For readers of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire saga, HBO's Game of Thrones has held few true surprises over the last four seasons. Ned Stark's execution, the Red Wedding, Joffrey's death and every major battle have followed the example of the book closely, though not always to the letter.
That's not the case with the show's fifth season. As we saw "Hardhome," Game of Thrones and Martin's books are two increasingly different works.
In the books, the wildling settlement known as Hardhome is mentioned several times. Many wildlings fled to the "town" after Stannis Baratheon broke the wildling ranks as they marched on the Wall. As Jon is looking to bring the wildlings into the fold against the Others and their undead hordes, he sends a fleet of Night's Watch ships, commanded by Cotter Pyke, down the coast to Hardhome in order to recruit any wildlings willing to join the Brothers in Black.
Jon, however, never journeys to Hardhome himself in the books. He intends to after receiving word from Cotter about how terrible the situation is there, as Cotter reports that some of the wildlings have resorted to cannabilsm out of extreme starvation, that the wildlings attacked one of the Night's Watch ships, and that "dead things" can be seen in the surroundings forests and in the water. Instead of making the journey himself, Jon decides to send Tormund to assist Cotter in his place.
No battles or White Walker armies are ever mentioned. Obviously that is extremely different from the White Walker onslaught we saw in the television show, as Jon, the wildlings and even a giant battled for their lives against a host of supernatural foes upon arriving at the make-shift town. There are a number of small deviations from the books outside of the battle proper as well. For example, it has yet to be 100 percent confirmed in the books that Valyrian steel swords like Jon's Longclaw can kill the Others, though it has been speculated. Rattleshirt doesn't ever travel to Hardhome, as he is dead before those events in the books.
If it wasn't clear before, it is now: Game of Thrones is now marching at the beat of its own drum, no longer afraid of deviating from Martin's work or putting their own spin on certain events. We've seen it time and time again this season. Tyrion and Jorah's journey has been streamlined extensively and is far different from the books, as Jorah and Tyrion have yet to meet Daenerys. Sansa and Brienne's storyline is almost completely new, as Sansa marries Ramsay Snow in place of a minor character from the books and Brienne never encounters Lady Stoneheart. Jaime and Bronn's adventure in Dorne is completely new material as well.
Whereas Martin's works are often subtle and slow-burning, the show has never adopted the same approach. Game of Thrones has always spelled out things that are only hinted at in the novels, and increasingly of late if the show can "streamline" a character's story arc it will do so.
Part of the reason behind this is simply the nature of the medium itself. HBO can't continue to hire new actors for additional characters when they could simply use existing ones by changing a few plot points. Television viewers also need more breathtaking visuals than those who are reading the books. A letter from Cotter Pyke on the terrible situation in Hardhome isn't nearly as exciting as a large-scale battle. Having Jaime and Bronn, two fan favorites, travel to Dorne on a rescue mission is much simpler and more entertaining for TV viewers than being forced to care about a batch a trio of new characters and the political complexities of Dorne.
But it might not be just because of the limitations or needs of a television show that Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have elected to change so much. It's important to remember that Weiss and Benioff know how Martin's fantasy series will end. That's important, as the duo will likely finish the story before Martin himself gets the chance. We must assume that the decisions Benioff and Weiss are making are done so with an endgame in mind. The two have a golden opportunity to "rewrite" part of Martin's saga to better fit the coming finale, avoiding some of the detours Martin seems to have made along the way.
Might the battle of Hardhome signify an epic clash soon to come in Martin's next book, The Winds of Winter? It's hard to say, but one thing is certain: Game of Thrones is proving that it doesn't need Martin's source material to create great television.
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