Game of Thrones season 6 episode 8: It seems like Catelyn Stark (AKA Lady Stoneheart) isn't returning after all

Despite her being in the books, it really is looking like she won't be on the show

On 'Game of Thrones': 'Of course I'm going to like Lady Catelyn Stark' (Helen Sloane/HBO)

** Spoilers for season six episode eight of Game of Thrones **

For a long time, fans have been hoping Lady Stoneheart would appear on the HBO show at some stage. (Just in case you missed all the online talk/haven't read the books, in George RR Martin’s novels, Lady Stoneheart is the reanimated corpse of Catelyn Stark.)

However, despite the hints last episode, and various actors teasing her return, Lady Stoneheart failed to appear during ‘No One’, with the show throwing at us so many references to Caitlyn Stark it was difficult to keep count.

First up, there was Jaime and Brienne having their conversation about fulfilling their oaths to Catelyn, leading to Brienne entering the Riverrun to attempt to reason with the Blackfish. Soon after, The Kingslayer spoke about Catelyn and Cersei with Edmure, taunting the Tully. Then, in Riverrun, Brienne and Blackfish had a tense chat about his niece (Catelyn), deciding his love for her wasn’t enough to make him leave the castle.

On top of all the suspiciously Catelyn Stark-centric conversations, The Hound found the Brotherhood Without Banners (delivering some great one-liners), and - despite them being led by Lady Stoneheart in the books - Beric Dondarrion was still in charge.

Notably, The Hound and the Brotherhood had a wonderfully awkward conversation by a river; in the novels, Beric discovers Catelyn’s corpse washed up on the side of a river, three days after the Red Wedding. )Whether Sandor Clegane urinating in the river was literally the show runners pissing on that storyline is up for debate.)

So, will she return? With three season’s having past since Catelyn’s death, Beric still being in charge of the Brotherhood, and so many references to Catelyn her actual presence is barely necessary, it all seems very unlikely. Sorry everyone, that's one Stark who won't be returning.

Lady Stoneheart wasn't the only fan theory ruined by episode eight: the hype for Cleganebowl was put on hold by Tommen, while hope of Syrio’s return was also put to an end.