Game of Thrones season 6: First episode title revealed along with plot details

There's no doubt who the first episode will be centred on

Melisandre not looking too happy about Stannis/Jon's death in the season 6 trailer (HBO)

The 24 April launch date is fast approaching, and today we learn the title of Game of Thrones season 6’s first episode: ‘The Red Woman’.

This of course refers to Melisandre, and marries up with our recent interview with actress Carice van Houten, where she said we would be seeing a different, more vulnerable side to her character.

The official synopsis for the episode (written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and directed by GoT vet Jeremy Podeswa), as per HBO, is as follows:

‘Jon Snow is dead. Daenerys meets a strong man. Cersei sees her daughter again.’

This won’t stop Jon Snow Is Alive theorists from hypothesising that the episode will revolve around the Red Woman’s part in Snow’s resurrection however, despite Kit Harington laughing this week about how much joy it will bring him when everyone realises that he was telling the truth all along about his character being dead.

We also got a full season synopsis, though it’s pretty opaque and does little more than recap the end of season 5:

‘Following the shocking developments at the conclusion of season five, including Jon Snow’s bloody fate at the hands of Castle Black mutineers, Daenerys’ near-demise at the fighting pits of Meereen, and Cersei’s public humiliation in the streets of King’s Landing, survivors from all parts of Westeros and Essos regroup to press forward, inexorably, towards their uncertain individual fates. Familiar faces will forge new alliances to bolster their strategic chances at survival, while new characters will emerge to challenge the balance of power in the east, west, north and south.’

HBO served up the official cast list too.

Returning actors and characters:

Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), Aidan Gillen (Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish), Diana Rigg (Lady Olenna Tyrell), Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), Jonathan Pryce (the High Sparrow). Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy), John Bradley (Samwell Tarly), Dean-Charles Chapman (Tommen), Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth), Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth), Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell), Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei), Jerome Flynn (Bronn), Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont), Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Bran Stark), Conleth Hill (Varys), Kristofer Hivju (Tormund Giantsbane), Michiel Huisman (Daario Naharis), Michael McElhatton (Roose Bolton), Hannah Murray (Gilly), Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton), Carice van Houten (Melisandre), Indira Varma (Ellaria Sand) and Tom Wlaschiha (Jaqen H’ghar).

Newcomers:

Pilou Asbaek, Essie Davis, Souad Faress, James Faulkner, Richard E. Grant, Ian McShane, Joe Naufau, Freddie Stroma and Max von Sydow.

Kit Harington is notably absent, but obviously the network wouldn’t be foolish enough to leave him in.

Winter is coming, hopefully along with some answers, on April 24, with the first episode being simulcast in the US and UK on HBO and Sky Atlantic respectively.