10 Reasons Game Of Thrones Is No Good For George R. R. Martin

7. Many Of The Character Dynamics Are Hopelessly Skewed

Like ripples from tiny pebbles, the necessary decision to make all of the kids in the story that little bit older has affected almost every relationship they have. Let€™s have a few examples. At the beginning of the story, Daenerys Targaryen is sixteen in the show, instead of thirteen, while Joffrey Baratheon is sixteen instead of twelve. Robb Stark and Jon Snow are seventeen instead of fourteen. Sansa Stark is thirteen instead of eleven, while her younger sister Arya is eleven and not nine, and poor Bran is ten and not seven. There are perfectly valid reasons for many of these changes, not least of which is a practical one €“ it€™s more difficult to find a good cast of younger kids than it is to find a good cast of some older kids and some young adults who can play teenagers. But the changes this makes in the narrative are significant. Most tellingly, Joffrey simply cannot be controlled by anyone in Game Of Thrones, and renders his mother Cersei an impotent bystander to most of his crimes. In the novels, Cersei has agency with her son, and some ability to rein him in. In the show, she just appears weak and a little foolish. Sansa isn€™t some poor little girl in the show; she€™s growing to be a young woman. It€™s ridiculous that her parents haven€™t prepared her for the upcoming change to her life, and that she still thinks a handsome knight will sweep her off her feet. In the novels, Sansa is a poor little girl forced to grow up too soon, while in the television show she€™s a silly girl with her head in the clouds. Robb is genuinely a boy king in the novels; hence the lack of respect accorded him by his allies and enemies. In the show, he€™s the perfect age to be a war leader, and the same lack of respect just seems rude and a little stupid given his successes in the early going. These changes change in turn their relationships with other characters, something that should have been anticipated and factored into the writing of individual scenes. Joffrey could have been shown as being a bit of a mummy€™s boy to allow Cersei to maintain some hold over him, which could have led to resentment and overcompensation on his part €“ giving him motivation for his vicious actions. We could have had a scene where Ned gently chides Catelyn for allowing Sansa to waste her time with chivalric romances when she should be preparing for an arranged marriage. Instead of which, we have clumsy alterations to character dynamics that are never fixed in the storytelling. But those aren€™t the worst character slip ups€