10 Game of Thrones Scenes That Make Book Readers Furious

The Game of Thrones television series made some large changes from the books. George R.R. Martin was only heavily involved in the first season of the series. By the fifth season, he was very much shut out by the show's producers. The fantasy television series made many changes from its source material. While some changes made the story better, some were unnecessary and odd.

From Tywin Lannister's death scene to the Red Wedding, many scenes have made book fans furious. Changing a scene for the convenience of things doesn't really fly with book readers. Sometimes, altering a scene also happens to mean that some of the fan-favorite characters won't appear on the show. From the ones that absolutely make no sense to those that are avoidable in nature, these scenes have left book fans in a worse place than they started out.

10 Shae Wasn't the Reason Tyrion Killed Tywin

Tywin Lannister's death is drastically different from his death in the book. Tyrion didn't kill his father because of Shae. He did it because of what his father had done for his first wife, Tysha. In the book, Tyrion comes to ask his father about what happened to Tysha with a crossbow. When Tywin called his first wife a "whore," Tyrion warned him that he would shoot him, and when Tywin used the word again, Tyrion did what he had said he would.

Related

Daenerys Targaryen had several advisors on her quest to liberate Essos and claim the Iron Throne, some of whom were far better than others.

Game of Thrones television series made it seem like Tyrion killed his father because of Shae, but the truth is far from that. It's one of the scenes that the TV series changed to eliminate Tysha from the story altogether. In the show, Tysha only existed in two lines by mention. Given how important Tysha was to Tyrion, the original book scene for Tywin's death made more sense.

9 There Were Many Changes to the Red Wedding

The Game of Thrones series is notorious for eliminating subplots and characters due to its limited runtime. There are many things that the show got wrong about the Red Wedding. For one, when Robb Stark was stabbed by Lord Bolton in the show, the murderer said, "The Lannisters send their regards." In the book, the line was supposed to be, "Jaime Lannister sends his regards." The line is a key moment that would have changed how viewers perceived Jamie's character. However, changing it to "the Lannisters" made it all about Tywin.

Robb Stark's wife also wasn't supposed to be at the Red Wedding in the book. She's not dead in the book, which will make her child the rightful heir of Winterfell one day. Her absence from the Red Wedding would make things a lot more interesting and complicated later in the story. However, the show changes it completely by having both Talisa and their unborn child killed in the scene.

8 Jaime Lannister Forces Himself Onto Cersei Following Joffrey's Death

Book fans are furious about the uncomfortable sex scene between Jaime and his sister Cersei in front of their dead son's body. While the scene exists in both the book and the show, one thing makes all the difference. In the book, the sex was consensual between Jaime and Cersei. It was an emotionally devastating moment for both of them. Despite how uncomfortable the scene was, it made sense for their characters.

Related

Valyrian swords are on the rarest treasures in all of Westeros, and they play a major role throughout the Game of Thrones franchise.

The show's change was completely unnecessary. Having Jaime assault his sister is out of character, given the dynamics of their relationship and how Jaime is to his sister. The change doesn't really affect either of the characters. Instead, it disrupted how devastated they were about Joffrey's death. It seems that the show changed it for shock value.

7 Dany and Khal Drogo's Wedding Night Is Unnecessarily Violent

Similar to Cersei and Jaime's uncomfortable sex scene, Game of Thrones also made Dany and Khal Drogo's wedding night non-consensual. That's not what happened in the books. Similar to what fans see in the show, Dany didn't want to marry Khal Drogo at first in the book. However, the handsome Khal managed to seduce the princess and get her consent before their wedding night.

The change itself is very problematic because Dany eventually falls in love with Khal Drogo. The show also made their relationship more unnecessarily traumatic than it already was. By changing the nature of their relationship, the show made their marriage abusive and completely undid the whole arc of making Khal Drogo and Dany's marriage real.

6 Is Ser Barristan Selmy Dead?

One scene that doesn't make sense in Game of Thrones is Ser Barristan's death. As a legendary swordsman, he died at the hands of several teenagers when they attacked him in an alley. It's hard to believe that a legendary knight of the Seven Kingdoms would die like that. He had survived worse. Just a few months before, he was seen killing all the city watch when he quit the Kingsguard. It's very unlikely that he would die in a dark alley, attacked by untrained teenagers.

In the book, Barristan is still alive and well. Killing him off seems like a rushed decision made by the show purely because his character is in the way. Ser Barristan was going to serve as a meaningful counselor in the Dragon Queen's camp. However, his presence began to become more and more unnecessary, with Ser Jorah Mormont being a more loyal and capable version of himself. Still, his death scene is unjustified and out of character.

5 King Robert Wandered Into the Woods With a Few Friends

The hate for the hunting scene in the show can be traced back to George R.R. Martin, who openly disliked the scene. Due to a limited budget, the show failed to depict the king's hunting trip the way it was supposed to be. Instead, Robert's hunting scene was quickly glossed over. King Robert was only accompanied by Ranly, Ser Barristan and Lancel Lannister when he went hunting in the woods. It's one of the scenes that feels very out of place in the world of Game of Thrones.

The Game of Thrones show made a grand royal trip seem like King Robert had wandered off into the woods with a few friends. The royal trip that was supposed to be luxurious and grand turned out to look very cheap. It's also not the only scene that's 10 times less exciting than in the book. The Battle of Blackwater also suffers from similar problems, failing to live up to fans' expectations.

4 Jaime Would Never Have Traveled to Dorne Alone

Speaking about scenes that don't make sense, Jaime's trip to Dorne without an army or any backup is again out of character. The scene doesn't exist in the book at all. Jaime would never take Bronn to Dorne alone. It's risky and a poor strategy. Such a move wouldn't have reached its desired result and would have put them both in danger.

In the book, Cersei has a plan to retrieve Myrcella. She plans on having Ser Balon Swann deliver a letter to Prince Doran, asking for Myrcella to return to King's Landing along with Prince Trystane. She would then have Trystane killed on the way and blame it on Tyrion to set Myrcella free from her marriage arrangement. Cersei's plan would make much more sense in the Game of Thrones universe.

3 Doran's Death Scene Shocked Book Readers

From the point George R.R. Martin was kept out of the loop for the show's creative decisions, Game of Thrones made several massive changes to separate itself from the book. Doran Martell, in the book, is a scheming man who only appears weak. However, the show makes him weak by having him killed off at the hands of Ellaria Sand. From there, the entire Dorne subplot turned into a mess.

Doran's death undoubtedly shocked readers. In the book, Doran had multiple plans in the works that would eventually put his daughter, Arianne Martell, in the position of being Queen if Aegon Targaryen took the Iron Throne. Since Aegon isn't in the show, it makes little sense for Arianne to be in the show either. Doran then falls victim to an ill fate, eliminating all his scheming plans.

2 Sansa Stark Shouldn't Have Married Ramsay

It's odd that Petyr Baelish would let go of someone as valuable as Sansa Stark. Sansa's marriage to Ramsay Bolton in the show made many fans furious. It's one of the things that Baelish would never do, which is also why it didn't happen in the book. Sansa Stark remains hidden and safe. She's still at the Vale, and Baelish is planning to marry her to Harrold Hardyng, the heir to the Vale, so that they can retake Winterfell from the Boltons.

The book's version makes much more sense, given that this was always the goal. Sending Sansa to Bolton is a move that would empower their enemy and diminish Baelish's power. It simply doesn't make sense for the show to marry Sensa to Ramsay. Instead, Sansa's friend Jayne Poole married Ramsay and pretended to be Arya Stark.

1 Daenerys Became the "Mad Queen"

The Game of Thrones show's ending left both readers and viewers reeling. After spending so much screen time building her up as the rightful leader with a gentle heart, the last season of the show suddenly decides to have Daenerys Targaryen burn down King's Landing. The "Mad Queen" arc itself is very questionable, given that it contradicts the kind of person both the show and the book tried to depict. The scene that shows Dany following her worst impulse went too far.

Dany spent her entire time in Westeros trying to avoid killing innocent people. She knows she's going to win anyway. Seeking revenge on Cersei makes sense, but burning down a city doesn't. While grief had an effect on her mental state, it shouldn't have changed entirely who she is. Using it to justify the poorly executed series finale is Game of Thrones' worst crime to date.

Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for a millennia.

Not available

Not available

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

April 17, 2011

Cast

Peter Dinklage , Emilia Clarke , Nikolaj Coster-Waldau , Sophie Turner , Maisie Williams , Kit Harington , Lena Headey , Sean Bean

Main Genre

Drama

Seasons

8

Creator

David Benioff, D.B. Weiss

Production Company

Home Box Office (HBO), Television 360Grok! Studio

Number of Episodes

73

Network

HBO Max