*As this is an article discussing changes from the book, it will be crammed full of spoilers. Please do not read it if you don't want the books spoiled for you. This has been a rough season for all of us. Not just for those off in Westeros, but right here at home too. We laughed, we cheered, and we cried...a lot. White walkers were killed, chains were broken, guest right was forsaken, an oathbreaker became an oathkeeper, and the Starks were so close and yet so far apart. To help with the Game of Thrones withdrawal that many of us are going through as we wait another year for the next season and mourn the loss of many dearly beloved characters, I have made a list of the top 5 changes between the show and the book, A Storm of Swords, which this season was based on. Keep in mind that the producers of the show said they were splitting this book in two, so that the second half of the book is what the fourth season will be based on. Some of the events in the books have happened earlier than they did in the book, but Im not counting those as changes because the basic chronology is the same. Now then, lets just dive right in.
5. Bringing Jaime Lannister Back Before The Purple Wedding
In the books, Jaime doesn't arrive back in Kings Landing until the Purple Wedding, during which King Joffrey Baratheon finally dies at his wedding feast. ( Not gonna lie...one of the very few things I was sad about when I read they were splitting the third book into two seasons was that I would most likely have to wait an extra season to watch Joffrey die.) Arriving back at the city right at the heels of the death of the son whom he was never allowed to claim as his own certainly sours his arrival, as he is forced to contend with a bitter Cersei, and angry Tywin who demands he leave the Kingsguard, and a little brother who has just been accused of killing the king before a thousand witnesses. Having him arrive much earlier than that is certainly going to change the dynamic and will no doubt lead to some great scenes with his, Cersei, Tyrion, and Tywin in the next season. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau certainly proved his acting chops this season, turning the despised sister-screwing, child-crippling Jaime Lannister into one of the most beloved characters in the show and is sure to guarantee some powerful scenes next season as the consequences of the loss of his hand and his change of heart because of his time with Brienne play out.