The fifth season of Game of Thrones is arguably its most controversial, and the controversy continued with last night’s episode, “The Dance of Dragons”. HBO has released an “Inside the Episode” for Episode 9, and while a large part of it is just showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss reiterating what was clear to anyone watching the episode, they do raise some interesting points

Rather than get into the murkiness of an episode where one little girl is burned alive and another is raped off-screen, Benioff and Weiss touch on  character motivations, which raises interesting questions I hadn’t really thought of with regards to the narrative.

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Image via HBO

We still have to ask if Melisandre is a fraud, or at the very least, does she have an ulterior motive that’s leading Stannis to believe that he’s meant to take the throne? We know that she has magical powers, but why didn’t she foresee that Stannis’ would need to sacrifice his daughter to the “Lord of Light”?   Either way, as horrible as the scene was to watch, it was earned. I believed Stannis would kill his daughter in his quest to take the Iron Throne.

HBO has also released a teaser for the season finale, and it looks like we’ll get to see if Stannis’ sacrifice paid off. At the very least, no matter who loses in the fight against the Boltons, we still win because at least one terrible faction is gone. But as fans know, the finale of every season is more about tying up lose ends and laying the groundwork for the next season. That means we likely won’t be able to get around to everyone, but judging by this teaser, we’ll be moving forward on Cersei, Tyrion, Jon Snow, Arya, Brienne (remember her?), and Sansa. Does this mean we’re done with Jamie, Littlefinger, and Davos for the year? We’ll find out on Sunday.

Watch the Episode 9 “Inside Look” and the Game of Thrones: Season 5 Finale trailer below.

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Image via HBO