[Book Spoilers]

[zombieord]

Now that it is confirmed that Jon is going to Hardhome, is anyone else worried about his story/arc changing drastically from the books?

Based on the leaked title of episode 5 (Kill the Boy), it would seem he will still be elected Lord Commander. However, with statements about characters dying in the show that are still alive in the books, and the now infamous "shocking death" of a long time cast member, it would seem anything is game.

We also have statements from Kit Harrington like, "They tend to go story season then shocking season then story season then shocking season. This is a shocking season."

I could envision a scenario where the endgame of the HBO series is to simply get Dany on the Iron Throne and streamline the rest of the story (early death for Jon among others). Every year, the promos and trailers for the show depict Dany as this flawless leader who will save Westeros. It would seem that D&D have an extreme affection for her character, and even if that is part of Martin's endgame, I doubt the books will be that straightforward/high fantasy/clichéd.

Yes, we all know about R+L=J by now. However, there have been no flashbacks as of yet in the series to give clues as to Jon's parentage. Also, we know that Bran will be completely absent this season and as far as we know, the only living man who may know what happened in The Tower of Joy is Howland Reed. AFAIK, that character hasn't been cast. So it would seem D&D are either:

A: Waiting until next season or longer to reveal R+L=J.

or

B: The show will never address Jon's parentage and

he may also stay dead.

I think there's a half-decent chance we get option B for the HBO series (Lady Stoneheart, anyone?).

I think the fifth season could end with

Jon's death and the invasion of the Others.

It would certainly pave the way for Dany to swoop in uncontested as I outlined earlier. The show has never been about black/white, good/evil, but could anyone really argue The Others are anything but evil?

Hopefully this is just my overall pessimism regarding how the show is diverging from the books. Particularly last season.

For the watch.