It's the question circulating among every "Game of Thrones" fan that won't quit: Is Jon Snow really dead? Is he dead dead? Or is he coming back?

It's time to quash this debate. Whatever verbal trickery the cast and creators of the hit HBO fantasy show use to distract us — saying his fate is right there in his eyes, or simply that he's dead, which avoids the matter of resurrection — fans are pretty sure Snow hasn't inhaled his last breath of Westeros air.

They're right. For an assortment of reasons, from big to small, from the books to a simple understanding of how TV works.

Here's every reason we're confident Jon Snow is being resurrected in season six, which kicks off Sunday:

This is a fantasy show.

Yes, the success of "Game of Thrones" is predicated on the possibility that anyone could die at any moment, and it could be gut-wrenching. But it has also regularly brought people back to life. The Mountain was as good as dead, until Qyburn injected him with some kind of zombie life.

Remember Melisandre at the end of season 5?

Not only have people already been brought back to life on "Game of Thrones," it's been done by a person serving the Lord of Light: Thoros, who brought back Beric Dondarrion of the Brotherhood Without Banners (remember him?) multiple times.

And by the season-five finale, another pupil of the Lord of Light, the red priestess Melisandre, looks ready to do the same. She has traveled to Castle Black, where Jon Snow is, putting her in the perfect position to give him life again after his grisly death at the end of season five. 

Actress Carice Van Houten has even hinted at the likely outcome, saying that something "spectacular" is in store when the show comes back.

Melisandre saw Stannis as the one to take the Throne, but in the last episode, she had abandoned him, and she may just be eyeing Jon Snow as her best new hope. If so, she'll have to bring him back from sure death first.

Fans of the books have already been saying Jon Snow will be resurrected for years.

The scene in which Jon Snow is stabbed is in the most recent of the "Game of Thrones" books, published in 2011. And since then, readers have been gathering all sorts of evidence for why he's coming back that's also in the show.

You can read the book fans' full theories here, including Snow's potential warging abilities, but it's certainly illuminating that, back in the day, George R.R. Martin answered a question about why he killed Jon Snow by saying, "Oh, you think he's dead, do you?"

In the book, Jon Snow's fate remains unfinished. The description of the attack simply trails off like so: "He never felt the fourth knife. Only the cold …"

Warning: Spoilers ahead for season five of "Game of Thrones."

"Game of Thrones" returns to HBO on April 24, and fans are pumped to see their favorite characters back on screen. Since it's been nearly nine months since the season five finale, we took it upon ourselves to remind fans about all the important details you should know heading into Sunday's season six premiere.

Let's dive into everything you need to know. And don't worry — we left out any known details about season six in case you want to go in blind. 

Let's start up north. Roose Bolton and his wife, Walda Frey, are expecting a baby. Ramsay, Roose's bastard son, isn't too happy.

Even though Ramsay was legitimized (dropping the surname Snow and taking Bolton), Roose's new baby — who is believed to be a boy — is technically a threat to Ramsay. The Boltons are currently occupying the Stark home of Winterfell, and are trying to secure their hold on the North. 

The Boltons were prepared for battle against Stannis, who wanted to conquer the North as part of his attempt at taking the Iron Throne.

Stannis knew the Boltons were loyal to the Lannisters and King Tommen, which meant he would have to uproot them from Winterfell and take the North if he were to be king. 

Stannis and his wife, Selyse, made the choice to burn their daughter Shireen alive in order to please the Lord of Light.

They needed the snow to melt in order to attack the Boltons, and Melisandre promised this was the only way forward. Unfortunately, the child sacrifice actually caused sections of Stannis' troops to abandon their king. The snow did melt, however, and Stannis forged on.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for all of "Game of Thrones," including speculation of future events. 

"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." 

Those sobering words were spoken in the third season of "Game of Thrones" by Ramsay Bolton, and it felt like he was breaking the fourth wall, warning viewers not to hope for the fantasy outcome they may desperately want. 

Just three episodes later, Ramsay's father Roose Bolton played a key role in the massacre of Rob and Catelyn Stark — along with the bulk of the Northern Army — at the Red Wedding. 

From then on, fans had little reason to believe the Starks would ever get the vengeance they deserve. 

But book readers are holding out hope, mainly in the form of an epic theory which outlines evidence that there's a huge underground conspiracy among the remaining Northern lords. The theory is known as "The Grand Northern Conspiracy," and many have good reason to believe we'll see it come to fruition in season six. 

Here's the short version: The surviving leaders of the North are still loyal to the Starks, and have a plan to overthrow the Boltons, take back the North, and name Jon Snow as their king.

The Evidence

For show-only folks, we're going to have to turn to some text-based evidence for the basis of this theory. The starting point happens in "A Storm of Swords," when Robb is discussing his heir. More specifically, his lack thereof.

In both the show and books, Robb has a wife but no son in line to become the King in the North should anything happen to him. He believes Bran and Rickon have been murdered by Theon Greyjoy and presumes Arya is dead.

That leaves Sansa — but when Robb is still alive she's married to Tyrion Lannister. The last thing Robb wants is a Lannister in Winterfell. There are no more Stark children left fit to inherit Winterfell and the North, as far as Robb knows.

But he did have another brother, one who has Stark blood: Jon Snow.

In a tense conversation with his mother, Catelyn, Robb insists that naming Jon his heir is the best plan. When Catelyn points out that Jon is sworn to never hold lands (part of the Night's Watch vow), Robb says he can be released from his vows as a special decree.

When Catelyn also argues that Jon's bastard-status means he has no rights in the family, Robb says it would be easy enough to legitimize Jon as a Stark and give him the rights along with the title of heir. 

Robb then holds a council meeting right before the Red Wedding, asking his lords to sign his proclamation naming an heir. We're never told for certain it names Jon — but all signs say it likely did.

So what happened to that letter?

No one really knows. Here's where the speculation comes in.

The North Remembers

The theory is based on the hope that Robb's letter was somehow placed in the hands of a trustworthy Stark loyalist. Though many of the Stark bannermen and lords were massacred at the Red Wedding, along with their King himself, some survived. 

Now there are lords in the North merely pretending to live peacefully under the Boltons rule, while truly they are biding their time to rebel and name Jon their king.

(By the way, this entire theory breakdown written by Redditor/blogger Yeade is long enough to fill a 44-page PDF. So forgive us for glossing over the finer points. We highly encourage you to peruse the write-up in its entirety.)

One of the focal points of the theory is a man named Wyman Manderly, the Lord of White Harbor. His son Wendel was killed during the Red Wedding, and book readers believe Wyman is a central part of a larger conspiracy to unseat the Bolton's and exact revenge on the Freys.

"The north remembers, and the mummer's farce is almost done," Wyman says in the books, hinting that he and fellow lords have only been pretending to be loyal to the Stark-traitors. There is also evidence he killed several Freys and baked them into a pie before serving it at a feast with the Boltons — but that's a long story in of itself. 

It is also likely that Catelyn Stark — who is zombified in the books to become an undead Lady Stoneheart — is a rallying point for these lords. So far there's no hint that Stoneheart will be in the show, but the rest of the Grand Northern Conspiracy has made several appearances.

The Show's Portrayal

Starting in season five of "Game of Thrones," several hints were dropped about the potential for a real Northern conspiracy. Sansa Stark arrived back in Winterfell and was greeted by a woman saying "the North remembers." That same woman was later flayed alive by Ramsay for promising to help Sansa escape if need be. 

We also got a nod to the Stark loyalists when Stannis Baratheon offered Winterfell to Jon Snow. Stannis needed Jon's help rallying the North to his cause, and thought naming Jon a Stark might help. Jon, ever the Night's Watch loyalist, refused the offer. But during their conversation, Stannis showed Jon a note he had received:

"Bear Island knows no king but the King in the North, whose name is Stark."

This show-moment was a nod to the book characters, specifically 10-year-old Lyanna Mormont who did in fact reject Stannis as her king. While it may seem like an endearing notion coming from a child, perhaps Lyanna knows more than a grown man gives her credit for. Her house is among those who could know about the plan to name Jon both a Stark and King.

Then there are casting rumors for season six. One character description was listed as such:

He is a fat nobleman in his 60’s. He has distinctive rugged features, a Northern accent, and a distinguished air. Our source says he has a stirring speech during which he unexpectedly shifts political allegiances.

The casting didn't list an official name, but this sounds an awful lot like Wyman Manderly. The show has even provided precedent for Manderly to appear.

In the brutal Red Wedding scene from season three, there was a brief shot of several men eating dinner. Wyman's son, Wendel, was present. You can identify him from the merman on his coat — the Manderly's house sigil. 

Though he went unnamed in the episode, and Wyman hasn't been heard from yet, some book readers take this as a sign that the showrunners have been planning the Grand Northern Conspiracy reveal for a long time.

Season Six Revelations

If you're a fan of the show, and have made it this far in our post, you of course know that Jon Snow was left for dead in the season five finale. That hiccup would make this entire theory null and void. But fans deep in the throes of "Game of Thrones" have been speculating for a long about the fate of Jon — and almost no one believes he's actually staying dead. 

In fact, one set leak from season six filming has fans even more hyped about the Grand Northern Conspiracy. 

Kit Harington (the actor who plays Jon) was seen filming a battle scene, and he was wearing Stark armor.

The battle is rumored to be an epic clash between Ramsay Bolton and the Northern lords led by Jon Snow (or Stark?). If all goes according to plan, Jon will be resurrected by Melisandre, take up his Stark name, and lead a revolt against the Boltons. 

The newest trailers for season six have given us a glimpse of this fight, and it definitely looks like the North is rising against their Bolton overlords. Take a look:

Several of the banners show sigils of known houses, like the Mormonts, Hornwoods, and Umbers. The shields in the foreground of this shot are definitely from Bolton — you can see them again in this snippet from the trailer:

Is that the coolest thing you've ever heard? (Other than "Cleganebowl"?) We thought so. 

Get hype, because season six premieres on April 24, and with any luck we're finally going to see some vengeance for the Starks.  

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NOW WATCH: Why Bran Stark will play a huge role next season on ‘Game of Thrones'

Kelly Ripa has broken her silence after failing to return to "Live" earlier this week following the announcement that Michael Strahan is leaving the show.

In an email obtained by Deadline, Ripa thanked the daytime show's staff for their support and confirmed she would be returning to work on Tuesday.

“I wanted to thank you all for giving me the time to process this new information,” Ripa wrote in the email late on Friday. “Your kindness, support, and love has overwhelmed me. We are a family and I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday morning."

Ripa failed to return for work this past Wednesday after ABC announced that Michael Strahan would be leaving "Live" for a full-time job at "Good Morning America." Guest cohosts Ana Gasteyer and Erin Andrews replaced her this past week. As Business Insider previously reported, Ripa will also be out on Monday, when “Pretty Little Liars” star Shay Mitchell will fill the cohost spot.

Ripa was reportedly upset after being blindsided by Strahan's departure news. CNN reported that a source close to the situation said Ripa "is beyond angry."

When Ripa returns, she's expected to cohost with Strahan five days a week until his exit this summer. The show will then probably repeat the process it used to find Strahan in 2012 when he replaced the retiring Regis Philbin. In that case, Ripa will have a string of guest cohosts, who are essentially auditioning in front of millions of viewers for the permanent spot.

SEE ALSO: Kelly Ripa isn't returning to 'Live' until next week amid anger over Michael Strahan leaving

SEE ALSO: Kelly Ripa skips 'Live' because she's 'beyond angry' over Michael Strahan leaving

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NOW WATCH: Adam Savage reveals why he and 'MythBusters' cohost Jamie Hyneman won't be working together anymore

Every new television season ushers in a wave of debut shows that carry with them high expectations, from both the audiences and the networks eager to promote them.

Although the shows may star huge names, revive old franchises, or become critical favorites, they ultimately have to win over the viewers. And it's tough to live up to the hype in today's TV landscape.

Business Insider looked at the 2015-2016 season's crop of TV shows that actually lived up to or exceeded expectations, as networks make the big decisions about what stays and what goes.

From "Ash vs. Evil Dead" to the "X-Files" revival, here are the 11 most successful new shows of the past TV year:

SEE ALSO: The 12 most disappointing new TV shows of the year

SEE ALSO: Producers behind hit reality-TV shows reveal the secret tricks they use to orchestrate crazy drama

"The X-Files" (Fox)

It was a coup for both Fox and fans that the creator and stars of "The X-Files" reunited almost 14  years after the show went off the air. But everyone wondered, would fans actually show up? The answer is yes. It not only opened big but it ended up being the highest-rated show of the 2015-2016 TV year.

And, of course, Fox wants more. For the fans' sake, we hope it doesn't take another 14 years.

"Blindspot" (NBC)

It was clear that "Blindspot," which stars "Thor's" Jaimie Alexander, was a top priority for NBC when it scheduled the show's premiere after its highly-rated "The Voice." In turn, "Blindspot" took the lead in ratings above every new show that had premiered at the time. It ended up being the third-highest-rated show of the TV year.

"Chicago Med" (NBC)

In the spirit of franchises like "NCIS" and "Law & Order," Dick Wolf's third "Chicago Fire" spin-off really had to prove itself worthy of the franchise. That it did. Despite mixed reviews from critics, fans voted with their remote controls. NBC is already developing a fourth show, "Chicago Law."

For five seasons, "Game of Thrones" has shocked, excited, and appalled millions of viewers. 

And on Sunday, it returns for its sixth season. 

Fans have cheered when favorite characters have won and screamed when they've died, and this next season is sure to bring more of the same. 

For those wondering what this show is about or fans wanting a recap of everything that has transpired in the past five seasons, here's a very brief episode-by-episode breakdown of seasons one through five:

SEE ALSO: 25 pressing questions we still need answered on 'Game of Thrones'

S1 E1: The Introductions

• Eddard (Ned) Stark honorably kills a Night's Watch deserter but not before receiving the first warning about the White Walkers.
• Direwolf puppies are found and given to the Stark children.
• Ned accepts the offer to become the King's Hand. 
• Daenerys is given to Khal Drogo for marriage and receives three stone dragon eggs as a wedding gift. 
• Jaime pushes Bran out of a tower after the child stumbled upon Jaime engaged in a sexual act with his sister, Cersei. 

S1 E2: The Stark family separates

• Jon Snow leaves Winterfell to join the Night's Watch.
• Ned, Arya, and Sansa depart to King's Landing with the rest of the royal party.
• While he's unconscious, Bran is attacked by an assassin, but is protected by his mother and his direwolf. Catelyn suspects the Lannisters have something to do with Bran's accident, so she leaves to tell Ned. 
• Joffrey shows how awful he is by taunting Arya's friend Mycah and cutting him with a sword. Arya retaliates, and as Joffrey threatens her, her direwolf, Nymeria, jumps to her rescue. 
• Ned kills Sansa's direwolf at Cersei's demand after Nymeria cannot be found. 
• Bran wakes up from a brief coma. 

S1 E3: Ned's investigation begins

• The royal party and Stark family reach King's Landing. 
• Bran doesn't remember that he was pushed. He also learns that he is paralyzed. 
• Catelyn arrives in King's Landing and learns that the assassin's knife belonged to Tyrion Lannister. She tells Ned and he decides to investigate. 
• Daenerys learns that she is pregnant.

For three seasons now, Thomas Middleditch has played Richard Hendricks, the anxiety-filled leader of the Pied Piper startup in the HBO comedy hit “Silicon Valley.”

Middleditch plays the part so well that he doesn’t fault people who meet him and think he's just like Richard in real life.

“I have people come up to me and I like it when they get surprised: ‘You’re not like Richard at all.’ I take that as a compliment,” the actor told Business Insider over the phone recently.

It doesn't take long to realize Middleditch is in fact not like Richard. In conversation, he's full of energy and engaged. A far cry from his alter ego, who often stumbles over every joke or point he tries to make.

That anxiety only builds for Richard in season three as Pied Pier has moved up in the world. It's now found an investor, but Richard has been ousted as CEO.

One thing Middleditch is very happy with this season is Richard's ramped-up comedy, so the character isn’t solely portrayed as the show’s straight man.

“I like that they gave me some physical bits,” he said. “One of the things that you saw in the teaser, me slamming my face in the desk, I like that kind of stuff.

“A lot of comedies, I think, make the wrong choice of having the straight man being this bland emotional conduit for the audience,” Middleditch continued. “Everyone else has the wacky lines and he just sort of sits there. I want to make sure he has fun stuff to do.”

Middleditch loves the comfort of being on a TV series that has a strong fan base and isn't looking to end any time soon. But looking forward, he hopes to show other types of characters he can play in roles he’s taking during the time between seasons.

He stars in indie dramedies “The Bronze” (in theaters) and “Joshy” (out later this year), and an outlandish comedy he shot with his “Silicon Valley” cast mate T.J. Miller, “Search Party,” opens next month.

“At the end of the day I want to play characters that interest me,” he said. “That said, I'm not in the market for any computer hacker characters in a film — I wouldn't mind venturing into more dramatic stuff — but I also kind of want to remind people that comedy is what I love doing, comedy is what I've been doing for years and years and I'll never stop doing comedy.”

And he wants more people to realize he’s not Richard Hendricks.

“I would like to think that goes away a few minutes after meeting me,” he said.

SEE ALSO: Here's a refresher on what you need to know going into "Game of Thrones" season 6

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Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for "Game of Thrones" season six. 

Fans were stunned Sunday evening when the "Game of Thrones" writers threw a huge curve ball into the already crazy and magical world of Westeros and beyond. But it turns out, some fans have been guessing this plot twist for more than four years.

Turn back now if you haven't watched Sunday's season six premiere of "Game of Thrones."

The first episode of season six ended with the reveal that Melisandre is actually a wrinkly old woman who was disguising herself as a young, beautiful, red-haired priestess.

Yep. That happened.

Fans went bananas online as Melisandre removed her dress (something we're all used to by now, seeing as getting naked and serving the Lord of Light are two of Melisandre's favorite activities) and transformed into a bent and ancient old lady.

The episode ended with no elaboration on Melisandre's plans at Castle Black, though the running theory is that she will somehow resurrect Jon Snow. Episode two, titled "Home," will probably expand more on Melisandre's role in the situation with Jon Snow's body.

While the twist came as a surprise to many, there were some fans who saw this coming. Here's why some fans had guessed Melisandre's youthful appearance was a farce all along.

Hints in the show

The first time viewers were introduced to Melisandre was in season two, when Stannis was burning effigies of the seven gods from the Faith of the Seven — the common religion in southern Westeros. The maester in Stannis' employ was a man named Cressen, and he considered Melisandre and her foreign god R'hllor (the Lord of Light) blasphemous.

Cressen tried to poison Melisandre by offering her a drink. He drank from the same glass first, a gesture of good faith, but as he fell to the floor dying Melisandre showed no sign of distress. She drank the poison, and nothing happened. As she stood over Cressen's dead body, Melisandre says simply: "The night is dark and full of terrors, but the fire burns them all away."

The red jewel in her necklace glowed as she said this.

So based on this scene, we clearly learn that Melisandre is somehow immortal or immune to life-threatening poisons. The glowing jewel also seemed significant from the get-go. But then, the actors themselves provided even more hints.

Cast interviews reveal more

Redditor and moderator of /r/asoiaf BryndenBFish put together an overview of Melisandre's known character attributions for a discussion on the red priestess. Included in the round-up is a quote from Oliver Ford Davies, the actor who played Cressen. 

During a 2013 interview with Flicks and the City, Davies described his initial confusion when acting out the poisoning scene with Carice Van Houten (Melisandre): "In between takes I said to her 'I'm not quite up to speed on this, why don't you die?' And she said, 'I'm 400 years old.'"

Van Houten herself also said something similar during an Access Hollywood interview back in 2012. When a reporter asked where Melisandre's power came from, and specifically if it had to do with her necklace, Van Houten replied: "She definitely has certain powers. I don’t how old she is, but she’s way over 100 years, so she is a wiser spirit, in a way."

So both Davies and Van Houten had spilled the beans nearly four years ago, and fans immediately began putting two and two together. 

Fan theories pinpoint the truth

The series — both on TV and in the books — has multiple characters who are essentially "undead." The leader of the Brotherhood without Banners, Berc Dondarrion, is one. And in the written series, Catelyn Stark is resurrected and becomes a revenge-seeking zombie. Back in 2013, Redditor DarthGregor postulated that Melisandre may be another "undead" character.

In the books, Melisandre reveals to Jon Snow that she's used a type of magic called "glamouring" in order to disguise a man as a different person. This hasn't been brought up in the show, but fans used this book factoid to point to the idea that Melisandre herself may be using her necklace to "glamour" herself.

A wrench was tossed into this idea when, during the season two finale, Melisandre was shown naked in a bathtub without her necklace on. She was speaking with Selyse, and still looked totally normal. It's possible that the showrunners simply blanked, and this is a a continuity error.

One person guessed that Selyse's ardent belief in the Lord of Light meant Melisandre didn't need to magically alter her appearance. Selyse saw Melisandre as a beautiful young woman without the help of additional tricks, only her faith. 

Either way, the significance of Melisandre's appearance in relation to her necklace has been a longtime focus of fan theories for years.

Season six build-up stokes the fire

Most people spent the time between season five and six debating about Jon Snow's future in the series. Many people (ourselves included) are convinced he will be resurrected somehow, and odds are this will involve Melisandre's powers. 

A few weeks before the premiere of season six, Liam Cunningham (Ser Davos Seaworth) and Van Houten made an interesting comment in regards to the first episode. During an interview with IGN, Cunningham said: "The first episode, the kick-off with her [points to Van Houten], is astonishing."

Van Houten jumped in and said: "Yes…! But it’s not what you think it is, it’s something else. I knew it was coming at some point, people had talked about it before to me, but I wasn’t sure when it was going to happen"

The "what you think it is" comment was probably referring to theories about Jon's resurrection. But now that we've seen the episode, they were clearly alluding to the reveal about Melisandre's true age.

Redditor jamieandclaire guessed this well before the episode aired by connecting this comment to a scene in the released trailer: Melisandre undressing with a strange look on her face.

"[Season six] opening scene with Mel will reveal her to be 400 years old," jamoeandclaire wrote earlier this month. "I think that may be what the scene with her undressing is. She's revealing her true form to Davos, hence the hesitant look on her face."

Though she was alone in the room, no Davos or Night's Watch men to witness the change, this prediction was very close. The closing scene showed Melisandre doing a sort of nightly routine, removing her clothing and then necklace to unveil what she really looks like underneath that iconic red dress.

In HBO's "Inside the Episode" segment that aired right after the credits, showrunner David Benioff confirmed what fans had believed all along. "There have been a few hints before that Melisandre is much older than she appears," he said. "[This is] going back to a very early conversation with George R.R. Martin about her: she’s supposed to be several centuries old."

So what does this mean? 

The creep factor of Melisandre sleeping with Stannis (and trying to seduce Jon) aside, her real age is an indicator that she's more all-knowing than we thought. Sure, she interprets her visions incorrectly from time to time. She erroneously identified Stannis as Azor Ahai, a prophecized hero reborn. But her age would give her a general leg-up when it comes to understanding the bigger picture of the war between humans and the White Walkers. 

More importantly, if she was somehow gifted the power of life after death, is this something she can pass on? We know the Lord of Light has the ability to bring people back from the dead, as evidenced by Beric Dondarrion. But maybe Melisandre will sacrifice her own eternal life to awaken Jon Snow. This could be a more powerful version of the resurrection seen with Thoros and Beric.

No wonder this episode was titled "The Red Woman"— fans are sure to be discussing Melisandre nonstop in the week leading up to episode two. We'll have to wait and see what becomes of Melisandre in future episodes, but hopefully her powers can be channeled towards the hero everyone wants back: Jon Snow.

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NOW WATCH: This popular 'Game of Thrones' fan theory could come true in the next season

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Sunday's season-six premiere of "Game of Thrones."

All of the "Game of Thrones" fans most likely had their noses pressed to the screen for Sunday night's premiere. That means you caught every dirty Dothraki word, right?

Well, there may have been some things you didn't catch. In that case, Business Insider has this quick review of what you need to know that might have gotten lost.

The episode picked up right where season five ended, and it definitely presented plenty of twists for our favorite (and not so favorite) citizens of Westeros. As this season veers away from the books, don't forget that author George R.R. Martin is still credited as an executive producer and has surely given the showrunners a sense of where he's going with the story. So there were some moments that jibed with long-held fan theories but still others that really didn't.

Here are the five things you may have missed on the season-six premiere of "Game of Thrones":

SEE ALSO: HBO shuts down rumors of a 'Game of Thrones' spin-off

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Melisandre isn't just old — she's "centuries old."

That last shot of Melisandre (Carice van Houten) won't soon be forgotten. In that scene, she revealed just how old she really is.

In the extra video on the episode that airs afterward, the showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss reveal that George R.R. Martin told them early on that Melisandre was "centuries old." They believed that after getting so many visions wrong, this was time for her to strip the veneer to look at her true self.

Melisandre's necklace is a showstopper.

Melisandre's necklace has been a point of interest for fans for a while. During season two, it glowed in one scene. Is it the source of her power?

Taking it off was a powerful moment for her transformation into her true, older self. If it does have magical age-changing powers, then it's certainly an accessory everyone will want.

Tweet Embed:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/724419466574983170
@TheRealJethro where can I find that necklace?

Careful fans immediately observed, however, that Melisandre was once seen before without her necklace, in a bathtub, and looked normal. That might be as simple as a continuity error.

Jon Snow's direwolf may be more important than ever.

Jon Snow's (Kit Harington) direwolf has suddenly become very significant on the show. Mentioned several times as a protector for the men loyal to his master, the wolf plays an integral role in a fan theory about how Snow could be brought back.

Warging, the ability that allows someone to transfer into an animal and virtually look upon the world through the animal's eyes, is at the center of the theory. The direwolf's name, Ghost, also seems to support the theory.

Talk about man's best friend.

"Game of Thrones" has finally premiered, and fans are thrilled, especially about the big Melisandre reveal.

But the excitement doesn't die down yet — the new preview for the next episode looks just as epic. Watch it below:

First of all, we'll be seeing a lot of Lannister vengeance. Cersei and her new knight of the King's Guard will be a force to be reckoned with — you can read more about who he might be here:

Meanwhile, her twin brother Jaime will be taking on the High Sparrow in a heated exchange where he threatens bloodshed in the church of the Seven.

And across the sea in Meereen, Tyrion may be trying to unleash Daenerys' dragons (we previously saw this scene in the season trailers).

Bran Stark will be making a comeback to the show. We haven't seen him since season four, but he'll be integral to season six while he trains with the greenseer Bloodraven. 

And don't worry, Jon Snow is still coming back. Some of the brothers of the Night's Watch will be trying to break in to the room where his body is being kept ...

... But it looks like Davos and his team of loyal brothers have a plan and will fight their way out.

You can find the full trailer — also featuring Arya, Sansa, and the Boltons — for the second episode here.

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NOW WATCH: This popular 'Game of Thrones' fan theory could come true in the next season

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Game of Thrones" season six, including speculation of future events.

The season six premiere of "Game of Thrones" came with a huge plot twist, but it had nothing to do with everyone's favorite hero Jon Snow. At least, not directly. 

People have spent the months since the season five finale, which showed Jon Snow getting stabbed repeatedly before bleeding out in the snow, fiercely debating whether or not he was actually dead.

Cast and crew members have vehemently insisted that Jon Snow is really and truly dead. And guess what? He is! Anyone who believes in the "Jon Snow is coming back" theories will readily admit, especially after Sunday's episode, that Jon Snow is indeed dead. We aren't denying it — and haven't been for some time now.

Before you start thinking we'll never see Jon Snow alive again ... Jon Snow will be coming back to life.

So if you have a friend or loved one or co-worker who's trying to say "I told you so," you can happily pass along the following: What many fans believe is that Jon Snow will come back from the dead. Not as a White Walker or a wight, but as an actual living man who will go on to rally the North against the Boltons. 

Confused?

The real "Jon Snow will return" believers started theorizing back when the fifth book in the original series, "A Dance with Dragons," was published in 2011. There were several clues hidden in George R.R. Martin's writing that gave readers reason to believe Jon's story was not over. For our full write up on this, head here.

Since the season five finale, many other clues from HBO and actors have given us reason to believe we'll see a resurrected Jon Snow in the season to come. But now, we finally have new footage from season six to back claims.

The most notable Jon Snow hint from this episode was Davos and Night's Watch brother Edd's decision to protect his body. When faced with a threat from Alliser Thorne, Davos tells the loyal Night's Watch men that Melisande may be able to help them fight. When one expresses doubt that she can do much of anything, Davos says: "You haven't seen her do what I've seen her do."

Back in season two, Davos watched as Melisandre gave birth to a shadow-demon. The smoky figure then snuck into Renly Baratheon's tent and murdered him. Davos, though he has often disagreed with Melisandre on moral terms, has no doubts about her magical abilities. 

Davos may not realize what he's saying when he thinks Melisandre can help, but avid fans can certainly pick up on the hint. We saw the shocking reveal that Melisandre is actually an old woman, which emphasizes her real magical powers. Between that and her shadow-pregnancy, is the resurrection of Jon Snow really all that far fetched?

No, it is not. 

Having Jon Snow's resurrection happen in the first episode was always a stretch, so hopeful viewers shouldn't let his still-dead body be a damper on the belief in this theory. HBO's online schedule says the next two episodes are called "Home" and "Oathbreaker," respectively. Our money is on Jon being resurrected by the third episode, because he will surely abandon the Night's Watch and technically become an "oathbreaker" himself. 

Jon Snow will live. Just wait and see.

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NOW WATCH: This popular 'Game of Thrones' fan theory could come true in the next season

Warning: Major spoilers ahead if you have not watched the season six premiere of "Game of Thrones."

The sixth season of "Game of Thrones" started with a huge reveal that many fans didn't see coming, despite the previous hints on the series. Melisandre, the red priestess who previously served Stannis Baratheon, removed all of her clothing and jewelry to reveal that she's actually a withered old woman.

Though some dedicated fans had already worked out the truth, many people were surprised to see Melisandre in her real form. Carice Van Houten (Melisandre) spoke with Entertainment Weekly about this revelation and how she learned about it.

Though Van Houten had previously alluded to Melisandre's wizened state, she told EW that it wasn't until last year that she knew for certain. "I was really happy when I read that we were going to reveal that this year," Van Houten said. "I don’t think a lot of people will see that coming. It makes her immediately more vulnerable, but also more wise and even more mysterious. There’s also a vulnerability in her age."

The showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss — who also wrote this episode's script — also spoke about the Melisandre twist in a behind-the-scenes interview on HBO.

"There have been a few hints before that Melisandre is much older than she appears," Benioff said. "Going back to a very early conversation with George R.R. Martin about her: she’s supposed to be several centuries old. We always wanted to show her true age and we’re waiting for the right moment and this was it for us."

The "right moment" seems to have coincided with Melisandre's realization that she was wrong about Stannis the whole time. He was not the hero the Lord of Light had shown her in the flames. 

"Her appearance is a lie just as the Lord of Light’s supposed promises and messages to her were lies," Weiss explained. "At the end of episode one, she’s in a place where she really needs to look her real self in the eye and comes to terms with where she stands now."

Van Houten expanded on this idea of Melisandre's changing attitude in season six. "We see her from a really different side of her now,"she told EW. "We see somebody whose whole belief system is tumbling down. She’s completely confused, and I really like to play that. After all the security and strength and pride, now we see something completely different. I’ve been really waiting for this moment."

Since Benioff and Weiss have strategically positioned this reveal, viewers can infer some meaning behind the sudden shift in Melisandre's personality.

Her loss of faith is a result of realizing that she misinterpreted signs from the Lord of Light. We've seen her magic — surviving being poisoned, birthing a shadow baby, concealing her true appearance — so clearly not everything was a lie. 

In Sunday's episode, Melisandre stands over Jon Snow's dead body and says "I saw him in the flames, fighting at Winterfell." She looks horrified, at a loss for understanding how her vision was wrong. But here's the thing — it probably wasn't wrong.

Based on running fan theories, Jon Snow will be resurrected and go on to be a leader in the North. We know from leaked set photos that Kit Harington was seen on set wearing Stark armor, probably participating in a battle against the Boltons. Melisandre's vision of Jon Snow fighting at Winterfell is almost certainly going to happen.

Her faith in the Lord of Light just needs a little stoking. Perhaps she will be granted a new vision? A stroke of magical inspiration to revive Jon Snow? We'll have to wait until next Sunday to find out.

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NOW WATCH: This popular 'Game of Thrones' fan theory could come true in the next season

John Oliver focused Sunday's "Last Week Tonight" on the tremendous financial crisis affecting Puerto Rico.

To drive the point home, the creator of the hit Broadway show "Hamilton," Lin-Manuel Miranda, appeared on the HBO show and performed an original rap on the crisis.

Puerto Rico has been suffering under the weight of tremendous $7 billion debt that it can't pay back.

"This is not politics," Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro García Padilla said in an address to the island's 3.5 million people. "This is math."

The American territory currently stands at a 45% poverty rate, it has closed down about 150 schools in the last few years, and has had to increase its sales tax to 11% — higher than any state in the US.

"Right now, Puerto Rico is like the last Tower Records," Oliver said. "Everything’s underpriced, everyone’s been laid off, and there’s still a weirdly large number of Ricky Martin CDs."

Not only that, but the US view of the territory as a second priority to actual states in our country has devastated the island. In the 1970s, for example, the US offered large tax breaks to businesses that operated on the island as a way to keep industry from moving to foreign countries. But the US took the breaks away by 2006 in order to offset the damage done by the recent recession.

What that did was force Puerto Rico into a financial spiral, and it issued municipal bonds, or "IOUs," borrowing money with interest from someone to pay its bills, as Oliver explained. It became heavily reliant on these bonds and American investors (with an attached triple tax exemption). But as the governor stated above, Puerto Rico can't pay the debts back.

In an effort to bring awareness to the situation, Miranda, the son of Puerto Rican parents, spoke to Congress in March to ask for some financial relief. And on Sunday's "Last Week Tonight," he took it to another level by performing an emotional rap about the state of the territory.

"This is an island, a hundred miles across," he rapped. "A hurricane is coming and we're running up the loss."

Watch Oliver's segment below (Mirand'a rap comes in at about 19 minutes in).

SEE ALSO: Inside the potentially 'messy' future of Prince's $300 million estate

SEE ALSO: Louis C.K. says he's 'so not broke' after revealing he has millions in debt

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NOW WATCH: 'Hamilton' just won a Pulitzer Prize — watch Obama's private performance from the show 6 years before it hit Broadway

Warning: spoilers ahead for Sunday's season-six premiere of "Game of Thrones."

The water-cooler moments returned to HBO with Sunday's season-six premiere of "Game of Thrones." (Sorry, "Vinyl.")

The show's millions of fans were no doubt salivating to know if Jon Snow (Kit Harington) is dead or alive, if Daenerys could once again charm her Dothraki captors, and how Melisandre (Carice van Houten) earned the premiere episode's title, "The Red Woman."

As viewers pressed their noses to the screens, they had their hands busy reacting on social media. Social-media monitoring platform Brandwatch found an astounding 176,000 Twitter mentions during the one-hour premiere and identified the moments where conversation peaked.

Here are the five most talked-about moments from the "Game of Thrones" premiere:

SEE ALSO: 5 important things you probably missed on this week's 'Game of Thrones'

SEE ALSO: HBO shuts down rumors of a 'Game of Thrones' spin-off

5. A blind Arya (Maisie Williams) gets whacked with a stick by a girl called the Waif (Faye Marsay). Brandwatch saw a lot of comparisons between Arya and similarly blind crime fighter Daredevil.

9:51 p.m. ET: More than 2,200 mentions in one minute.

4. Doran's (Alexander Siddig) son, Trystane (Toby Sebastian), is killed by the Sand Snakes.

9:36 p.m. ET: Nearly 2,900 mentions in one minute, slightly less than the third-placed moment.

3. Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) saves Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Reek/Theon (Alfie Allen).

9:25 p.m. ET: Nearly 2,900 mentions in one minute. 

Among Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan and Leonardo DiCaprio in Time's new 100 Most Influential People issue is former Miss World and Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra. 

But Priyanka Chopra, 33, isn't just an Indian actress anymore. Since the premiere of ABC's FBI drama "Quantico," Chopra has been getting a lot of attention for becoming the first South Asian actress to lead an American series. And now, as one of the most influential people in the world. 

When "Quantico" first premiered, most Americans had no clue that she is already a big deal in India. Not only did she place at the Miss India pageant, she went on to win Miss World. She then had a successful career as a film actress in Bollywood.

In addition to her role as Alex Parrish on "Quantico," she is involved in issues like education, hunger, and equal rights for women.

Like her character Alex Parish, there's more to Chopra than meets the eye.

Here's the fabulous life of Priyanka Chopra:

SEE ALSO: The fabulous and fast-rising career of Jaimie Alexander, the star of fall's top TV show 'Blindspot'

MORE: The 14 biggest comedy power couples in Hollywood

Priyanka Chopra's parents were both doctors in the Indian army. They moved a lot and Priyanka even attended the 10th grade in Boston, Massachusetts, where she said she was bullied. "It broke my spirit," she says. "It made me question who I was. Why was it so uncool being Indian?"

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Before winning Miss World, Priyanka Chopra wanted to be an engineer.

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Priyanka Chopra's mother entered her in the Miss India World pageant. She actually placed second, but went on to Miss World and won.

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HBO's massively successful fantasy drama, "Game of Thrones," returned on Sunday. And while it scored with viewers, critics were a slightly tougher crowd. 

According to review site Rotten Tomatoes, the show earned an 81% "fresh" score. That's pretty good, a solid "B" if we were talking school grades.

But the real competition is against itself, right? In this case, the mixed reviews turned in by critics made Sunday's episode the show's worst-scored season premiere.

Here's a look at the show's season premiere scores together:

Season 1 Episode 1 – 100%

Season 2 Episode 1 – 100%

Season 3 Episode 1 – 100%

Season 4 Episode 1 – 97%

Season 5 Episode 1 – 100%

Season 6 Episode 1 – 81%

To extend the classroom comparison, if Sunday's premiere was graded on a curve, it would earn a "D."

Rotten Tomatoes Editor-in-Chief Matt Atchity provided some more context on what critics thought of Sunday's episode and why it earned the score that it did.

"The long-awaited sixth season of 'Game of Thrones' has mostly satisfied critics," he explained. "As the series has outpaced the novels, book readers no longer have the luxury of knowing major plot points ahead of time. Most critics say that the season premiere is a solid return to form, although some say that the abundance of storylines and characters has started to make the series unwieldy."

Thankfully for HBO, "Game of Thrones" has nine more episodes this season to bring its grade up.

SEE ALSO: The 5 most talked-about moments from the 'Game of Thrones' return

SEE ALSO: The 11 most successful new TV shows of the year

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NOW WATCH: 5 important things you probably missed on this week's 'Game of Thrones'

Discovery Channel is in production on a new TV series, "Blue Collar Backers," Business Insider has learned exclusively.

It features a group of millionaire investors who put both cash and sweat equity into new businesses.

These sharks aren't afraid to face a competitive market for business investments and loans with both their checkbooks and by rolling up their sleeves and getting grimy. Old-school, tried-and-true business techniques meet today's marketplace.

On each episode of "Blue Collar Backers," which premieres May 18 at 10 p.m. ET, the panel of successful businesspeople across various fields and trades will share the lessons they've learned over their careers with budding entrepreneurs. They'll then provide the funds, time, and hard work to help make businesses a success — no matter how messy it gets.

Leftfield Pictures, the production company behind "Pawn Stars," is producing the show for Discovery Channel. 

Meet the stars of "Blue Collar Backers":

SEE ALSO: 'Mythbusters' star explains how the cohosts survived 14 seasons without getting along: 'We're not friends'

SEE ALSO: EXCLUSIVE: Watch a hilarious deleted scene from 'Silicon Valley' season 2

Brian Stark and Wes James, pictured above: Based out of Arizona, partners Brian Stark and Wes James found success on their own in the Phoenix area. Now for the first time, they want to make the most out of business opportunities in surrounding areas.

Cameron Davies, pictured right: He's described as a no-nonsense fabricator out of San Antonio, Texas. He has forged a successful career making food trucks for customers around the country. He wants to put his knowledge to the test by helping others achieve their dreams, while making some money along the way.

Ron Douglas, pictured right: A self-made millionaire from Denver's mountains, Ron Douglas has an elusive set of criteria when it comes to making a move on a business. Ron is loath to lose money, but also doesn’t want to see good people lose their shirts.

Cain and Cam Roberds, pictured right: Twin brothers Cain and Cam Roberds enjoy rolling up their sleeves and getting involved with their projects. These Mississippi boys bring the charm and ingenuity of the Old South to the table in a fun and unique way.

"Blue Collar Workers" premieres Wednesday, May 18, at 10 p.m. EST.

With filming completed on the upcoming revival of "Twin Peaks," the show's full 200-plus person cast list has been revealed, and there are dozens are fascinating names joining the cult David Lynch and Mark Frost series: Trent Reznor, Eddie Vedder, Sky Ferreira, Sharon Van Etten are among the musicians who will appear on the Showtime series in some capacity.

Reznor's Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck and wife/How to Destroy Angels bandmate Mariqueen Reznor were also cast, as were the members of Au Revoir Simone, the Cactus Flowers, the Chromatics' Ruth Radelet and more.

"The cameras have stopped rolling. A key piece of the mystery is revealed," the series posted on Facebook along with the giant cast list. "Welcome back* to 'Twin Peaks.'"

The asterisk next to names on the cast list denotes actors and actresses who either appeared on the original Twin Peaks series– like Kyle MacLachlan, Sherilyn Fenn, Mädchen Amick, Ray Wise and David Duchovny, to mention a few – or its theatrical film 'Fire Walk With Me,' like Harry Dean Stanton, and Lynch himself. Even "Log Lady" actress Catherine Coulson, who died in September, is among the "Twin Peaks" returnees.

Also joining the cast is Michael Cera, Monica Bellucci, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jim Belushi, Tim Roth, Robert Forster, Ashley Judd, Amanda Seyfried, and Lynch vets Laura Dern, Balthazar Getty and Naomi Watts.

The brief, mysterious first trailer for the "Twin Peaks" revival arrived in December.

"There's a lot of holy places up here," a man warns in the preview alongside scenic shots of the Pacific Northwest setting. "I can't put my finger on how I would describe it. It just touches something in the psyche."

After initially disagreeing with Showtime and abandoning the revival, Lynch returned to direct all episodes of the upcoming season.

"Twin Peaks" will be back to serve up some small town mystery and damn fine cups of coffee in 2017.

SEE ALSO: Sorry, 'Twin Peaks' fans, Showtime's revival is being pushed back to 2017

SEE ALSO: A 'Dirty Dancing' remake isn't dead, it's just heading to TV now

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Louis C.K. secretly released a new TV show and it's unlike any show you’ve seen before

Warning: There are major spoilers ahead if you're not caught up with "Game of Thrones" season six.

Sunday's season six premiere of "Game of Thrones" brought more bloodshed to the already shredded cast of characters. The two biggest characters we saw get the axe — or dagger, to be more precise — were Doran Martell and his son Trystane. The royal family was butchered at the hands of the infamous Sand Snakes — a group of women some fans believe are the worst characters the series has produced yet. 

The loathing of Dorne's femme fatales began during season five, but the season six opening was enough to solidify some people's strong feelings. 

The vitriol thrown at Dorne and the Sand Snakes may be confusing to some show-only fans. Sure, their fight choreography and affinity for grandiose speech-making is overblown, but what's the big deal?

Ellaria Martell's mission for vengeance is a hugely misdirected set of choices that go against everything her dead lover, Oberyn, would have wanted. There is literal character butchery happening alongside the destruction of theoretical character development. 

It's one of the few storylines in HBO's adaptation of the book series which has outright failed in fans' eyes. To fully explain why, we have to turn to the books. So buckle in — we're going on a wild trip to Dorne.

The Sand Snakes in the books are a lot different

In the book series, Oberyn Martell (the Red Viper who represents Tyrion in his trial-by-combat and loses) has seven bastard daughters. As a group, they are referred to as the Sand Snakes — a play on the local bastard surname "Sand" and Oberyn's snake symbol.

Ellaria Sand is Oberyn's most recent partner and the mother to several of his bastards. Naturally, Ellaria and the Sand Snakes are devastated by Oberyn's death in both the books and the show. Dorne's people are also still gravely bitter over the death of Elia Martell, Oberyn's sister and wife to Rhaegar Targaryen. She was raped and murdered, along with her children, during the sack of King's Landing back when Robert Baratheon seized the Iron Throne.

Prince Doran is Oberyn's older brother, and the ruler of Dorne. Though Dorne is technically part of the Seven Kingdoms and therefore loyal to the crown (Tommen Baratheon), they still retain customs of regional titles like "prince" and "princess." 

So Prince Doran is in charge, and he has three children in the books: Arianne, Quentyn, and Trystane. Princess Arianne is the eldest, and most rebellious, child. Dorne has an equal hierarchy when it comes to inheriting power, so Arianne is next in line for the "throne" of Dorne.

Oberyn's death sends the people into chaos, with a sudden push for revenge against the Lannisters. Three of the seven Sand Snakes (Obara, Nymeria, and Tyene) act aggressively enough that Doran feels the need to lock them up. Doran wants no harm coming to Myrcella Lannister, who is bethrothed to his youngest son Trystane.

Arianne sympathizes with the Sand Snakes, and concocts a plan to rebel against her father. Here is one of many key points: Arianne does not want Myrcella to die. She wants to name Myrcella the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, pitting her against Tommen Baratheon and reclaiming a matriarchal system of power in Westeros. 

Unfortunately Arianne's plan goes awry. She's caught with Myrcella, who is injured in the scuffle but overall okay. Prince Doran locks Arianne up as well, but then finally reveals a major plot twist to her.

In the books, it turns out Doran has been scheming against the Lannisters ever since Elia's murder nearly two decades ago. He made a pact to marry Arianne to Viserys Targaryen — Daenerys' older brother. Unfortunately, Viserys died at the hands of the Dothraki before their plan could come to fruition. Now, Doran is sending his middle child Quentyn to Daenerys instead. 

Essentially, the Martells wind up having this secret plot with the Targaryens that would mean the downfall of the Lannisters. Great! That's exactly what the people want. Arianne, the Sand Snakes, Ellaria — everyone just wants revenge on the Lannisters. And Doran is planning on giving it to them. 

The show's ill-received changes

Obviously, the show did away with virtually all of this plot. Doran only has one child (Trystane) and never unveils a larger plan. Instead, we get a whole lot of "kill Myrcella!" plot.

Ellaria and three of the Sand Snakes are the only female Dornish characters we see. There is no Arianne or a plan to crown Myrcella. Instead, Ellaria rallies Oberyn's daughters behind her and they set out to kill Myrcella. 

This in itself is a troubling plot. Before he died on the show, Oberyn specifically told Cersei she should be grateful Myrcella was sent to Dorne. "We don't hurt little girls in Dorne," he said. 

So the four women in the series who are wholly dedicated to Oberyn just happen to have missed this moral lesson of his? Killing Myrcella is a very poor way to honor his memory or seek vengeance for him. 

People pointed out some plot holes in their scheme, as well. Poisoning her minutes before she sailed off was a strange choice. Theoretically, Jaime should have just turned the ship around and immediately outed their crimes to Doran. Instead, Jaime sailed on with Myrcella's dead body and Trystane on board. [As a counter, what would they have done if they returned? Jaime may not have been sure if Doran was in on it ... or how would they have defended themselves against the sandsnakes?]

The decision to allow Ellaria and the Sand Snakes to see Myrcella off didn't make a whole lot of sense, either. We know in the books that he's a patient man, but he had the sense to imprison the Sand Snakes — not let them roam around near children they've attempted to murder.

Then, the season six premiere revealed that Obara and Nymeria had followed the ship all the way to King's Landing. They were able to board the boat in the King's Landing harbor and access Trystane's cabin to murder him. 

Back in Dorne, Doran's trustworthy nature is once again a little baffling. He leaves himself vulnerable to Ellaria and Tyene as they walk through the Water Gardens. Then, in a blink of an eye, his bodyguard is dead and Ellaria stabs him in the chest.

No speech, no reveal about a larger plan, nada. Just a lot of blood. 

Another thing fans were upset about was Areo Hotah's completely anti-climactic death. Areo is Doran's main bodyguard, and even has a point of view chapter in the book series. Areo is deadly with his badass weapon of choice: an enormous battle axe.

In the show, Areo's skills were made clear during season five. At one point, Doran asks Areo if he remembers how to use his weapon, since it's been awhile since there was need for it. Areo fingers the sharpened blade and assures his prince that he is ready.

Then, when Jaime and Bronn are discovered, Areo whips the axe to Jaime's throat and says "When you were whole, it would have been a good fight." Areo's skills are on the same level as the famous Kingslayer. 

Show watchers never get to see Areo in action. He's all talk, and then the season six premiere showed Tyene stab him in the back with a tiny dagger and boom — dead. It was a pretty unsatisfying way to see this huge warrior leave the show.

What the murder of Doran and Trystane reveals

The season six opening episode murder of Doran and Trystane made the Ellaria's mission clear: She wants strong women to be in charge of Dorne. This feels in line with Arianne's story in the books, especially regarding the move towards a matriarchy. 

But again, the violent streak in Ellaria and the Sand Snakes' plan is what upsets fans. Everything goes back to Elia and Oberyn's deaths. Is murdering their last remaining family members really the best way to get revenge? 

The show's writing seems to emphasize how the people of Dorne are fed-up with Doran and his peaceful ways. 

"When was the last time you left this palace?" Ellaria asked Doran as he bled to death. "You don't know your own people, their disgust for you. Elia Martell, raped and murdered and you did nothing. Oberyn Martell, butchered, and you did nothing. You're not a Dornishman. You're not our prince."

We see the faces of Doran's other guards, impassive as they watch him die. Clearly almost everyone else in Dorne agrees with Ellaria. Doran asks about his son with his dying breath. Ellaria responds: "Your son is weak, just like you. And weak men will never rule Dorne again."

We can all appreciate this surge of women reclaiming power and declaring that no man shall rule them. "Game of Thrones" has had several issues confronting feminist storylines, with accusations of gratuitous rape scenes and excessive female nudity. 

This new take on the Dorne plot seems to be emphasizing women's control and dominance. But is their rash message really the best take? Accusing Doran and Trystane of being weak feels like a misinterpretation of their characters. 

Both Doran and Trystane believe in peace above war, and mercy above punishment. Is that weakness? Or smart ruling? Westeros has enough ruthless killers in charge, most of whom send people by the thousands to die for the mere sake of their pride. Having Doran and Trystane balance out the bloodshed was a refreshing change. 

Where the Dorne plot may be headed

We're going into speculation territory, so be warned. 

Our guess is that this usurping of Dorne's power is part of a set up for the future, maybe even for the end of this season. We know Doran's book-plot was leading to an alliance with the Targaryen. Maybe the showrunners are still planning on bringing the two houses together. 

If Daenerys eventually leaves Meereen and heads to Westeros, Dorne is a logical first stop. It's the southernmost area of Westeros, and sits close enough to King's Landing for her to regroup troops and march on the capital. Daenerys arriving to a female-ruled Dorne sounds like the makings of a perfect alliance. Both Ellaria and Daenerys want the Lannisters dead, and Ellaria would probably be open to the possibility of Queen Daenerys ruling the Seven Kingdoms. 

But would that be enough for plot redemption?

Generally, people's consensus seems to be that Dorne is beyond repair when it comes to character development and a compelling story. Much of an episode discussion on Reddit centered around the "disaster" of Dorne. "As a Dorne fan, my disappointment reached new peaks," Redditor dluminous wrote. 

"Why even include [Doran] in the show if you're going to butcher his entire storyline? Dorne is such a train wreck,"another person said. Others were more blunt: "Wow f--- this show Dorne storyline."

Time will tell if the showrunners can redeem themselves in book readers' eyes. Perhaps, with the butchery out of the way, we'll start to see a more well-rounded showing from Ellaria and her devious Sand Snakes.

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NOW WATCH: People are freaking out about this shocking twist in the 'Game of Thrones’ premiere

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "Game of Thrones" season six including speculation of events.

Most "Game of Thrones" fans know that episode titles and the brief descriptions included can often give major hints about the show's contents. 

On Monday, following the premiere of "The Red Woman," HBO released official descriptions for the next two episodes. 

Episode two — "Home"— premieres Sunday May 1.

Bran trains with the Three-Eyed Raven. In King’s Landing, Jaime advises Tommen. Tyrion demands good news, but has to make his own. At Castle Black, the Night’s Watch stands behind Thorne. Ramsay Bolton proposes a plan, and Balon Greyjoy entertains other proposals.

Episode three — "Oathbreaker"— airs on Sunday May 8.

Daenerys meets her future. Bran meets the past. Tommen confronts the High Sparrow. Arya trains to be No One. Varys finds an answer. Ramsay gets a gift.

So, what does this mean? Based on the video preview for "Home," we know we'll see Bran (and probably some visions). Jaime appears to be having a tense conversation with the High Sparrow, and it seems as though he is going to push Tommen towards confrontation. 

Tyrion's demand for good news might be his desire to know who is leading the Sons of the Harpy. Again, the preview video shows us Tyrion in the dragon pen. Will he release the dragons?

Ramsay's proposal is likely for the attack on Castle Black. Do they know about the wildings yet though? It could be hard to march from Winterfell to Castle Black and not attract the attention of the wildlings.

Daenerys meeting the future in episode three is surely her arrival to Vaes Dothrak, the Dothraki city where she is traditionally supposed to live out her days as a khal's widow. 

Jon Snow, Davos and Melisandre are not mentioned in either of the episodes. This could mean we don't see a resolution to Jon's fate in these episodes, but our money is on his resurrection happening in either "Home" or "Oathbreaker." 

Why? The line about Bran "meeting the past" in episode three makes us think we'll see the iconic "Tower of Joy" flashback — a scene that fans believe will reveal Jon Snow's true parentage. All bets are on this being a huge episode. 

Watch the preview video for "Home" below:

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NOW WATCH: 5 important things you probably missed on this week's 'Game of Thrones'