This article contains spoilers for those who haven't read George R.R. Martin's A Storm of Swords, the third novel in A Song of Ice and Fire. But, since it looks like the event and/or character in question may never appear in David Benioff and Dan Weiss' Game of Thrones, reading this recent piece of news might not actually give anything away.
Game of Thrones BOOK SPOILERS AHEAD
Well, as long as you don't plan on reading the books once the TV show finishes its seven season run. Or maybe, you simply don't care about spoilers and just want to see what all the fuss was about after the finale . Have I been clear enough? You have been warned. SPOILERS!
For the few who haven't read 'A Song of Ice and Fire' but still want to know what everyone has been whining about the last two weeks, GRRM's third book ends with a resurrected Catelyn Stark hanging a couple of Freys. 'Zombie Cat' now goes by the name Lady Stoneheart and she's the new leader of the Brotherhood Without Banners since Beric Dondarrion died for good while bringing her back to life.
So when "The Children" was winding down, fans of 'ASOIAF' were anxiously awaiting Lady Stoneheart and the cut to black after showing Arya on a boat felt like a slap in the face. It's not fair or healthy - the show has no obligation to include each and every event and/or character in the adaptation, nor would Game of Thrones benefit from that kind of slavish fidelity - but that's just the way it is. People are passionate about the source material. That's why they're fans.
And, in this case, I was definitely one of those smug, no good, 'book-readers' who cried (and will continue to cry) foul at the lack of Lady Stoneheart, especially since it looks like she may never make it into the small-screen adaptation. While talking about her role on 24:Live Another Day, EW asked Michelle Fairley (Catelyin Stark) what she thought about the fan reaction and her responses created the newest outcries in the complaint cycle. She said she hasn't seen any of that, as she tends to "avoid that like the plague." When asked outright about her character's return, Fairley was pretty clear:
There was a lot of online conversation. I heard third-hand that you were basically told that it’s not likely to ever happen. Is that accurate?Yeah, the character’s dead. She’s dead.Do you have a preference at all—do you think Catelyn’s arc should end where it ended, or would you be into the resurrection idea?You respect the writers’ decision. I knew the arc, and that was it. They can’t stick to the books 100 percent. It’s impossible—they only have 10 hours per season. They have got to keep it dramatic and exciting, and extraneous stuff along the way gets lost in order to maintain the quality of brilliant show.
My immediate reaction is, I hope she's 'acting.' I wouldn't say lying because keeping the secret/towing the company line is part of Michelle Fairey's job. I mean, she wouldn't be the first actor to be less than forthright when discussing behind-the-scenes secrets. She wouldn't even be the first Game of Thrones actor. And then there's the good possibility that she is telling the truth and Lady Stoneheart really has been given the Coldhands treatment.
I get not including Coldhands (a cool but expensive 'guide' that does little except make Bran's crew look more helpless and show that wights can think, something the showrunners successfully demonstrated with the Night's King) but there are several reasons why Benioff and Weiss choosing to skip the resurrected Stark matriarch in two straight finales ("Mhysa," means 'Mother' after all) rubs me the wrong way.
The first, and by no means most important reason, is that the Stoneheart reveal in the epilogue of 'ASOS' was a wonderful "WTF?" moment. Game of Thrones doesn't need any more of these shocking scenes for shocking scenes sake, the seven know they've had their fair share, yet the vengeful, undead Catelyn seemed to be more that that, playing an important role in the narrative.
Who will make Brienne confront her oaths and her relationship with Jaime? And why introduce the Beric's resurrection part of the Brotherhood WIthout Banners thread at all if not to set-up Cat's return? Just so Melisandre could see the Lord of Light's power as a long game for [redacted]? Sorry. Got worked up and ahead of myself.
Game of Thrones will be back for Season 5 next spring on HBO. Based on the “Song of Ice and Fire” novels by George R.R. Martin, the series was adapted for TV by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and stars Peter Dinklage, Kit Harrington, Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
