In Memoriam 2016: Honoring Television’s Fallen Characters
Osha, Game of Thrones
Season 1 – 3, Season 6
Time of Death: “Book of the Stranger” Season 6, Episode 4
Cause of Death: Stabbed in the throat by Ramsay Bolton
Osha (Natalie Tena) was one of those tricky characters on Game of Thrones. She couldn’t be branded as completely “good” or “bad”, she was just herself. Introduced to viewers as a random adversary of the Starks, Osha eventually became an indispensable asset to the survival and well-being of the Stark legacy.
As a Wildling escaping south of the wall, Osha’s small band of vicious friends happened upon Bran Stark riding on a horse. After a failed attempt at kidnapping, the Stark family took her in, and she ended up bonding with the two youngest boys. Under the guidance of Maester Luwin, she helped Bran and Rickon escape from Winterfell, and protected them with a loyalty beyond compare.
Once Osha and Rickon parted ways with Bran, we didn’t see our fierce lady Wildling for over two seasons. Some may have thought that she just disappeared. Nope. She was helping little Rickon survive. In fact, she gave her life in an attempt to save Rickon from the clutches of resident evil, Ramsay Bolton.
Osha’s final scene with Ramsay was compelling. Even though most knew that Osha wouldn’t walk out of that room alive, her confidence and fearlessness made viewers believe that her survival wasn’t completely out of the question. After all, she communed with the cannibal Thenns and lived to tell the tale. Unfortunately, she couldn’t escape the nasty clutches of Ramsay Bolton, and ended up with a knife in her neck. We’ll miss you Osha, and you’ll certainly be remembered fondly by Game of Thrones fans everywhere.
Next: Grant Ward aka Hive, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.