Game Of Thrones: 10 Moments The Show Could Have Done Better
10. The Shadow Assassin
One of the most shockingly bizarre moments came in the middle of the second season. Stannis and Renly Baratheon have taken up arms against one another in their bid for the Iron Throne. Stannis gives Renly an ultimatum: bend the knee by sunrise or be destroyed. Renly of course laughs it off. Unfortunately for him Stannis has Melisandre on his side, who gives birth to a shadow creature that assassinates Renly in his tent. It was the most explicit (in many ways) use of magic in the series up to that point. While those who only watch the show sat there dumbfounded at what they just watched, many book readers felt a little cold. The disappointment comes from the way the shadow assassin was rendered on screen. It is supposed to be an actual shadow, but the show turned it into a kind of smoky black vapor. This is a shame because a killer shadow is such a strange and unique visual; it would have been really great to see it on screen. It is apparent that this change was made because rendering a smoke monster is simply easier than a shadow, the description of which is very vague in the book. So while it is understandable why this change was made, the moment still misses some of the otherwordliness felt from the scene in the book. Its not a terrible adaptation of the scene, but it happens too quickly and is missing some of the elements that could have made it so much better.
