HBO’s popular fantasy series “Game of Thrones,” based on George R.R. Martin’s continuing book series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” concluded its fourth season last week. The third book, “A Storm of Swords,” was split between seasons 3 and 4, and the recently finished season also included material from book 4, “A Feast For Crows,” and book 5, “A Dance With Dragons.” There’s a lot to dissect when comparing the show and book, especially this season, which includes the most changes from the source material than any before it. So let’s get to it: A subplot-by-subplot breakdown of Season 4 and the books on which they were based. SPOILER ALERT: Everything after the jump is one gigantic spoiler for the show. I’ll refrain from spoiling anything in the books that just hasn’t happened on the show yet.
TYRION LANNISTER
In the show: The fan-favorite dwarf played by Peter Dinklage was accused of murdering fans’ least favorite character, King Joffrey. During his imprisonment and subsequent trial, he communicates largely with his brother, Ser Jaime, and Oberyn Martell, the newly introduced prince of the southern region of Dorne. Proclaiming his innocence but facing the full force of influence by his sister, Queen Cersei, and his father, the powerful Tywin, he has next to no chance of a fair trial. He finally breaks when his lover, Shae, whom Tyrion had emotionally sent away earlier in the season, testifies against him through heart-breaking lies and exaggerations. Tyrion demands a trial by combat, and Oberyn later stands as his champion. But he loses, condemning Tyrion to death. Jaime breaks him out, but instead of meeting the secretive Varys to escape, Tyrion first goes off and kills first Shae, whom he finds on his father’s bed, and then Tywin Lannister himself while on the privy. Varys then smuggles Tyrion onto a ship to leave Westeros.
In the book: Tyrion’s story is the most consistent between the book and the show, which is good, seeing as it is one of the seminal plots of the entire book series. The biggest difference is the limited exposure between Tyrion and Jaime. It’s actually Tyrion’s uncle, Kevan, who talks Tyrion through his imprisonment the most. Oberyn also agrees to stand for Tyrion before he even calls for a trial by combat. When Tyrion kills his father, Tywin’s last words are different, as well; Tyrion asks about his first wife, whom he believed was a whore, and wanted to know where she went after Tywin disposed of her. Tywin responds, “Where whores go,” which causes Tyrion to fire the fatal crossbow shot. These words haunt Tyrion through the next part of his story, so we’ll have to see how the showrunners handle what’s next.
SANSA STARK
In the show: The gentlest of the Stark children is befriended by Dontos, whom she had once saved from Joffrey’s cruelty. He gives her a necklace, which it turns out contained the poison that killed Joffrey. Dontos whisks her away after the king’s death to a hidden boat, where “Littlefinger” Petyr Baelish, heretofore unseen in the season, is waiting to take her to the Eyrie and her aunt Lysa. Littlefinger fills her in on his schemes with the bride’s mother to kill Joffrey. When they reach the Eyrie and Littlefinger and Lysa marry, Lysa talks about her and Petyr’s plot to kill her former husband, the event that set off the entire series. Paranoid Lysa then suspects Sansa of cheating with Petyr, leading her to threaten to shove Sansa out onto the mountains below. Littlefinger saves her, then pushes Lysa to her death. Sansa then turns heel, playing sympathetic to the other Lords of the Vale during Petyr’s trial and then setting up to be Littlefinger’s ally in shaping little Robin Arryn, new Lord of the Vale, to do their bidding.
In the book: Sansa’s changes are among the biggest in character between the book and show this season. Her character in the book maintains her sweet, innocent disposition even after she becomes wise to the workings of Petyr’s quest for power. Her true identity also remains a secret to all but Littlefinger and Lysa, unlike in the show, where everyone of influence eventually is told. Sansa can’t trust anymore, nor can she believe in her fairy-tale endings, but neither does she officially don the black cap and become a proper player in the game of thrones. Lying remains a trick in which she lacks skill, but for her subplot to keep steam in the show, it makes sense for the dynamic between her and Littlefinger to evolve past the point it has in the books.
ARYA STARK
In the show: The younger Stark sister traverses the countryside with the Hound, the Lannisters’ former bodyguard who is now looking to ransom her off to her Aunt Lysa in The Vale. At the end of episode 1, Arya regains her old sword, Needle, from Polliver, who was on the wrong end of the Hound’s killing spree. The two unlikely companions share a strange bonding journey through the season before coming across Brienne of Tarth, who was sent on a mission from Jaime Lannister to find the Stark girls and keep them safe. The Hound and Brienne fight, leaving the Hound near death. Arya leaves him to die and boards a ship for Braavos across the Narrow Sea.
In the book: The beginning and the end of this arc is consistent, but everything in between was added for the series. Arya and the Hound’s encounter at the inn with Polliver is mostly the same, but it is here that the Hound receives his mortal wounding. The encounter with Brienne never takes place, and the characters never even cross paths.
BRAN STARK
In the show: Bran and his crew journey North of the Wall in search of the three-eyed raven, coming across Craster’s Keep, where renegades from the Night’s Watch are hiding out. The crew is captured but freed in a midseason raid, and they continue north, following Jojen Reed’s visions. Just as they reach their goal, they are ambushed by White Walkers and Jojen is lost. Bran, Hodor and Meera are taken into the depths of a great weirwood tree where Bran will learn to channel his powers.
In the book: Bran’s journey isn’t chronicled until book 5, and the show takes us fairly deep into what’s been told of him thus far. The incident at Craster’s does not happen, and the crew ventures on unperturbed until reaching the tree. Another member of their crew, simply named Coldhands, is still absent from the show, and Jojen survives through the fifth book.
THEON GREYJOY
In the show: Theon, tortured by the illegitimate son of Roose Bolton, becomes part of the Boltons’ scheme to rule the North after Roose helped kill Robb Stark. Theon has become Reek, Ramsay Snow’s deranged pet. Theon’s sister, Yara, raids the Dreadfort to try to free him, but he does not go with them, fearing it is a trap by Ramsay. He is then sent to Moat Cailin to deal with Iron Islanders who are holed up there. After they surrender, Ramsay is granted his legitimacy and the Boltons turn their eyes to rebuilding Winterfell for themselves.
In the book: As was the case last season, much of Theon’s story is pieced together from backstory told in the books. Yara (Asha in the books) does not try to rescue him, and Theon is not sent to deal with the Ironborn. Theon eventually does meet his sister again, but not until late in the fifth book after he has already been to Winterfell with the Boltons. The changes are necessary, though, to keep Theon’s plight in the audience’s mind, and it gives Alife Allen a chance to demonstrate more of his incredible acting range.
DAENERYS TARGARYEN
In the show: Across the Narrow Sea, the Mother of Dragons has her sights set on Meereen, the slaver capital of the Free Cities. She sparks a revolution of the slaves against the Masters, then takes residence in the Great Pyramid. Afterward, she learns that the previous cities she had conquered have fallen back into chaos after she left, leading her to decide to stay in Meereen and learn to rule instead of returning with her army to a weakened Westeros. While there, she takes her sellsword captain, Daario Naharis, to bed, and is forced to send her longest ally, Ser Jorah Mormont, into exile after learning that he had been spy to King Robert Baratheon. In the end, she learns her dragons burned a child to death, forcing her to chain up two of her dragons (the third, the largest, has gone wild).
In the book: All of the important events that happen to Daenerys happen in the books in one way or another. She sleeps with Daario much later, though, well into book 5, and the dragons’ imprisonment happens at the beginning of that same book. The biggest change might be the handling of Jorah’s dismissal. She discovers his past spying at the same time she learns Barristan Selmy’s true identity, which in the show she knows immediately after he shows up in Season 3. In the book, she tries Barristan and Jorah’s treacheries at the same time (Barristan had served her father before switching sides after his death to continue to serve in the Kingsguard). Barristan begs forgiveness and does not excuse his previous actions; Daenerys forgives him. Jorah makes excuses and rationalizations and does not treat her as his queen, which forces her to banish him. In the show, Daenerys shows her new regal attitude, and it is effective, but Jorah’s past betrayal is given hardly any buildup, leaving the audience more shocked than saddened.
JON SNOW
In the show: The Wall sees the most action of the season. Wildlings are readying their two-pronged siege on the Night’s Watch, with Mance Rayder and 100,000 coming from the north and Tormund, Ygritte and cannibal Thenns from the south. Jon leads a group of Brothers to kill the deserters still at Craster’s Keep, to keep their scant numbers a secret from Mance’s army. Meanwhile, Sam sends Gilly and her baby to stay at nearby Mole’s Town, where he thinks they’ll be safer, but after Ygritte’s wildlings raid the village, she has to flee back to Castle Black. There, the great battle finally takes place, in which Jon assumes command, Ygritte is killed, Sam professes his love for Gilly and the Night’s Watch barely survives the night. Jon goes beyond The Wall in a desperate attempt to kill Mance and scatter his army, but Stannis Baratheon and his army, bought thanks to a loan from the Iron Bank of Braavos, comes to the rescue at the last minute.
In the book: A lot this season is unique to the show, but a lot from the book was left out. As mentioned before, the Craster’s incident never happened. The master at arms, Ser Alliser Thorne, is back all season in the show, when he doesn’t appear until midway through the siege in the book. With him comes Janos Slynt, exiled by Tyrion back in book/season 2. His character remains consistent as the self-important clueless would-be leader of the Watch, but he’s more bumbling than crafty and power-hungry in the show. Alliser also is seen in a more redeeming light, whereas the books portray him as nothing more than a bully.
The battle at The Wall, while containing the same tone, is much different in the book. For one, it takes place over several nights, with Jon constantly thinking up new ways of holding off the attack. Ygritte’s group attack from the south before the main assault, as Mance’s initial goal was to minimize the amount of lives lost. Sam and Gilly also are absent from the fracas, as they are still returning from beyond The Wall. Jon also does not volunteer to go try to kill Mance; rather, that is a plot of Alliser’s and Slynt’s upon their arrival. Also, everything Stannis and Davos do before arriving beyond The Wall is entirely a product of the show.
In the end, it was another strong season for the show, but I couldn’t help but feel as though they missed out on some pivotal moments. The Watch’s story in “A Storm of Swords” has not all been told yet, and I’m hoping the politicking is being saved for Season 5, because it marks an important point for Jon’s and Sam’s characters (though it could be argued that Sam’s character has evolved past that point already in the show with how he currently stands with Gilly). It will be interesting to see how the showrunners merge books 4 and 5, which were published years apart but which mostly take place concurrently, in the next few seasons. Expect more show-specific plotlines, though, if only because it is running low on source material to use.
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