Hear Me Out Oona Chaplin's Talisa Was a Good Addition to 'Game of Thrones'

The Big Picture

• Game of Thrones ' Talisa Stark is a strong female character whose power doesn't stem from social status or combat skills, making her a unique and compelling character.
• Talisa and Robb Stark's romance enriches their characters and makes Robb a more complex contender for the Iron Throne.
• Talisa's death at the Red Wedding adds another layer of brutality and hopelessness to the Stark family's story, highlighting the impact of her character change.

In Game of Thrones, Oona Chaplin's character Talisa Stark is a vast improvement over Jeyne Westerling, Robb Stark’s (Richard Madden) wife in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books. The decision to change the character resulted in both Robb Stark and his wife having more autonomy, since Talisa is a battlefield medic, and Robb selfishly choosing to be with her out of love instead of out of duty-compelled obligation following a tryst. Their romance is one of the better ones on Game of Thrones, developing naturally and making both Robb and Talisa more interesting by bringing out hidden strengths in each character. Talisa being a foreign-born medic instead of a minor lord’s daughter complicates Robb Stark’s decision to violate the terms of his alliance with the Freys in interesting ways, and the additional autonomy Talisa has makes her a unique example of a strong female character compared to the show’s other female leads. As a result of this character change, the Red Wedding becomes even more impactful compared to the books, since Talisa meets a tragic end at the feast, whereas the less developed Jeyne Westerling is absent from the bloody Riverland wedding at the Twins.

Game Of Thrones

Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.

Who Is Lady Talisa Stark in 'Game of Thrones?'

Despite some valid criticisms regarding the treatment of female characters, the Game of Thrones universe and George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series both contain well-written, powerful female characters, including fierce fighters like Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie), the Wildling archer Ygritte (Rose Leslie), and face-changing assassin Arya Stark (Maisie Williams). Other women leverage their status and wealth to claim power in the male-dominated world, like queens Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). However, what Game of Thrones originally lacks is strong female characters whose power doesn't stem from their social status or proficiency with a weapon, and Talisa is exactly that. Talisa Maegyr, a healer from the Free City of Volantis, is strong in her resolve and is shown to be capable, intelligent, and independent when Robb Stark initially encounters her working on the battlefields during the War of the Five Kings, first amputating the limb of a Lannister soldier, and later boldly seeking Robb out requesting medical supplies.

Some Game of Thrones romances have disasterous endings or don't feel fully realized, but Talisa and Robb Stark's romance actually improved both of their characters during their romance. Starting from her introduction in Season 2 of Game of Thrones, Talisa and Robb Stark's interactions enrich both characters. By having Robb Stark fall in love with the field medic who isn't of Westerosi birth, Robb becomes a much more compelling character compared to his flatter book counterpart, making him a contender for the Iron Throne who doesn't merely value physical strength and power purchased with wealth or social status. This improvement makes Robb's death an even greater loss, considering the less savory attitudes of many of the remaining contenders for the Iron Throne.

Oona Chaplin's Talisa Makes the Red Wedding Hurt Worse

Robb Stark's motivations leading to his decision to betray his alliance with the Freys in order to marry Jeyne Westerling are quickly muddied. In the books, Robb is acting with honor in marrying the daughter of a Lannister bannerman, and in doing so is not repeating his father, Ned Stark's (Sean Bean) supposed dishonorable actions by fathering a bastard (although notably Jeyne Westerling, unlike Talisa, does not become pregnant). Although this important nod to chivalrous-yet-doomed Ned Stark that ties Robb and Jon Snow's (Kit Harington) motivations together is lost in the TV series and Robb's actions can come across as selfish, it makes sense that Robb would betray the agreement with the Freys for love rather than honor, since his book counterpart's chivalrousness is almost negated by betraying the agreement to marry one of Walder Frey's (David Bradley) daughters. Duty alone can only compel Robb Stark in so many contradicting directions.

In the A Song of Ice and Fire book series, the Lannisters have Jeyne Westerling not marry following her husband's death at the Red Wedding until as much time has passed that it can be guaranteed she is not pregnant with Robb Stark's child and heir. However, Talisa Stark, who is pregnant, dies first at the Red Wedding, and perhaps most tragically. Talisa Stark's death at the Twins added another layer to the brutality of the Red Wedding and the hopelessness of the Stark family after this betrayal, with seemingly no hope for the future.

'Game of Thrones' Changing Jeyne Westerling to Talisa Maegyr Was a Major Improvement

Fans may criticize many of the TV series' changes from George R. R. Martin's book series; however, Oona Chaplin's Talisa Stark is one of the changes that showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss absolutely nailed, transforming a relatively unimportant female character who mostly served as a plot point and giving her much more autonomy. In doing so, Robb Stark becomes a more complicated contender for the throne to root for, with motivations that feel more human and values that go beyond Ned Stark's influence.

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