‘Game Of Thrones’ Season 5 Update: Carice Van Houten Dishes Thoughts On Melisandre (Spoilers)

In “Game Of Thrones” Season 5, episode 7 (“The Gift”), Melisandre (Carice Van Houten) tells Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) to kill his own daughter Shireen (Kerry Ingram) because she is the answer to their travel problems amid a raging blizzard on their way to Winterfell.

Spoiler alert: This update contains “Game of Thrones” Season 5 spoilers. Read on at your own risk if you have not caught up to the latest episode of the HBO series.

Melisandre tells a revolted Stannis that Shireen must be sacrificed in order to guarantee his victory. She reminds him that he must be officially recognised as king before winter peaks. Stannis tells her she must have lost her mind. Melisandre tells him he should know that she should have his confidence by now. He tells her to get out.

“She probably thinks it's really not looking good for her to say this. She's always had this as a backup plan, I think, in case everything would go wrong, and I think she feels like we're really going in a really bad direction here,” van Houten told TV Guide in an interview, adding that killing Shireen may be the only way to secure Stannis’ reign.

In an earlier episode, Stannis tells Shireen he loves her. This develops after she asked her father if he was ashamed of her because of her greyscale. Stannis then tells Shireen how people advised him to send her off to Valyria to live with the stone men. He tells her that his response was for everyone to “go to hell.” This declaration is now tested, as Melisandre asks the king to make a choice.

In the same TV Guide interview, van Houten reminded viewers that Stannis was wrong when he did not take Melisandre to Blackwater when he tried to seize King’s Landing. Still, the actress said Melisandre is not safe from making mistakes, as well.

It remains to be seen whether Stannis could remain consistent. If Ser Davos (Liam Cunningham) hears any of this, the character is not likely to take it lightly. Avid viewers of the HBO series know that Ser Davos and Shireen have a special bond.

In “A Song of Ice and Fire” book series by George R.R. Martin, the characters of Stannis and Shireen are developing differently. However, the HBO adaptation has been veering away from the books. Even those who have read the book could not tell what happens next to Shireen and Stannis on their way to Winterfell.

In the next “Game of Thrones” Season 5 episode (“Hardhome”), more screen time will be given to Arya (Maisie Williams), Sansa (Sophie Turner), Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Cersei (Lena Headey). Episode 8 airs May 31 on HBO.

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