5. The White Walkers
Let's just spoil it and say that Samwell does indeed live. In fact, he lives so much that in the third book, he is one of two characters to get a new POV. After all, the readers do need to know what's going on in the Night's Watch with Jon off playing with the Wildlings. Samwell fits this role perfectly especially since he was so close to Jon to begin with. Being the last thing viewers see in season 2 shows that the White Walkers mean business. Especially since they're presumably heading for the Fist of the First Men where most of the Night's Watch is currently at. From what viewers know so far, only fire can kill them so being surrounded by snow and ice probably isn't going to help the Night's Watch's cause. The ensuing chaos is sure to remind them why they protect the realm to begin with.
4. Jaime and Brienne's Adventure to King's Landing
Wait, there's no previous POV character here? So which of these two is the other new POV besides Sam? It may be shocking that Jaime Lannister is the one who gets fleshed out and his addition is more than welcome. Why is this important and why should viewers be excited? For the first two books, Jaime was seen as a villain. After all, he has incestuous relations with his sister, he killed the king he was sworn to protect, and in the show, he killed his own cousin for crying out loud! So why does a villain of somewhat meager importance get his own chapters? The answer is not obvious at first, but will become so sooner than never. His adventures with Brienne, the taciturn warrior, prove to be among the favorites among book readers because of "changes" that occur. With readers finally able to get into the mind of the Kingslayer, his story unravels quite elegantly.