The series of Game of Thrones has made some changes from the book. Among other things, a mistake of Robb Stark was made much worse because the showrunners changed his great love.
Attention Spoiler: We reveal a crucial twist in Game of Thrones that leads to the death of certain characters in the article. If you want to catch up on the series, you should stop reading now.
Which character is it about? Connoisseurs of the book “A Song of Ice and Fire” have certainly raised their eyebrows in surprise while watching the series adaptation Game of Thrones. As is often the case with adaptations, some things have been changed, including the character Jeyne Westerling.
She belongs, as the name suggests, to House Westerling. She meets Robb Stark during the conquest of Highcliff, where he is wounded. Jeyne tends to him and stays by his side until he gets better. Shortly thereafter, a wedding occurs, which quickly turns into a real problem.
For actually, Robb was supposed to marry a daughter of Lord Walder Frey to form an alliance with him. This would allow Robb and his forces to pass through the strategically located Frey fortress called “Twins” to cross the Green Arm of the river Trident.
The breach of the marriage promise ultimately leads to the so-called “Red Wedding,” during which Robb, his mother, and others of his entourage are invited to the court of Walder Frey and die in a massacre there.
Jeyne herself is not at the wedding and therefore survives. For the adaptation as a series, the showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss changed this aspect and simply replaced the character with another one, including a tragic fate.
Different character, even more drama
What was the change? Jeyne Westerling does not exist in the series. Instead, Robb Stark meets the healer Talisa Maegyr in Season 2 during the Battle of the Green Fork. Robb sees her helping injured soldiers and supports her in that.
Even then, Talisa has a great fascination on Robb. When his mother Catelyn Stark notices this, she admonishes her son: he is promised to another, namely a daughter of Walder Frey.
One night, Robb then tells Talisa that he does not intend to fulfill the promise. Talisa also confesses to him how much she likes him. The two eventually get married, which sets off a chain of tragic events.
Talisa and Robb travel with their entourage to the seat of Walder Frey, the “Twins”. There, Robb is to make amends for his wrongdoing by having his uncle Edmure Tully marry a daughter of the Freys in his place. He hopes to forge the alliance after all and gain more troops. Initially, Frey agrees, but then betrays Robb and his house. The subsequent celebration goes down in series history as the “Red Wedding” – and is loosely based on real events.
Alongside many supporters of the Starks, some important characters die in Episode 9 of Season 3: Robb, his mother Catelyn, and also Talisa, who is pregnant at that time.
What does the change cause? The Red Wedding is a shocking sequence in the series that remains in memory for a long time. Even for George R.R. Martin, it was difficult to write in text form. Some important characters die unexpectedly. As if that weren’t bad enough, Robb’s wife and their unborn child also perish.
To the audience, the scene appears even worse: we know that a mother and her child are dying, though they are actually innocent. This triggers deep concern and a state of shock within us. The showrunners knew exactly what strong emotional effect they could achieve with this change – and the effort paid off. Moreover, the scene is quite bloody.
To this day, the Red Wedding ranks among the most memorable moments in the series. With it ended the story of Robb, Talisa, and their child. In the book, the actual queen of the North continued on: she returns in the following books and George R.R. Martin has already confirmed that the character will also appear in the highly anticipated sixth novel.
Until then, fans will have to be patient, as Martin is known for working very slowly. What do you think of the change? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments. George R.R. Martin himself has even expressed doubts about completing his mammoth project: “Maybe they are right” – Author of Game of Thrones is unsure if he will ever finish it.
