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Things that the show improved on from the book


gash is back

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look, we all love the books, but there's a lot of negative feedback about the show recently. can we have a more positive thread talking about things they actually improved;



1. stannis - i never really grew to him in the books, i found him weak and dull and a bit witless. but show stannis is possibly the most bad ass character in the show. he is now who i actually think would make a great king of the seven kingdoms. i can't see anyone else more experienced and with the right balance of firmness and fairness.



2. a feast for crows - this book was for the purists really. basically unfilmable. i felt the show writers did an excellent job making this timeline interesting and flow along nicely. it was a big ask. brienne's chapters in particular and jamie's were really tough reading.



3. dany in mereen - this was far too ponderous and aimless in the books, it was sped up perfectly to match the overall pace i feel.



3. merges - characters simply had to be merged for the show to work. jeyne/sansa was not expected but it worked out well, made perfect sense. gendry taking on a few roles was excellent, made him into a decent fleshed out character.



4. the dragons - they always seemed a bit silly to me in books for some reason. they are as realistic a depiction of them as i've ever seen tbh (no i've never seen a real one) in the show


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I think Alliser Thorne is a better character in the show. Cersei's more well-rounded, though her characterisation is starting to suffer this season.



The Sansa/Jeyne merge though... :ack:


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Brienne's Feast storyline. Gods, that was bad.

Cutting everything from Tyrion and Jorah in Volantis to the godawful chapters in that fucking ship.

i remember you had a thread about pov structures in the first books and in last two books ...how GRRM made use of Catelyn to introdue REnly and Tyrells

i think the show has done that with jamie to introduce dorne ...eventhough i dont like much of what i had seen dorne in the show ...i think GRRM could have pulled this off if he had tried this way

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In terms of this season, I agree they've done a great job making Stannis a much more appealing, and well rounded, character. In terms of episode 6, I liked how Tyrion told Mormont about his father. This is the type of small and simple payoff that in the books it seems like Martin is almost sadistically withholding. And it was just about the only positive thing I can say about the episode.



In terms of the series at-large, I agree with most of what others have said - Bronn and Thorne are improvements from the books. Osha too. I like TV Varys better but that's probably more due to he's portrayed as cooler and less creepy. Out of all the characters, though, I think the best TV improvement has been The Hound.


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This is a brave thread. The book purists will give you to the Boltons to be flayed alive. :eek:



On a more serious note, I do like how we're speeding through the last two books this season. (Yes, I said it.) There were many sub-plots I wasn't particularly interested in watching on TV.


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In a way I like that the show has made things more compact, the way the books sprawl and introduce endless new characters is annoying and feels kinda wantonly excessive on GRRM's part. For me Charles Dance will forever and always be Tywin, I hate Rory as the Hound, show Hound has been aged and basically just irritates the **** out of me.


I also like that the show has basically ditched out the iron-born, although Dorne is crap and the Sand Snakes - Oops.


I dunno what to make of Sansa's story line, I like that it has got more meat to it whereas in the books she is hanging about being passive in the Vale but watching the last episode was hard to say the least.


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In a way I like that the show has made things more compact, the way the books sprawl and introduce endless new characters is annoying and feels kinda wantonly excessive on GRRM's part. For me Charles Dance will forever and always be Tywin, I hate Rory as the Hound, show Hound has been aged and basically just irritates the **** out of me.

I also like that the show has basically ditched out the iron-born, although Dorne is crap and the Sand Snakes - Oops.

I dunno what to make of Sansa's story line, I like that it has got more meat to it whereas in the books she is hanging about being passive in the Vale but watching the last episode was hard to say the least.

only for a while until euron=daario is revealed.

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People like show-Stannis now? I always thought they hated him? He has only been improved this season of course. Stephen Dillane has given a stellar performance, and I think he is kinda' like Stannis in real life, it seems.



Anyway, my list:



Fleshing out certain (usually) villainous main characters more, by giving them good sides (Tywin, Cersei, Ser Alisser etc.).


Merging Feast and Dance into one season


Making Jorah and Tyrion's relationship more friendly and likeable, instead of whatever we got in the book ("Sullen silences and an occasional punch in the face")


The adaptation of ADWD Tyrion in S5


Oberyn


Margaery


Sandor


Minor characters given more time in the show (Osha, Missandei, Grey Worm, Podrick etc.)



That's about it. Anything else good is just a decent adaptation from book to screen.


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