If you watched Game of Thrones Season 5 Episode 1 last night, then you know [SPOILER ALERT] things got a little too hot for beyond-the-wall badass Mance Rayder.
The King of the Wildlings was saved from an agonizing death by fire only by a sympathetic arrow from Jon Snow.
It was a major moment in more ways than one, as not only was an important character shuffled off the mortal coil, it also announced to fans who have read the books that showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are very much doing their own thing this season.
Weiss and Benioff have departed from their source material in the past, but early reviews of Game of Thrones Season 5 indicated that they’re now less bound by the events of George R.R. Martin’s novels than ever before.
In the books, [another SPOILER ALERT, this one for fans who saw last night’s episode, but have not read A Dance With Dragons] Mance’s death was a trick played by Lady Melisandre, and Rayder returns to raid again.
That’s not the way things will be going down on the show, says the actor who played Mance, Ciaran Hinds:
"You have to think: Well, in the story, if you can imagine him coming back, does it make sense for him to still be involved when there’s still so much else going on?" Hinds says.
"These are huge decisions [the showrunners] have to deal with and so far they’ve been dealing with them brilliantly, so far as I can see."
Clearly, Hinds harbors no hard feelings about being fired (pun intended). He adds that if his character were to return (which is highly doubtful), he would be "in a different guise, as a different person," and thus, played by a different actor.
As for how he found out that his days in Westeros were at an end, Hinds says he received a "lovely" email from Benioff and Weiss:
"They said basically, ‘Hi, you know about this show, you know All Men Must Die, and now you’re going to be on your way’—not quite like that, but it was very lovely. They said we’ll see you in August for a good ‘ol barbecue, basically."
Watch Game of Thrones online at TV Fanatic to relive Mance’s last BBQ and other memorable send-offs.