, Apple released a new season five trailer on March 9th. Here it is, in all its glory:
Whoa. Intense. I haven’t read the books (I’ve just recently finished the first one!), so I really have no idea what to expect from watching this trailer, which is so unlike me. Normally I read books first, so I know pretty much what to expect when I watch a movie (or a TV show in this case). However, I hope to read the entire series before season six (or book six, whichever comes first). This trailer was actually the second released by HBO. Here is the first, released on February 2nd:
A lot of the same things appear in both trailers, such as Daenerys stating that she is going to “break the wheel”, but one thing that is featured more prominently and more interestingly is Varys and Tyrion Lannister (whose nephew Tommen currently sits on the Iron Throne) insinuating that they’re going to find and help Daenerys do just that.
HBO further teased that particular plot line by releasing this poster:
Two worlds collide: Tyrion Lannister, formerly of Westeros, and a dragon of Essos, formerly of an egg, hatched with the Mother of Dragons herself, Daenerys Targaryen. Oh man, I’m so excited for the new season.
Want to watch some more season five clips from HBO? Check out this playlist on their YouTube channel!
What are you most excited to see in the new season? Please share in the comments below!
