With the much-talked-about return of Westeros on House of the Dragon, Game of Thrones is being re-watched, re-evaluated, and re-analyzed in comparison to its roots in the books by George R.R. Martin. While the show runs for 8 seasons and a total of 73 episodes, A Song of Ice and Fire tells a story of thousands of pages and isn’t close to being done yet.
For reasons of time, the constraints of film, budget, and much more, the show shortens some storylines, cut out others, and tweaked certain plots. Some scenes on Game of Thrones, therefore, seem to come out of nowhere. However, they have context and detailed explanations in the books.
10 Jojen And Meera Reed’s Journey With Bran
Jojen and Meera Reed seem to appear out of the blue in Game of Thrones, as they meet Bran while he’s on the run from Winterfell. Jojen simply tells Bran that they had been searching for him for a long time and have come to protect him.
While it’s a simple explanation, their sudden appearance doesn’t quite make sense, unless viewers have already read the books. In Martin’s novels, Jojen, Bran, and Meera meet much earlier at Winterfell, when Bran is a prisoner of Theon Greyjoy. There Bran learns about Jojen’s similar greensight and warging abilities, and they escape together from the grips of Theon.
9 Arya’s Training With The Faceless Men
One of Arya’s changes from the books is the storyline of her time in Braavos where she trains at the hands of Jagen H’ghar and becomes one of the faceless men.
Game of Thrones describes them as trained assassins who receive requests and consequently offer a death to the Many-Faced God. While the series follows Arya through her training and ultimate decision to leave Braavos, the whole Faceless Men plot doesn’t make much sense unless viewers have already read the books. There, it is explained in detail how they’re not only killers but also followers of a religion with many nuances and rules behind their ideology and assassinations.
8 Cersei’s Surprise Pregnancy In Season 8
In Game of Thrones season 8, most younger characters seem to be well into their adult years, and some of the older characters are portrayed as having aged throughout the seasons, notably Tyrion and Cersei.
This is why Cersei’s season 8 pregnancy seems absurd unless fans of the books are the ones watching, as she seems much older. In the books, most characters are very young, including Cersei, who is barely in her early 30s when the event occurs. Even though the books have not yet revealed this part of the show, Cersei’s latest pregnancy makes sense given her age explained previously by George R.R. Martin in A Song of Ice and Fire.
7 “For The Watch” Of The Night’s Watch
When Jon Snow is stabbed by enemies at the end of Game of Thrones season five, the Night’s Watch repeats “for the watch” as they thrust their blades into him. Nevertheless, the series doesn’t explain what the saying means and can be confusing.
The meaning of the mantra-like sentence goes back to the books when Jon decides to head out with an army of wildlings and the men of Night’s Watch against the Boltons. This goes against years of traditions of the institution, as the Watch is set up to defend the wall only, and not Westeros’ castles. By wanting to attack the Boltons, Jon was openly defying the Watch and all that it stands for.
6 The Great Doom Of Valyria
During Tyrion and Jorah Mormont’s escape through Valyria in Game of Thrones, the city is seen as smoky, eerie, and in ruin, but leaves fans wondering why it becomes this way.
However, Valyria doesn’t make sense on the show unless the audience knows of its detailed description within the books. In fact, the history behind the Doom of Valyria and why the Smoking Sea earned its name is written about by George R.R. Martin for pages on end, and can’t be summarized in just one scene on the show. The description started even before A Song of Ice and Fire and goes back to Fire and Blood, which dives into the Targaryens’ conquest of Westeros and what happened to Valyria.
5 Jaime’s Self-Development Arc
Jaime’s Game of Thrones character transitions from the evil man pushing a child out the window to a prisoner swearing the safe return of his captor Catelyn Stark’s daughters, to suddenly having a change of heart and going back to his evil lover and sister.
The confusion on the show stems from the character’s change of heart without a deeper explanation of how it went. In the books, however, it is clear how Jaime grows and develops into a more empathetic and self-aware man, as he moves further away from Cersei, and even grows to despise her. With many chapters from Jaime’s perspective, this happens through many paragraphs of his introspection and growing self-loathing.
4 The Imprisonment Of Margaery Tyrell
The sudden imprisonment of Margaery Tyrell by the Faith newly established by Cersei is hastily explained by her knowledge of Loras’ indiscretions. However, the extent of how harshly she is treated can be confusing in Game of Thrones, as the actions do not really fit the crime.
However, book fans understand the punishment, as the real reason behind holding her captive in the written story is because she is accused of committing adultery against Tommen. This reason would actually warrant the extreme treatment she is faced with while imprisoned by the Faith and gives more logic to the scenes where Margaery is seen humiliated, starved, and unwashed in the Red Keep’s prison.
3 Jon And Stannis’ Relationship
In Game of Thrones, Stannis arrives at the wall with an army for the Night’s Watch to feed. While he seems to be fond of Jon during their encounters, it’s never clear why that is.
In the books, before Jon is met with the Night’s Watch betrayal and stabbed to death, Jon and Stannis’ relationship makes much more sense. In fact, Jon is active in northern politics in George R.R. Martin’s story. He helps Stannis plan his take-over of Westeros and teaches him how to navigate the different houses of the North, and also to avoid losing whenever it comes to battle.
2 Danny’s Visions At The House Of The Undying
In the early seasons of Game of Thrones, Daenerys faces her worst enemies when she gets lost in the House of the Undying, prone to visions and prophecies there to misguide her away from her dragons.
While the prophecy showing her Khal Drogo and their unborn son can be attributed to her deepest desires, the prophecy showing an ashy throne room is confusing for fans who do not know the books. In the latter, the visions of Danny go back to her past, while following her present and future as they tie her to the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy. It is a much clearer explanation of what is actually happening during Daenerys’ journey through the House of the Undying.
1 The Martells’ Hatred Of King’s Landing
Throughout their appearances on Game of Thrones, the Martells repeatedly mention their hatred for King’s Landing. It’s explained by the loss of their sister during the Mad King’s reign, but it doesn’t give full clarity of the reason. The books, on the other hand, do.
George R.R. Martin depicts the story of the Martell family, and how Prince Trystane has two other siblings. The different stories of Quentyn and Arianne Martell lead to the tragedy that eventually falls on House Martell at the end of Robert’s Rebellion, creating their eternal hatred of the throne.
