Why Shireen has to burn [Book Spoilers]

[Saltire Knight]

The show has made Shireen too likable and her bond with Stannis too strong for him to allow her to burn.

Agreed. I can see Shireen being placed in some sort of mortal danger but that is as far as it will go.

If I would guess that anyone is going to burn its Melisandre - but not for some time.

[Philpenn]

They burned a girl alive in an episode of Sons of Anarchy. It was disturbing for sure, but if cable can do it...

[kissdbyfire]

Sadly she doesn't have grayscale anymore--only the scar--would she burn all but one small section of her cheek?Interesting thought though.

Well, according to Val greyscale can't be cured, but it can remain dormant for years. Since there's no

Val, I wonder if the information will come from someone else or not at all.

[Cas Stark]

Can someone remind me about Shireen's book dream, is that dragons burn her?

[Mithras]

Can someone remind me about Shireen's book dream, is that dragons burn her?

This

[Faint]

Little did we know that the "dragon" in question might be Jon "Snow."

[DireNorthWolf]

The stupidest part of the whole TV plot line is that any military commander would take his wife and child into enemy territory before a great battle. It's absurd. Stannis has a lot of dignity, he would have certainly left them at Castle Black or sent them elsewhere prior to leaving.

[Stormking Alesander I]

What if Mel burns Stannis, and Shireen becomes Queen on the Iron Throne? As posted earlier, D&D have no regard for logic( Though I seriously hope I am wrong

[mafro987daboss]

The stupidest part of the whole TV plot line is that any military commander would take his wife and child into enemy territory before a great battle. It's absurd. Stannis has a lot of dignity, he would have certainly left them at Castle Black or sent them elsewhere prior to leaving.

If this plot change was just to pedal the Shireen burning thing then D&D really need to re-evaluate their priorities! I can understand his fears over Winter and not wanting them stranded at the Wall but this is too weak to justify them being brought to Winterfell.

The whole Shireen burning thing could have been done through the Pink Letter though, so maybe the writers do have a plan.

[stannisismyking]

I can see Cersei not making it past the end of book 6 and Mel becoming the main evil adversary.

Yep, I think she is on the side of the others or a group exactly the same but opposite.

Whatever goes down in the next three episodes I find it really hard to believe that Mel is evil. I was looking around for interviews with Carice and I found this one I hadn't read before (from a few weeks ago) and I thought this bit was interesting:

She’s clearly wickedly burning people alive, yet also convincing at selling this idea that she serves a higher power and that there’s a more important war coming—because as viewers, we know she’s right that there is this threat coming from the White Walkers.

That’s the thing I’ve been trying to play. I don’t know how to play evil. The only thing I can do is play that this is for the greater good and my methods are not … friendly. The only way I can play it is to think there’s something even worse out there and that I’m actually doing people a favor [laughs]. And there is something that I know that I cannot tell you. But it makes sense…

I'm guessing for that last bit she's talking about something other than burning an adorable little girl. Because it might make sense from Mel's POV but not for everyone around her!

[BenBamBoo]

On a different tack, burning Shireen would leave Stannis without an heir. Why would he do this?

Even if he was seriously considering it, Davos would talk him out of it with a speech about how he has lost his children and wished they were still alive.

It could advance the plot, but would make absolutely no sense and go against the nature of Stannis' character imo.

[Corpse Sniffer]

In the books it appears that stannis is relying of melisandre less and less as the story goes on. The more he accomplishes without her aid the less he listens to her. one reason why he didn't take her on his march to winterfell. And if he does succeed in taking winterfell he ll be sure to sideline her even more since he then has to deal with northern lords who wouldn't look kindly on melisandre being heavily involved in decision making.

Even on the show, stannis seems a bit more skeptical about melisandre this season. So he might send her away if she annoys him anymore.

I think he'll send her back to the wall with Jon

[SeanF]

Whatever goes down in the next three episodes I find it really hard to believe that Mel is evil. I was looking around for interviews with Carice and I found this one I hadn't read before (from a few weeks ago) and I thought this bit was interesting:

She’s clearly wickedly burning people alive, yet also convincing at selling this idea that she serves a higher power and that there’s a more important war coming—because as viewers, we know she’s right that there is this threat coming from the White Walkers. That’s the thing I’ve been trying to play. I don’t know how to play evil. The only thing I can do is play that this is for the greater good and my methods are not … friendly. The only way I can play it is to think there’s something even worse out there and that I’m actually doing people a favor [laughs]

And there is something that I know that I cannot tell you. But it makes sense…

I'm guessing for that last bit she's talking about something other than burning an adorable little girl. Because it might make sense from Mel's POV but not for everyone around her!

In the Show, Mel is the devil. She is completely callous, and cares nothing for human suffering. She'd burn every child in the world, if it pleased R'hllor. She's like Nimue (at her worst) in The Warlord Chronicles.

In the books, she is more sympathetic. She really would avoid making people suffer if she could, but feels she has no choice.

I don't think that's down to bad acting on Carice's part, but just how the producers interpret her character.

[stannisismyking]

I'd argue she doesn't come across as sympathetic until you actually read her thoughts in her POV. I was more fascinated by her until I read her chapter then I realised she was sincere in her beliefs (while still doing super shitty things in the name of her beliefs), on top of having a pretty tough backstory which the show has touched on.

The show is cutting out one very decent thing she does alright - keeping Devan behind at the Wall to spare Davos any more suffering - but otherwise I don't feel she's coming across as worse, and is VERY single minded in her mission.

During the Q&A at Comic Con last year D&D rebuffed the idea that she was evil as well.

And sort of related ;) (x)

[Faint]

The show is cutting out one very decent thing she does alright - keeping Devan behind at the Wall to spare Davos any more suffering - but otherwise I don't feel she's coming across as worse, and is VERY single minded in her mission.

What, single highhandedly saving the Night's Watch from annihilation does not count? What about preventing Renly's army from slaughtering tens of thousands of soldiers? Or the tens of thousands more who would have perished trying to take Storm's End?

None of that makes it on her good ledger?

[stannisismyking]

What, single highhandedly saving the Night's Watch from annihilation does not count? What about preventing Renly's army from slaughtering tens of thousands of soldiers? Or the tens of thousands more who would have perished trying to take Storm's End?

None of that makes it on her good ledger?

I think she's fantastic in case that wasn't obvious! I'm just pointing out the most accessibly "human" thing she does in the books. People don't tend to think of the faceless pawns of war, but Devan is a cute kid who's the son of the most decent character in the books and she wants to spare Davos further pain even though they don't have the best relationship.

[Stonehearted Snake]

On a different tack, burning Shireen would leave Stannis without an heir. Why would he do this?

Even if he was seriously considering it, Davos would talk him out of it with a speech about how he has lost his children and wished they were still alive.

It could advance the plot, but would make absolutely no sense and go against the nature of Stannis' character imo.

I've wondered the same but I'm not sure that show!Stannis has considered this as much. Book!Stannis for sure would.

[Faint]

People don't tend to think of the faceless pawns of war, but Devan is a cute kid who's the son of the most decent character in the books and she wants to spare Davos further pain even though they don't have the best relationship.

Regrettably that is true but many a reader still fail to realize that without Melisandre, not only would Stannis be dead, so would Davos Seaworth, Jon Snow and most of the Night's Watch.

In any case, anyway you look at it, on one hand, you have Renly Baratheon, Cortnay Penrose and Alster Florent, on the other you have, conservatively, twenty-thousand people.

[Modesty Lannister]

I didn't know that taking a man's seed and turning it into a shadow baby, which is, according to the books, the darkest magic in existence, actually represents an act of charity. I also did not know that burning people alive is a great thing. Therefore Aerys II was a saint. Thanks for clarifying this to me.

[TheReal_Rebel]

moved