A Game of Thrones star has recently posted a photo that has us wondering just why it’s appeared now and if it really means anything.
Note: This photo could be construed as a spoiler for Game of Thrones.
Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 10. Official Image via HBO/Helen Sloan
Our sister site, Winter is Coming, recently discovered a photo from Carice van Houten on Twitter. Let’s just get right to it:
WiC notes it probably isn’t from another character other than Melisandre, and van Houten seems to have confirmed that based on her choice of emojis. The first one, an old woman, makes perfect sense. Although the second is better known as a dancer, it’s also a woman in red. If you want to read into it, this is a photo of the old woman in red, or, perhaps more appropriate for Game of Thrones, the old red woman.
Let’s try and think through why old Melisandre would return in season 7. From how we saw her in season 6, she does not show her true appearance to anyone else. The only reason we happen to know what she looks like without her necklace on is via the magic of the fourth wall. However, that doesn’t preclude others from trying to take her choker off.
Since she’s on Team Jon, perhaps Bran has a vision suggesting Melisandre is deceiving them. He’s traveled to the past before, so he may even see her taking her necklace off. That could spur him to share that information with Jon Snow as well.
Of course, that assumes that Bran makes it to Winterfell. However, it would make some sort of sense to have Melisandre’s form of magic clashing with his, although I suspect neither would particularly like the use of magic. After all, she’s a red priestess, and Bran says he has “green dreams” in the books. The colors might coordinate for Christmas, but they also represent fire and the woods. Fire and wood don’t mix.
However, WiC doesn’t come down either way as to if it’s an older photo or a more recent one, and we can’t either, speculation or no. Granted, she does have plausible deniability here — this could be, as WiC notes, a season 6 photo. But it’s a very strange time to start posting those kinds of photos, wouldn’t you say?
Next: 25 Reasons We Want Daenerys on the Iron Throne
What do you think: Is this just Carice van Houten having a little fun with a fanbase who pores over every word and photo we can get our hands on?