Talisa Stark (Oona Chaplin) is a show-only character in Game of Thrones season 8, episode 3, "The Long Night" and seeing arguably one of the most nonsensical episodes of television I'd ever watched.

But let's get past that, because there are seasons and episodes of Game of Thrones that sur anything on television save those of the most hallowed moments of prestige TV. David Benioff and D. B. Weiss may be hated names now, but it's unfair to deny that they made some good changes to Martin's books (unfinished books, I'd add) that made them much more digestible as a TV series. I've read his books, and there are several book plotlines that I'm glad aren't in the show, including Jeyne Westerling's, which they thankfully replaced with Talisa Stark's.

Talisa Stark Is Robb Stark's Wife In Game Of Thrones

Robb Meets Talisa Maegyr After The Battle Of Oxcross

Talisa Maegyr is a nurse from the Free City of Volantis in Game of Thrones. She came to Westeros to work as a healer after her little brother was saved by a slave in her home city. After that, she dedicated her life to working as a medic, and moved to Westeros, in protest of slavery in Essos. A non-combatant working on the side of the Lannisters, Talisa was present after the Battle of Oxcross, where Robb Stark (Richard Madden) found her tending to soldiers on both sides of the battlefield.

Impressed by her dedication to the health of friends and foes alike, as well as her confidence and willingness to stand up to him, Robb quickly grows infatuated. In turn, Talia begins to fall for the King in the North. Despite protests from his mother and bannermen, and in defiance of the oath he made to the Freys, Robb marries Talisa and soon, she's pregnant with his child. She promises to name the child Eddard, after his father, a promise that warms Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) to her side.

Her happiness does not last long, however, and she becomes the first victim of violence during the events of the Red Wedding. While standing happily with her husband, she is suddenly stabbed multiple times in the stomach, resulting in her and her unborn baby's death. She dies in Robb's arms moments before he is stabbed in the heart by a traitorous Roose Bolton (Michael McElhatton). So it goes in Westeros.

Jeyne Westerling And Talisa Stark Share Few Similarities

Talisa And Jeyna Are Almost Completely Different Characters

Here's the thing, there is no Talisa Maegyr in A Song of Ice and Fire. Instead, Robb's wife is Jeyne Westerling, the daughter of an old, noble, and poor house in the Westerlands. While storming the Westerling castle, the Crag, Robb is wounded, and he's nursed back to health by Jeyne. At some point while he's there, he sleeps with Jeyne. In a moment of inadvisable chivalry, he offers to marry Jeyne in order to preserve her dignity.

The only similarity between the two characters is that Robb marries both of them despite already being betrothed to another. Otherwise, they are almost completely different, even hailing from two different continents. Jeyne is not even present at the Red Wedding in the books. She's instead sent away to Riverrun and after the Tully seat falls, the Westerlings are brought back to heel under the Lannisters. Jeyne is then ordered not to marry for two years so that no one can claim Robb Stark has an heir.

Talisa Is A More Fully Realized Character Than Jeyne

Talisa Has An Arc Whereas Jeyne Rarely Appears

You can see just from their descriptions that Talisa is a much more fully realized character than Jeyne. That's not necessarily a shot at Martin, because Robb Stark in the show is a much different character than the one in the books. In the books, Robb does not even have a point of view chapter, and most of his story is seen through Catelyn's eyes. In Game of Thrones, Robb is positioned much more as the protagonist of the series, which I believe makes his death much more shocking.

Because Robb is a much more important character in the show, his wife needs to be fleshed out in greater detail. In A Song of Ice and Fire, Jeyne is mostly in the background, occasionally referenced, but barely seen. Her real contribution to the story is in service of Robb's, which in turn serves Catelyn's.

Jeyne unknowingly drank daily potions given to her by her mother that prevented her from becoming pregnant.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Catelyn despised John Snow because she thought he was the result of Ned cheating on her. Robb saw how his father's indiscretion affected his family and vowed never to father a bastard, which is why he agrees to marry Jeyne after sleeping with her, in case he had impregnated her (which he didn't). Ironically, had Catelyn been a better mother to John Snow, Robb may not have been so fervently against fathering a child out of wedlock, which may have allowed him to take his vows to the Freys more seriously, avoiding the Red Wedding altogether.

Talisa Stark Is A Much More Important Character Than Some Fans Give Her Credit For

Talisa Makes The World Of Game Of Thrones Bigger

For some, the entire Talisa plotline is boring. If you're coming to Game of Thrones for sword fights and direwolves, I can see how Talisa would be a drag, though that's a pretty limited reading of her character. Talisa is much more important than people give her credit for. For one, she helps introduce the idea that people from Essos regularly visit Westeros and even come to live there. Her presence also lets us believe that Shae (Sibel Kekilli) would happily come to Westeros and be willing to settle down with Tyrion (Peter Dinklage). There's a pleasing symmetry in those storylines.

Her wish to defend everyone in Westeros is a viewpoint that Robb comes to share, making his death all the more tragic.

Furthermore, Talisa helps to explore Robb's character more, developing him as his own man. Her wish to defend everyone in Westeros is a viewpoint that Robb comes to share, making his death all the more tragic. She showed Robb that you can make friends with your enemies and that you shouldn't blindly hate. It's this empathy that enrages Robb when Richard Karstark (John Stahl) murders two innocent Lannister boys. Robb's respect for life extends past banners, and that's a poignant character touch that the books don't illuminate.

It's Talisa who angrily stands up to Robb and explains this idea of respecting enemies. Her foreignness is also something I enjoy about her character. She comes from Essos and brings to Westeros a completely different viewpoint on the world. She's modern, strong, confident, and yet not overbearing or rude. Talisa respects that Catelyn is displeased with her, but she refuses to hide her feelings for Robb. She makes the world feel bigger and more human, something that made Game of Thrones a hit in its early seasons.