#TheNorthAwaits: JOE’s Game of Thrones podcast turns up a very strong theory on an unlikely saviour

Who's going to save us all?

On Episode 1 of The North Awaits, JOE's Game of Thrones podcast, Matthew and Carl went through a few of their wildest predictions for the eighth and final seasons... And one of them had the lads think that they'd struck gold like Casterly Rock. With the White Walkers fast approaching Winterfell, everyone is wondering how the combined forces of Unsullied, Northmen, Dothraki and a handful of helpers are going to survive the winter. Co-host Carl Kinsella is pretty sure he has the answer though: The Red Woman, Lady Melisandre. The foundation of Carl's theory is pretty simple. Game of Thrones has a habit of unexpected, last minute rescues by characters we weren't thinking about (the Lannisters at the Battle of the Blackwater, the Knights of the Vale at the Battle of the Bastards, Benjen Stark saving Jon beyond the Wall). From the beginning, Melisandre's express ambition is to serve the Lord of Light in an existential power-struggle against the "Lord of Darkness," a phrase which could practically be a synonym for the Night King. She's also a big fan of fire, which as we know is one of few things that can kill a wight. We haven't seen Melisandre since she departed from Dragonstone, but she did very confidently tell Varys that she would be returning to Westeros to die. Nobody has even been talking about her in-universe, which makes it all the more likely that she's going to show up as a surprise hero. Similarly, on a narrative level, Melisandre has a lot to redeem herself for — primarily burning Stannis' daughter Shireen Baratheon alive as a sacrifice to the Lord of Light. She's also responsible for kidnapping Gendry, the attempt to burn MAnce Rayder, leading Stannis into several unsuccessful military ventures, and the murder of Renly Baratheon. If you want more theories and analysis like that, be sure to check out and subscribe to The North Awaits.