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[book spoilers] ARYA. discuss.


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I've seen a large number of posts talking about the changes to the different characters, but I think Arya's has been the biggest change.

Arya's entire motivation has been changed from the books to the show. In the books, she's fighting to become more than a mouse. She's fighting for control of her life at Harrenhal and her internal monologue turns her experience into something of a game. She practices constantly with a wooden sword, thinks back to everything Syrio taught her, and begins training herself. Her motivation is her freedom, control of her life, and to a lesser extent... revenge.

In the show, her entire motivation has become helping Robb. Every scene with Tywin has her eavsdropping, studying maps, reading letters, and trying to find a way to get the information to Robb. They made it look like her only reason for escaping Harrenhal is to get to Robb and warn him.

By this point in the books, Arya has already killed a number of people from the stableboy to the guard at Harrenhal. Plus she had to kill a number of soldiers during the fight with Yoren. She's gotten better with a sword, waterdancing, moving silently, spying, etc. TV Arya is nothing more than a cup bearer who pays attention.

Some of my favorite scenes from the books were when she was climbing trees, outmaneuvering the others during their journey, taking control of situations, and bullying Hot Pie and Lommy. I knew that we wouldn't see most of this, but it kills me that nothing was added to show her development.

The only reason that I can figure it was done like this is because they don't plan for the show to get past the end of the 3rd book and she never goes to Bravos.

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Where do you guys get that Arya is some sort of monster in the books? She's a girl who will do anything to survive. They're showing that in the show quite well.

I swear, you guys are all mixed up. Arya needs to be a monster in your eyes and Jaime needs to apparently be some sort of saint.

Where exactly did I say Arya is a monster in the books? She's a complex character, who's done some problematic things morally and has been changed by all she's gone through, but she's no monster. TV Arya though is much more unambiguously good morally. Yeah, she killed the stable boy, but it was self-defence and she was panicked.

And for the record, Jaime is for me a horrible person in the books who hasn't redeemed himself at all despite what his fans claim. Not that it has anything to do with the topic at hand...

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Um, why does he know Arya Stark is missing??

and additionally, he wouldn't suspect that she'd gotten all the way to harrenhal. no reason tywin should have any thought that she could be arya

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I've been thinking about the whole Harrenhall thing...the lack of terror in the show. It should have been a dark and cruel experience for Arya. BUT I realize it didn't NEED to be for her story arc to work. There is plenty left in her story that will set her on the right path. The real horrors are still to come.

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um so no weasel soup -- like i predicted. use of the third name to help her escape instead of having her kill the guard and get the coin. no coin (yet, still holding out hope for the last episode) -- and she names Jaqen in a totally weird way -- hey can you kill tywin now? no, ok please kill yourself. no, ok help me escape instead of any of that. umm cool.

this is basically how i figured it would work out if my worst scenario came true. i. am. pissed.

arya-lovers, i'm talking to you -- what did you think?

Actually it was this:

Can u kill tywin now?

No

Can you help me espcape

No

Kiil yourself then

Please take back my name

Ok, can u help me escape now?

No

Kill yourself then

Ok ill hell u escape if u take my name back.

Good, i win.

Big difference from how you posted the conversation

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for me, as much as removing the killings has changed arya, the rest of the changes are as important. What arya was learning were skills at changing her identity, hiding in plain site, subtlty, subterfuge. Very little of that transitioned to the screen.

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for me, as much as removing the killings has changed arya, the rest of the changes are as important. What arya was learning were skills at changing her identity, hiding in plain site, subtlty, subterfuge. Very little of that transitioned to the screen.

Hiding in plain sight? Kind of how she was Tywin Lannisters cup bearer? Changing her identity? Kind of like how she was able to stick to her "stone mason's Daughter" story even when Tywin was trying his best to get her to reveal her true identity? Subterfuge? Like what she does to Jaqen to get her way?

They set Arya up perfectly this season. She was the cup bearer for one of her brothers biggest enemies. If she let on who she really was, she'd be held over her brothers head and she was able to stay in character even when Tywin was trying his best to catch her off guard. This sequence leads perfectly into her becoming an assassin for the Faceless Men.

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They butchered her story to give more time to Tyrion and his dumb whore and Robb/Talisa. And what's her kill count at? The stable boy, that's it. God, they have amazing actors like Maisie and Tom and they still destroy the best arc in ACoK. Get a hold of your fucking show D&D. ASoS is spread out over 1.5-2 seasons, so please do it justice.

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I've never gotten mad so far concerning TV - shows. And here I am, feeling rather pathetic feeling this mad since they cut the weasel soup scene. I was looking forward to it from the beginning, it was ACOK's best scene. It's not like they had to remove it since it's a "TV adaption".

The scene had to be in... it just had to.

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What did she do to deserve it in the book?

that JH witnessed?

basically brave companion on march to wall, run out of and into a burning building to free him, trained as a warrior, was a sheep and mouse, fought and killed at Yoren's last stand, stood up to Roose, planned and executed the weasel soup escape and then refused to join her in JH's return to the FM.

In the TV JH witnessed her riding the cart to the wall, interact with Gendry and general hanging out on the road, throwing an axe to him that did not endanger her (IIRC) at the battle that Yoren died, act as a cupbearer to tywin and act like a child to get him to allow her to escape.

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What did she do to deserve it in the book?

Cooked the weasel soup.

And the Tywin/Arya- scenes showed more of Tywins character then supported Aryas character development.

Is there perhaps some policy that underage persons like Arya should not commit cold blood murder in TV? Like that no underages are allowed to have sex, even when the actor is older? Must be something like this.

I was very upset about the lot of screentime they gave the romance beetween Robb and the substitute girl.What is the support for the main plot to tell a lengthy story about her nearly drowned brother etc.

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Cooked the weasel soup. And the Tywin/Arya- scenes showed more of Tywins character then supported Aryas character development. Is there perhaps some policy that underage persons like Arya should not commit cold blood murder in TV? Like that no underages are allowed to have sex, even when the actor is older? Must be something like this. I was very upset about the lot of screentime they gave the romance beetween Robb and the substitute girl.What is the support for the main plot to tell a lengthy story about her nearly drowned brother etc.

The Red Wedding is coming. They want to build up Robb and Talisa because this is what causes it in the first place. The Red Wedding scene still gives be goose flesh.... the whole scene just makes you feel so helpless. Adding in scenes showing the romance that led up to it was a great addition. Having Robb leave for the Crag and then come back married wouldn't have worked for the TV audience at all.

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but it beggars the question what she could do to deserve a coin

She fooled people into thinking she was a boy (something the Faceless Men do). She fooled Tywin into thinking she was a Mason's daughter and even when he started to suspect that she was more, she never gave in. She showed a willingness to take someone's life. Even if they were not killed by her own hands. And she also used deceit to force Jaqen himself to do something more than he had promised. She did plenty.

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