GoT: books vs show rant
I know I'm late to rant about this (and I'm sure many people did a much better job of it than I can) but I've been thinking about this a lot and I need to get it out.
WARNING: Spoilers for GoT s1-3 and ASoIaF books 1-4.
Season one was so true to the first book that I flailed over it like crazy. Apart from a few changes (let's make Littlefinger tell Sandor's story instead of Sandor himself) and some questionable casting choices (Sandor, again. Rory is nice but he's almost twice as old as book!Sandor and he looks nothing like him) it was like everything and everyone I imagined while reading the book came to life! I rewatched s1 six times (no kidding).
Then s2 happened. And s3. And I have one question to GRRM. If you're so opposed to fanfic because you hate when people get your characters wrong... HOW IN HELL CAN YOU STAND THIS FANFIC D&D ARE FILMING??
It's not so much as they have screwed the events. The events are pretty much the same. It's the characters! Seriously it's like they make a conscious effort to turn everyone upside down!
Robb.
Book!Robb is all about honor, much like Ned. And, just like with Ned, honor is Robb's undoing. He breaks his promise to the Freys because of honor. He marries Jane (Talisa) to save her honor because he puts Jane's honor before his own.
Show!Robb marries for love. Honor never comes into the equation.
Stannis.
Book!Stannis is all about duty. Correct me if I'm wrong but Stannis never slept with Melisandre in the books! Because he had a wife whom he had to be faithful to because it was his duty. And he never EVER has been portrait as abusive.
Show!Stannis - wtf?
Cat.
Book!Cat subverts the evil stepmother and the meddling mother tropes. (Yes, she's not fond of Jon but she never prayed for his death and was rather decent towards him, allowing Ned to raise him alongside Robb which is very progressive for their society that treats bastards like dirt. And Cat was Robb's most trusted and reasonable adviser.)
Show!Cat is the perfect example of both those tropes.
(BTW in the books the story is told from Cat's POV and it's about her, a politician and a mother of a young king trying her best to keep him alive, when in the show it's the story of a young king Robb who fought valiantly and died while his mom was somewhere around.)
Sansa.
No. Fucking NO! They made Sansa kneel and I will hate them forever.
In the books it was a big, HUGE point that Sansa, an abused, traumatized, victimized 13 year old girl, refuses to kneel on her wedding. She just straight out DOES NOT KNEEL and that's that.
Book!Sansa never jokes with Tyrion, never talks to him amiably, book!Sansa wears her courtesy armor around him just like she does around everybody else because that's how she survives. She's a fucking survivor.
Show!Sansa... show!Sansa... WHY??
Sandor.
Did you know that they had a deleted scene where Sandor pushed Sansa against the wall and yelled at her and Tyrion had to interfere? THEY FUCKING DID!! Never mind that in the books Sandor is the ONLY one who NEVER EVER EVER hurts Sansa. Never mind that HE'S THE ONLY ONE SHE FEELS SAFE WITH. Never mind that the Hound and safety are SYNONYMS in Sansa's head. No. Fuck that. Let's make Sandor add to the girl's trauma. It'll be fun.
Oh, and let's give Sandor's lines to Littlefinger again.
ETA: The implication that Sandor told Cersei about Sansa's moon blood? - Ridiculous!
Also Sandor telling the Brotherhood who Arya really was? - Never happened!
Ros vs Chataya and Alayaya.
Let's NOT portray strong women of color who run their own business and whose culture is so different and interesting. Let's give their business to Littlefinger and their part to Ros (oh, and after that let's brutally kill Ros off because more violence against women is always great!)
Shae.
Shae never loved Tyrion. Shae never loved Tyrion. SHAE NEVER LOVED TYRION. He paid her and she lied to him. That was their arrangement. He himself had proposed it. He loved her alright. But she never loved him back. And Tyrion, being a rich nobleman and all, couldn't fully grasp the concept of someone NOT loving him back.
I fear to think of what they do to show!Shae now that they've made her fell in love with Tyrion.
[POTENTIAL SPOILER FOR s4]
Because in the books her betrayal makes perfect sense. And the fact that Tyrion kills her for it is ugly but makes perfect sense, as well. Now that they're oh so in love the creators have to either screw Shae and make her betray Tyrion despite her love. Or put this murder on someone else's doorstep. (I fear Cersei's since she suspected Shae because of that curtsey thing).
If they make Cersei kill Shae and whitewash Tyrion I WILL EXPLODE.
Doreah, Irri, and Rakharo.
Doreah never betrayed Dany. She died of a disease. AND IRRI AND RAKHARO ARE STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE!!
But no. Let's crap all over Dany and Doreah's freindship. And fuck Irri and Rakharo, who cares about those stupid Dothraki anyway?
Oh and btw Xaro Xhoan Daxos whom show!Doreah is sleeping with... is gay in the books.
In conclusion, UGH.
Why are they doing this? Why GRRM allows it?
I'm sure there are many more characters and things that can be added to this list that I have forgotten but it was a while since I read the books so I only remember the things that irritated me the most.
If you could share your thoughts with me I'd be glad to hear them! :D
WARNING: Spoilers for GoT s1-3 and ASoIaF books 1-4.
Season one was so true to the first book that I flailed over it like crazy. Apart from a few changes (let's make Littlefinger tell Sandor's story instead of Sandor himself) and some questionable casting choices (Sandor, again. Rory is nice but he's almost twice as old as book!Sandor and he looks nothing like him) it was like everything and everyone I imagined while reading the book came to life! I rewatched s1 six times (no kidding).
Then s2 happened. And s3. And I have one question to GRRM. If you're so opposed to fanfic because you hate when people get your characters wrong... HOW IN HELL CAN YOU STAND THIS FANFIC D&D ARE FILMING??
It's not so much as they have screwed the events. The events are pretty much the same. It's the characters! Seriously it's like they make a conscious effort to turn everyone upside down!
Robb.
Book!Robb is all about honor, much like Ned. And, just like with Ned, honor is Robb's undoing. He breaks his promise to the Freys because of honor. He marries Jane (Talisa) to save her honor because he puts Jane's honor before his own.
Show!Robb marries for love. Honor never comes into the equation.
Stannis.
Book!Stannis is all about duty. Correct me if I'm wrong but Stannis never slept with Melisandre in the books! Because he had a wife whom he had to be faithful to because it was his duty. And he never EVER has been portrait as abusive.
Show!Stannis - wtf?
Cat.
Book!Cat subverts the evil stepmother and the meddling mother tropes. (Yes, she's not fond of Jon but she never prayed for his death and was rather decent towards him, allowing Ned to raise him alongside Robb which is very progressive for their society that treats bastards like dirt. And Cat was Robb's most trusted and reasonable adviser.)
Show!Cat is the perfect example of both those tropes.
(BTW in the books the story is told from Cat's POV and it's about her, a politician and a mother of a young king trying her best to keep him alive, when in the show it's the story of a young king Robb who fought valiantly and died while his mom was somewhere around.)
Sansa.
No. Fucking NO! They made Sansa kneel and I will hate them forever.
In the books it was a big, HUGE point that Sansa, an abused, traumatized, victimized 13 year old girl, refuses to kneel on her wedding. She just straight out DOES NOT KNEEL and that's that.
Book!Sansa never jokes with Tyrion, never talks to him amiably, book!Sansa wears her courtesy armor around him just like she does around everybody else because that's how she survives. She's a fucking survivor.
Show!Sansa... show!Sansa... WHY??
Sandor.
Did you know that they had a deleted scene where Sandor pushed Sansa against the wall and yelled at her and Tyrion had to interfere? THEY FUCKING DID!! Never mind that in the books Sandor is the ONLY one who NEVER EVER EVER hurts Sansa. Never mind that HE'S THE ONLY ONE SHE FEELS SAFE WITH. Never mind that the Hound and safety are SYNONYMS in Sansa's head. No. Fuck that. Let's make Sandor add to the girl's trauma. It'll be fun.
Oh, and let's give Sandor's lines to Littlefinger again.
ETA: The implication that Sandor told Cersei about Sansa's moon blood? - Ridiculous!
Also Sandor telling the Brotherhood who Arya really was? - Never happened!
Ros vs Chataya and Alayaya.
Let's NOT portray strong women of color who run their own business and whose culture is so different and interesting. Let's give their business to Littlefinger and their part to Ros (oh, and after that let's brutally kill Ros off because more violence against women is always great!)
Shae.
Shae never loved Tyrion. Shae never loved Tyrion. SHAE NEVER LOVED TYRION. He paid her and she lied to him. That was their arrangement. He himself had proposed it. He loved her alright. But she never loved him back. And Tyrion, being a rich nobleman and all, couldn't fully grasp the concept of someone NOT loving him back.
I fear to think of what they do to show!Shae now that they've made her fell in love with Tyrion.
[POTENTIAL SPOILER FOR s4]
Because in the books her betrayal makes perfect sense. And the fact that Tyrion kills her for it is ugly but makes perfect sense, as well. Now that they're oh so in love the creators have to either screw Shae and make her betray Tyrion despite her love. Or put this murder on someone else's doorstep. (I fear Cersei's since she suspected Shae because of that curtsey thing).
If they make Cersei kill Shae and whitewash Tyrion I WILL EXPLODE.
Doreah, Irri, and Rakharo.
Doreah never betrayed Dany. She died of a disease. AND IRRI AND RAKHARO ARE STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE!!
But no. Let's crap all over Dany and Doreah's freindship. And fuck Irri and Rakharo, who cares about those stupid Dothraki anyway?
Oh and btw Xaro Xhoan Daxos whom show!Doreah is sleeping with... is gay in the books.
In conclusion, UGH.
Why are they doing this? Why GRRM allows it?
I'm sure there are many more characters and things that can be added to this list that I have forgotten but it was a while since I read the books so I only remember the things that irritated me the most.
If you could share your thoughts with me I'd be glad to hear them! :D