Biggest show failures over Seasons 1-4

[Arkash]

This even more so than Ghost for me. Because where in the hell was he the rest of the time?

You can see him struggling with the one and only he got down in some wide shots... kinda silly.

Again, I know they're tough to render (using actual wolves enlarged later is complicated) but I wish more budget and time were alloted to them !

This season, with only Ghost appearing, normally, I hope we'll see him get some action, but he's nowhere to be seen at Hardhome (then again, they wouldnt show it).

[Queen Carol]

The biggest failures for me are:

1) Not showing the prophecies in The House of the UnDying.

2) Omitting Lady Stoneheart

3) The way they handled Cersei and Jaime after he returns to KL. ("I don't care" in the Sept scene, Jaime still being her bitch when he should be drifting away from her)

4) Not having Jaime confess to Tyrion about Tysha. (Not hugely important, but it bothered me)

5) Having Stannis show up in the beginning of 4.10 instead of the end of 4.9. I just think it would've ended on a more powerful note having it that way.

6) I'm sure a bunch of things in S5 will bother me as well. :bang:

[messem]

10.) Jaime. One of the few complaints I share with you. Jaime is one of GRRM's most complex characters, so I don't find it hard to believe there have been missteps in his character development. I would hardly call him a sexual predator, though. The sept scene is without doubt the most visible error the show has made thus far. I have seen all the commentaries by the director, actors, etc., who say it wasn't filmed as a rape scene, but I agree with most viewers when they say that the scene we watched was a rape. Whether that was the fault of the director or the editors, or the showrunners who bear responsibility for all of it, is a matter that's up for debate. Whether it was a grave error and regression of Jaime's character is not, so much.

Some "new" information about that scene.

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/07/jaime-cersei-controversy-sex

[Prince Lou of House Reed]

They clearly fucked that scene up lol

[Bustard]

Still confused about the Tysha omission. I get that most people wouldn't remember Tyrion's story from Season 1 but why not a simple reintroduction? Such a vital part of Tyrion's character to leave out

[Bustard]

Oh yeah the Ironborn at the Dreadfort was a disappointment. Especially because of the way they built it up in the Season 3 finale

[Le Cygne]

3) The way they handled Cersei and Jaime after he returns to KL. ("I don't care" in the Sept scene, Jaime still being her bitch when he should be drifting away from her)

They love THE BIG MOMENT. He'll be season 1 Jaime until the last minute of his last scene in season 5. Or maybe leave that to season 6, to draw it out even longer.

[Prince Lou of House Reed]

I like how the Hound is going to sell Arya to her aunt so he just rides up with her to the bloody gate but in theory couldn't Lysa's men surround Sandor simply take her back if they wanted?

[Magnar of Skagos]

My main problem with the show so far (and one of the very few I have, sincerly) is still Jon's arc at the end of season 2.

From episodes 6 to 9 it would have been better to have him run with the Halfhand and the others in order to escape the wildlings after Jon released Ygritte and in episode 9, just Jon and Qorhin are still alive and that's when Ygritte, Rattleshirt and co, finds them back.

I actually liked all of Jon's arc up until the battle at Craster's Keep. It would've been nice to get to know Qhorin a little bit before Jon has to kill him. I didn't feel any sort of loss when he died.

[Good Guy Garlan]

I like how the Hound is going to sell Arya to her aunt so he just rides up with her to the bloody gate but in theory couldn't Lysa's men surround Sandor simply take her back if they wanted?

Yep, even non-readers picked up on that, and with good reason. It was a glaring plot hole. And it was just so they could have Arya cracking up, which really wasn't that funny

[Mark Antony]

Yep, even non-readers picked up on that, and with good reason. It was a glaring plot hole. And it was just so they could have Arya cracking up, which really wasn't that funny

Yeah it wasn't quite nothing is nothing level cringe but pretty bad

[Good Guy Garlan]

Yeah it wasn't quite nothing is nothing level cringe but pretty bad

Nothing = nothing was pretty bad, but the only scene of the show to date that has made me throw something across the room (literally) was "Yara's Dog Day Afternoon"

Well, to be fair I throw shit at the tv all the time, but that was the first time I've done it while watching GoT

[Khal Droge]

Vargo Hoat's exclusion from the show.

The Qartheen dress not faithful to the books. IYKWIM.

Talisa Stark instead of Jeyne Westerling.

[Daske]

I like how the Hound is going to sell Arya to her aunt so he just rides up with her to the bloody gate but in theory couldn't Lysa's men surround Sandor simply take her back if they wanted?

Yep, even non-readers picked up on that, and with good reason. It was a glaring plot hole. And it was just so they could have Arya cracking up, which really wasn't that funny

I assumed that at that point he was after a reward rather than actually ransoming her? I can't recall if he uses the word ransom, but even if so I think it would have been reasonable to expect a reward from a rich relative, so may have been the safer play. Although of course he doesn't know just how completely bonkers Lysa is, so I doubt that would have worked out well regardless.

[Le Cygne]

He wasn't really in it for the money, they didn't make it as clear as they should have on the show, but they made it quite clear on the DVD commentary, it wasn't about the money.

He was doing the usual Sandorspeak, you can't go by his words, he was looking after Sansa's sister, and he kept looking after her after he risked his life saving hers life at the RW.

[Prince Lou of House Reed]

It was just a stupid nitpicky thing honestly since I'm obsessively watching the show over. What really got me was having Sandie steal right after his awesome, "a mans gotta have a code."

[Lady Fevre Dream]

Nothing = nothing was pretty bad, but the only scene of the show to date that has made me throw something across the room (literally) was "Yara's Dog Day Afternoon"

Well, to be fair I throw shit at the tv all the time, but that was the first time I've done it while watching GoT

HA!! The hubby and I throw pistachios at the tv for sporting events, then go......pick them, up as well......they are expensive, LOL I'm going to have to stock up this coming week for GOT, I'll wager. Yara's Dog Day Afternoon is deliciously funny. :lmao:

[Lady Fevre Dream]

It was just a stupid nitpicky thing honestly since I'm obsessively watching the show over. What really got me was having Sandie steal right after his awesome, "a mans gotta have a code."

Exactly.........'a man's gotta have a code' until............'a man's really gotta have some money,' was eyeroll worthy. Sometimes, I SWEAR, it seems they write certain stuff, especially stuff they think is funny, week by week and continuity be damned.

[Stone Cold Bastard]

Cool story, bro.

Typical Benioff and Weiss sychophant.

This post is exemplary. Exemplary in the sense that it perfectly displays the attitude of those holier-than-thou book readers who are just looking for a scene for scene recreation of what's in the books.

1.) Cutting the battle at the Fist was a financial decision. Battle scenes require huge amounts of coordination, large numbers of extras, CGI, and other logistical considerations. They omitted the Battle of Green Fork/Whispering Wood in Season 1 for the same reason. If you can't accept that things need to be cut for financial and/or practical reasons, why do you watch? You're setting yourself up for disappointment.

2.) Jaime killing his cousin. I believe the title of that episode was 'A Man Without Honor.' What is considered less honorable than kinslaying in this fictitious world? Jaime killing his cousin was meant to be the rock-bottom of dishonor that Jaime reached before embarking with Brienne and beginning his redemption arc.

3.) No Coldhands. Sure, I agree he is a cool character, but isn't he just a gimmick in the books, up to this point at least? What narrative purpose does he serve? He guides Bran to Bloodraven. Given that the showrunners know the ending/main story arcs, if Coldhands was someone very important, or had more important things to do in the future story, he'd be included. If all he was to do was to be this mysterious undead ranger who leads Team Bran to Bloodraven, why is the vision from the weirwood any less effective?

4.) Qorin Halfhand. That's your interpretation of Halfhand. The showrunners might have a different interpretation. And also, in the relatively few scenes we had with Halfhand, he was wise, and he was imparting important knowledge on Jon. Remember, "the second you think you know this land, it'll kill you."

5-6.) Jon & Ghost. We don't know yet for certain that Jon being a warg is critical for the story. It is HEAVILY implied that it will be, but the showrunners may be keeping it entirely under wraps until it happens. After all, book Jon knows that he is having "wolf dreams" as Ghost, just like Arya is for Nymeria, but he isn't at the warging level Bran is at where he can assume control of Ghost at will. If he wargs into Ghost after his assassination, I would bet good money we'll see it on TV as well, and it'll come as a total shock to Unsullied viewers who will think, "whoa, Jon can do that too!"

7.) Lack of direwolves. What??? They've shown a lot of the Stark direwolves. How much do you really need?

8.) Ramsay casting. Your opinion. Many people think Iwan is a great portrayal of Ramsay. If your main complaint is that he doesn't look exactly like the Ramsay you pictured, well that's holding the showrunners to an impossible level of fidelity to your own imagination/interpretation.

9.) Theon's castration. What's juvenile about it? Ramsay torments him with two beautiful women (a weakness of Theon's, he knows), and then takes away his "favorite part." Then he sends it to his family with a threat of more if they don't abandon the North...am I missing something? Sure it's more overt than it is in the books, but how it could be described as juvenile is confusing. Terrible, sure, no argument there.

10.) Jaime. One of the few complaints I share with you. Jaime is one of GRRM's most complex characters, so I don't find it hard to believe there have been missteps in his character development. I would hardly call him a sexual predator, though. The sept scene is without doubt the most visible error the show has made thus far. I have seen all the commentaries by the director, actors, etc., who say it wasn't filmed as a rape scene, but I agree with most viewers when they say that the scene we watched was a rape. Whether that was the fault of the director or the editors, or the showrunners who bear responsibility for all of it, is a matter that's up for debate. Whether it was a grave error and regression of Jaime's character is not, so much.

11.) Tyrells. Once again, your complaints are mostly your opinion. Olenna is one of the show's most loved characters. A lot of people were happy to see her in the trailer for this coming season. The only scene that she is in that seems unnecessary in hindsight is her talk with Varys regarding Littlefinger's duplicitousness, but that may have been integral in her seeking him out as a partner in Joffrey's assassination.

12.) Craster's arc in S4. I agree, it was overkill. The intention was to show how depraved these mutineers were, but it went pretty thick on the sexual exploitation of Craster's wifedaughters. As far as the arc itself, I didn't have a major problem with it, regarding Jon Snow's arc over the season. The main issue I had with it was their inclusion of the Bran/Locke thread, which seemed extraneous. Bran had already had a close call with Jon and decided that revealing himself as being alive and heading north was too risky, why have him do it again? But wiping out the mutineers at Craster's is actually, as I see it, a good thought by the showrunners, as that plot point was sort of left hanging in the books after Sam flees.

13.) Yara/Dreadfort raid. Yeah, I won't argue on this one. It seemed like Bran and Locke at Craster's in the sense of giving plot to characters just for the sake of keeping them in the viewer's radar. I never much cared for the name change either. Some things need to be simplified for the Unsullied viewer, but I'm fairly sure they can tell the difference between vowels...Osha. Asha. Osha. Asha. Got it.

14.) Dany. I thought they've handled Dany's character development well over the first 3 seasons. It was only starting in season 4, and now according to the trailers, she'll do it again in Season 5, where she is boasting of "breaking wheels" and "living in my new world" that she has gotten a bit...boastful. Dany's arc in ADWD is fairly subtle, so I'll be interested to see what they have in store for her this season.

15.) Too many dragon scenes, too few direwolf scenes. Sounds like one man's (or woman's) opinion.

16.) Lady Stoneheart. At least you acknowledge the possibility she could appear, but your complaints are again, mostly based upon your opinion and interpretation of what and who is "important" in the story. The show HAS to cut characters. The Unsullied viewer has no reference section at the back of a book to refer to, just their memories. And many of those memories are already being stretched. GoT has a cast that is orders of magnitude larger than most other TV shows. Plotlines and characters will be changed and omitted depending on their bearing upon the final outcome, which the showrunners and GRRM, and no one else, know. If book-reading show-watchers can't accept that, the last two seasons will probably not be kind to you...

17.) Nymeria in the Riverlands. This is your most frivolous complaint yet. What bearing have these wolves even had in the books yet? Why should we have a scene establishing that Arya's old direwolf is tearing shit up in the Riverlands, and then what...not see them again for two or three seasons? Then you would probably complain that they're like Gendry, still rowing. I'd be willing to bet they will have a role in the future, but no one knows for sure except GRRM and D&D.

18.) Jaime/Blackfish. Do we need that scene? Or do you just like it? There is a difference.

19-20.) Balon Greyjoy/Euron/Victarion. As with Nymeria and her wolves, what is the point of an establishing scene showing Balon's death if you don't plan on ever following up on that with the Iron Islands plotline from FeastDance? Or even if you are, but not for another three or four seasons? Wouldn't it make more sense to include that scene, as with Lady Stoneheart, as with Nymeria, as with Aegon, or anything else we think they're omitting, when you plan to use that plotline over the course of a season?

21.) Missandei/Grey Worm. Clearly you don't give a crap, but may I offer this thought? Not everyone feels the same way.

22.) Jojen/Grenn/Pyp. Refer to my above comment about shrinking the number of characters the audience is dealing with. GRRM can go on for pages about every person attending a kingsmoot, for example, but when you watch a visual adaptation of said event, no one is saying all their names, you have to go on memory. So, at Castle Black, there aren't as many characters there the show has introduced as there are in the books (Satin, Donal Noye, etc.). The Battle of Castle Black would seem like a cakewalk if no one the audience recognized was lost there, correct? Hence why we lost Pyp and Grenn. Recognizable characters the audience would feel a sense of loss over if and when they died.

23.) Fireballs/Skeletons. I won't argue that it wasn't the most overtly fantasy scene in the whole series thus far, but I have a feeling Bran's whole arc is going to get very fantasy from here on out. It's also amusing to point out that you find direwolves awesome, are ambivalent on dragons, and think that reanimated skeletons and fireball shooting elves are stupid. Do you see how maybe catering to any given person's whims and opinions is an exercise in futility?

24.) Final scenes in Seasons 3 and 4. I'll agree with you on Season 3, I thought that was sort of an odd way to end the season, but I wouldn't call it total crap either. Season 4's ending was fine. Again, what is the point of revealing Lady Stoneheart at that point if you aren't going to use her character again until Season 6? Instead, they showed a great scene with Arya literally and figuratively looking ahead to Braavos and forgetting the nightmare she's lived in Westeros for the past four seasons.

In sum: please stop watching this show. You clearly like the books more, and there's no problem with that. But you cannot realistically expect the showrunners to make a 100% true representation of it for a TV audience.

[Mark Antony]

Exactly.........'a man's gotta have a code' until............'a man's really gotta have some money,' was eyeroll worthy. Sometimes, I SWEAR, it seems they write certain stuff, especially stuff they think is funny, week by week and continuity be damned.

I remember that pissing me off, People loved Arya and The Hounds scenes (they did have amazing on screen chemistry) but damn the writing was fucking shoddy