--- title: Game of Thrones: HBO's Hit Series Returns description: As Game of Thrones on HBO returns, catch up on the last season canonical: https://time.com/3771274/game-of-thrones-season-5/ author: Heather Jones article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-04-07T13:00:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:04:42.850Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Everything You Need to Know Before the "Game of Thrones" Premiere og:description: The hookups, the deaths and all the secrets og:url: https://time.com/3771274/game-of-thrones-season-5/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Everything You Need to Know Before the "Game of Thrones" Premiere twitter:description: The hookups, the deaths and all the secrets twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Everything to Know About _Game of Thrones_ Before Season 5 Starts ## Video: 5 Reasons TV's Top Shows Are So Addictive [Watch (HLS stream): 5 Reasons TV's Top Shows Are So Addictive](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/2RqNgPrk.m3u8) (2:16)  _Published 2014-01-16. Here's a look at how our favorite TV shows—from "Game of Thrones" to "Scandal" and "Breaking Bad"—keep us coming back for more._ by [Heather Jones](/author/heather-jones/) ## Heather Jones Apr 7, 2015 1:00 PM CUT by [Heather Jones](/author/heather-jones/) ## Heather Jones Apr 7, 2015 1:00 PM CUT When _Game of Thrones_ returns to HBO on Sunday, even the most devout fans of the series may scratch their heads trying to remember the details of its intricate web of characters, kingdoms, grudges and alliances. To refresh you on where everyone in Westeros stands, TIME has put together a refresher on Season 4’s many twists and turns.  Heather Jones for TIME ### See The Real-Life People Who Inspired Game of Thrones Characters  From left: Cersei and Margaret of Anjou HBO; Getty Images  From Left: Khaleesi and Queen Elizabeth I. HBO; Getty Images  From Left: Melisandre and Bloody Mary Helen Sloan—HBO; Getty Images  From left: Talisa Stark and Anne Boleyn. Helen Sloan—HBO; Getty Images  From left: Brienne of Tarth and Joan of Arc. HBO; DeAgostini—Getty Images  From left: Henry VIII and Robert Baratheon. HBO; Getty Images  From left: Joffrey and Caligula. HBO; De Agostini—Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3771274/game-of-thrones-season-5/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3771274/game-of-thrones-season-5/"},"headline":"Everything to Know About Game of Thrones Before Season 5 Starts","datePublished":"2015-04-07T13:00:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:04:42.850Z","description":"Sort out Sansa, Cersei and Ser Pounce before the HBO show returns on Sunday","url":"https://time.com/3771274/game-of-thrones-season-5/","keywords":["Television","HBO","game of thrones","George RR Martin","Recap","A Song of Ice and Fire"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Heather Jones","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/heather-jones/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3771274/game-of-thrones-season-5/","name":"Everything to Know About Game of Thrones Before Season 5 Starts"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"5 Reasons TV's Top Shows Are So Addictive","description":"Here's a look at how our favorite TV shows—from \"Game of Thrones\" to \"Scandal\" and \"Breaking Bad\"—keep us coming back for more.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/2RqNgPrk/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-01-16T20:47:22.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/2RqNgPrk.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3771274/game-of-thrones-season-5/","duration":"PT2M16S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3771274/game-of-thrones-season-5/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```