‘Game of Thrones’ season 3: Producers discuss Alfie Allen [spoiler]

If there is one element to “Game of Thrones” season 3 that came as a surprise to pretty much all viewers, it was seeing the return of Alfie Allen’s character of Theon Greyjoy to the show during Sunday night’s new episode. After all, this is a character that does not appear at all in either the third or the fourth books in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, and with there being so much less time for viewers versus readers to get to know the characters, there were thus some fears that he would be forgotten.

So why bring the character back now while trapped within the walls of a torture camp? This is something that was clearly discussed before production in order to keep Alfie Allen involved, and executive producer D.B. Weiss tells Entertainment Weekly that this was a move genuinely thought up in order to make sure that Theon continued to bring a different dimension to the show:

“As much as I love watching Jack [Gleeson] bring Joffrey to life, it’s hard to put yourself into Joffrey’s shoes. Theon last season did so many horrible things, but it was so much easier to imagine for yourself how he got to that place. He’s a character that’s similar in many ways to the book version, but because of Alfie the character has taken on his own life in the show. Most people can relate, on some level, to not belonging, to not being taken seriously and wanting your parents to appreciate what you’re doing. There’s something very universal about Theon.”

There is no real telling where the character is going to go next, but Allen tells the publication that he is thrilled with the direction of his storyline now, especially after he was once concerned that the character would not even live to see the light of day after season 2.

If you want to watch a promo for Sunday’s new “Game of Thrones” episode, you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: HBO