Warning: Spoilers for Game of Thrones, Season 6, 'The Red Woman' follow.
It's back! At long last. And while Game of Thrones dropped some interesting reveals by the close of the episode, it left the show and book's biggest question left unanswered.
So, we'll be free to speculate about the ultimate fate of Jon Snow for at least one more week. However, we were granted a fascinating look at Melisandre's true face, which is very, very, very old. The Red Pristess' age is something that book readers have been talking about for some time, as there are several hints in the text that she is either immortal or very near.
In the world of the show, Melisandre famously survived poison and has frequently faced what appears to be mortal danger with no fear. Additionally, as Vanity Fair points out, the show's creators as well as the actress who plays the Red Priestess, Carice van Houten, have teased her age in several interviews.
Van Houten previously told Access Hollywood that Melisandre was over 100-years-old. After the Season 6 premiere, however, executive producer David Benioff revealed that she was in fact “several centuries old.”
As a Eric Monroe pointed out on Twitter, there was a bathtub scene previously in which Melisandre was not wearing her necklace of power. The very necklace that she removed in tonight's episode in order to lift the glamour of her youth and beauty.
@MildlyAmused @RothCornet could it be in her hair ? pic.twitter.com/W8JQsE1w1r
– Eric Monroe (@mmkoch200) April 25, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
It is possible that the Priestess allowed Selyse, Stannis Baratheon's wife, to see her actual visage in that moment, as she told Selyse that she “does not need to use tricks” on true believers.
We know there is a new Red Priestess coming, so the question is: Is it Melisandre with a new face or an entirely fresh character?
Of course, the premiere went well beyond just that scene, but I imagine the crone's reveal is what the lion's share of viewers are talking about.
In the video above and below, Donna Dickens and Roth Cornet talk about the Season 6 premiere of HBO's Game of Thrones, the seemingly immortal Red Priestess, where we find the remainder of the characters, and if the show should break further away from the books, or stick closer still.
Take a look and let us know what you think here or on Twitter.
Roth: @RothCornet
Donna: @MildlyAmused