No, this won’t “happen in the books”
(nor does it make sense on the show)
Okay, after sleeping on this, I’m actually more annoyed, which is impressive, because believe me, I’m a far cry from a Stannis fan. Like, he’s fine. He’s Javert, and you see where he’s coming from, you know? But I don’t gravitate towards him.
However, let’s end once and for all the notion that “this” will happen in the books, which is what D&D assert in their “Inside the Episode.” “This,” I assume, is the burning of Shireen. A lot of people are pointing out that there’s no confirmation whether or not Stannis is involved in her burning. This is true. Where we are in the books right now, Stannis is outside of Winterfell, and Shireen is up at the Wall. So Stannis is literally not in a position to agree to burn her at the moment. It is entirely possible “this,” refers to Mel burning Shireen and acting alone.
But let’s just say, just for argument, the “this” Martin told them about does mean that Shireen is burned and Stannis consents. In D&D’s mind, that is the sum-total of a plot-point. What it looks like. And that’s the problem with all of their storytelling, especially for this past season. “Dany flies off on Drogon” must have been how they viewed the Daznik’s Pit scene (the moment in their books they claim is one of their favorites), but as I’ve articulated, that is so far from the case.
So “Shireen gets burned and Stannis consents.” IF this happens in the books (and yes, it is far from certain that he’s even involved), it will happen in a way that plays to the themes of the story, that adheres to an internal logic, and that holds true to characterizations. What do we know about Stannis in the books? That this is the man who ate shoes rather than surrendering a castle. You’re telling me this guy is going to burn his ONLY HEIR because of weather?
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