8 Game Of Thrones Moments That Are So Much Better In The Book

8. Jaime Lannister Doesn't Kill His Cousin To Escape Robb Stark's Camp (Because It's Completely Out Of Character)

In both the books and the television show, Jaime Lannister is by far one of the most compelling characters. He's a character that is fundamentally misunderstood by basically everybody on the entire show, and is considered to be a vastly worse person than he really is. Though initially it seems like Jaime is just a total bastard, it's later revealed just how wrong this perception is, and how Jaime has actually spent the majority of his life fighting against his misaligned Westerosi reputation. It's a fairly large character twist when we discover that Jaime €“ aka The Kingslayer €“ murdered Mad King Aerys not as a twisted act of betrayal, but in order to save the lives of pretty much the entirety of King's Landing. Jaime tells Brienne that Aerys' last orders were for Jaime to kill his father and burn the whole city and its people with wildfire. In an act of defiance €“ and in order to save thousands of lives €“ Jaime killed the Mad King. This whole twist, then, hinges on the fact that Jaime actually doesn't kill those he's loyal to, or those who are his kin, for completely no reason. Jaime's act was caused by necessity, and was in no way for personal gain. Yet in the season two episode A Man Without Honor, Jaime brutally murders his cousin Ser Alton in order to escape from capture by the Stark army. It may seem like a slight moment, but it's a complete betrayal of Jaime's character, and makes absolutely no sense when you consider the reveal that comes later. Even more bizarrely, the character isn't even in the books, but was actually created exclusively for the show €“ so, needless to say, the scene in the book does not involve the ruthless murder of Jaime's own family member.