The first four seasons of Game of Thrones are some of the finest television has ever seen, and while the series saw a dip in quality in season 5, it wasn’t until the end of season 7 where the quality dropped and never recovered. Seasons 7 and 8 naturally made a disappointing end for the show, but it’s important to remember Game of Thrones still has 6 great seasons.
At the same time, it’s hard to appreciate everything Game of Thrones has to offer. As good as the first six seasons were, Game of Thrones made enough cuts to A Feast for Crows where the lack of quality in the finale could have been avoided.
Aeron Greyjoy
Part of what makes A Feast for Crows such an unpopular book is how it follows A Storm of Swords– still A Song of Ice and Fire’s most exciting book– with nearly half a dozen new characters getting their own point of view chapters. Aeron, also known as Damphair, is the first of many Greyjoys to become a PoV character in Feast.
One of Euron’s brothers, it’s suggested that Aeron was assaulted by Euron in the past. Aeron is terrified of his brother, seeing him as a godless man that he needs to rouse the Iron Islanders up against when he wins the Kingsmoot. Aeron was in fine shape when we left him in Feast, but The Winds of Winter’s sample chapters don't inspire much hope for his future.
Victarion Greyjoy
Although Aeron doesn’t make it into Game of Thrones, large portions of Victarion’s personality end up being attributed to the show’s interpretation of Euron. In the books, Victarion is Euron with no shades of charm or competence. Victarion is dumb as brick, and that’s his schtick. He gets mad when people make fun of him, and he has an intense hate/respect relationship with Euron.
Considering how little Victarion has contributed to A Song of Ice and Fire so far, it makes sense why he was cut and broken down into Euron. At the same time, this results in a Euron at odds with himself while removing some of the most entertaining chapters from the books.
The Proper Kingsmoot
The Kingsmoot does indeed make it into the show, but in a very condensed manner. As depicted, Game of Thrones’ Kingsmoot is basically a democratic council (similar to the books,) but with no time dedicated to fleshing out Iron Island culture and what the Ironborn value in a king.
In the books, the Kingsmoot is framed through Asha (Yara in the show) and serves as an opportunity to highlight her relationship with her uncles and their interpersonal relationships from afar. More can be gleaned about Euron, Aeron, and Victarion through Asha’s chapter than in their own, but that’s lost thanks to a sloppier Kingsmoot.
Darkstar
Only time will tell what role Darkstar will play in A Song of Ice and Fire, but his sole appearance in A Feast for Crows doesn’t inspire much hope. If there’s one character the show can comfortably get away with cutting, it’s Darkstar. Full of cringey one-liners, it can be argued that Darkstar is meant to be a parody of edgy fantasy anti-heroes, but he’s played a bit too straight.
He’s been set up as an Arthur Dayne wannabe, but the only thing he’s done of value so far is mutilate a little girl. At times, it really feels like A Feast for Crows is just trying to see what sticks to the wall, with Darkstar standing out as a shining example. Even in his own book, his role is painfully unclear.
Arianne Martell, Queenmaker
Dorne was butched was than Doran when it came to Game of thrones. In A Song of Ice and Fire, the Dornish plot is one of the most complex and has yet to reach its turning point. A Dance with Dragons even suggests Doran has made critical errors, setting The Wind of Winter up for some real Martell related chaos.
At the center of it all should be Arianne Martell, Doran’s daughter who was ultimately cut from the show. One of the most beautiful women in Dorne, Doran is setting her up as a major player in Westeros’ politics. By the time Daenerys lands, there’s a good chance Arianna will be queen alongside Aegon (introduced in A Dance with Dragons.) Though that’ll only put a mark on her head.
Cersei’s Mania
Cersei Lannister is nothing short of a lunatic, but Game of Thrones failed to depict her mania accurately. For starters, the show seemed to have an obsession with softening Cersei’s edges early on– giving her nastier moments to Joffrey– but all this did was make her eventual shift into an unquestionable villain messy.
In the books, Cersei doesn’t have a point of view chapter until A Feast for Crows, only seen through the perspective of others. She comes off in control and almost terrifying. Which makes the revelation that she’s insane and has no idea what she’s doing all the more shocking in Feast. Cersei has no real grip on reality or politics and her book counterpart has already become a worse version of Robert.
Jaime’s Campaign In The Riverlands
Arguably the biggest change Game of Thrones makes is sending Jaime to Dorne instead of the Riverlands when it came time to adapt A Feast for Crows. While Jaime’s Riverlands content was saved for season 6, it was adapted in a heavily truncated manner that failed to convey the full scope of Jaime’s development.
It’s during his campaign in the Riverlands, apart from Cersei, where Jaime starts to recognize the toxicity in their relationship. He also begins to come into his own as a competent commander, carrying shades of Tywin within him while also trying to come to terms with his own interpretation of honor. The arc ends with Jaime symbolically turning his back on Cersei when she needs him most.
Brienne’s Search For Sansa
For better or worse, Brienne spends nearly a dozen chapters in A Feast for Crows simply searching for Sansa. This arc can be frustrating for two reasons: we as readers know Sansa is safe, and Brienne is actively searching in the wrong direction. It can make her arc feel almost like filler, but George uses these chapters as a means of worldbuilding.
Brienne’s chapters in A Feast for Crows offer some of the most insight into smallfolk like across both Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire. Brienne still searches for Sansa in the show, but it’s play fairly straightforward. There’s no worldbuilding, Brienne is hunting in all the right places, and she ultimately does rescue Sansa.
The Broken Man Speech
One of the biggest problems with fantasy literature in general is how the genre often ignores the voice of the common man, instead choosing to defer to nobility. Even in cases with characters like Jon Snow or Brienne of Tarth who are explicitly “lesser,” they’re clearly very privileged and don’t fully understand the scope of the commoner’s plight.
This is true for Game of Thrones as well, but A Song of Ice and Fire at least addresses this issue through the Broken Man speech. During a Brienne chapter, Septon Meribald (morphed into Brother Ray for the show) monologues on the effect the War of the Five Kings has had on the Riverlands, putting into perspective why George chose to follow up A Storm of Sword with such an intimate book: Feast for Crows is the final piece in making Westeros a cohesive world.
Lady Stoneheart
Lady Stoneheart is first introduced during A Storm of Swords’ Epilogue before playing a more substantial role in A Feast for Crows (although not by much.) Catelyn Stark resurrected after the Red Wedding, Lady Stoneheart was removed from Game of Thrones wholesale with no one really taking over her plot.
In Feast, Lady Stoneheart is leading the Brotherhood without Banners in absence of Beric Dondarrion's death (having died to revive Catelyn.) Lady Stoneheart spends her time hunting and hanging Lannister loyalists, so she’s naturally not too pleased when she discovers how close Brienne & Jaime have gotten. Brienne’s arc ends with Lady Stoneheart sentencing her to death, and a single word saving her life.