Game Of Thrones: 10 Things From The TV Show That WON'T Be In The Winds Of Winter

Let's hope you liked them, because you won't be seeing them again...

Game Of Thrones
HBO

One year later, the controversial final season of Game of Thrones, the conclusion of its epic fantasy saga, continues to leave a bitter taste in the mouth. While it would've been nigh-on impossible to satisfy the majority of fans given the outrageous hype and expectations built into a frenzy over the course of an entire decade, few expected the story to end with quite the whimper that it did.

Yet, avid fans of George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, the colossal books that spawned the HBO show, shouldn't despair. As early as season 4, the story of the show began to significantly depart from its source material, soon venturing into completely original territory with the series overtaking the progress of Martin's written works.

While Martin was forced to share certain brushstrokes regarding the ending of the story with showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, he has always maintained that his books will pan out differently in ways both minor and major. Though the two mediums may end up in roughly the same place, then, the routes taken to get there promise to be wildly different.

But even as the long wait for The Winds of Winter continues, we don't need to read the much-anticipated next book in the series to know that some key moments from the show simply won't be taking place in book form. Whether you liked or loathed them, here are the scenes that you won't be seeing on the page.

10. Ramsay Assaults Sansa

Game Of Thrones
HBO

In The Show:

In season 5, Littlefinger’s devious political machinations entail arranging a marriage between Sansa Stark and everyone’s least favourite bastard, Ramsay Bolton. It was always clear that Sansa was heading into a world of hurt from the second Littlefinger revealed his plans, and Ramsay doesn’t waste any time in showing that he deserves his demonic reputation.

In a truly horrific and upsetting scene, the brutal Ramsay seals their wedding night by subjecting Sansa to sexual assault, while the emotionally broken manservant Theon Greyjoy, essentially Sansa’s foster brother, is forced to watch powerlessly. Sansa Stark had always believed in fairytales prior to her traumatising experiences over the course of the show, and things showed no signs of improving here.

Why It WON’T Happen In Winds:

In the books, it is of course Sansa’s childhood friend Jeyne Poole who suffers the misfortune of being passed off as a Stark daughter and married off to the appalling Ramsay.

Though pictures paint a thousand words, Ramsay’s sadistic treatment of his new bride on the page is even worse than how it’s portrayed in the series. Thankfully, the worst is already gone - at the end of A Dance With Dragons, Theon rescues Jeyne as they leap from the walls of Winterfell.

Sansa, meanwhile, is safe and sound (for now) at The Eyrie, with Littlefinger’s grand plan being to marry her to the heir to The Vale. If she does wind up married, then, at least it can’t be any worse than with Ramsay.

Contributor

Chest thumping James Bond and Haruki Murakami fanatic living in China. Once had a fever dream about riding a rowboat with Davos Seaworth. He hasn't updated this section since Game of Thrones was cool, and boy does it show.