Did Catelyn Stark Return for 'Game of Thrones' Season 6 Finale? [SPOILERS]

Season 6 of Game of Thrones just ended last Sunday, giving birth to a new tortuous year of biting our fingernails and theorizing over the fate of the likes of Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen. After a good portion of the season seemed to tease the return of Michelle Fairley's character Catelyn Stark (in the form of Lady Stoneheart), was she finally present on "Winds of Winter"?

Remember: SPOILERS lie ahead!

via GIPHY

Not only was Lady Stoneheart not around season 6 of GoT, but the events of the last episode kind of made the character irrelevant in the context of the show. While in the books, the revived Stark matron is out for revenge for those who hosted the Red Wedding and all around harmed the Winterfell lords, there's someone else in town exclusively to avenge the Starks: a girl named Arya and played by Maisie Williams since the very first episode.

It looked like the plate for Lady Stoneheart's appearance was set when Walder Frey (David Bradley) spoke to Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and even the Kingslayer felt disgusted with him. Once the toast was made in honor of the Freys and Lannisters, the set-up for Mrs. Stark seemed just right, and that servant girl seemed like she could be working for the Brotherhood without Banners.

Nobody's about to complain it was actually Arya doing the killing, though, going full Sweeney Todd on Walder Frey by baking his sons into pies. This action, due to both its viciousness and the vindictive nature of getting justice to those who slayed the young King of the North and his family all the way back in season 3, may have just put Catelyn Stark to rest: her fiery daughter lives on to fight the honor of this ancient Northern house.

Even though it seems like Catelyn won't make another appearance on Thrones, she kind of lives on through her daughters, who are both very different from the innocent little girls we met in season 1. Yes, Arya has turned into a skilled assassin and a woman on a mission to avenge her house, but we always knew she'd go on to do great things -- what her sister has done seemed unimaginable a few seasons back.

Over the course of the show, few have suffered as much as Sansa Stark, played by Sophie Turner. After being a victim of Ramsay Bolton's sadism, this season Sansa has turned out to be a powerful strategist and a good addition to the actual game of thrones.

And now, once again, we must wait for another year to see who gets closer to the Iron Throne.