Game Of Thrones: 10 Things The Show Did Better Than The Books
5. The Red Viper Versus The Mountain
Now to be fair, this moment is pretty intense and gory in the book as well.
Tyrion has opted for trial by combat to prove his innocence against his charge of regicide. Oberyn Martell (The Red Viper) has volunteered to be his champion in order to go up against Gregor Clegane, aka The Mountain.
The outcome is the same in both the show and the book, it's just that the show is more... in your face.
The show's fight is far more action driven and tense to watch on TV than to read in the book, which substitutes the tension of showing a close combat fight with writing extra gory details instead.
When it looks like the good guys are about to win, which never goes down well in this series, things get very, very messy.
There's no foreshadowing; it comes out of the blue when you least expect it and grabs your attention, particularly with the added benefit of sound: screams, crunches and splatter are much more chilling.
Whilst GoT has had some very harrowing moments, this is one of the most intense and visceral. Gore is not meant to be subtle, hence why this version trumps the book.