'Game Of Thrones' Season 6 News, Spoilers: Season 6 Premiere Uncovers Melisandre's Big Secret
While the highly anticipated sixth season premiere of HBO's "Game of Thrones" seemed subdued compared with most of the show's episodes, it did reveal something Melisandre (Carice van Houten) has been hiding from everyone else since she first appeared in Westeros.
But, first: yes, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) is dead. The season 6 debut episode began the same way season 5 ended, with the Lord Commander lying in a pool of his own blood after being betrayed and stabbed by his men. The big question now is whether or not Snow will stay dead and if Melisandre will have a hand in bringing him back to life.
Regardless, the episode, aptly titled "The Red Woman," was all about Melisandre's big reveal. By the end of the season opener, viewers had found out that underneath the Red Priestess' youthful visage was a centuries-old woman. In the final scene of "The Red Woman," Melisandre revealed that she had been using magic to disguise herself all along.
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The unveiling of Melisandre's secret sheds a new light on earlier scenes, such as when she seduced Stannis (Stephen Dillane) and gave birth to the shadow that killed his brother Renly (Gethin Anthony) and when she attempted to seduce Snow.
But while Melisandre's true age and appearance may have come as a shock to many viewers, avid readers of George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" may not have been as surprised. The truth about Melisandre has, after all, been set up well in the book series. In addition, van Houten previously spoke about her character's age, saying that she is well over 100 years old.
In an Access Hollywood interview back in 2012, the actress said, "I don't how old she is, but she's way over 100 years, so she is a wiser spirit, in a way, but it's difficult for me to say too much because A — we want it to at least stay sort of a mystery and B — I didn't read the books."
The question now is whether or not Melisandre will use some of her powerful magic to bring the late Jon Snow back from the dead. As of the moment, the young man's corpse remains intact and could very well be magically reanimated without causing a drastic change in his appearance.
"Game of Thrones" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
