Game of Thrones: Adaptation Decay

[The Wooster]

Game of Thrones: Adaptation Decay

"Well, in the books..." is quickly becoming the most annoying phrase in the world.

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[Zombie Badger]

I avoid 'Well, in the books...' myself, instead I just scream like a body snatcher whenever Loras enters the frame.

 

[Jandau]

*minor spoilers ahead*

Deviations from the source material are inevitable. In fact, if they just literally copy/pasted the book ovet, it would be some of the worst television ever recorded. That being said, not all deviations are equal:

1. Changes needed for the material to work in a different medium. For instance, all the backstory that is presented in internal monologues and narration in the books needs to be presented to provide context. Roz the Exposition Whore from the earlier seasons filled this role in her scenes. Also, pacing changes, like adding in parts of later books earlier. These aren't much of an issue.

2. Changes for the better. There are some - an example might be having Bronn train Jaimie instead of Illyn. Illyn has been pretty much phased out by this point, to keep the chracter bloat in hand, and this gives a fan favourite character a role to play during a section of the books when he isn't all that active anymore.

3. Changes for the worse. The Jaime/Cersei scene in the church. Nobody needed that. The scene where Joffrey beats up hookers for 15 minutes in Season 2. Yeah, a show struggling with time constraints wastes a good chunk of an episode pointing out that the Joffrey is a monster, which is something we all knew by that point.

4. Changes that just don't matter. Who cares who cut the fucking cake?

The problem isn't that there are changes, nor that people notice them. It's that people get worked up over trivial crap that doesn't really matter or is justified within the context. Yes, there are bad changes that don't add anything and actively make the story worse, but not all changes are like that.

 

[antidonkey]

One of these days I'll get around to watching the show...........or reading the books. I've had the first of the book series on my shelf for years but have never cracked it open.

 

[freaper]

Don't read the books and you won't have to worry. It's been working for me so far.

 

[shadowmagus]

There is the book.

There is the show.

To keep ones self happy and sane, stop mixing the two now.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Don't read the books and you won't have to worry. It's been working for me so far.

That's my attitude towards most adaptations of things.

 

[Something Amyss]

Don't read the books and you won't have to worry. It's been working for me so far.

You can also just accept that the two versions are different versions and be perfectly happy. I'm yet to see an adaptation of a book that stood on its own merits and still pissed me off as a fan of the series. I mean, there are some bad movies/shows based on books, but that's never stopped me.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Very fair point. So many people ***** so hard about minor, and sometimes even necessary, changes between the book and the show, that genuine complaints about damaging changes (case in point, that scene), are in danger of being lost in the crowd.

At least, I'm going out on a limb and assuming that was your point.

 

[SNCommand]

I generally like the changes done in the show, the scenes with Arya and Tywin at Harrenhall was a brilliant addition which was never anywhere in the books

 

[Grahav]

*minor spoilers ahead*

Deviations from the source material are inevitable. In fact, if they just literally copy/pasted the book ovet, it would be some of the worst television ever recorded. That being said, not all deviations are equal:

1. Changes needed for the material to work in a different medium. For instance, all the backstory that is presented in internal monologues and narration in the books needs to be presented to provide context. Roz the Exposition Whore from the earlier seasons filled this role in her scenes. Also, pacing changes, like adding in parts of later books earlier. These aren't much of an issue.

2. Changes for the better. There are some - an example might be having Bronn train Jaimie instead of Illyn. Illyn has been pretty much phased out by this point, to keep the chracter bloat in hand, and this gives a fan favourite character a role to play during a section of the books when he isn't all that active anymore.

3. Changes for the worse. The Jaime/Cersei scene in the church. Nobody needed that. The scene where Joffrey beats up hookers for 15 minutes in Season 2. Yeah, a show struggling with time constraints wastes a good chunk of an episode pointing out that the Joffrey is a monster, which is something we all knew by that point.

4. Changes that just don't matter. Who cares who cut the fucking cake?

The problem isn't that there are changes, nor that people notice them. It's that people get worked up over trivial crap that doesn't really matter or is justified within the context. Yes, there are bad changes that don't add anything and actively make the story worse, but not all changes are like that.

Very fair point. So many people ***** so hard about minor, and sometimes even necessary, changes between the book and the show, that genuine complaints about damaging changes (case in point, that scene), are in danger of being lost in the crowd.

At least, I'm going out on a limb and assuming that was your point.

Lesson: reserve your complaints to option 3.

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

2. Changes for the better. There are some - an example might be having Bronn train Jaimie instead of Illyn. Illyn has been pretty much phased out by this point, to keep the chracter bloat in hand, and this gives a fan favourite character a role to play during a section of the books when he isn't all that active anymore.

Actually, the guy playing Illyn Payne has terminal pancreatic cancer, and he wanted to spend his last few healthy months doing some last tours (he's a musician). They haven't recast the role out of respect for him, they just quietly wrote the character out.

I agree that it works story- and production-wise to substitute Bronn, but that's not the root cause.

 

[Amaror]

I generally like the changes done in the show, the scenes with Arya and Tywin at Harrenhall was a brilliant addition which was never anywhere in the books

Ugh, i really don't like that particular change. Not that it's badly executed, like the rape scene is, but what it says about the characters.
Mainly, it portrays Tywin as really really stupid. Incredibly so. He does figure out that she is a north noble and doesn't do anything about it. It just doesn't fit to a character that is known to grab and squeeze every advantage he can get when the opportunity arises. And were supposed to accept that he just lets a north noble be, while he is at war with the north?!
Secondly it makes Arya seem stupid, too. In the book it made sense that she never said Tywins name to the Faceless man, because she had enough trouble just surviving in Harrenhal and just forgot about Tywin. It doesn't really make sense, when she is right there with Tywin listening to his war plans.

 

[Darmani]

I avoid 'Well, in the books...' myself Instead I just scream like a body snatcher whenever Loras enters the frame.

Hmm how so?

 

[SNCommand]

I generally like the changes done in the show, the scenes with Arya and Tywin at Harrenhall was a brilliant addition which was never anywhere in the books

Ugh, i really don't like that particular change. Not that it's badly executed, like the rape scene is, but what it says about the characters.
Mainly, it portrays Tywin as really really stupid. Incredibly so. He does figure out that she is a north noble and doesn't do anything about it. It just doesn't fit to a character that is known to grab and squeeze every advantage he can get when the opportunity arises. And were supposed to accept that he just lets a north noble be, while he is at war with the north?!
Secondly it makes Arya seem stupid, too. In the book it made sense that she never said Tywins name to the Faceless man, because she had enough trouble just surviving in Harrenhal and just forgot about Tywin. It doesn't really make sense, when she is right there with Tywin listening to his war plans.

I mostly just presumed that Tywin, though suspecting she was hiding her identity, had no reason to believe she was part of the Stark family, the Stark's had two daughters, and both of them were in King's Landing for all he knew, what he thought he had was perhaps a daughter from one of the lesser houses, and therefore not worth his time

I thought about why she didn't ask the faceless Assassin to kill Tywin, but then I also wondered why she didn't use his services to kill the other people she wanted dead, and in the show she did plan to make Tywin her last target, but he left before that opportunity, and instead used his help to escape

 

[Skeleon]

Good to see some "Game of Thrones"-weariness there. Still haven't started watching it.

 

[Grahav]

By the comic standards I still got 1 complain in this saeson:

1 - The continous portrayal of Stannis as a villain

2 - That scene.

How many do you all have left?

 

[lacktheknack]

I avoid 'Well, in the books...' myself Instead I just scream like a body snatcher whenever Loras enters the frame.

I laughed alarmingly hard at this mental image. D:

OT: I think a lot of people missed the punchline.

In the book, there's a consensual sex scene.

In the show, it comes off as a rape scene.

THIS IS SOMETHING TO COMPLAIN GREATLY ABOUT.

 

[Darth_Payn]

I think I know the scene everyone's talking about, since this one morning radio show I listen to on the drive to work used it in a joke commercial for the "Game of Thrones Family Warning System".

Spoiler

A family is gathering 'round the TV to watch Game of Thrones and an electronic voice says "Warning: This next scene has Cercei and Jaime Lannister have sex on top of the corpse of their son Joffrey. Keep in mind that they are brother and sister." The parents go "Ew!" and tell their kids to look away.

After more warnings about GoT, calling it "a filthy and disgusting show", the mom asks "Why do we let our kids watch this in the first place?" and the dad asks "Why do WE watch it?"