Additions, cuts and deviations

[CloudFlare]

While it still looks like HBO is going to be extremely faithful to the series, the small change with the Blackfish it's not going to be 100% faithful.

Ros, the red headed whore(?) looks like an injection of sex into the first season. Shae doesn't arrive on the scene for a while, and the only other person having sex is 14 year old Dany. HBO will push the envelop, but not that far.

I think the recasting and reshooting of the doomed Night's Watch patrol might lead to more sword play early on. We'll see more of the rangers make it past the Wall, and engage in combat with the northmen. Otherwise we have to wait until Cat hauls Tyrion through the mountains to get a real sword fight in Westeros.

Cat's trip to visit Renly will probably change as well. If Stannis isn't cast till season 2 maybe we'll see it in a flashback.

What other changes do you think they'll make?

[Lady Blackfish]

Stannis isn't actually seen until the second book anyway. Not seeing him until S2 of the TV show is not actually a change. And Catelyn's parley with the Baratheons is also in the second book, so delaying that until S2 is also just going according to plan.

[Padraig]

Dany is 15 in the TV series. All the kids are aged up AFAICT.

We'll see more of the rangers make it past the Wall, and engage in combat with the northmen.

You mean, the wildlings? And that happens just before Bronn's big scene.

And Ros is introduced via a scene with Tyrion and Jaime at the beginning of the story. So that's a change. But not a big one.

Based on what we know, the removal of the Tullys from S1 looks like the biggest change.

[Silverjaime]

Dany is 15 in the TV series. All the kids are aged up AFAICT.

Yes but the actress is only 13 as far as I recall - does this change things for HBO? Surely an actress as young as 13 wouldn't be involved in sex scenes like Dany's?

[smegma]

Yes but the actress is only 13 as far as I recall - does this change things for HBO? Surely an actress as young as 13 wouldn't be involved in sex scenes like Dany's?

Emilia Clarke is an adult, 18 or 19. HBO would not be so stupid as to cast a 13 year old in the role of Dany, ever.

[Silverjaime]

Emilia Clarke is an adult, 18 or 19. HBO would not be so stupid as to cast a 13 year old in the role of Dany, ever.

Apologies - I'm thinking of Sansa - Emilia Clarke is of course Dany. I know HBO is usually very sensitive about things like that.

[adamsputnik]

I figure if the actual actress is 'of age', as Miss Clarke is, then I imagine HBO won't have any qualms about her having sex, even if the character is younger. But I could be wrong.

Since it's an adaptation, we can be sure there will be differences, but most will be rather minor in the grand scheme of things.

[smegma]

There will be actual sex scenes with Dany for sure - I believe it's even in the script. It doesn't matter how old the person that is being portrayed is, but how old she ACTUALLY is. There are actually even instances in Hollywood where actresses less than 18 have been nude on screen with parental permission (Thora Birch was 17 when she was in American Beauty, for example).

[Lord Varys]

Sansa has not yet had sex. If she has in TWoW, Sophie Turner might be old enough to do this stuff in six years or so ;-).

I believe that Robb, Jon and Dany are supposed to be 17 when the series starts.

[Padraig]

I believe you are right regarding Robb and Jon but I believe Dany is still younger than them.

[JungianQueen]

As long as the series remains true to the spirit of the books, then I will have no complaints. I thought PJ did a wonderful job with LOTR, and though it deviated quite extensively at times, I felt the heart was still in place. The LOTR movies was more of a tribute to the books than anything, imho.

They have to be smart in the adaptation. All of the changes so far seem reasonable.

Now, as for the original question, the first thing that comes to mind is that I imagine Robb will play a more prominent role than in the books. He never received his own POV and chances are, the show will give him more screen time, etc.

I also think Jaime might play a bigger role throughout the series.

[Padraig]

I also think Jaime might play a bigger role throughout the series.

I'm very curious to see what they do with Jaime. Whatever about aCoK, even in aGoT he dissappears for long tracts of the book. Maybe there will be a scene where he meets his father after he flees KL. That would be interesting.

[CloudFlare]

Dany is 15 in the TV series. All the kids are aged up AFAICT.

You mean, the wildlings? And that happens just before Bronn's big scene.

Oops, yes, I meant the wildings, but not the wild mountain men that Tyrion eventually wins over. There will be plenty of action in the mountains and the Eyrie.

Does the the Cat/Renly/Stannis meeting take place in book 1 or 2? My copies are so shredded and missing pages that I don't read them that often. I was thinking it was book 1.

[Lady Blackfish]

That meeting is in the middle of book two. Robb is crowned king some time after the end of AGOT, then he sends Cleos Frey to Queen Cersei with the exorbitant northern terms for peace, and then he sends Cat to meet with Renly. They encounter Stannis by happenstance, since he has chosen that moment to attack Storm's End (instead of King's Landing, which he'll get to later).

[howland_reed]

One addition I'd like to see that was omitted from the books is Robb's meeting/romance of Jeyne Westerling. If I recall, we only learn of their relationship after the fact when he tells Catelyn of their marriage. I think putting his character in the forefront for that small little romance would make the Red Wedding even more shocking and distressing to viewers. Otherwise, if they keep his romance offscreen like in the books, viewers'll be able to tell Robb is just a minor character in the series. And any avid TV fan knows that minor characters are always vulnerable to getting offed.

[Lord Varys]

The Jeyne thing could be a good addition to season 2 to build up tension, especially if they do play the Walder Frey card well in season 1 - meaning that the audience is caught between happiness for Robb finding his one 'true love', and the fear that this affair might have terrible consequences.

[Padraig]

It will be interesting to see what they do with S2 (if we get that far). Including more Robb stuff would be nice but there is so much going on in aCoK, with people scattered all over Westeros, that it will be difficult to keep things in order. GRRM has already mentioned that S2 may need to be less faithful than S1.

[Lord Varys]

You can omit much of the Arya stuff in season 2. We don't need the Goldcloaks following them, for instance, nor do we need to dig too much into her life at Harrenhal. The core things to include would be:

- Yoren's death, and the saving of Jaqen

- The catching of the children by the Mountain, and the torture stuff afterwards

- Parts of Arya's life at Harrenhal (Tywin's presence; Arya as 'ghost of Harrenhal')

- Arya's role in taking Harrenhal away from Lorch

- Arya and Roose Bolton (most importantly would be the scene of Hoat, Arya, and Bolton watching the bear killing Lorch!)

- Arya escaping from Harrenhal

Also, the amount of Tyrion's plotting could be cut down somewhat, too. Not the stuff with Varys, Littlefinger and Pycelle (or Cersei and Lancel), but the day-to-day business of the city, and the Shae scenes as well. We don't need dwarf sex in every episode. The same is true for Bran, I think, at least before the Reeds arrive at Winterfell.

What they can't do in my opinion, is to cut down/omit Stannis, Mel and Davos. They are the important new characters of season 2. Also, Theon and the Ironborn need to be portrayed accordingly, as Theon's story in ACoK is somewhat important.

Also, the amount of Dany scenes should not be cut down, as the audience needs to keep in mind that her story remains important, although she is not coming any closer to Westeros.

[CloudFlare]

You can omit much of the Arya stuff in season 2. We don't need the Goldcloaks following them, for instance, nor do we need to dig too much into her life at Harrenhal. The core things to include would be:

- Yoren's death, and the saving of Jaqen

- The catching of the children by the Mountain, and the torture stuff afterwards

- Parts of Arya's life at Harrenhal (Tywin's presence; Arya as 'ghost of Harrenhal')

- Arya's role in taking Harrenhal away from Lorch

- Arya and Roose Bolton (most importantly would be the scene of Hoat, Arya, and Bolton watching the bear killing Lorch!)

- Arya escaping from Harrenhal

Yep. After this Arya just wanders for a while.

If it wasn't for Brienne I would have Cat not travel south either. The whole trip strikes me as far fetched. If nothing else she should travel by ship instead of by horse.

[Padraig]

They may just combine the early scenes of Lorch with Gregor, so that Gregor's men kill Yoren.

Dany doesn't have a lot of chapters, so she needs all she can get.

If it wasn't for Brienne I would have Cat not travel south either. The whole trip strikes me as far fetched. If nothing else she should travel by ship instead of by horse.

East or west? I'm really not sure how a ship could work, given that Renly was travelling inland.

I always thought it was logical that Robb send somebody down to Renly. He was the most powerful person in Westeros at that time. You might say Robb shouldn't have risked Cat but she was distinguished enough to be listened to (while other men would have been more ignored).