Theons: a show 'verse/book verse comparison post
When the show was airing, a lot of people commented about the quantity of screen-time that Theon was getting - it is definitely not at all proportional to the amount he gets in the first book. The show really transformed Theon as a character - for better or worse. Instead of writing a serious post comparing Theons, I have written a humorous poll/quiz which compares AGOT Theon with GOT Theon.
NOTE ABOUT SPOILERS: The quiz does not contain any plot spoilers for fans who have not read the books. There are some spoilers for details from the first book but none beyond it. However, if you have watched the show, it is my belief that you have already been spoiled for some character traits of Theon’s which only begin to appear in the second book of the ASOIAF series and I mention this and allude to a few future scenes in a brief discussion of that at the end of this post. There are no plot-related spoilers though. Commenters, please mark the subject line of your comment if it contains spoilers beyond AGOT.
Poll What flavour Theon are you?
RESULTS
If this were a girly teen magazine, this bit would probably be printed upside down or on a back page somewhere. I have a feeling you've already guessed what the possible results are though:
If your answers are mainly (a)s: Congratulations! Your head canon Theon is the one who exists in the first of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, unaltered by the show or by character development in the subsequent novels. He may not be all that fleshed out but he definitely has a charming smile.
If your answers are mainly (b)s: Congratulations! Your head canon Theon is the more complex, and lecherous, Theon who appears in the HBO TV series. This Theon is much indebted to character traits which aren’t developed until the second of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels but he also has some features which are unique to the show.
REFERENCES: All (a) references are to chapters and pages in A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (Harper, 2003). All (b) references are to episodes and timestamps in the HBO TV Series Game of Thrones.
Q1, a: Bran I, p15; Bran V, 400; Bran V, 398. b: all of Theon's scenes.
Q2, a: Bran V, 398; the barmaid, Kyra, also recurs in ACOK. b: every scene with Ros - 1x05, c.16 mins; 1x06, c.43 mins.
Q3, a: Bran I, 21; Bran V, 400; Catelyn VIII, 600. b: 1x04, 8:40-13mins; 1x08, c.16mins. c: Catelyn I, 62-3.
Q4, a: witty insults: Arya I, 73; Bran IV, 242. advising something impulsive: Bran V, 400; Catelyn X, 700. boasting: Catelyn X, 701; Catelyn XI, 790. b: see all Theon's scenes, but especially: 1x05, c.13mins (bawdy & eulogises Iron Islands); 1x02, c.35:30mins (urges Robb to call the banners), 1x07, c.16 mins (hitting on Osha, being boastful & chippy); 1x05, c.16 mins (boasts about being a Greyjoy, chippy about his position with the Starks, bawdy remarks about Tyrion).
Q5, a: Bran V, 407-8. b: 1x06, 8:40-13mins.
Q6, a: Catelyn III, 137. b: 1x04, c.5-6:40mins; 1x07, c.16-19 mins.
Q7, a: Theon's big moments in AGOT are: the beheading scene, the discovery of the direwolves; a scene in the yard at Winterfell where he restrains Robb from attacking Joffrey; the scene by the heart tree when Catelyn says she’s going south; the scene with Bran and the Wildlings and a fairly extensive conversation with Robb before it; he’s asked to leave Catelyn alone with Robb when Catelyn arrives at Moat Cailin; he talks to Robb outside the Twins; he delivers Jaime to Robb; he’s there when Catelyn arrives at Riverrun, helps her out of her boat and, later, tells her where Robb is. (Ask for page refs.) b: additional show scenes: the scene where he tells Tyrion about Ros 1x04, c.5-6:40mins; his two scenes with Ros 1x05, c.16 mins, 1x06, c.43 mins; and the scene where he attempts to sexually assault Osha, 1x07, c.16 mins.
Q8, a: Bran I, 15; Eddard I, 40; Arya I, 72. b: 1x06, c.12 mins; 1x05, c.13mins.
Q9, a & b: see all other refs for the appearances which are likely to have made this impression.
Q10, a: the one thing which makes him seem more significant is a line in Eddard IV, 202. b: Theon swears his sword to Robb, 1x10, c.14:30mins.
I actually do feel that the show did a good job with Theon in a lot of ways so this post isn't a critique of how they presented him. They were clearly trying to create a more coherent character arc by including more about Theon's position in the Stark household and the cultural traditions of the Iron Islands. Though the scenes with Ros appear to be weird additions, some of the material in them can, arguably, be said to derive from the Myraham scene in ACOK and his other 'romantic' encounters in that novel. I can't help but wonder if the show would have taken a different approach with Theon (both in how they wrote and cast him) in light of ADWD. I personally feel that show!Theon is an interesting and nicely-developed character, even if I can't quite reconcile him with his counterpart from the book series.
Thoughts? Feelings? Do you hate Theon or love him? Do you like him more or less in the show? Have you only seen the show and you think it's weird that he is, apparently, so different in the books? Do you think this is the lamest idea for a post ever?