The Red Woman

Last updated

"The Red Woman"
Game of Thrones episode
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 1
Directed by Jeremy Podeswa
Written by David Benioff
D. B. Weiss
Featured music Ramin Djawadi
Cinematography by Gregory Middleton
Editing byCrispin Green
Original air dateApril 24, 2016 (2016-04-24)
Running time50 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Mother's Mercy"
Next 
"Home"
Game of Thrones season 6
List of episodes

"The Red Woman" is the sixth season premiere episode of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones , and the 51st overall. The episode was written by series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Jeremy Podeswa.

Contents

In the episode, the lifeless body of Jon Snow is discovered by Ser Davos Seaworth and loyal members of the Night's Watch protect it; Melisandre has begun to lose her faith in the Lord of Light; Sansa Stark and Theon Greyjoy flee Winterfell; Ellaria Sand and the Sand Snakes seize control of Dorne; Jaime Lannister returns to King's Landing with the body of his dead daughter; and Daenerys Targaryen is taken prisoner by the khalasar of Khal Moro.

"The Red Woman" was positively received by critics who found the episode to be a satisfactory launching point for the season, and praising the scenes involving Sansa and Brienne, as well as the closing reveal with Melisandre, although the Dorne storyline was criticized once again for feeling too abrupt and deviating greatly from the books. For filming of the episode's closing reveal, the director used similar technique to the body double of Cersei Lannister in the previous episode. The episode title is an allusion to the epithet used to describe the Red Priestess Melisandre. In the United States, the episode premiere achieved a viewership of 7.94 million in its initial broadcast, and a same-day total including the streaming services HBO Go and HBO Now of 10.7 million viewers, a record for the series.

This episode marks the final appearances of Alexander Siddig (Doran Martell), DeObia Oparei (Areo Hotah) and Toby Sebastian (Trystane Martell).

Plot

In the North

Roose Bolton warns Ramsay Bolton that they could face retribution from the Lannisters for Ramsay's marriage to Sansa Stark and must therefore retrieve her to ensure the support of the North.

Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne rescue Sansa and Theon Greyjoy from a squad of Bolton soldiers.

In King's Landing

Jaime Lannister arrives in King's Landing bearing Myrcella's body and promises Cersei that they will have revenge against all who have wronged them.

Obara and Nymeria Sand infiltrate Trystane's ship and Obara kills him by stabbing him through the back of the head.

In Dorne

Ellaria Sand and Tyene Sand kill Doran Martell and Areo Hotah. Ellaria vows that "weak men will never rule Dorne again".

In Braavos

Arya Stark, now blinded, is sent to beg on the streets and train her hearing senses. The Waif appears and forces Arya to duel her using a wooden staff. Arya fails, and the Waif promises that she will return the following day.

In the Dothraki Sea

Daenerys Targaryen is presented to Khal Moro, who has taken her prisoner. Daenerys explains that she was Khal Drogo's wife and asks Moro to escort her back to Meereen, but he refuses, as widows of khals must live out their lives in Vaes Dothrak, the Dothraki's sacred city.

In Meereen

Tyrion Lannister and Varys walk through the deserted streets of Meereen. Varys promises that his spies will find the leader of the Sons of the Harpy. The two discover that all of the ships in Meereen's harbor have been set ablaze, and Tyrion realizes that Daenerys' forces will be unable to sail to Westeros.

At the Wall

The loyalists take Jon Snow's body into a storeroom. Melisandre is troubled, as she had experienced a vision of Jon fighting at Winterfell. The loyalists lock themselves in from the mutineers, while Eddison sneaks out of Castle Black to get assistance from the Wildlings. Ser Alliser Thorne convenes the Night's Watch and takes responsibility for Jon's assassination. Thorne and the other mutineers surround the storeroom and threaten to attack if the loyalists do not surrender by nightfall. Melisandre goes to sleep in her bedroom. As she undresses, she is revealed to have a physical body many years older than she normally appears.

Production

Writing

Series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss wrote the episode. D. B. Weiss and David Benioff.jpg
Series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss wrote the episode.

"The Red Woman" was written by the series' creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. Some elements in the episode are based on the sixth novel in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, The Winds of Winter , which author George R. R. Martin had hoped to have completed before the sixth season began airing. [1] It also contains elements from the chapters "The Sacrifice" and "The Blind Girl" from A Dance with Dragons . [2] With this episode, Jonathan Pryce (High Sparrow) is promoted to series regular. The episode has the introduction of new recurring cast member Joe Naufahu, who plays Khal Moro. [3] It was the first episode followed by After the Thrones , HBO's after-show hosted by Andy Greenwald and Chris Ryan. [4] The episode had a premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre two weeks before the premier of the episode on HBO. [5] There was a lot of speculation prior to the episode regarding whether the character Jon Snow would remain dead or return to life. Fans speculated that Melisandre would be the one to bring back Snow to life, after and before the title of the first episode was revealed to be "The Red Woman". [6]

Liam Cunningham, who portrays Davos Seaworth, spoke about the writing of the episode following its airing, and revealed how he reacted to the scene, saying "It was initially shocking. You know what I thought was my favorite bit, and I said it to David and Dan, it was at that moment when the reveal comes and you kind of go, 'Oh my God,' it puts things into context with Melisandre. It doesn't explain or blah, blah, blah. … It's confirmed like, she's a witch, but there was such a touch of humanity. When she went to the bed and got into the bed and covered herself up… it was like a really striking moment in this weird madness of humanity." [7]

John Bradley, who portrays Samwell Tarly, also spoke about the scene, saying "And what I like about that, and seeing her like that is you know then that her sexuality over the course of the last few seasons, we've seen her use as such a tool -- that's all very deliberate. She presents herself in this way as this beautiful woman because she knows the effect that that can have on people. She knows the effect that that has on Stannis, and that can make men do unadvisable things. So the fact that she did that and she uses that power in that way to have this influence on people. That puts her into context as somebody who really does know what she's doing." [7]

Filming

Carice van Houten portrays the titular character of the episode, the Red Woman Melisandre. Carice van Houten by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Carice van Houten portrays the titular character of the episode, the Red Woman Melisandre.

"The Red Woman" was directed by Jeremy Podeswa. Podeswa previously directed the fifth season episodes "Kill the Boy" and "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken", the latter of which received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. [8] [9] The budget for the sixth season increased compared to the previous seasons as each episode had an average cost of over $10 million, totaling approximately $100 million for the full season, setting a new high for the series. [10]

For the closing reveal involving Melisandre, the director of the episode stated that a similar technique to the body double of Cersei Lannister in "Mother's Mercy" was used, with Carice van Houten wearing prosthetic makeup for the face that was then transposed onto the real body of an old woman. Podeswa stated, "The idea is there's an indefinite indeterminate quality that she could be ancient. We were limited by choosing to use a real person rather than a complete [computer generated] creation. Because what does a 400-year-old person look like? We don't know. So if you try to create that, then you're creating something that looks beyond our known reality. Here you feel like she's very old without putting a number on it." [11]

Reception

Ratings

"The Red Woman" was viewed by 7.94 million American households on its first viewing, which is slightly lower than number of viewers for the fifth-season premiere, 8.00 million, marking the first time in the show's history a season premiere received less ratings than the premiere and finale of the season that came before it. HBO notes that two replays later in the night and early figures from HBO Go and HBO Now push the total to 10.7 million viewers, a same-day record for the show, meaning that the episode received an increase in viewerships. [12] The episode also acquired a 4.0 rating in the 18–49 demographic, making it the highest rated show on cable television of the night. [12] In the United Kingdom, the episode was watched by 2.19 million viewers according to overnight ratings (2.289 million viewers over 7 days and 2.554 over 28 days), a record for the pay channel Sky Atlantic. [13] [14] The UK viewing figures reached an all-time high. The 2am simulcast attracted 60,000 viewers. [15] Similarly it broke the Australian record as the most watched show on pay TV, with 721,000 viewers in the overnight figures and 1.1 million in the final tally. [16] [17] Over a million had downloaded the episode within 12 hours of airing, with Australia having the most illegal downloads of the episode by a single nation. [18]

Critical reception

Reviews for "The Red Woman" were very positive. The episode was praised for its humor, Brienne's reunion with Sansa and Theon, and the revelation regarding Melisandre's true age. [19] [20] Rotten Tomatoes gave the episode an approval rating of 86% based on 59 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5.4/10, and the consensus reading: "A solid season opener, The Red Woman balanced its ongoing mysteries with a bit of humor and featured Sansa's touching reunion with Brienne of Tarth." [21]

James Hunt of What Culture wrote in his review of the episode; "It was a good return to the Seven Kingdoms (and beyond), one that was filled with tension throughout, and set about re-establishing the pieces on the board." [22] Ellen Gray of Philadelphia Daily News noted in her review of the episode; "First episodes are always difficult. So many people to check in on. Or kill. Or swear vengeance upon. Still, things are off to several promising starts." [23] Mark W. Pleiss of PopMatters wrote in his review of the episode; "The most recent episode of HBO's Game of Thrones largely evaded the two major questions from the previous chapter, and instead lined up its sixth season to gravitate around the heroics and cunning of its female protagonists." [24] Tim Surette of TV.com wrote that Melisandre is one of his favorite characters. [25]

In isolation from the rest of the episode, many critics were baffled by the drastic changes to the Dorne storyline. For io9 , Charlie Jane Anders called it "the absolute worst" part of the episode, and criticized the Dorne storyline in general for giving Doran Martell "a grand total of ten minutes' screentime" before suddenly killing him off, given that he is alive in the novels and his major subplot from the books - that he was simply feigning a desire for peace while planning to betray the Lannisters - was not introduced at all before his departure. [26] Alan Sepinwall from HitFix also disliked the Dorne scenes and summarized, "I'll settle for not needing to audibly groan every time the story returns to Dorne, frankly." [27] For Vulture, Nate Jones wrote an op-ed piece specifically criticizing the Dorne storyline in seasons five and six, culminating in the changes in the season six premiere, which it felt to be bizarre and illogical - purely relying on shock value when the characters' actions don't make sense upon closer analysis. Jones was also critical of how it was altering the female characters in Dorne, saying that they were changed from the novels to be "the kind of violent, scantily clad women that emerge when creators want to pay lip service to feminism, but don't have the time or inclination to create actual three-dimensional female characters." [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brienne of Tarth</span> Character from A Song of Ice and Fire

Brienne of Tarth is a fictional character in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels and its television adaptation, Game of Thrones. She is a prominent point of view character in the novels.

"Kill the Boy" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The 45th episode overall, it was written by Bryan Cogman, and directed by Jeremy Podeswa, his directorial debut for the series. The episode first aired on HBO on May 10, 2015.

"The Kingsroad" is the second episode of the first season of the HBO medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, first aired on April 24, 2011. It was written by series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Tim Van Patten.

"The North Remembers" is the second season premiere episode of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones. First aired on April 1, 2012, it was written by the show creators and executive producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by returning director Alan Taylor.

"Valar Morghulis" is the tenth and final episode of the second season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 20th overall. The episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and directed by Alan Taylor. It first aired on June 3, 2012.

"The Climb" is the sixth episode of the third season of the HBO medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The 26th episode of the series overall, it was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Alik Sakharov. It first aired on HBO on May 5, 2013.

"Two Swords" is the first episode of the fourth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The fourth season premiere and the 31st episode overall, the episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Weiss. It first premiered on April 6, 2014.

"Mockingbird" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The 37th episode of the series overall, "Mockingbird" was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Alik Sakharov. It first aired on HBO on May 18, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olenna Tyrell</span> Character in A Song of Ice and Fire

Olenna Tyrell is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of high fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation, Game of Thrones.

<i>Game of Thrones</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of the fantasy drama television series Game of Thrones premiered on HBO on April 12, and concluded on June 14, 2015. It was broadcast on Sunday at 9:00 pm in the United States, consisting of 10 episodes, each running approximately 50–60 minutes. The season primarily adapts the storylines from A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons, the fourth and fifth novels in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, though it also uses the remaining elements from the third novel, A Storm of Swords, as well as the upcoming sixth novel The Winds of Winter. It also contains original content not found in Martin's novels. The series is adapted for television by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.

<i>Game of Thrones</i> season 6 Season of television series

The sixth season of the fantasy drama television series Game of Thrones premiered on HBO on April 24, 2016, and concluded on June 26. It consists of 10 episodes, each of approximately 50–60 minutes long. Much of the season's storyline is derived from content not yet published in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, although a significant amount of material from A Feast for Crows, A Dance with Dragons and the upcoming sixth novel The Winds of Winter, which Martin outlined to showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, was used. The series was adapted for television by Benioff and Weiss. HBO had ordered the season on April 8, 2014, together with the fifth season, which began filming in July 2015 primarily in Northern Ireland, Spain, Croatia, Iceland and Canada. The season cost over $100 million to produce.

"The House of Black and White" is the second episode of the fifth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The 42nd episode overall, it was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Michael Slovis. It first aired on HBO on April 19, 2015.

"High Sparrow" is the third episode of the fifth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The 43rd episode of the series overall, "High Sparrow" was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Mark Mylod, his directorial debut for the series. It first aired on HBO on April 26, 2015.

"Sons of the Harpy" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 44th overall. The episode was written by Dave Hill, and directed by Mark Mylod. It aired on May 3, 2015. Prior to airing, this episode was leaked online along with the first three episodes of the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken</span> 6th episode of the 5th season of Game of Thrones

"Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" is the sixth episode of the fifth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The 46th episode overall, it was written by Bryan Cogman, and directed by Jeremy Podeswa. It first aired on HBO on May 17, 2015.

"Home" is the second episode of the sixth season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 52nd overall. The episode was written by Dave Hill and directed by Jeremy Podeswa.

"Book of the Stranger" is the fourth episode of the sixth season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 54th overall. The episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Daniel Sackheim.

"No One" is the eighth episode of the sixth season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 58th episode overall. It was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Mark Mylod.

"Dragonstone" is the first episode of the seventh season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 61st overall. The seventh season premiere, the episode was written by series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Jeremy Podeswa. It first aired on July 16, 2017.

References

  1. Shetty, Sharan (January 2, 2016). "George R.R. Martin's Winds of Winter Won't Be Out Before Game of Thrones' Sixth Season". Slate . Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  2. Noble, Matt (August 18, 2015). "'Game of Thrones' director Jeremy Podeswa dishes Jon Snow death, teases season six (Exclusive Video)". GoldDerby. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  3. "'Game Of Thrones': Joe Naufahu Of 'Spartacus' Fame Joins Season 6 Cast". Headlines & Global News. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved 2015-12-25.
  4. Snierson, Dan (April 4, 2016). "HBO orders Game of Thrones weekly after-show from Bill Simmons". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  5. O'Leary, Abigail (April 11, 2016). "Game of Thrones stars stun at glamorous series six premiere of hit fantasy show". Daily Mirror . Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  6. Renshaw, David (April 8, 2016). "HBO confirm Jon Snow is dead in 'Game Of Thrones' S6 premiere". NME . Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Lash, Jolie (April 25, 2016). "'Game Of Thrones' Stars React To Melisandre Season 6 Premiere Reveal". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  8. Hibberd, James (June 25, 2015). "Game of Thrones directors revealed for mysterious season 6". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  9. "HBO Reveals 'Game of Thrones' Season 6 Premiere Title and Synopsis". The Hollywood Reporter . April 7, 2016. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  10. Lee, Ben (March 30, 2016). "Game of Thrones season 6 costs A LOT per episode: The HBO fantasy epic's massive budget is revealed". Digital Spy . Archived from the original on April 2, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  11. Hibberd, James (April 25, 2016). "Game of Thrones director explains that Melisandre surprise". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Porter, Rick (April 26, 2016). "Sunday cable ratings: 'Game of Thrones' opens slightly lower, still dominant". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  13. Morgan Britton, Luke (April 27, 2016). "'Game Of Thrones' season six premiere earns Sky Atlantic record ratings". NME . Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  14. "Top 10 Ratings (18-24 April 2016)". BARB . April 24, 2016. Archived from the original on 18 July 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  15. "Game of Thrones UK viewing figures reach all-time high as 60,000 fans tune in at 2am". London Evening Standard . April 27, 2016. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  16. Bulbeck, Pip (April 26, 2016). "Game of Thrones' Season 6 Premiere Sets Australian Pay TV Ratings Record". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  17. Dale, David (May 8, 2016). "THE RATINGS RACE: Singing, cooking, and resurrecting are so hot right now". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  18. Husband, Andrew (April 26, 2016). "The 'Game Of Thrones' Premiere Didn't Shatter Piracy Records, But That Didn't Stop Australia". Uproxx . Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  19. Miller, Shannon (April 24, 2016). "Review: 'Game of Thrones' Season 6 Episode 1, 'The Red Woman,' Finds New Sparks In Familiar Territory". IndieWire . Archived from the original on May 29, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  20. Robinson, Joanna (April 24, 2016). "Game of Thrones Really, Really Wants You to Know They're All About Women This Year". Vanity Fair . Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  21. "The Red Woman - Game of Thrones: Season 6, Episode 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  22. Hunt, James (April 25, 2016). "Game Of Thrones Season 6: 10 Ups And 2 Downs From 'The Red Woman'". What Culture. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  23. Gray, Ellen (April 25, 2016). "Game Of Thrones Season 6: 10 Ups And 2 Downs From 'The Red Woman'". Philadelphia Daily News . Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  24. W. Pleiss, Mark (May 2, 2016). "Season 6, Episode 1 - "The Red Woman"". PopMatters . Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  25. Surette, Tim (April 25, 2016). "Game of Thrones Season 6 Premiere Review: What's Old Is Old Again". TV.com . Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  26. Jane Anders, Charlie (April 25, 2016). "I'm Starting to Think the Greatest Hero in Game of Thrones Is Brienne of Tarth". Vanity Fair . Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  27. Sepinwall, Alan (April 24, 2016). "Review: 'Game of Thrones' sets the season 6 table with 'The Red Woman'". HitFix . Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  28. Jones, Nate (April 24, 2016). "What's Wrong With Game of Thrones' Dorne Plot?". Vulture.com . Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.