[Book spoiler] Aren't you bothered?

[eyeheartsansa]

"Game of Thrones" is an adaptation of "Song of Ice and Fire." It is not a visual transcription of the books. It's an adaptation. If you want to enjoy the show, you have to temporarily forget the books. Let the writers and directors surprise you. This is outstanding television. This kind of television doesn't happen very often.

this, exactly. I've never gotten upset over the changes.

I like to be surprised and caught off guard. Changing up the details, like who gets killed and when, is a great way to maintain some sense of suspense for people who already know what happens. Giving 'behind the scenes' players like LF and Tywin more screen time is a great way to remind you of their importance, and keep you in the loop about other important stuff as well.

Theon... Sansa/Hound.. Tyrion screaming at Joff... this had to be one of the best episodes yet. Nailbiting suspense and intrigue.

I think 'what's her name from Volantis' is going to be revealed as Jeyne Westerling as some big 'a-ha' moment at some point. The shock is that she's related to the Lannisters. She's already jokingly admitted to being a "lannister spy," so there you have it.

What struck me as odd about all the Qarth stuff... was where the hell is Jorah in this episode? He's always hanging around, stroking his beard and giving Dany/the viewers expository information and advice.

[WhiteWalder]

What struck me as odd about all the Qarth stuff... was where the hell is Jorah in this episode? He's always hanging around, stroking his beard and giving Dany/the viewers expository information and advice.

Good observation, but I don't think the scenes would have worked with Jorah standing there. A potential new love/marriage interest and the spice trader treating her like a child would have seemed weird with Jorah just standing there.

The thing that bothered me most about the episode was the dyslexia story that Tywin told about Jamie. I don't think it added to show or story at all, and was just something to be different from the book. It didn't make sense.

[Onion Smuggler]

Good observation, but I don't think the scenes would have worked with Jorah standing there. A potential new love/marriage interest and the spice trader treating her like a child would have seemed weird with Jorah just standing there.

The thing that bothered me most about the episode was the dyslexia story that Tywin told about Jamie. I don't think it added to show or story at all, and was just something to be different from the book. It didn't make sense.

Jmeia is ydsxelic

(sorry)

[eyeheartsansa]

The thing that bothered me most about the episode was the dyslexia story that Tywin told about Jamie. I don't think it added to show or story at all, and was just something to be different from the book. It didn't make sense.

I thought this was brilliant actually. I could totally imagine him being dyslexic... as a contrast to Tyrion who is naturally bookish.

Since Jaime is basically out of the picture in this season, it's great to see his character developed this way.

[Morpheus]

I think the dyslexia story shows Tywin not accepting any weakness in his golden child despite the fact that the maester gave up on him. In contrast he hates deformed Tyrion who is a bright, bookish fellow like himself.

[IronSuitor]

TBH I'm enjoying a lot of the changes. The dragon theft, Arya/Tywin, and the "where in the world is Ramsay" saga all give me a little sense of anticipation, and honest sense that I don't know what will happen next.

[SerMixalot]

the problem i have with the changes is that so many of them are cliche

have robb fall for the beautiful peasant, no wait high born lady who just so happens to be spying for your enemy but dont worry love will conquer all

Arya with a kill wish spell handy spends weeks with the father of the brat who chopped off your head and you dont use it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Uber Lord Tywin has a heart of GOLD, gold, get it?

[SerMixalot]

umm I dont think there was ever a where is ramsey saga, he doesnt show up in the book until after the hunt (at least publicly), they just moved his character elsewhere (unless he is cleftjaw, which would be Stoopid)

[hesitantreader]

I love the episode and I really liked that they showed some of their cards as far as how they can keep the story alive past Storm of Swords.

You needed to see Theon falling apart, you needed to see why the Boltons would dare to take the north while White Harbor has the only true army left up there, you needed to see how they would handle Bran's story.

Oh and the King's Landing story in this episode was awesome/epic/win!

[Queen Regent]

I really liked how they followed the books more closely in Season 1, but to be honest, it's been so long since I read the books that I don't mind the changes they are making in Season 2. I'm sure it's hard to get everything crammed into so little time.

I like Season 2, wish they'd do more than 10 episodes though.

[IronSuitor]

umm I dont think there was ever a where is ramsey saga, he doesnt show up in the book until after the hunt (at least publicly), they just moved his character elsewhere (unless he is cleftjaw, which would be Stoopid)

Elswhere, as in where is he, how will he show up? It's a saga in my own pitifully obsessed mind.

[Septon Meribald]

Honestly I'd prefer any changes that are made to have a reason. That being said, I don't necessarily mind changes, I just ask that they make sense. Ser Rodrik being beheaded by Theon has emotional implications and removes the need for the battle outside Winterfell, which I'm sure would cause time and budget issues. This is ok with me. What I'm not ok with is hearing the episode before that Ser Rodrik was emptying Winterfell to go defend Torhen's Square and then find him back at Winterfell by himself. Either he returned with his hundreds of men who were slaughtered by Theon's dozen while they were also in the middle of securing Winterfell and rounding up it's inhabitants or he heard of the attack on Winterfell and decided it would be easier to protect it without an army.

A minor nitpick about the King's Landing riot is that other than budgetary constraints, and really how much would it cost, I can see absolutely no reason why a king would be walking through the city.

As for the dragon theft. I understand the desire for motivation for Dany, but I thought there was already ample motivation. 'I have no power to take back Westeros, the rulers of Qarth won't help me, the warlocks say they will, I will go to them." This seems like a reasonable and ample motivation for Dany to go to the House of the Undying. It also makes her betrayal once there more meaningful.

[IronSuitor]

the problem i have with the changes is that so many of them are cliche

have robb fall for the beautiful peasant, no wait high born lady who just so happens to be spying for your enemy but dont worry love will conquer all

Arya with a kill wish spell handy spends weeks with the father of the brat who chopped off your head and you dont use it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Uber Lord Tywin has a heart of GOLD, gold, get it?

We don't actually know how the whole Talissa thing ends up, though TV romances = insta cliche. (Not that the whole "you're injured, let me take care of you and fall into your waiting, horny arms so you can marry me against everyone's wishes" deal in the books is any less cliche, we were just wisely spared having to look at it.) Love is, unfortunately, a cliche emotion.

Arya's life is going relatively well right now, if you hadn't noticed. That's due to a certain daddy Lannister who even in the books would never have gone out of his way to be cruel to a small girl he found useful.

[conny]

I dont understand why so many of you are upset with the Jon and Ygritte thing. She tells him often enough later that he couldnt kill her when he had the chance to do so. And that happened before Halfhand gave him the command to kill him an join the wildlings. Or am I so very mistaken?

The Reeds are quite important because they are the link between Ned-his sister-Jon Snow. The only one who was there at that time was their father. He must know what was really going on then. Who else is going to tell Jon (assuming R+L=J)?

Also in the books Robb just shows up with a wife. Why not let him fall in love on the battlefield?

IMHO I could do very well without Danny and her claim. "I take whats mine with fire an blood"! Doesnt she feel a bit ridiculous having to say that line over and over again? She hangs out far from home, depends on people she doesnt really know, would otherwise starve to death. But she can threaten everybody haha! Even in the books she does not even have a wet toe. But shes going to cross the narrow sea. Swim and get drowned girl and lets move on with the other characters.

[Drinking Cersei's Tears]

Jon not letting Ygritte go really fucking irked me. Don't understand that change at all.

And yes, the opening was awful.

[IronSuitor]

Jon not letting Ygritte go really fucking irked me. Don't understand that change at all.

And yes, the opening was awful.

I just can't see where people are coming from poo pooing the opening. I thought it was great, and pretty much every review I've seen said the same. Not really worth discussing, I suppose.

As to Jon, I'm assuming they're just delaying Ygritte's escape/release. It's 50/50 whether Jon'll wake up and she's gone. If it works out otherwise, I'll probably be the first in line to criticize it, but right now I think their just establishing a relationship as early as possible.

[Reposado]

The Reeds are quite important because they are the link between Ned-his sister-Jon Snow. The only one who was there at that time was their father. He must know what was really going on then. Who else is going to tell Jon (assuming R+L=J)?

in the book, yes howland was the only that was there. in the show, that is not necessarily true. we have no idea who was there, if anything like TOJ even happened. And just because Howland knows, does not mean his kids are the only ones that can tell Jon. We do not know if they will even do that in the book.

[Fantôme]

Also in the books Robb just shows up with a wife. Why not let him fall in love on the battlefield?

Because it's a big change in Robb's character . Him marrying Jeyne Westerling was due to a moment of very understandable weakness after hearing his two young brothers were murdered by the person he considered a brother as well, and who would never had been able to do it if it wasn't for Robb letting him go; and to his( stupid?) Ned-like honor who made it impossible for him not to assume his responsibilities towards the girl he had "dishonored".

That's not exactly the same as breaking a promise because of some girl he fall in love with on the battlefield . Though we don't know what's going to happen exactly so maybe it won't look as stupid as I fear it will.

[Sxxman]

I think that people who have read the books make the mistake on reviewing a GoT episode based on how well it follows the books rather than how good the episode is on its own merits. As a reader I understand it's tough to separate the two (cuz it's an adaptation) but it is necessary to. I'm not trying to be rude here but it seems like some people just turn their brain off when they see something different from the book and immediately doom the series because they refuse to see why the writers might have made these changes and refuse to see how it plays out.

The first one that comes to mind is Dany having her dragon's kidnapped. I saw a fan review of the episode on youtube and they literally said "the biggest negative....dragon-napping....not in the book....yeah" without even taking the effort to see why that change was made and letting it play out before condemning it. To me it was an interesting twist because one it keeps even the book-readers on their toes. Two, Dany needs to learn that you can't just go around yelling at leaders of cities demanding armies and loyalty when you have no leverage. The reason why no one ever kidnapped her dragons in the books wasn't because she wouldn't allow it but because I don't believe anyone tried. I believe that she will get the dragons back and the kidnapping will give her more justification to burn the tower down as well as teach her a lesson in humility. If not her character will become insufferable to the main audience IMO.

The second complaint I hear is about Lady Talissa, HBO casted Oona Chaplin as Jeyne Westerling, it defies logic that they'll bait and switch her character to Lady Talissa of Volantis. It seems to me that she is Jeyne but she's keeping her I.D. secret from the Stark camp because she is actually a spy for the Lannisters (the note on Tywin's desk looked suspiciously like the one Talissa was writing). The romance and RW will still happen.

The whole Reeds storyline can still happen also, maybe Osha brings Bran to the Reeds in season 3 because she believes they can help Bran, sure it is different but again wait and see. By the way we don't even know if Howland Reed does anything important in the books, we assume he will, but we don't know for sure.

I guess what I'm trying to say without trying to sound like a pretentious-d-bag-who-defends-the-show-at-all-costs is that let's not assume that the departures from the books are bad until we see where those departures end up. If they don't do the characters than we can launch our full-scale criticisms to the writers but until then, wait and see.

[Septon Meribald]

The first one that comes to mind is Dany having her dragon's kidnapped. I saw a fan review of the episode on youtube and they literally said "the biggest negative....dragon-napping....not in the book....yeah" without even taking the effort to see why that change was made and letting it play out before condemning it. To me it was an interesting twist because one it keeps even the book-readers on their toes. Two, Dany needs to learn that you can't just go around yelling at leaders of cities demanding armies and loyalty when you have no leverage. The reason why no one ever kidnapped her dragons in the books wasn't because she wouldn't allow it but because I don't believe anyone tried. I believe that she will get the dragons back and the kidnapping will give her more justification to burn the tower down as well as teach her a lesson in humility. If not her character will become insufferable to the main audience IMO.

The problem though is it isn't the people she demanded help from without leverage, the Thirteen, that stole her dragons. It was the warlocks, at least that seems to be the assumption, who she only met in passing and never demanded anything of. How does this teach her a lesson in humility. Also by having a different group within Qarth break into the house of one of the Thirteen and murder his guards and steal from his guest seems like an insult that could not stand. It wouldn't be just Dany that would have a grievance against them, but a group of the most powerful people in Qarth. The dragons weren't stolen in the books because they couldn't be, not because of Dany, but because of Xaro.