Principal photography for the third season of HBO’s Game of Thrones just wrapped up a few weeks ago, and fans of the series have a whole lot to be excited about.

Anyone who’s read the books knows that this season will be the best season so far, if not the best of the entire series.

“A Storm of Swords,” the third book in the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series on which the show is based, is in many ways the “Empire Strikes Back” of the series.

It has major battles like on Hoth, major reveals (like who’s Luke’s father), a little bit of incest and a whole lot of people dying.

Fans can be excited because they’re going to be seeing a whole lot of what’s “beyond the Wall,” in the north. Kit Harington’s character, Jon Snow, goes on a quest above and below the Wall that is simply gut-wrenching. Some fans might have their work cut out for them trying to figure out where Jon’s loyalty lies, a la Severus Snape.

What some readers consider one of the best parts of the book, and probably the show, will be Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) following in her dragon-riding ancestor’s footsteps. Those three baby dragons of hers won’t be large enough for her to ride in this season, but that’s not going to stop her from showing a little bit of Aegon the Conqueror’s blood.

The real selling point of this season will be the conflict between the Starks and the Lannister’s. Fans are going to get to see some battles and scenes that are going to make Ned’s fate in the first season and the Battle of Blackwater Bay in the second seem like a warm up. The proverbial poop is going to hit the fan.

Much of the horrors of war will be seen through the eyes of Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) and Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) as the both wander the war-torn Riverlands trying to avoid death and reunite themselves with their families. But, like everyone else in a Game of Thrones, their fates are less than certain and less than happy. They are more than exciting though.

Perhaps the most exciting news to come from HBO regarding the series is that the infamous Red Wedding scene has already been filmed. It’s hard to tell you why you should be excited about this wedding, without spoiling it. But, suffice to say that a lot of couples are going to get married in this season. And one of them is going to end badly. This is the scene that led HBO to put out a casting call for hundreds of amputees.

The events of this wedding are expected to leave fans in such uproar that author George R.R. Martin said he might leave the country for a few months after that episode airs.

When the third season premieres on March 31, expect to have your hand over your mouth for an hour every Sunday night.