Gangs Of London Season 2 Can Do Game Of Thrones' Lost Lady Stoneheart Story
Gangs of London season 2 could give Michelle Fairley the chance to play a Lady Stoneheart-esque character, something Game of Thrones didn't allow for.
Gangs of London season 2 in a unique position to make good on a missed opportunity from Game of Thrones: the lost story of Lady Stoneheart. Actress Michelle Fairley stars as Marian Wallace, the matriarch of a powerful crime family in Gangs of London, as well as Catelyn Stark, the matriarch of a noble family of warriors in Game of Thrones. The two characters share a great many similarities, both thematically and structurally, and although Game of Thrones has long since ended, Fairley’s future with Gangs of London may give some solace to fans of the character that was cut from the infamous HBO series.
In the A Song of Ice and Fire book series upon which Game of Thrones is based, after Catelyn Stark’s shocking Red Wedding execution, her corpse was thrown into the river and eventually stumbled upon by the Brotherhood Without Banners. After recognizing her body, Thoros of Myr was instructed to use his restorative abilities to resurrect Catelyn. Thoros refused, prompting Beric Dondarrion (the group’s leader who had also been brought back to life several times) to attempt the resurrection himself, ultimately transferring his remaining life force into her. Though she was alive again, she had been corrupted as a result of her tremendous lust for revenge, and so Catelyn was reborn as Lady Stoneheart. She became the new leader of the Brotherhood Without Banners and sent them on a crusade of wanton violence in pursuit of justice for her son’s murder.
While it would have been fascinating to see the honorable Catelyn become a ruthless tyrant, the breakneck pace the series adopted in its later seasons show why Lady Stoneheart would not have worked had she been included. The show’s version of Catelyn was more compassionate than in the books, and there wasn’t enough time to do the character justice. But, fortunately, it would seem that Gangs of London may finally be ready to give Michelle Fairley the story Game of Thrones fans never got to see. Much like Lady Stoneheart, Marian Wallace is wounded in an attempt to protect her son and is left for dead, but is later revealed to be alive. Following the death of her son, she has become the de facto leader of her family and will set off on her path to vengeance using the resources of a newfound ally (her late husband’s mistress in this case).
The similarities between the two characters are numerous and based on her character’s trajectory, the comparison is likely to be cemented in Gangs of London season 2. Both characters’ husbands were powerful and respected within their communities (though for vastly different reasons). Both of their sons took up arms against their fathers’ killers only to be killed themselves, having fallen victim to their own endeavors. Lady Stoneheart is even known for hanging all who swear loyalty to her rivals regardless of their guilt, a trait that closely mirrors Sean’s behavior in Gangs of London’s dramatic opening scene. If her son’s chaotic ruthlessness is any indication, Marian may prove to be even more gruesome than her Game of Thrones equivalent.
After being left out Game of Thrones, it has now been over a decade since fans have seen Lady Stoneheart in action, and considering there hasn’t been much movement on the release of the sixth A Song of Ice and Fire book, there may still be a long wait ahead. But with the raw and gritty action sequences in Gangs of London’s first season, the scene is set for Marian Wallace to step into Lady Stoneheart’s shoes as her spiritual successor in what promises to be a bloody, high-stakes second season.