Changes you wouldn't mind.

[Padraig]

Unless you mean we won't see any actor portraying him, just hear his name...?

I meant in the first season. He almost has to appear in any S2 in order to smooth the way towards the big showdown in S3.

[Monday]

The scene where Summer, Shaggy & GW get all aggressive with Tyrion when he brings the plans for Bran’s special saddle. Why? Are they picking up on Robb’s hostile feelings toward Tyrion? Is that what the whole kafuffle was about? Is there something I’m missing? It bothered me on re-reads as it seems kind of red herringish. I could deal if they changed that scene.

[lacuna]

The scene where Summer, Shaggy & GW get all aggressive with Tyrion when he brings the plans for Bran’s special saddle. Why? Are they picking up on Robb’s hostile feelings toward Tyrion? Is that what the whole kafuffle was about? Is there something I’m missing? It bothered me on re-reads as it seems kind of red herringish. I could deal if they changed that scene.

I was wondering about that too the other day. The weird part is that Summer is the first to growl at Tyrion, and Grey Wind and Shaggydog just pick up on his aggression. I figure it was because Tyrion is Jaime's brother, but that seems thin, somehow. Maybe it's foreshadowing, a very long way ahead, that Tyrion will eventually (try to) kill Bran, but then Summer would have to be clairvoyant in stead of just good at reading people, which seems a bit off.

Off topic, sorry...

[Monday]

Another thing, Melisandre giving birth to the shadow. Perhaps it's just my lack of imagination or whatever, but I can't see that translating well onto the screen. Curious to see how they'll handle that.

Also, the bit with Cat and Jon in Bran's sick room where she says "It should have been you" always struck me as a little over the top for Cat. I realize she was stressed out, sleep deprived and at her worst, but still. I wouldn't mind if she just kept quiet and gave Jon a look that said it all. I just couldn't connect with Cat at all after that, but maybe that was the whole point.

I was wondering about that too the other day. The weird part is that Summer is the first to growl at Tyrion, and Grey Wind and Shaggydog just pick up on his aggression. I figure it was because Tyrion is Jaime's brother, but that seems thin, somehow. Maybe it's foreshadowing, a very long way ahead, that Tyrion will eventually (try to) kill Bran, but then Summer would have to be clairvoyant in stead of just good at reading people, which seems a bit off.

Off topic, sorry...

Those thoughts had crossed my mind too, but you are 100% right, it still seems "off".

[Ran]

Remember that at this point, Maester Luwin and Robb don't just dislike Lannisters, they both believe that the Lannisters murdered Jon Arryn, were responsible for Bran's fall, and were responsible for the attempt on Bran's life.

The wolves picked up the hostility towards Tyrion and went with it. Whatever their occcasional flashes of insight, they're still just animals, end of the day, and they're going to respond to their surroundings. Don't think we have to take this as foreshadowing, just an immediate response to an immediate stimuli (tension and hostility in relation to Tyrion).

[Brude]

The scene where Summer, Shaggy & GW get all aggressive with Tyrion when he brings the plans for Bran's special saddle. Why? Are they picking up on Robb's hostile feelings toward Tyrion? Is that what the whole kafuffle was about? Is there something I'm missing? It bothered me on re-reads as it seems kind of red herringish. I could deal if they changed that scene.

Yes, they are picking up on Robb's hostile feelings...it is basic canine pack instincts on display. One of their pack (Robb) is having a hostile confrontation with Tyrion, so the rest of the pack falls in line to protect one of the group, especially because Robb is very much the "alpha dog" there at the time, so they are even more inclined to all follow his lead. This is why dogs will get hostile with someone if their owner gets into an argument with them - they will pick up on the tension and act accordingly. It's why they work so well as guard dogs, it's the same thing. I'm acquainted with a K9 cop whose dog once ran off barking and snarling into some bushes and it turned out the perp they were after was hiding there, getting ready to shoot the cop - had a loaded gun out and everything. The dog sensed the perp's intentions (smelled some pheromones or something), and went in to attack - pretty much ripped the guy apart and saved his master's life.

[Padraig]

Another thing, Melisandre giving birth to the shadow. Perhaps it's just my lack of imagination or whatever, but I can't see that translating well onto the screen.

I can't see how they could avoid that. I think its really creepy too, so works for me.

The Cat thing was a rather brave choice by the author because he knows people will view it as very unfair of her. But then, almost losing a son is very unfair also. Just another layer of complexity.

[Mad Monkey]

And who will Jaime meet at Harrenhall?

Roose's roommate, Steve. He doesn't talk much.

[Monday]

I can't see how they could avoid that. I think its really creepy too, so works for me.

The Cat thing was a rather brave choice by the author because he knows people will view it as very unfair of her. But then, almost losing a son is very unfair also. Just another layer of complexity.

I'm not suggesting they avoid the shadow birth plot line entirely, but I wouldn't mind if they felt the need to change it or even handle it off screen. A CGI shadow climbing out of Melisandre's vag might not be the easiest thing to depict on screen without the whole thing looking incredibly silly. Again, maybe I just lack the imagination to envision them doing it in a suitable way. Kudos to them if they can pull it off in the show.

Still wouldn't be upset if they changd the "It should have been you" bit. :P

[Asha—Not Yara!]

If we're lucky enough for the series to get that for, I wouldn't mind if they got rid of the part where Brienne gets part of her cheek chewed off by Biter. Poor woman has enough hardships already, did GRRM really need to make her even uglier with part of her face chewed off? It just seemed like overkill on his part and rather redundant because GRRM already had gone the route of having someone considered ugly (Tyrion) made even uglier.

I'll retract this however if they end up casting someone annoyingly too pretty as Brienne which is my worse fear. I love Dinklage as Tyrion though, but I do tend to agree that he's a bit too good looking for Tyrion, so him getting a horrific face disfigurement after the Battle of Blackwater would be welcomed. Especially for when he marries Sansa afterward as she's supposed to be so recoiled by his appearance. However, I suspect however they might opt for an ugly looking scar over a more expensive nose prosthetic.

[Mad Monkey]

It wouldn't bug me too much if they changed the part where Ned becomes Robert's Hand and goes to live in King's Landing with his two daughters. I suspected that if he hadn't done that, the Starks could have avoided certain other problems down the line. Couldn't Ned telecommute via raven instead? It's not like anyone down there cared what he thought anyway.

[undertow]

I wouldn't mind if Tyrion didn't lose his nose and instead just gets an Omar Little styled scar across the face. That would make things easier for the makeup crew.

[Ran]

I would suppose the "shadow baby" will be birthed by way of some discreet cuts. Strange motion in her belly, apparent labor pains as Melisandre pants and groans, an eerie atmosphere ... and then the shadow sprung fully formed. Viewers can figure out what happened below the waist without having to see the gory bits, so to speak.

[Andhaira]

The shadow birthing scene will be done via elaborate shadows and light play. The lower half of Melisandres body will be cloaked by shadows, and they will show squirming going on in her belly moving downward. Pretty simple really.

Regarding Tyrion's missing nose, yeah I wonder how they will do that. I wouldn't put it past them to not make the nose missing, and just putting a scar there instead.

[NW Deserter]

I wouldn't mind...ok actually I would prefer if they took out Tyrion's ridiculous little somersault/flip thing when Jon first meets him. It really just seems like something Martin forgot to take out, it's so out of place.

[Ran]

Tyrion's tumbling is something that GRRM intends to revisit. It was not something he forgot about, it just wasn't appropriate to the rest of Tyrion's story up to now.

[HawkZ]

Another thing, Melisandre giving birth to the shadow. Perhaps it's just my lack of imagination or whatever, but I can't see that translating well onto the screen.

As mentioned above I think they can find a way to execute this just find, but I have to say I can't read this scene in the book without imagining a Peter Pan version of Stannis bouncing out of Melisandre.

[Gertrude]

It wouldn't bug me too much if they changed the part where Ned becomes Robert's Hand and goes to live in King's Landing with his two daughters. I suspected that if he hadn't done that, the Starks could have avoided certain other problems down the line. Couldn't Ned telecommute via raven instead? It's not like anyone down there cared what he thought anyway.

Yeah, really. This cause so many complications and takes up so much screen time. If you take this out, there is plenty of room to give to Cersei and Lancel's relationship. I think a lot of people would be really happy to see this fleshed out.

[Cereal Forel]

Why? What's wrong with it? It doesn't take up much time. Its just a fact. I don't see how they could drop it as it leads to Ned's falling out with Robert anyhow.

:shrug: Maybe they won't, but the pregnancy requires spending a lot of screen time on Dany's story arc which is a particularly slow point in the first book. I would trade less Dany time in the first season for more Dany time in the seasons to come any day of the week.

Ned's falling out with Robert is over the killing of innocent children, no? I don't see why the lack of pregnancy would affect that at all.

If they dropped Dany's pregnancy they could have dropped the whole Dothraki plot as well, along with Drogo ;-). This would make no sense at all...

Could have, but certainly haven't. Her being married off to Drogo and becoming entwined in Dothraki culture has effects that span all 4 books. Her pregnancy is something that only directly affects the first book. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to see any major deviations from the text, but this would be one deviation that I admit I wouldn't be upset over. The birth of her dragons could easily be explained without it, and it would cut out a significant chunk of her story from the first season, which is, in my opinion, the slowest point in the book.

[Anya, Vengeance Demon]

I would trade less Dany time in the first season for more Dany time in the seasons to come any day of the week.

That may be so, but that's not really a trade off that the producers would have to make. Dany's amount of screen time in season one won't affect her amount of screen time in season two in any way.

Ned's falling out with Robert is over the killing of innocent children, no? I don't see why the lack of pregnancy would affect that at all.

If you ignore that it was the motivating factor behind Robert's call for the assassination of Daenerys, and hence the inciting incident for their falling out, that almost sounds plausible.