1. The Whitewashing Of Tyrion
HBOTyrion Lannister is a very different character in the show compared to the books. In Game of Thrones, he's just about the closest thing we've got to a straight-up hero. However, he's a much greyer character in the books, ruthless and occasionally cruel. Despite Peter Dinklage providing one of television's greatest performances, the whitewashing of Tyrion has meant that later events in the series just don't make a huge amount of sense. We are, of course, speaking about the murder of Shae and Tywin. In the show, it's assumed that he kills Shae for her betrayal, and Tywin for the long years of mistreatment and under-appreciation. However, when you look at it closely, it just doesn't hold up under scrutiny. In particular, murdering Shae (someone he's literally been paying to sleep with) for being in Tywin's bed just makes Tyrion seem like a murdering psychopath. It was a huge surprise in the books, but it also didn't seem like a massive step out of character. In previous chapters, Tyrion had slapped Shae for being out of line, broken a singer's fingers out of malice, and fantasized about hurting those that wronged him. Worst of all though, the show removed the big reason for Tyrion snapping. If you'll recall from a couple of seasons ago, it was mentioned that Tyrion once had a wife named Tysha, long before the events of the show. However, shortly after the marriage, Jaime revealed that Tysha was just a whore that he'd hired to make Tyrion feel better, and Tywin ordered his soldiers to essentially gang rape her. One of the big revelations in Storm of Swords happens when Jaime frees Tyrion from his prison cell. Jaime explains that he had actually lied about Tysha being a whore, on the request of Tywin, meaning that she had actually genuinely been in love with Tyrion. This leads to Tyrion lashing out viciously at Jaime, before going on to murder Shae and his father. The whole 'life has been a lie' revelation is a more understandable trigger for Tyrion to go on a murderous rampage, unlike the flimsy excuse served up by the show. Character motivations and choices have always been a huge part of the series and, in this case, the show completely dropped the ball.
Is there anything that you've been disappointed with in Game of Thrones? Are we wrong about everything on this list and you're going to tell us exactly why? Let us know in the comments below!