HBO releases seven images from "Mother's Mercy"

The end of Season 5 is almost here. It all passed so quickly. It seems like only yesterday that Sansa was making her way to Winterfell, Arya was hiding Needle in a pile of rocks, and Jon Snow was being named Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. What a difference nine hours of TV makes.

To whet our appetites for the final time this year, HBO has released a handful of new images from “Mother’s Mercy,” the upcoming fifth season finale. Let’s get into them.

Jon returned to Castle Black last week, and now he and Sam catch up over a cup of cocoa, or tea, or alcohol. Knowing the mood around Castle Black right now, it’s probably alcohol.

Meanwhile, across the Narrow Sea, Jaqen H’ghar looks somber in the Hall of Faces. Then again, he always kind of looks somber—it comes from constantly suppressing your emotions, I guess. Is he angry over the fact that Arya’s been slipping back into her old identity? Who can tell?

Further east, things just aren’t the same since in Meereen since Dany left. Here, Jorah, Tyrion, and Daario drown their sorrows in silence. Would that they had some of whatever Jon and Sam are drinking.

In King’s Landing, Cersei kneels before the High Sparrow, which can’t be easy for someone as proud as her. All that spoon-thwapping and water-slurping has apparently changed her mind about how she treats her jailers.

You can still see the anger behind her eyes, though. Interestingly, King’s Landing is the only location of which HBO has released more than one image. Over the past couple of weeks, several images have been concentrated in one or two locations. This week, they’re spread out over several locales, which suggests that “Mother’s Mercy” will be a little more egalitarian about where it spends its time.