Game Of Thrones Season 4: 10 Book Deviations We'd Love To See

6. The Tower Of Joy

One of the greatest mysteries presented by the series is the enigmatic identity of Jon Snow's mother. If anyone here is unfamiliar with the famous "R + L = J" theory, then maybe skip past this one if you want to remain completely unspoiled. Still with us? Good. Then you know exactly what we're talking about when we say that it's about time the series started delving into the Lyanna Stark subplot/backstory that Martin has deemed so important. The show has generally shied away from flashbacks, and for good reason; the material is dense enough as it is, so there's no reason to to start ripping out pages from "Lost." However, since the Lyanna theory is almost certainly true €“ seriously, guys, we're more sure about this than we are about our own parentage €“ it'd be nice if the show-runners started throwing a bone to the television crowd. And if flashbacks are to remain a strict no-no, how about some expository dialogue in the form of a story? On a surface level, Ned's quest to rescue Lyanna from the Tower of Joy reflects the classic "damsel in the tower" archetype, only that it ends with her death. Having Littlefinger relate the story to Sansa would put yet another knife in Ginger Stark's fairy-tale reality. Sansa may be a princess locked in a (metaphorical) tower, but there is no Prince Dashing riding to save her. And drawing a parallel between Sansa and Lyanna would highlight Sansa's eventual evolution into Alayne Stone and foreshadow the idea that maybe €“ just maybe €“ Sansa Stark might break out of the role of perpetual pawn and become a legitimate player in the game of thrones.