Gina Vaynshteyn
April 26, 2016 12:46 pm

If you saw the Season 6 premiere of Game of Thrones (psssst…spoilers ahead), you probably have a million questions. Like, is Jon Snow dead or WHAT?  Is Arya Stark blind forever, and does she have some new, hidden power just waiting to be unleashed? But the most important question you probably have is about Lady Melisandre. Because the last few minutes of “The Red Woman” revealed something VERY eerie about the titular character, and if you’re shocked/confused/curious, you’re not alone.

Citizens of the interwebs were quick to tweet their thoughts about the priestess’ true form (aka, a very, very old lady).

But some pointed out something interesting —while it seems as though Melisandre’s choker has everything to do with her deceiving looks and age, and that as soon as she take it off she goes back to being her true self, there WAS a scene in which she’s choker-less and still youthful.

In Season 4, Episode 7, we see Melisandre butt-naked in the tub NOT wearing her choker. In the scene, Stannis Baratheon’s wife, Selyse is the only one who is witness to this. Was this an oversight? Did the Game of Thrones creators mess up and forget about the very important youth-wielding piece of jewelry?

Probably not.

Redditors are on the case, coming up with theories on why Melisandre wasn’t wearing that choker in the tub, and what REALLY allows her to change form.

One redditor says the necklace was only taken off for dramatic reason —that more powerful magic (aka, “glamour,” which is basically a long-term illusion) is at play here:

Another redditor points out Melisandre probably DID transform, because Selyse acts strangely and can’t look at her. 

Watch for yourself here:

Lastly, if you remember that very scene, Melisandre pours something into her bathtub, and it does NOT look like bubble bath. Furthermore, Mel looks relieved  as soon as she (hastily) sprinkles the liquid into the water.

BillOneyPaige hypothesizes that the potion is actually the blood of virgins, which hey, we wouldn’t put it past Melisandre.

Only more episodes of Game of Thrones can truly answer this question, and we’ve got those coming. Game of Thrones airs Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.