Best change in character from book to series?

[Le Cygne]

I hope you guys are right!

[Newstar]

Seems like the big love affair on the show is Sansa and Shae.

:D Agreed. Shae seems way more into Sansa than Tyrion, and Sansa seems to like Shae more than pretty much any other character to date except for maybe Margaery (or Joffrey back in Season 1). Not that I'm complaining. One thing the books are desperately short on is genuinely loving female/female friendships (even though you can't throw a rock without hitting a bromance *eyeroll*), and I'm not going to gripe that Shae was swapped in for Dontos to play the role of Sansa's confidant in Seasons 2 and 3, since Sansa's arc is already crawling with gross, creepy, inappropriate older men.

With that said...

I have no doubts whatsoever they're going to kill Shae

Yeah, me neither.

[Le Cygne]

You may like the new Daario even more. Optimism!

I meant to comment about this, I will give him a chance, but that was like the only thing left on the show I was looking forward to. Dany and Daario is one of my favorite book stories. I guess I should give them a chance to fish my other two favorite stories, Jaime and Brienne, and Sansa and the Hound, out of the mess they made of them, too.

[franko99]

I meant to comment about this, I will give him a chance, but that was like the only thing left on the show I was looking forward to. Dany and Daario is one of my favorite book stories. I guess I should give them a chance to fish my other two favorite stories, Jaime and Brienne, and Sansa and the Hound, out of the mess they made of them, too.

May I ask why you think they have mess up Jaime and Brienne? It's not 100% perfect to the book, but I really like them on the show.

[DarkAndFullOfTurnips]

There's so much to look forward to, though. PW, Stannis and Jon, Stoneheart, Jaime becoming a real LC, Barristan kicking ass in Mereen, Aegon reveal and journey, Dany riding her dragon finally, Oberyn vs. Gregor, Littlefinger and Lysa, Wyman Manderly!!! So much that could play out epicly.

[Le Cygne]

May I ask why you think they have mess up Jaime and Brienne? It's not 100% perfect to the book, but I really like them on the show.

I love the actors. It's season 4 that I just can't see working out at all. They brought them back too early. They're going to have Sansa not trust Brienne (after trusting Shae, the dead prostitute who almost turned over her mattress, sigh). Jaime will just stand by while she has to endure the marriage to Tyrion and gets set up for regicide. There's just no way out of that, none that I can see. Both of the characters, Jaime and Brienne, are going to take a hit.

[Le Cygne]

There's so much to look forward to, though. PW, Stannis and Jon, Stoneheart, Jaime becoming a real LC, Barristan kicking ass in Mereen, Aegon reveal and journey, Dany riding her dragon finally, Oberyn vs. Gregor, Littlefinger and Lysa, Wyman Manderly!!! So much that could play out epicly.

I guess, I just don't trust them to pull anything off well anymore. I think this season will be my last, and I doubt I'll get through it. I really wanted to like the show.

[franko99]

I love the actors. It's season 4 that I just can't see working out at all. They brought them back too early. They're going to have Sansa not trust Brienne (after trusting Shae, the dead prostitute who almost turned over her mattress, sigh). Jaime will just stand by while she has to endure the marriage to Tyrion and gets set up for regicide. There's just no way out of that, none that I can see. Both of the characters, Jaime and Brienne, are going to take a hit.

But we don't know yet, If like some people think PW is in episode 2, Jaime and Brienne will have NO interaction with Sansa (at least not before the wedding). Jaime may have a conversation with Tywin or Tyrion about Sansa, and Brienne most likely will be on jail (thanks to Loras) until the wedding, then Sansa will dissapear before they can do anything, after that, the story will play like the book

I guess, I just don't trust them to pull anything off well anymore. I think this season will be my last, and I doubt I'll get through it. I really wanted to like the show.

I learn to like the show in spite of the books. The books will always be better, that's true in almost every movie or serie I've seen. I don't agree with many changes but I still think this is one of the best adaptation on TV :dunno:

[Le Cygne]

But we don't know yet, If like some people think PW is in episode 2, Jaime and Brienne will have NO interaction with Sansa (at least not before the wedding). Jaime may have a conversation with Tywin or Tyrion about Sansa, and Brienne most likely will be on jail (thanks to Loras) until the wedding, then Sansa will dissapear before they can do anything, after that, the story will play like the book

I hope you're right, I just see it as more of what they called "fanfiction" as in, gee what if they came back early, wouldn't that be cool? Instead of thinking it through, what it would mean to the characters. Loras doesn't think Brienne killed Renly on the show.

[LuisDantas]

Tywin is certainly more sympathetic. Catelyn has feelings for Jon Snow that are not even hinted at in the books. Stannis, of course, is only mildly despicable.

So it is a toss-up for me.

[franko99]

I hope you're right, I just see it as more of what they called "fanfiction" as in, gee what if they came back early, wouldn't that be cool? Instead of thinking it through, what it would mean to the characters. Loras doesn't think Brienne killed Renly on the show.

No, but she's the only living person who knows what happened in Renly's tent, Loras will like to interrogate her (again, as he does in the books thanks to Jaime).

Anyways we're going off topic, a change I liked was Arya killing a Frey after the RW (finally show Arya goes psycho :devil: )

[DarkAndFullOfTurnips]

I guess, I just don't trust them to pull anything off well anymore. I think this season will be my last, and I doubt I'll get through it. I really wanted to like the show.

If you don't think what the show has done thus far is good I would stop watching too. Not trying to be an ass that's just how I would feel if I shared your opinion. But I don't think it's going to get any better in your opinion going forward. Only more things will change.

[Le Cygne]

If you don't think what the show has done thus far is good I would stop watching too. Not trying to be an ass that's just how I would feel if I shared your opinion. But I don't think it's going to get any better in your opinion going forward. Only more things will change.

I just wanted to make it clear, it's not "changes" that bother me, it's bad changes.

Also, I really liked season 1 and I liked some parts of seasons 2 and 3. Blackwater was like watching a good (albeit short) movie.

[DarkAndFullOfTurnips]

I guess, I just don't trust them to pull anything off well anymore. I think this season will be my last, and I doubt I'll get through it. I really wanted to like the show.

If you don't think what the show has done thus far is good I would stop watching too. Not trying to be an ass that's just how I would feel if I shared your opinion. But I don't think it's going to get any better in your opinion going forward. Only more things will change.

[Blood of the Trout]

Tywin

Ygritte

Osha

Margaery

Viserys

Joffrey

The actors are the main reason I prefer the aforementioned characters on the TV show. They feel much more alive than their book counterparts.

[Napyura]

There's so much to look forward to, though. PW, Stannis and Jon, Stoneheart, Jaime becoming a real LC, Barristan kicking ass in Mereen, Aegon reveal and journey, Dany riding her dragon finally, Oberyn vs. Gregor, Littlefinger and Lysa, Wyman Manderly!!! So much that could play out epicly.

Oh men I expect to see non-readers laugh at him...

only to find out how awesome he is.

[genwolf]

All the Lanisters are improved / enriched on the show. In the Books we mostly really get Tyrion, Ned and Sansa's view of them - at least up to the point that the show has reached. This left Tywin as an enigmatic and cold figure - which made it hard to understand why his grip remained so strong even after some very serious military setbacks. The show Tywin has the requisite charisma that makes the reversal of fortune easier to understand, Cersei in the books was either a cruella de ville cartoon or a screeching Harpy. This made Jamies infatuation harder to understand. The Show Cersei has far more depths. Tyrion is not necessarily better so much as perfectly realised. The show has been much better at communicating what drives the Lannisters, and their internal dynamics.

Robb is better in the show - and the Tulisa story makes it easier to see how and why he would make the mistakes he did. Her addition also made the show red wedding hit that much harder.

Roose Bolton, in the show you really got the sense that this was a man who could get close, not be suspected until it was far too late. In the books he almost had a neon sign flashing "Don't trust me" from very early on.

Walder Frey and Balon Greyjoy had a force that they lacked in the books.

Jorah's constantly referenced ugliness in the books was distracting, and made him seem a little pathetic. Jorah in the show is a more interesting play on a man torn between worship of an Idealised Dany, and desperate to beleive in something, and attraction all playing out against an undercurrent of the secret of his betrayal.

Asha/Yara was initially a disappointment, but now I think the casting was perfect - Gemma Whelan really has sold the ironborn Warrior - and the book Asha was at times OTT.

Sandor Clegane is difficult - in the books he is more frightening - but that just makes his tenderness to Sansa more inexplicable, whereas in the show his mixture of dead eyed killer , burning hatred of his brother, and sympathy for victims of bullies seems more coherently gelled. But Maybe that is because in the show we don't have always see him through Sansa's eyes.

The Tyrells have been better realised in the show - again benefiting from not being always filtered through the eyes of people having a less than objective view.

The rest of the casting is mostly great for how well they capture what was in the books, my sole two disapointments have been the jojen and Meera Reed - very different from how I pictured them , and Jojen comes off as a bit of a Prat whilst Meera - who in the books is beguiling - had me wishing Osha would smack her upside the face. They are going to be a real drag on Bran's storyline. Hodor is perfect, and Osha a big improvement.

[DarkAndFullOfTurnips]

Oh men I expect to see non-readers laugh at him...

only to find out how awesome he is.

"Mayhaps this was a blessing. Had lived, he would have grown up to be a Frey!" Instantly everyone's favorite character.

[Masamune]

All the Lanisters are improved / enriched on the show. In the Books we mostly really get Tyrion, Ned and Sansa's view of them - at least up to the point that the show has reached. This left Tywin as an enigmatic and cold figure - which made it hard to understand why his grip remained so strong even after some very serious military setbacks. The show Tywin has the requisite charisma that makes the reversal of fortune easier to understand, Cersei in the books was either a cruella de ville cartoon or a screeching Harpy. This made Jamies infatuation harder to understand. The Show Cersei has far more depths. Tyrion is not necessarily better so much as perfectly realised. The show has been much better at communicating what drives the Lannisters, and their internal dynamics.

Robb is better in the show - and the Tulisa story makes it easier to see how and why he would make the mistakes he did. Her addition also made the show red wedding hit that much harder.

Roose Bolton, in the show you really got the sense that this was a man who could get close, not be suspected until it was far too late. In the books he almost had a neon sign flashing "Don't trust me" from very early on.

Walder Frey and Balon Greyjoy had a force that they lacked in the books.

Jorah's constantly referenced ugliness in the books was distracting, and made him seem a little pathetic. Jorah in the show is a more interesting play on a man torn between worship of an Idealised Dany, and desperate to beleive in something, and attraction all playing out against an undercurrent of the secret of his betrayal.

Asha/Yara was initially a disappointment, but now I think the casting was perfect - Gemma Whelan really has sold the ironborn Warrior - and the book Asha was at times OTT.

Sandor Clegane is difficult - in the books he is more frightening - but that just makes his tenderness to Sansa more inexplicable, whereas in the show his mixture of dead eyed killer , burning hatred of his brother, and sympathy for victims of bullies seems more coherently gelled. But Maybe that is because in the show we don't have always see him through Sansa's eyes.

The Tyrells have been better realised in the show - again benefiting from not being always filtered through the eyes of people having a less than objective view.

How long have you worked for HBO?

[genwolf]

How long have you worked for HBO?

So being a fan of the show, and having only minor quibbles with it must mean that one works for HBO?

I love the books but am not a book Purist, quite aside from the fact that a 100% faithful adaption of the books would be impossible in a very different medium like a TV series.

You know who else is not a book purist? GRRM, who is a close collaborator on the show and has written an episode each season.

Re-reading the books after watching the first three seasons of the show has only enriched the books for me. And Vice Versa. For me the Books and Show together work as a sort of Gesamtkunstwerk - they enhance each other.