When you’re adapting a series of novels as rich and complex as A Song Of Ice And Fire, there’s bound to be some things that end up getting cut for TV. Even with all the money HBO fishes out for Game Of Thrones, certain storylines and characters just wouldn’t fit into the show.
In some cases, these changes end up being better and even die-hard book readers are willing to accept it. That being said, there are some major mistakes that the showrunners have made. Sometimes they either change a certain plot or remove it completely, leading to a lot of fan backlash. Here are the five best changes from the books and the five worst.
Worst: Sansa Marrying Ramsay
In order to solidify claim to the north, Roose Bolton has his now legitimized son, Ramsay, marry Sansa. At first, this was an interesting departure from the novels. In the books, Ramsay ends up marrying Jeyne Poole, who is pretending to be Arya Stark, except Jeyne never becomes an established character for the show.
Up until that point, Sansa had been constantly tortured and abused by Joffrey. After she’s finally becoming her own woman and is learning how the game is played, she’s immediately made a victim again by Ramsay. This storyline was heavily criticized for once again using sexual violence against women as a plot device. It’s made even worse considering Sansa’s empowering character arc that had been built up over four seasons.
Best: Arya Being Tywin’s Cupbearer
The Harrenhal storyline in A Clash Of Kings, while not terrible, felt long and drawn out. Arya, Gendry, and Hot Pie are all captured by the Lannisters and forced to work in Harrenhal. One change from the novels is that Arya ends up being assigned as Tywin’s cupbearer. In the novels, she’s just a cupbearer for Roose Bolton.
Some of the best scenes in Season 2 are the conversations between these two characters. Tywin essentially becomes a mentor to Arya, whom he has developed a shade of respect for. If there’s one thing that seems impossible to get, it’s the respect of Tywin Lannister. Just ask his own children.
Worst: Not Having All The Stark Children Be Wargs
In the books, all of the Stark children are wargs, as confirmed by George R.R. Martin. The show reserves this power for Bran only, however. It is definitely an awesome ability that Bran utilizes multiple times, but it’s a shame that they didn’t have his siblings also have the same powers.
With Jon specifically, this was a missed opportunity for the show. When Jon is killed in A Dance With Dragons, the last thing he utters before death is, “Ghost.” Many readers theorize that his warg abilities will somehow be used to resurrect him, whereas the show just used random magic with minimal explanation. In A Storm Of Swords, Arya wargs into Lymeria and pulls out a certain character's corpse. This specific corpse also something omitted from the show, which we’ll get to soon.
Best: Focusing On Characters That Don’t Have POV Chapters In The Books
Each chapter in the novels is always from the point-of-view of someone, meaning that readers only get exposed to certain characters from the perspective of another. For example, most of Robb Stark’s story is only through Catelyn’s eyes.
With the show having scenes for many other characters, certain ones like Tywin, Joffrey, and the Tyrells become more fleshed out; the Tyrells especially. Not a single Tyrell is given any POV chapters in the books. With the TV show, viewers get to see scenes featuring Margery and Olenna, giving context to their plots against the Lannisters. That’s another thing. Margery is a much better character in the show, presenting her as a critical player in the game.
Worst: Removing Lady Stoneheart
The decision to omit Lady Stoneheart from the show was questionable. In fact, George R.R. Martin had argued with the writers to include her. Lady Stoneheart is Catelyn Stark, who was resurrected by the brotherhood without banners. Having Lady Stoneheart in the show wouldn’t have taken away the impact of The Red Wedding because this version is very different from the sweet and loving Catelyn viewers originally loved.
Lady Stoneheart is cold-hearted and merciless, seeking revenge on anyone who had something to do with the Red Wedding. Fans also theorize that Lady Stoneheart foreshadows how Jon will change when he inevitably gets resurrected in Winds Of Winter. The resurrected Jon in the show is essentially the same honorable man that viewers always knew.
Best: Aging Up The Characters
Even HBO has limits on what they’re willing to do. The characters in the novels are much younger than their TV counterparts. It makes sense given the time period and the average life expectancy. When you’re 16, you’re practically an adult by that point.
It’s a better decision to have the characters be older in the show. Not only would you have to hire young actors/actresses but you’d have to be very careful on the adult subject matter, especially the sexual content. For example, Daenerys is only 13 at the beginning, meaning her wedding night with Khal Drogo would’ve been even more disturbing than it already was.
Worst: Butchering The Dorne Storyline
For many, this is the biggest sin the show committed. Many book readers were furious by how much the show ruined the storyline in Dorne. The Dorne story arc makes up a huge portion of A Feast For Crows. In Season 5, the show paints many of the Dornish characters as incompetent and foolish, especially Doran Martell.
The novels showcase Doran as much more than he puts on. He has his own plan to take the throne. While his plan may be a little convoluted, it’s still much better than the lazy and useless way they portray him in the show. Let’s also not forget that awful “buddy-cop” episode where Bronn and Jaime infiltrate Dorne to rescue Myrcella. The showrunners must've realized this mistake when they eventually kill off every Dorne character, killing the storyline as well.
Best: Brienne Fights The Hound
The show managed to change up Arya’s plot slightly while still making it end the same in Season 4. In the novels, Arya and Sandor are attacked by two of Gregor Clegane’s men. Despite successfully fighting them off, Sandor is mortally wounded and a spiteful Arya leaves him to die.
The show takes a much better approach to this result. Instead, Sandor fights Brienne in order to see who’s truly fit to protect Arya. What follows is one of the best fights in the show. It’s bloody, dirty, and just a visceral experience from start to finish. Brienne even bites off part of Sandor’s ear and spits it back at him. The scene ends the same with Arya leaving Sandor to his wounds, despite his pleas for a mercy killing.
Worst: Removing Jaime’s Confession To Tyrion About Tysha
The Tysha incident is extremely crucial to Tyrion’s character development. In the show’s canon, the whole thing was set up by Jaime. However, when Jaime saves Tyrion in the books, he confesses that Tywin forced him to say it was a set-up. Tysha did, in fact, love Tyrion.
After Tyrion learns this in the novels, he becomes a much darker character. He’s now a complete nihilist and hateful towards his family, Jaime included. This explains why Tyrion risked everything to kill Tywin. The Tyrion in A Dance With Dragons is a far cry from the witty and optimistic character that everyone loved. It would’ve been much more interesting to see Tyrion in a different light. The only hint we see of this is his outburst during the trial, proving that Peter Dinklage's acting talents were just right for this arc. By Season 5, Tyrion doesn’t have much growth as a character.
Best: The Massacre At Hardhome
In A Dance With Dragons, Jon Snow sends his men to rescue wildlings at Hardhome. He’s later informed that wights have attacked and that his men are stranded. The show decided, instead, to have Jon lead this journey, leading to a visually stunning set-piece that only Game Of Thrones could conjure up.
The attack on Hardhome isn’t a battle. It’s a fight for survival. This showcases the true threat that the White Walkers are. The sheer number of wights alone is intimidating. The clink of Jon’s sword and the White Walker’s weapon is perhaps the most satisfying moment in the entire show. Viewers around the world jumped from their couches as Jon obliterated the White Walker with one swing of his sword.