Ugh - how could they do this? Without a doubt, this had to have been one of the most horrific things to have ever occurred in the cruel landscape that is Game of Thrones. Stannis, having been convinced that it was his destiny to murder his own daughter, actually goes through with it: he ties up the adorable and lovely Shireen and burns her alive in one of the most harrowing scenes to have ever aired on television. As she cries out for him to stop, he merely watches on. This was the point that the world lost any love it might have had for Stannis; how can you like a character who murders their innocent child? Not even Cersei would do that! All in all, this - once again - felt like the show taking things too far. There is something horribly exploitative about a scene in which a child is burned alive; especially one as sweet as Shireen. No wonder Stannis' wife, Selyse, took her own life in the following episode. Worst still, this didn't even happen in the books - it was implemented for TV only!
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
