The best of Westeros are back Sunday night, but there’s a lot to remember before diving in. The show’s fifth season premieres at 9 p.m. Eastern time on HBO, HBO Go and HBO Now, the network’s new standalone streaming service that doesn’t require a cable subscription.
Between the Targaryens and the Tyrells, the Lannisters and the Starks (yes, there are some left still!), it’s tough to keep everything straight. The new episodes reportedly have old characters re-cross paths and bring some long-separated characters back together, too.
Based on TIME‘s review of the series premiere, keeping the moving pieces straight is especially key as fan favorite Daenerys Targaryen, also called Khaleesi, will be making moves closer to the iron throne.
In the story, the dragons are a metaphor for Dany’s power. As it grows greater, it becomes more difficult to control–as she’s learned in Meereen, where effectively governing the city of former slave masters has proved harder than liberating it. It’s a typical message for Game of Thrones, which has always balanced its fantasy thrills with realpolitik. An awesome champion, it argues, is not necessarily a great ruler; and you are only a leader to the extent you can prove yourself worth following. Or as the season premiere puts it: “A dragon queen without dragons is not a queen.”
Watch the video above to refresh on everything from Cersei’s continuous wine gulping to Arya’s first kill and everything in between.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- How Donald Trump Won
- The Best Inventions of 2024
- Why Sleep Is the Key to Living Longer
- How to Break 8 Toxic Communication Habits
- Nicola Coughlan Bet on Herself—And Won
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- 22 Essential Works of Indigenous Cinema
- Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
Contact us at letters@time.com