No, Lady Stoneheart won't be appearing in Game of Thrones


Game of Thrones' fourth season finale was pretty eventful — but anyone who read George R.R. Martin's books was surprised by the one thing that didn't happen. And while some fans were holding out hope that the twist was being saved for next season, a recent interview seems to confirm that the story has been cut altogether.
[If you haven't read the books, MASSIVE Game of Thrones spoilers to follow]
To recap: in the books, Catelyn Stark's corpse is pulled from the river after the Red Wedding and resurrected as "Lady Stoneheart" — a pale, silent, deathless woman who wanders the countryside, seeking revenge on anyone she believes betrayed her family.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It's a major, major twist that has serious (and ongoing) ramifications in the books — but it's a story those who stick to the TV show will never get to see. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Michelle Fairley, who played Catelyn on the HBO series, confirmed that there are no plans for Lady Stoneheart to appear in Game of Thrones.
"Yeah, the character's dead. She's dead," said Fairley. "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."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.
-
Art review: The Frick Collection
Feature After a $330 million renovation and expansion, New York City's Frick Collection has reopened to the public
-
Amor Towles' 6 favorite books from the 1950s
Feature The author recommends works by Vladimir Nabokov, Jack Kerouac, and more
-
The Supreme Court case that could forge a new path to sue the FBI
The Explainer The case arose after the FBI admitted to raiding the wrong house in 2017
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia