{shortcode-7c78f1fa3fc161aeb27b63ea945cd43b0f9170d1}

Anyone familiar with “Game of Thrones,” or rather with its fans, knows that any small tease of the upcoming season will send them into a frenzy. The eighth and final season of the beloved series is just around the corner and will premiere April 14. But since that might as well be five years away, the world has to be content with the short snippets of footage released sporadically by HBO.

A series of small teasers have been released in 2019. The “First Look” teaser, released in early January, showed brief footage of some of the main characters meeting at Winterfell, and featured what promises to be tension between the characters of Sansa Stark and Daenerys Targaryen. The second teaser, related later that month, followed the Starks — namely, Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) , and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) — in the Winterfell Crypts, which soon filled with snow and ice, probably representing the coming Winter (and army of the dead). The latest teaser was a compilation for many of HBO’s 2019 shows. For the first time in a month, “Game of Thrones” fans got to catch another glimpse of the final season, including new Season 8 footage of, among other things, dragons and Unsullied soldiers in the North.

HBO loves to release the smallest bits of footage, knowing that a loyal and zealous will gobble them up. Of course, this will lead to the inevitable dissection of every millisecond by the Internet. From Twitter to Youtube, people speculated on everything – EVERYTHING – from the microscopic details of Arya Stark’s outfit to the metaphoric significance of the Stark children standing in the crypts. The most debate, however, has been centered on the ever pressing question: Who is going to die this season? It’s anyone’s guess who “Game of Thrones” author George R. R. Martin and show creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss have decided to kill off, and in what creative and disturbing ways they’ll do it. Who knows, maybe they’ll just let the Night King win, and everyone else die.

The suspense is crushing, and won’t abate until HBO releases a proper trailer — and the Internet goes completely berserk again. This only leads, however, to more speculation and theories until something else comes along. It’s a truly vicious cycle, especially for those who just want to enjoy the show without having to entertain 50 ridiculous Youtuber theories (like how Bran Stark may be the Night King?). Let’s just all take a breath, because whether you’re a casual watcher or hard-core fan who dedicates your life to figuring out plotlines three episodes in advance, everyone’s questions will be answered in April.

—Staff writer Declan J. Knieriem can be reached at declan.knieriem@thecrimson.com.