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Scenes Added/Changed that I Liked Better in the Show than the Book


Maxxine

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So HBO had a marathon of Game of Thrones on last week, so I watched some of the episodes and I know a lot of people on here don't really like the show because of the changes it makes from the book. I generally agree with this sentiment as far as changes from the book to the show. But there are some additions/changes that the show made that I like better than what happened in the book. The three I can think of off top are the following:

1) The conversation between Cersei and Catelyn when Cersei tells Catelyn that she and Robert had a black haired child that died in infancy. Giving Cersei and Robert a child together that died in infancy makes me a little more sympathetic to their relationship. It maybe insinuates that they both at least tried at the relationship at first, but that death just took whatever chance they had at having a healthy relationship. Obviously this fact wouldn't have changed the outcome of their relationship in the end, but in the book it just seems like they both treated each other like crap from the very beginning and neither one ever had any intention of really trying at the relationship. Also this fact would've given another clue as to Joffrey, Tommen, & Myrcella not beinf Robert's.

2) The Robb and Jeyne Westerling substitute marriage(can't remember the name they gave her in the show) is so much more tolerable in the show than in the book. Actually seeing him fall in love and trying to fight his feelings for the sake of honor, but ultimately succumbing to love was so much more understandable than it was in the book. Obviously, this could be partially because Robb does not have a POV. But in the book he married her just because he slept with her. She wasn't even pregnant. And it comes off if he made the decision without thinking of the consequences. He just did it. At least show Robb tried to fight it.

3) Lastly the Arya/Tywin relationship. I LOVE this relationship in the show. And the Roose/Arya relationship in the book doesn't really have the same effect. It's similar to the Hound/Arya relationship in the book and the show. They kinda like each other even though their supposed to hate (in Arya's case) or be indifferent (in Tywin's case) to the other. The my lord/m'lord conversation between Arya and Tywin in the show is so much better in the show than the exact same conversation between Roose and Reek. It makes more sense too. Had it been Tywin/Arya in the book I would've totally been rooting for Arya to leave Harrenhal with Tywin and just travel with him and watch their interactions. At least up until she a)was recognized by someone or b)she killed Tywin after she found out about the Red Wedding. But I think it still would've been fun.

These are just my opinions. Are there any other scenes that were added/changed in the show that people liked better than what happened in the book.

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I liked Daznak's pit scene better in the show than in the books. I liked that it showed that Dany has a connection with Drogon that is similar to the Starks' connection with their wolves. I liked that he came to save her rather than have a breakfast.

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So last HBO had a marathon of Game of Thrones on last week, so I watched some of the episodes and I know a lot of people on here don't really like the show because of the changes it makes from the book. I generally agree with this sentiment as far as changes from the book to the show. But there are some additions/changes that the show made that I like better than what happened in the book. The three I can think of off top are the following:

1) The conversation between Cersei and Catelyn when Cersei tells Catelyn that she and Robert had a black haired child that died in infancy.

My problem with 1) was that it completely contradicts the prophecy of Maggy the Frog, which was a problem for the show as well as the books. Other than that I did enjoy some of the Cersei-Robert dialogue.

I do agree with you on 3) though, that was enjoyable. 

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My problem with 1) was that it completely contradicts the prophecy of Maggy the Frog, which was a problem for the show as well as the books. Other than that I did enjoy some of the Cersei-Robert dialogue.

I do agree with you on 3) though, that was enjoyable. 

Yeah it does effect the Maggy the Frog prediction, but to me it's an easy fix. Maggy just changes her  prediction to three living children or three children who live past 1 or something to that effect. Probably something they should have made adjustments to in the show since they did have Cersei have this convo with Cat. And I had forgotten about the Cersei-Robert dialogue in the show over the wine. That was great. It at least showed they had some respect for each other even if they were never in love.

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I liked #1 because I don't give a fuck about Maggy or her prophecy and value character nuances over some lame plot device.

#2 I didn't like because Talisa was an awful character. Not that Jeyne was the most complex character ever, mind you, but I found Robb's reason for sleeping with and marrying her - a sense of duty and guilt about having a bastard treated like Jon - more convincing and realistic than the simple "luuuv!" rationale in the show.

#3 I did enjoy a lot, but I think it was a tad overlong and should've been shorter

I really, really liked a lot of Robert scenes in season one, to the point where I would say he's more complex and developed than his book counterpart. The famous Robert-Cersei scene where they cynically discuss their marriage is great, as is Robert-Jaime-Barristan where we see Robert's longing for battle and dissatisfaction with how his life turned out. And I'b be remiss if I didn't mention the one with Robert, Renly and Barristan stomping through the Kingswood and we see the extent of Robert's nostalgia glasses and how Renly is not buying that the past was all that great.

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1. The Joffrey/Tywin scene in the throne room in Season 3.

2. The Stannis/Shireen scene at Castle Black in Season 5.

3. Sansa’s plotline being merged to the Bolton plotline, in my opinion, was much better than her dicking around in the Vale. It would’ve made her apparent transformation into Littlefinger Jr. work. Shame that it fell apart in the second half and she just regressed into being another victim again.

4. The scene with Tyrion and Oberyn in the dungeon, where they moved the revelation of Oberyn meeting Tyrion as a baby to make it more impactful.

5. Karl the fookin’ legend.

6. Robb’s wife being at the Red Wedding. Also, I liked Talisa much more than Jeyne.

7. Roose and Walder’s tete-a-tete after the Red Wedding.

8. Ramsay’s general characterization; I think he’s more interesting than the book’s brute

9. The scene with Robert and Cersei. Even though it fucks with the prophecy, I’m more than fine with it.

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I liked #1 because I don't give a fuck about Maggy or her prophecy and value character nuances over some lame plot device.

#2 I didn't like because Talisa was an awful character. Not that Jeyne was the most complex character ever, mind you, but I found Robb's reason for sleeping with and marrying her - a sense of duty and guilt about having a bastard treated like Jon - more convincing and realistic than the simple "luuuv!" rationale in the show.

#3 I did enjoy a lot, but I think it was a tad overlong and should've been shorter

I really, really liked a lot of Robert scenes in season one, to the point where I would say he's more complex and developed than his book counterpart. The famous Robert-Cersei scene where they cynically discuss their marriage is great, as is Robert-Jaime-Barristan where we see Robert's longing for battle and dissatisfaction with how his life turned out. And I'b be remiss if I didn't mention the one with Robert, Renly and Barristan stomping through the Kingswood and we see the extent of Robert's nostalgia glasses and how Renly is not buying that the past was all that great.

I would agree with you about #2 if there was any indication that Jeyne was actually pregnant. It seems that Robb slept with her then married her very soon afterward on the chance that she might be pregnant. I feel like there wasn't even enough time between the sex and marriage for her to even know if she was pregnant. If you're going to ruin arguably your most important alliance because you don't want this girl to have a bastard at least be completely sure she's pregnant first. Btw, thanks for reminding me of Talisa's name.

1. The Joffrey/Tywin scene in the throne room in Season 3.

2. The Stannis/Shireen scene at Castle Black in Season 5.

3. Sansa’s plotline being merged to the Bolton plotline, in my opinion, was much better than her dicking around in the Vale. It would’ve made her apparent transformation into Littlefinger Jr. work. Shame that it fell apart in the second half and she just regressed into being another victim again.

4. The scene with Tyrion and Oberyn in the dungeon, where they moved the revelation of Oberyn meeting Tyrion as a baby to make it more impactful.

5. Karl the fookin’ legend.

6. Robb’s wife being at the Red Wedding. Also, I liked Talisa much more than Jeyne.

7. Roose and Walder’s tete-a-tete after the Red Wedding.

8. Ramsay’s general characterization; I think he’s more interesting than the book’s brute

9. The scene with Robert and Cersei. Even though it fucks with the prophecy, I’m more than fine with it.

I hope you're ready for the Sansa lovers to come after you for 3. Lol. I do somewhat agree with you but not because I necessarily dislike what's going on the Vale in the books, but I don't think it would have worked well for the television audience. Too much talking & scheming without much action. Ok for a book, but not for TV.

As for Ramsay, I'm not sure book and tv Ramsay are actually that different. But that actor is just so good at playing that part that he just brings the character to life. I like the character of Ramsay in show. Obviously not the stuff he does, but the part he plays and I can just respect how well the part the is played.

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Hard-effing-home. One of the best hours of television I ever witnessed. Absolutely beats everything we got in the last two books just in sheer spectacle.

Ros had a neat character arc. It was settle enough that it doesn't distract from the main players, but apparent enough to make her death tragic.

Brienne vs the Hound, the sheer brutality of it gave me goose bumps. You also know you're watching a good show when you don't know who you're supposed to root for.

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Hard-effing-home. One of the best hours of television I ever witnessed. Absolutely beats everything we got in the last two books.

Ros had a neat character arc. It was settle enough that it doesn't distract from the main players, but apparent enough to make her death tragic.

Brienne vs the Hound, the sheer brutality of it gave me goose bumps. You also know you're watching a good show when you don't know who you're supposed to root for.

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I don't have much of an opinion of Jeyne but god Talisa was such a stupid character.  Another example of the sass talking, "badass" female trope that D&D love so much, except this time it had the added effect of harming Robb's character.  Robb marrying Jeyne was obviously a mistake, but the reasoning behind it was much better than the dumb love story they tried to tell with Talisa.  Her backstory was also pretty stupid.

 

I thought they expanded on a couple of characters really well, namely Oberyn, Robert and Viserys.  Also, and I think GRRM mentioned this too, having Ned be the one to tell Yoren where Arya was was a great addition.

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I would agree with you about #2 if there was any indication that Jeyne was actually pregnant. It seems that Robb slept with her then married her very soon afterward on the chance that she might be pregnant. I feel like there wasn't even enough time between the sex and marriage for her to even know if she was pregnant. If you're going to ruin arguably your most important alliance because you don't want this girl to have a bastard at least be completely sure she's pregnant first. Btw, thanks for reminding me of Talisa's name.

Yeah, you're right, but I guess Robb was just thinking of the worst (best?) case scenario and thought he might've gotten her pregnant. Plus, there was Sybell breathing down his neck and probably pressuring him non stop to tie the knot, and there was no one to give him any advice. I agree that in the books it wasn't perfect: he married Jeyne in order to protect her honor but had no qualms about insulting the honor of whichever Frey girl Walder would pick to marry him. 

But in the show it was waaay worse. Not only did Talisa as a character make any sense, but the fact that Cat was right there to patiently explain to Robb why he was being a fucking idiot and he still went through with it made him look like a selfish asshole who deserved everything he got. 

I guess there was also a sort of tonal misunderstanding? I mean, in the show when they hook up is oh so sexy and passionate and the music swells as they kiss and Talisa's great ass is in every shot, but in the books is anything butt, sorry, but: Robb and Jeyne aren't meant to be hot together, the whole thing is awkward, uncomfortable, no one's happy about it, they have sex out of duty so Robb might have an heir, etc. I don't even think Robb truly loved Jeyne, in part because his last words are about his pet rather than his wife.

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The famous Cersei-Robert scene is well known for being awesome. Watching them both just lay their cards on the table over a glass of wine is interesting, but it seems like a moment of realness before shit hits the fan. 

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Danerys' visions in The House of the Undying.  I remember posting how awesome I thought it was on a different forum, only to be told it was even cooler in the books.  Then when I read that part, I was still more impressed by the way the show did it.

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There are quite a few things I like better in the show than in the books and the are some added scenes I love

I like the  more differenciated characterization of Cersei done by the show.

Robert's and Cersei's requiem about their marriage

The deer skinning  scene  with Tywin and Jaime was extraordinary.

it was far more realistic that Dany got outright raped by Drogo instead of the frightened little girrl getting aroused by a stranger.

I loved the character of Ros. Esmé Bianco did a very good job and is so very beautiful.

Some aspects of Shae's character were more believable, though maybe some weren't. But with Martin the woman (Shae is only one letter away from an anonymous "she") has much less identity.

The older Margaery playing mindgames with Joffrey and Tommen.

i loved everything about Oberyn.

I loved the Sandor/Brienne fight.

Varys and Tyrion are great

The whole interaction of those great actors of Stannis and Shireen was heartbreakingly wonderful.

Sansa at Winterfell and the way the plot went (I bet Sansa will have an equally unpleasant encounter in the books) was a good approach but it wasn't done with enough care in writing.  Why was she so easily convinced by Baelish? Why did she drop the corkscrew, her only weapon, why did she not lock the door of her chamber when she left, why did she not at least try to fight Myranda herself who was half her size???? Oh, and I loved the camera, the light, the colours and the soundtrack of that wedding itself.

Tyrion and Jorah reciting the poem were breathtaking.

 

 

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I absolutely loved Tywin-Arya mainly because I adored Charles Dance as Tywin. Anything that has him onscreen has my total support. 

Cersei, Tommen and the vial of poison at the culmination of Blackwater. That scene is probably the best show scene for me. I like Show Cersei better because I think her character is more nuanced. 

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