Any book to television adaptation is going to have changes. HBO's Game of Thrones is no different in that regard - it is simply impossible to fit in all of the extra details, backstory, minor characters and subplots from George R.R. Martin's novels into the show, even with 10 hours dedicated to each book in the series. Despite that, Game of Thrones showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff have stayed remarkably close to the source material.
For the most part, at least. As the show progresses, more and more changes are being made. New characters are being invented and entirely new scenes are being added, but it is all with the knowledge of Martin's endgame. Expect to see the series continue making big changes, especially considering the show, with season five, will nearly be caught up with Martin's books. Here are some of the biggest Game of Thrones book to TV changes we've seen so far.
If it wasn't obvious, boatloads of spoilers ahead.
The Chain
The Battle of Blackwater Bay is a major turning point in both the book and show. Tryion's plan to defend Kings Landing with wildfire from the forces of Stannis Baratheon proves successful, and everybody lives happily ever after. Sort of. But while Tyrion's wildfire strategy works wonders in the show, it is only half of Tyrion's master plan in the books. The other, and equally important, component to his strategy is a massive submerged chain that stretches across the bay. Once Stannis' forces are in the bay, the chain is raised to prevent Stannis' forces from escaping, ensuring the utter destruction of the Baratheon fleet by wildfire. The chain is nowhere to be seen in the show.
Robb's Wife
Talisa, a noblewoman from the Free City of Volantis, is nowhere to be seen in Martin's books. That is because she doesn't exist. The character is an invention of the show and replaces Jeyne Westerling, Robb's wife in the novels. Robb meets Talisa after a battle as Talisa tends to the wounded. Robb meets Jeyne (the daughter of bannermen loyal to House Lannister) after being wounded in battle, after which Jeyne nurses him back to health. The two sleep together, and to do the "honorable" thing, Robb marries her.
Talisa is murdered, along with her unborn child and Robb, at the Red Wedding by the Freys. In the books, however, Jeyne is not present at the Red Wedding and survives the war after being pardoned by the Iron Throne. Unlike in the show, Jeyne doesn't conceive a child with Robb, as Jeyne's mother had secretly been giving her daughter anti-pregnancy potions.
Hound vs. Brienne
One of the show's most brutal battles never happens in the books. Brienne and Podrick never encounter the Hound or Arya, though Brienne and Pod are indeed searching for her. The Hound instead "dies" as the result of a previous battle at the Inn at the Crossroads. Though the circumstances are different, the end result is the same. Arya refuses to show mercy by putting the Hound out of his misery and soon finds herself on a boat sailing towards the Free City of Braavos.
Cupbearer Arya
Many of the show's original scenes often leave a sour taste in the mouths of longtime readers of the series. That wasn't the case here, in what are without doubt some of the best "original" scenes to have made their way into the HBO adaptation. Arya never encounters Tywin Lannister in the novels during her stay at Harrenhal, but judging from the quality of these scenes, she should have. The conversations the two share over the course of several episodes as Arya serves as Tywin's cupbearer are filled with wit and a reluctant respect for one another. It makes for some entertaining television and they stand as some of the show's best invented scenes.
Ygritte's Death
The star-crossed romance between Jon Snow and the wildling Ygritte comes crashing down during the battle at the Wall in season four of the show, as Jon rejoins the Night's Watch to do battle against his former comrades, including Ygritte. As Jon recovers from battling with a particularly dangerous foe, he finds himself in the sights of his former lover, ready to loose an arrow straight into Jon's heart. The two make eye contact and then...Ygritte gets shot in the back by a random kid. Jon rushes to her side and holds her as she dies and later buries her.
It's a dramatic moment for the show, but the book's version of events are a little less exciting. Ygritte is killed along with numerous other wildings under a hail of arrows from the Night's Watch as they attack the Wall. Throughout the battle Jon fears he may have been the one to kill her, but later is relieved when he finds her body and learns his arrows weren't responsible for her death.
Motivations For Murder
The shocking series of events that served as the climactic finale for season four plays out similarly in the books, but for reasons unknown the Game of Thrones showrunners opted to leave out a critical character moment for Tyrion in their adaptation. In the show Tyrion, still locked in the dungeons for his supposed role in the murder of Joffrey, is freed by Jaime with the help of Varys. After a brief conversation, the two part ways on reasonably good terms. But before Tyrion makes his escape he stumbles upon Shae in his father's chambers. A struggle ensues between Tyrion and Shae, Tyrion eventually strangling her to death. He then finds Tywin using the bathroom and kills him with a crossbow.
While the core story beats are the same, the reasons behind Tyrion's rampage in the books are rooted in the past, not the present. In A Storm of Swords, when Jaime comes to free Tyrion with the help of Varys, Jaime tells his younger brother he is doing so because of a debt he owes Tyrion.
As detailed in the novels, Tyrion once had a wife named Tysha. She was a commoner, and the two lived together for a few days in newlywed bliss. Tywin, outraged this his son would marry a commoner and fueled by his hate for his son, tells Tyrion that Tysha is nothing more than a common whore. His brother Jaime says he had paid Tysha to humor Tyrion for a few days. To prove Tysha's status as a whore, Tywin then commands his troops to have sex with Tysha and pay her for her "services," to teach Tyrion a lesson. This encounter is briefly discussed in the first season of the show.
Jaime confesses to Tyrion in the dungeons that it was all a lie. Tysha had in fact truly loved and married Tyrion of her own free will, only to be humilated and raped by Tywin's soldiers. Tywin convinced Jaime to lie about the whole encounter and to stay silent. It is this revelation that causes Tyrion to murder Tywin and Shae. He asks a dying Tywin where Tysha was now, to which Tywin responds "wherever whores go." The words haunt Tyrion, and Jaime's lie causes the two brothers to part ways on the worst terms possible.
Reed Is Still Alive (For Now)
Book readers usually know all of the show's shocking deaths before hand. After all, they've read the source material. Not so with Jojen Reed. The end of season four saw Bran and company finally make it North of the Wall to meet the Three-Eyed Raven. Except for Jojen, that is, who instead dies at the hands of a wight right outside the entrance to the Three-Eyed Raven's magic cave. The moment came as a shock to both fans of the show and books. Jojen is still alive and well with the Three-Eyed Raven in the novels, though it has been hinted that he may not survive a journey back home. This is perhaps one of the show's first instances of "spoiling" what may soon come to pass in Martin's novels, something we will no doubt see more of in the seasons to come.
Yara Greyjoy's Assault On The Dreadfort
Aside from Yara having an entirely different name in the books (her book name, Asha, was changed to avoid confusion with the wildling, Osha, in the show) much of her television storyline never comes to pass in Martin's novels. In the show, Yara leads an attack on the Dreadfort to save Theon, resulting in a bloody confrontation between Ramsay Snow and Yara's ironborn. Theon, now mentally broken and calling himself Reek, refuses to follow Yara out of fear of Ramsay. When Yara escapes from Ramsay's clutches, she tells her men that Theon is dead. Yara (Asha) and Theon's new Reek persona have yet to meet in the novels, with Asha believing her brother to be dead.
House Of The Undying
To list all of the changes made between the book and show versions of the House of Undying could be an article all its own. In fact, the two scenes from book to show are nearly 100 percent different. The House of the Undying in Martin's books is a much more surreal experience, filled with allusions to past, present and future. As Daenerys (Dany) makes her way through a seemingly endless maze of hallways and doors she is given a number of prophecies, many of which fans are still debating and theorizing about today.
That is nowhere to be seen in the show, which instead merges the House of the Undying with a political storyline in Qarth in which Dany's dragons are stolen. The show opts for a more visually impressive but ultimately hollow look at "what might be." Dany finds herself at the feet of an Iron Throne covered in snow, she is reunited with Khal Drogo and at the end, her dragons breathe fire for the first time to kill the sorcerer Pyatt Pree. It sounds more exciting, but without the thought-provoking prophecies that make for a major driving force behind Dany's storyline in the books, the show's depiction of the House of the Undying feels shallow.
The Death Of Ser
Loyal to the very end, Ser Rodrik of House Stark in the HBO show is executed by Theon after his small group of ironborn take Winterfell by force. Rodrik's death in the novels also happens at Winterfell, but this time outside the castle's walls. Rodrik and his small army of Stark bannermen gather to retake Winterfell from Theon, only to be ambushed by Ramsay Bolton's men in the novels. Ramsay then takes Winterfell for himself and begins to torture Theon. In the show, Theon's men betray him and hand him over to Ramsay in exchange for their freedom.
Daxos
As mentioned above, the Qarth storyline in the show and books are radically different, and not just in the House of the Undying. The show largely invents an entirely new storyline for Dany during her stay in Qarth involving a conspiracy between Pyatt Pree and Xaro Xhoan Daxos. The ambitious Xaro initially aids Dany in her quest and even asks for her hand in marriage, an offer Dany refuses.
Xaro later steals Dany's dragons in a bid for control of the city, giving them to Pyatt Pree in a move that cements Xaro's control of the city. Xaro's plan doesn't work out so well when Dany returns from the House of the Undying with her dragons in tow. She seizes Xaro and a former handmaiden turned traitor and locks them together in Xaro's empty vault, where she leaves them to die. In Martin's novels, Xaro never betrays Dany or attempts to take over Qarth. He is alive and well when Dany departs from the city.
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