What change from the books would you LIKE to see the show make? (Please keep it plausible)

[Tywinelle]

Kill off Dany. She bores me to tears.

[SoManyVows]

They would dramatically improve the series by cutting the Mance/Rattleshirt fake-out. It's not effective television because it would mean less Ciaran Hinds, and it's just a cheap trope in general. Oh, you can't think of a way to keep alive a character you enjoy writing? Have him swap identities with a less important character (and literally have a wizard do it) so you can fake his death.

Plus, Jon's story would be much better off keeping Mance at the wall. So much of Jon's storyline in ADWD is told through his internal monologue since he sends away the people he trusts, so the show will need to give him more people to talk to. Even if he doesn't trust Mance completely, he respects Mance and their interactions make for good drama.

:agree:

Few things about Season 5 would make me happier than the absence of the ridiculous "glamour"/burning-of-Mance-but-oh-wait-it's-actually-Rattleshirt nonsense. That rather clumsy fake-out was perhaps my single least-favorite moment in A Dance With Dragons - a book that I really did enjoy a great deal, despite its much-debated issues. Both A Feast for Crows and A Dance With Dragons featured several scenes where characters were reported to be dead and later revealed to be alive (Davos), or else left in extremely perilous situations before later turning up alive (Brienne, possibly Jon depending on TWOW). But the Mance fake-out was the only one of those that actually inspired me to groan aloud, even if I had always suspected in the back of my mind that he wasn't actually dead. In general, the show has toned down some of the more overtly magical moments from the series, and we haven't even seen Rattleshirt since "Valar Dohaeris", so I'm hopeful the whole "glamour" angle will be dispensed with entirely. Yet until it's confirmed, I'll remain wary.

Jon and/or Melisandre can still send Mance to Winterfell without faking his death if necessary. Alternatively, as you suggest, he could remain at the Wall - I think that his interactions with Jon and Stannis have the potential to be highly interesting. Anything but the "glamour" (I keep bracketing that word in quotes because I can't take it, or the idea behind it, seriously).

[franko99]

If the news from Braavos are all true, I will love it. Replace Harys Swyft and Raff the sweetling with Mace and Ser Meryn is a great change and have Jaquen take the Kindly man's place is the best thing ever. :thumbsup:

I wish the show cut the whole Mance/rattleshirt fiasco, I really hated that in the books.

I usually complain about how fast characters travel in the show, but cutting the endless travelogues from AFFC/ADWD will make for better TV.

[JagLover]

Yes, cut about a third of FFC and maybe 1/4 of DWD. Don't overdo it, though; I'm not terribly happy about the loss of Arianne. Most of the Brienne journey can go, even if Hunt is amusing. I don't like Damp, but the Iron moot should stay. Much of Tyrion's journey can go. I do want to see Volantis, however.

That would still be two seasons on the show.

If we are talking of cuts all of Brienne's travels before meeting the BWB should be cut as should most of Sam's travels. Faegon, Quentyn and most of the Ironborn plot. Roughly about half of each book needs to be excised completely and much of the rest condensed.

[Mr Fixit]

That would still be two seasons on the show.

If we are talking of cuts all of Brienne's travels before meeting the BWB should be cut as should most of Sam's travels. Faegon, Quentyn and most of the Ironborn plot. Roughly about half of each book needs to be excised completely and much of the rest condensed.

Speaking of Feast, I think more than half of it will be excised or condensed, or has already been covered. Brienne pretty much powered through all her chapters (skipped them actually) except the last, Sansa seems to be headed straight into TWoW and/or invented stuff, Sam will likely be folded into Jon's Dance material and/or given minimal travelogue treatment, Greyjoys seem to be on life support and Dornish chapters will at least partially be merged with Jaime material. We're left with Cersei and Arya, who I believe will suffer only minor alterations (compared to other storylines).

So, out of Feast's 45 chapters, it wouldn't surprise me if the show covered maybe 25 in total next season, some of that number heavily trimmed. We'll see. Dance will be tougher to handle, what with the Wall, Stannis, Boltons, Theon, and Yara, Bran, Tyrion, Meereen, etc.

[Big Daddy]

You guys are reminding me about things that I want skipped or done away with as well. Ad my vote for:

No Penny. She serves no real purpose other than to remind us what a dirtbag Tyrion has become, which isn't how he's being treated on the show anyway. Keep Tyirion interacting with Illyrio, Varys, Faegon, and eventually Jorah. That's plenty for him in season 5.

No rattleshirt/Mance fakeout. In fact, I think even the word "glamour" would be instant death for the show if uttered aloud on the show. I cringe every time I READ the word it's so fucking lame. Skip Mance's burning completely. Get Mance under Jon's thumb by Jon sending Mance's baby with Sam and Gilly, if the baby is going to become important later. If Mance's son isn't going to matter, don't even bother creating him. Just have Mance go to Winterfell for Jon because he feels he owes it to him.

[Big Daddy]

Cut most of Brienne's travelling and Tyrion's. All that Brienne needs to do is be available late in the season to meet up with Jaime again. That can be for the Blackfish/BWB, or Lady Stoneheart/BWB.

Skip Quentin.

For things I want ADDED, I want to SEE Davos' journey to find Rickon. Have him interact with Osha and Rickon and Shaggydog. Viewers need to be reminded that kid still exists.

[stannisismyking]

Cut the Griffins and Greyjoy nuncles :ph34r:

Actually there's very few characters I'd actively want to see cut (except the "gravedigger"; I dream a dream on that one).

But Tyrion's storyline in ADWD is such a slog I'd like to see it toned down a little, and that's what seems to be happening.

[Count Balerion]

Yes, cut the surprise resurrections to the absolute minimum. After the 207th, it ceases to be surprising anymore.

[JRose1989]

I would definitely cut most of Tyrion's travelling gourmet fest with Illyrio, though we may be getting that already since Varys seems to be heading in Tyrion's direction judging by the end of season 5.

Maybe this is just a bit too fanfic, but would LOVE to see Jaquen come back to show Arya the ropes of the Faceless men.... :thumbsup:

And if it's not too much to ask, maybe just trim down most of Brienne's travels as well. Though again, they probably are going to do that anyway since none of that would make sense in context of the way they have written the show...

So yay I guess?? :cool4:

[RedShirt47]

I want to see Bran having some visions of the past. Some of ToJ or RR.

The show has been very stingy with visions so far.

[jakmanuk]

Maybe this is just a bit too fanfic, but would LOVE to see Jaquen come back to show Arya the ropes of the Faceless men.... :thumbsup:

They're doing that

[ivosan]

Cut Quentyn Martell altogheter. Keep fAegon and Arianne, please.

Cut the Mance/Rattleshirt switcharoo.

Sam travels directly to Oldtown without stopping in Braavos. His encounter with Arya/Cat is cheesy as hell. But it's the kind of cheesiness D&D love.

Davos doesn't stop by the Sisters.

Brienne has traveled enough in S4, She is done for me.

Put the Blackfish in LSH place

Cut the Kingsmoot. A King brother succeeding over a female daughter in such a macho society is par of the course.

[John Hulboy]

I hope that just do right by the books I feel like after 2nd season they started to change some things as far as characters stories ..

[yanmaodao]

I would definitely cut most of Tyrion's travelling gourmet fest with Illyrio, though we may be getting that already since Varys seems to be heading in Tyrion's direction judging by the end of season 5.

Maybe this is just a bit too fanfic, but would LOVE to see Jaquen come back to show Arya the ropes of the Faceless men.... :thumbsup:

And if it's not too much to ask, maybe just trim down most of Brienne's travels as well. Though again, they probably are going to do that anyway since none of that would make sense in context of the way they have written the show...

So yay I guess?? :cool4:

This I think is a virtual certainty. Cutting Arya for a season is not a realistic option, but given everything that needs to be crammed into one season, it's hard to justify a complete arc in a unique location centered on one major character who interacts with no other major characters (and we're past the point where a setting will be expanded upon by adding its own ecosystem and mini-cast of minor characters. Qarth Season 2 is not happening again, and that's probably for the better. I think more established characters will be shoehorned into a few geographic locations, like it or not).

For that reason, I think Sam and Gilly are heading to Braavos and staying there. Braavos will take the take the place of Oldtown, for both Sam/Gilly and Jaqen. Book readers will not like how a Maester-centered storyline, if they're even keeping that element, is taking place in Braavos and not somewhere in Westeros, but this will be handwaved somehow. If they go down this road, I'm curious as to how they're going to handle Sam and Arya meeting each other at some point. Another potential Stark kid reunion fakeout (since Sam would write Jon if he found out anything here) would be repetitive and grating. (And/or there will be more Iron Bank stuff, and it will take place in Braavos, not the North.)

Likewise, the Vale has to be given a bigger role if they're going to keep it as a unique setting. Maybe Sansa will take over the role of getting revenge on Freys, instead of Lady Stoneheart or the Blackfish. Again, might feel "fanfic-y" to readers, but show-only watchers are not going to want to watch Sansa+Littlefinger+bunch of Corbrays and Royces, and I don't think the showrunners will go down that road for reasons already mentioned. (Though I do think the Vale nobility were given a good introduction in S4E8, so it's not entirely out of the question; I just think it's unlikely.) I hope they keep Mya Stone, but I'd rather they cut her than Wyman Manderly. He's the one character I don't want cut, over the Greyjoy uncles, Arianne, or even fAegon.

[The Reckoner]

Have Freys swarming about the North instead of ironborn.

[Joseph Nobles]

Is this the appropriate thread for crackpottery?

OK, here's my latest bit of nonsense:

Brienne hears about fArya and goes North. She's captured by Roose and Ramsey Bolton, where she tries to persuade them she hates Stannis. But she knows fArya is fake indeed. So she has to escape with Theon and fArya to head to the Wall, where she finds Stannis. And then she's faced with a question - kill the man who killed her Renly as she swore to do, or help him defeat the worse evil of the Boltons?

[juanml82]

Is this the appropriate thread for crackpottery?

OK, here's my latest bit of nonsense:

Brienne hears about fArya and goes North. She's captured by Roose and Ramsey Bolton, where she tries to persuade them she hates Stannis. But she knows fArya is fake indeed. So she has to escape with Theon and fArya to head to the Wall, where she finds Stannis. And then she's faced with a question - kill the man who killed her Renly as she swore to do, or help him defeat the worse evil of the Boltons?

That's interesting. And gives Brienne a reason to leave the Vale.

I'm not so sure about cutting Brienne's travels. We have the "broken men" monologue which is, well, a monologue, but it's cool. And we have the birth of the Faith Militant. Granted, we don't need to see it through Brienne in the show, but it's a way to condense characters.

[Mycah Bluth]

A lot of my wish list is based on a desire to see new characters folded into existing ones (more Joe Dempsie and Ciaran Hinds, please and thank you). I am an odd man out as far as book lovers go because as much as I love the Kingsmoot, Dorne shenanigans and various otherworldly events, if I were D&D, I'd take a scythe to 2/3 of aFFC and aDwD apiece and never look back.

Show Predictions:

- Gendry will replace Aegon’s arc.

- Mace Tyrell and Meryn Trant go to Braavos to meet with Tycho Nestoris instead of Harys Swyft and Raff.

- Trystane and Myrcella are the principal actors in the queenmaking plot, as are the Sand Snakes. Arianne and Quentyn are cut entirely, and their plot points distributed amongst the Sand Snakes and Trystane. Ellaria is more prominent.

- Tommen also has more agency, rebelling against Cersei and siding with Margaery. He confronts Cersei about the incest rumors.

- The Blackfish replaces Lady Stoneheart.

- The Rattleshirt switch, Alys Karstark, baby switch and Hardhome plot are cut. Dolorous Edd stabs Jon instead of Bowen Marsh.

- Harry and Sweetrobin are merged.

- Penny and most of the sellsword companies are cut.

- Euron and Victarion are merged.

- Most of Brienne’s and Tyrion’s travel arcs are cut.

- If Wyman Manderly is not going to be introduced, substitute the Mormonts, Karstarks…..or Reeds…..instead.

[El Guapo]

Have Tyrion and Dany meet at the end of the season.

(I actually think this might happen)