[BOOK SPOILERS] Game of Thrones Winner and Losers

[Lady Blackfish]

I really enjoy the portrayals of Varys, Robert, Arya, and Jorah, but for me they are meeting the depiction of the characters in the book rather than exceeding them.

Winners:

Viserys - the charisma of the actor just lifts the character up and makes you remember him

Sam - see above

Jaime - by virtue of having more scenes centered around his viewpoint

Robb - see above

Losers:

Sansa - the change from idealistic dreamer to petulant teenybopper may fit the aging of the character, but only if she was living in the 20th century or something. The Sansa of the books fit the ethos of the books, whereas for the Sansa of the show, "Life is not a song" simply doesn't carry the same punch, because the character isn't just dreamy, she's rather rude. I'm not sure if Sophie Turner is doing the greatest job either, however she is a child actor and child actors can be hard to unearth, and she could very well improve by next season.

Catelyn - in the book she was stoic, controlled and sophisticated, in the show she is strained, weathered and rustic. IMO she has lost a lot in translation from book to screen due to the loss of her inner monologue, as well as the loss of the Blackfish who enabled the emphasizing of a different side of her than worried mother. The parts that they've done well are the parts that are easy to do well, and they dealt with her unpopularity in lazy ways. Possibly presumptuous, but I can't see that they've worked hard to get the character even though Dan Weiss says that it's the non-stereotypical aspects of the character that interest him. If he is interested then someone must be overruling his vision here. And I feel Fairley does over-act a little, trying to make more out of her material, and this is a character that really benefits from understatement IMO.

Cersei - I was cautiously enjoying the changed Cersei. While I worried for what the implications would be for the character down the road, I at least enjoyed Cersei as an intriguing villain and woman living in a sexist society. But then they had Cersei carrying a torch for Robert, and I found myself longing for the Cersei of the book, who would rather get eaten alive than to pine for someone who didn't want her. That's just how proud this woman is. (And watching Headey in the role has been fun, but it also highlights how much more suited she'd be for someone like Catelyn. I'm not sincerely advocating it since she probably couldn't pull off being Richard Madden's mother, but she's good at controlled, stoic and subtle, and these things are characteristic of Catelyn and rather not of Cersei.)

Littlefinger - I went on about it in the Aiden Gillen as Littlefinger thread, so in short: Gillen is oddly wooden for an actor that is so talented and seemed so into the role, and I am wary of their choices w.r.t. showing Littlefinger's motives. I think Littlefinger is probably my biggest disappointment just in terms of how off my expectations were, although I care more about the three characters above.

I'm rather sad not to be able to put any ladies on the first list, and that they dominate the second.

[Whiteshadow]

+++ Robb: he has much more presence in the show

+++ Viserys: same, I felt bad about him

+++ Sam: he might be a coward, but he's definitely a good and intelligent friend, while the Sam of the books annoyed me

++ Ned: great performance, makes him much more sympathetic

++ Jorah Mormont: same

++ Jon Snow: same

+ Theon: seems to be more interesting than the Theon of the books

+ Jaime: cool!

+ Tywin: even creepier than in the books

+ Bronn: awesome

- Sandor: where is Sandor?

- Sansa: even more annoying than in the books.

- Joffrey: bah. hate him.

-- Cersei: huge loss of sexyness. She acts like a frozen frog..

-- Lysa: not what I expected

[Xenophon]

Hmm, so hard to pick only a few.

Winners:

Viserys. Self-explanatory.

Robert. They haven't changed much about the character, but Mark Addy is really bringing out Robert's dark side.

Cersei. I find TV-Cersei a more interesting character than book-Cersei, so that's a big win IMO.

Losers:

Jon. Not getting inside his head makes less interesting, IMO. It also makes him less annoying and more sympathetic, so I can see why some of you are calling him a winner, but I think it takes away from his character arc.

Sansa. Like others have said, the change to her character may be for the best given the aging up, but she's a much less important character now. Rather than being the primary lens through which we see the hypocrisy of chivalry, she's just the most annoying Stark kid. At least she gets to be a bit more sympathetic.

[Bronn_ManofHonour]

I have to echo some of the same feelings as others...

Viserys was really really well done by Harry Lloyd. The encroaching madness was done ever so subtly (except for the tent scene where it splashes out and gets him killed). The tent scene with Mormount is heart-breaking to say the least. A lot of actors would have overacted that speech and made Viserys seem whiny... instead he actually seems hurt and disappointed in himself.

Jorah is also really well done by Iain Glen, and a real step up from the book. I always got the attraction he has for Dany, but Glen seems to be angling it more towards fatherly love. I can see Dany gravitating towards that and her implicit trust in Mormount with her life, never really having a strong male figure in her life, just an abusive brother.

The portayals I have not liked are mainly among the teenage cast members.

Joffrey is being played too whiny and childish. We need to see the sociopath that he is being much more colder. I did not like his bawling response to Arya besting him. It should have been much more intense and evil.

I don't like how Renly is coming across, but that seems to be more of a scripted choice and not an actor's decision. He needed to be more stronger and intimidating. His lack of battle glory being more a factor of him being so much younger than Robert and Stannis as opposed to being a cowardly person. A very strong theme in ASOIAF is how people gravitate to strength. Robb has to maim Greatjon to get his banners in line. Tywin is also a very strong personality, the one person Tyrion fears. If you have Stannis come in and be a very severe and hard leader, then contrast that with Renly being mousy, I have a hard time believing most of the Baratheon banners falling behind Renly over Stannis. People needed to gravitate to Renly because of having charisma and tact and away from trying to meet Stannis' impossible standards.

[ferthepoet]

As of the last episode I need to include Robb among my list of winners

[Joanna vander Poele]

Yeah, Robb was on fire in episode 8. Badass.

[Lannister Fan]

I think people are too hard the girl who plays Sansa. She portrayed Sansa as she was supposed to be portrayed and because she is not supposed to be initially liked, people are a bit harsher on her I think. She just got progressively better and I really felt for her by episode 8 and 9. She has one of the best character arcs in the books and I believe it will be just as good on the show.

[Arya The Assassin]

Here's my list:

Biggest winners:

Arya (far better than I'd expected, thanks to Maisie Williams)

Ned (Sean Bean was one of the finest actors in GOT)

Jon Snow (I wasn't too interested in this character in the book, but I like Snow's scenes, thanks to Kit Harington)

Other winners:

The Hound (really like the actor; I wish he had more screentime)

Ser Jorah Mormont (I think Iain Glen is underrated; I like his character's onscreen personality)

Theon (Alfie Allen suits his role very well)

Barristan Selmy (Ian McElhinney doesn't have many scenes, but he leaves a very positive impression)

Joffrey (Jack Gleeson does a good job as one of the least sympathetic characters I've ever seen on TV)

Bran (I think Isaac is one of the best child actors in the show)

Samwell (John Bradly is well cast and reminds me a lot of the character in the book)

Biggest losers:

Littlefinger (too much screentime; not too impressed by his acting)

Viserys (I think Harry was a bit uneven and not as fierce as in the book)

Loras (I don't think Finn was well cast)

Other losers:

Sansa (not enough screentime; the character lacks depth compared to the book; doesn't get the opportunity to show her acting chops)

Cersei (not too impressed by Lena)

About as expected:

Tyrion (Tyrion was a great character in the book; Peter Dinklage had a lot to live up to, and he doesn't disappoint)

Jamie (Nikolaj hasn't disappointed, but he hasn't been extraordinary either)

Daenerys (Emilia Clarke almost 'qualified' for the Losers-list, but after a stronger second half, she's 'even')

Catelyn (I like Michelle: She's a good actress and an attractive woman. On the other hand, she hasn't made that big of an impact yet)

[mr. peasant]

I think the characters that have benefited most from the translation are:

Robb: He's essentially been upgraded to a POV character, with the viewers actually getting a glimpse inside his head; especially with regards to his fear and hesitation about leading men into war.

Greatjon I don't think anyone can argue that he's at best a very minor character; certainly at this point in the story. However, by visualising Grey Wind chewing off his fingers, and (more importantly) seeing and hearing his nonchalant reaction after that instantly made the character memorable and likable (for his craziness/badassness).

As for the ones who suffered the most, I can't help but think it's:

Bran: Perhaps it's just my hazy memory but I feel he's been a lot more side-lined in the show; perhaps as a result of a greater focus on Robb. Since we don't need him to shed light on what's going on in Winterfell, he winds up not doing much. Yes, groundwork has been laid out for his potential future importance but until they come to fruition...

Sansa: As others have previously stated, she already started off as being one of the least likable (if not the least) POV character in the original Game of Thrones. Less screentime and development is not helping improve this.

As you notice, my observations are mostly on the Starks. But as they've been set up as the protagonists of the show, I feel they are the ones who benefit or lose most with the change in focus.

[jellydonut]

Well, to be fair, aside from having interesting dreams, Bran doesn't do a whole lot before the third book.

[The Red Keep]

Winners:

Samwell Tarly - wow, just so good! Sam in the series is fleshed out (no pun intended) so much better than in the books (and I was a Sam fan in the books). I think it is a real testament to the actor to be able to make Sam so memorable so quickly.

Jorah Mormont - Jorah in the series is very, very different than book!Jorah, and I think its only for the better. I realize it may be slightly more contrived to have him much more ripe for redemption than in the novels, but I've decided I don't care. I love him so much more this way, and Glen's portrayal of him in the series may have actually caused Jorah to replace Jon as my favourite character.

Losers:

Jeyne Poole - I'm interested to see how the exclusion of Jeyne Poole will affect the plot (if at all)...

[Kolwynia]

Winners:

1. Arya - This was one of the characters that seemed to have just walked off the pages of the book for me. I'm really looking forward to seeing her adventures in season two. (The ghost of Harrenhal is going to be awesome!)

2. Ned - I liked Ned Stark from the book, but he wasn't anything too special. Sean Bean brought him to life, and made me care about his death even more than I did in the book. (The book surprised me, but the show made me feel his loss.)

3. Drogo - I didn't care for him at all in the book, and felt nothing by his death. The show makes him more sympathetic, no doubt because the brutality and cruelty of the Dothraki is toned down. He was another that appeared exactly as I pictured him when reading the book. And when Dany cries over him and kills him, I actually felt quite saddened.

4. Littlefinger - Another who appeared exactly as I pictured him. And in the show he comes off so...sleazy. It's great. His interactions with Varys are especially fun. (Unfortunately, he also stars in the worst scene in the entire season. But that doesn't keep his character from the Winners Circle.) I really look forward to seeing him spar with Tyrion in season two.

5. Tyrion - If I could have had my choice of actors for the part, Dinklage would have been my dream pick for the role. I'm so glad that he doesn't disappoint. His Confession is one of the best scenes in season one. But he also handles the dramatic stuff well. He is one of the reasons I look forward to season two so much.

6. Sam - He's so likeable. "I always wanted to be a wizard."

7. Jorah - Another one I care for in the show far more than in the book. Actually, upon re-reading the series, I find myself liking Jorah even more after seeing his portrayal on the show.

8. Joffery - Everything I could have hoped for in that character. When he finally meets his end, people are going to cheer.

9. Dany - She eats a raw horse's heart! For being older than the character in the book, she really captures the wide-eyed innocence of a younger girl in a foreign land. Her character grows so much during the season, and I really felt that she owned the finale.

10. Varys - I liked the character in the books, especially after the second novel. But his portrayal in the show is likable already. His interaction with Ned and Littlefinger is a highlight.

11. Viserys - When I read the book, I was glad to see him gone, but when I was watching the show, I was sad because I knew we were gonna lose him so soon. (But I still wanted to see him crowned.)

12. King Robert - I didn't like him in the book, but I liked him in the show, which makes him one of the real Winners as far as the show is concerned. It takes skill to portray a person the same way they are in a book, but to somehow come out even more likeable.

13. Old Nan - She only has one great scene, but it's so awesome and creepy.

14. Hodor - For...obvious reasons.

15. Ser Barristan - He really carries himself like a man filled with regrets. I would have liked to see him support Ned when Robert tries to send an assassin after Dany. The scene with his dismissal is awesome.

16. Tywin - He's different than I imagined. Better. I loved his scene with Tyrion, Bronn, and Shagga. He just walks in front of these vicious killers, and they are bigger than he is, but he still manages to look down on them as much as he does Tyrion. Sure he acts respectful, but you get the feeling that, axes or no, he isn't intimidated at all. (And he's played by Charles Dance, the bad guy in The Golden Child. I keep expecting him to snap his fingers and say, "I could destroy you...just like that.")

17. Bronn - Very likeable. His "You wouldn't know him" made me laugh more than anything in the entire season. His interaction with Tyrion is great.

18. Lysa - She's just so...birdlike. Great casting.

Ultimate Winner: Ros - Really, she didn't even EXIST in the books, and here she's everywhere. (I kid.)

Losers:

1. The Mountain - This is a character I absolutely loathed in the books, but we only get to see his brutality in one scene. To be fair, he gets to show himself worse in book two than one, but I really hoped to be given a reason to hate him here. One dead horse wasn't enough. Sure, Ned gets told about some of the awful things he is doing on Tywin's behalf. But they had a chance to SHOW us, and they decided to just tell us.

2. Cersei - I like her portrayal on the show well enough. Her scene with Robert was great. But she's just not my Cersei. Show Cercei is more ice than fire, and (scene with Lady notwithstanding) just doesn't exude the same level of fiery cruelty that Cersei does in the book. I hope this is remedied in the second season, because I look forward to her scenes with Tyrion: slapping him, being poisoned by him, etc. And she better not mess up that scene where Cersei actually cries in front of Tyrion, 'cause that would be a real let down.)

3. Shae - She's such a bully. I dread seeing her dominate the character of Tyrion in season two. (I don't mind that she's different from the books, since book Shae is so bland I didn't care for her at all. I just don't want to dislike a bunch of upcoming Tyrion scenes because her Tough, Angry Shae is too overpowering.)

4. The fat boy - I thought his acting took away some of that scene where Arya makes her first kill. (Thankfully Hot Pie is better.) Oh, well. That scene wasn't directed as powerfully as it could have been anyway. (I hope the show creators don't flinch with that scene with Catelyn and the boy at the Red Wedding.)

Ultimate Losers: Lyanna and Ser Arthur Dayne. (Don't feel too bad, though. We might have lost them...but we got Ros! I'm sure you will agree that the trade was worth it.)

There's a lot of great actors on the show. Really I could name almost the whole cast as Winners. I loved Bran and Sansa. Frey was great. Robb was suitable. Renly and Loras were okay. Jaime is gonna be great in season three. The (mostly) great casting really makes me look forward to season two. I can't wait to see how they portray Stannis, Melisandre, and Brienne. (And we better not lose that scene with Rhaegar in the House of the Undying the same way we lost the Tower of Joy and Ned's Promise this time around!)

[DornishHighlander]

The comment about Loras coming over as too scheming is interesting as we have never gotten an insight into his thoughts so we can't agree or disagree if he is a schemer. I think it nicely overshadows the Tyrells and the impact they will have later and how scheming e.g. Olenna!

However I did get a Lady Macbeth and Macbeth vibe from the Loras/Renly scene, Loras using his sexuality as a means to convince Renly he can do so much more and guiding his ambition.

Again remember Loras is one of the more visible non-POV so for all we know the TV Loras is actually book Loras, Sandor says most knights are actors all chivalrous at tourneys but completely different behind closed doors. We have not seen Loras behind closed doors except with that one bit with Jaime. Jaime even says hes a young Me so a scheming Loras wouldn't be too of the mark.

AND FYI Aidan Gillen was one of the best in show!

[Pixi Penrose]

Dear Lady Blackfih, Totally off-topic I just have to say I really enjoy reading your posts, even if I don't agree with all of it, it's always beautifully put and as a person with English as second language(I'm Danish), I can only read, enjoy and learn.

[Eponine]

Better than in the book:

Viserys, Sam, Lysa, Jorah

Other winners:

Robert, all the Stark kids, Varys, Joffrey

Horrible awful terrible casting/characterization:

Renly, Shae

The huge majority of the characters were between very good to decent. There were very few I absolutely hated, really just Renly and Shae - I'm dreading having to sit through more Shae time next season. I'm satisfied with the Starks and Lannisters, Varys, Littlefinger, and Pycelle, and the King's Landing centered plot is the part that I like best so as long as I'm happy with those characters I'm happy with the show.

If the show goes long enough, I'm a little concerned about two characters who I thought were decent but not really great this first season: Cersei and Dany. They were both sufficient, but neither of them blew me away with their performances. Cersei is so central to AFFC, and I hope that her acting range is displayed more in the future, because season one seemed to be pretty limited to her wrinkling her forehead and looking worried. Dany did a decent job with the material, but IMO was overshadowed acting-wise by just about everyone else in the Dothraki storyline. I don't think either is bad or a show ruiner or anything like that, but I'm not sure that I'm interested in either as a central character.

I don't think that the casting has been particularly great at making the most charismatic characters the ones they were supposed to be, but it hasn't mattered much because different characters ended up being interesting. It's too bad that Jaime is out of the second book so much because I think that while he was a good character, he could have used a bit more OMG greatest knight in Westeros famous for his golden armor, arrogance, and impetuousness. I think that one of Stannis/Davos/Mel is going to have to be fascinating and really command screen attention.

[Grey Squirrel]

I've read a lot of Littlefinger hate and to a lesser degree Varys hate. I have to say I think those two actors KILLED it. Two of the best scenes in the show were their verbal spars. Here my 5 winners/5 losers:

Winners

Pycelle - you can say his sexpository scene was random, but I felt it definitely added a shade of complexity to the character that doesn't invalidate anything in the book.

Robb - the actor was awesome

Joffrey - see above. I still hated him, but the execution by this young actor was awesome.

Jorah Mormont - the resigned sadness that radiates from this performance suits the character and the entire show perfectly. Definitely an underrated performance.

Viserys - I won't repeat a lot I have read, but awesome job of adding complexity to what is seriously in the book one of the more cartoonish characters.

Losers

Sansa - albeit not in the final episode where she stepped up her game up big time. I really just think she was such a hard character to adapt.

Walder Frey - David Bradley is great, and he'll do a great job, but something seems lacking, can't put my finger on it.

Renly/Loras - definitely starting to quibble here, both actors did a great job, but seem more petty and fey than in the books.

The Kingsguard - a neccessary evil of translating the story, but besides Barristan's major plot point or two, and a few Meryn Trant scenes, much was cut out. I was hoping to see the scene where the Hound is chosen to fill in the space left by Barristan.

[King_In_The_North]

Winners:

Robb - Many readers who have watched the show (including myself) have commented that even though they liked Robb before, he was a bit meh-ish for them, but after watching the show they LOVE the guy. Clearly, this makes him a winner.

Catelyn - My main reason to dislike her is because she is so annoying. But she keeps all her annoying thoughts to herself, because she knows she better not say them. Since we're not gonna hear her thoughts in the show, she becomes significantly more tolerable (and likeable, even) than in the books.

Joffrey - even though in the books he was completely incompetent and stupid, it seemed to me that in the show he was slightly more charismatic and had some good ideas.

[No One Truly]

To me, most of the characters were winners. I really enjoyed the performances of everyone from Sam to Drogo with a few exceptions. Even Varys and Littlefinger, who were different than I imagined them in my head, grew on me after a little bit. So that said, I'm just going straight to Losers.

Sansa - I hate the teenage angst version of Sansa. I wanted to see Sansa acting like a Disney princess because she thinks that's how she's supposed to act. I expected her to be softer and dreamier... more blushing and wide eyed than sullen and sulky.

Shae - Again, I always pictured Shae as a giggling light-hearted tease who very convincingly acted out "love" for Tyrion. This Shae, while more mysterious, comes across as sharper. I liked the fact that Tyrion almost forgot she didn't really love him in the books.

Osha - I like the actress, but the completely nutter hair and outfit makes the wildlings look like a cartoon and not a serious threat. It's a little insulting how everything in the show that isn't in Westeros seems so unbelievably primitive.

Renly & Loras - Rounding out my 5 by just agreeing to everything that was already said.

[Kadence]

Winners

Doreah: Great job done by the actress, and I expect her to rigthfully take the top handmaiden spot.

Jorah: Very well-portrayed. And I believe Steel Wind is right, they haven't yet decided whether to replace him with Selmy yet.

Bronn: Already popular in the books but the actor just does a great job. Very charismatic, which is not something you associate with Bronn.

Viserys: Wonderful portrayal.

Arya: Hard to list one of the most popular book characters as a winner but I was real surprised by what a great job this child actress did.

Losers

Sansa: Changed her from naive dreamer to modern brat. You expect her to be off text messaging her handmaidens off-screen. The actress did a good job in the last episode so I don't really blame her, rather the writing and direction. The notion of her character thinking life is like fairy tales is totally lost.

Renly: Despite more screen time, the character is totally different and more like Stannis. Except a weak Stannis. No charisma at all.

Sideways

Tyrion: Done excellently. Can't call him a winner because he's one of the books main stars, but probably the best acting job in the series.

Jaime: They didn't emphasize his swordsmanship nearly enough, him having an even duel with Eddard was going more towards the cliche "good guy can't get dominated by the bad guy" notion. But a good job by the actor, and it's also clear they're setting him up for a larger role in season 2 than he had in Clash. I think his Storm arc will be sped up and shifted over. Storm of Swords spoiler:

I suspect that he will lose his hand in season 2, not 3.

Loras: They added the Renly manipulation scene, but the removal of him demanding to go after Gregor was missed. Especially since that also hurt...

Littlefinger: I think they tried to upgrade him and the casting was good, but the Bond villain exposition holds him back. The scene where he explains to Sansa why her father messed up by not letting Loras go after Gregor, does more to establish his intellect that the Bond villain exposition.

Joffrey: The actor makes you hate him just as much as you should.

Tywin: A giant figure in the books, and very well-acted. He lives up to being Tywin Lannister.

3. Shae - She's such a bully. I dread seeing her dominate the character of Tyrion in season two. (I don't mind that she's different from the books, since book Shae is so bland I didn't care for her at all. I just don't want to dislike a bunch of upcoming Tyrion scenes because her Tough, Angry Shae is too overpowering.)

Yeah. I wouldn't call her a 'loser' in that the character has more presence, but I'm definitely not looking forward to her wearing the pants between her and Tyrion. She's just going to end up way more major than she should. The only person that should be able to bully Tyrion is Tywin, not freakin' Shae.

The comment about Loras coming over as too scheming is interesting as we have never gotten an insight into his thoughts so we can't agree or disagree if he is a schemer. I think it nicely overshadows the Tyrells and the impact they will have later and how scheming e.g. Olenna!

I agree, Loras could be more of a schemer than most other characters realize. Him using the mare in heat against Gregor might be a hint that perhaps all the Tyrell children - him, Margaery, Willas and even Garlan - take after Olenna. Feast spoilers/speculation:

He might have come up with much of the likely false Dragonstone invasion story himself.

Jaime even says hes a young Me so a scheming Loras wouldn't be too of the mark.

I don't know about this supporting the Loras manipulator notion though, young Jaime was anything but a schemer.

[MyDogIsNamedDanerys]

Improved their character A LOT: Samwell, Jorah.

Improved their character a bit: Robert, Jon, Jaime, Cersei, Pyp, Grenn, Tyrion, Joffery

A bit disappointed (losers?): The Hound, Syrio.

For everyone else of note, I was satisfied (either my expectations were met, or the characters were changed but not for the better or worse).

I agree, Loras could be more of a schemer than most other characters realize. Him using the mare in heat against Gregor might be a hint that perhaps all the Tyrell children - him, Margaery, Willas and even Garlan - take after Olenna. Feast spoilers/speculation:

hmm... I doubt it. The Queen of Thorns implies that he's not the brightest: "Loras is young. And very good at knocking men off of horses with a stick. But that does not make him wise."