Spoilers for the associated book series as well as the most recent episodes await you!
So far, I have been absolutely loving the extra scenes and changes made throughout the series. Even when I do have issues (why is it EVEN NECESSARY to change Asha’s name? Why?) they’re relatively minor. I wriggle with glee every time Varys and Littlefinger enter, because the characterization is so on-point. Though…Varys isn’t nearly slimy enough, to my way of thinking. Good thing Littlefinger has that in spades. Even better are their scenes together. Watching those two try and out-smarm each other makes my soul smile.
What I really adore this season: Margaery Tyrell. Last season hinted at great things to come, but this season she’s really come into her own and that makes me happy. I also really like Natalie Dormer and have done since the Tudors. This makes me a minority in some circles, apparently? Ain’t even mad. I think she’s a fantastic actress and it pleases me that the writers have made Margaery more overtly manipulative from the get-go. Her scenes with Joffrey give me life. She’s leading him by the nose and it is beautiful. The scene from last week’s episode with the crossbow? Get the actual fuck out. That was so well-done and creepy as shit.
However. Having said that. There’s one change that I can’t get on board with (yet. Maybe I will look back on this and eat my words.) and that’s the early spoiling of the Littlefinger/Sansa plot. I get cutting out Ser Dontos, though he did have his scene last season. But there better be one motherfucker of a pay-off to this, because Littlefinger’s involvement in the Ser Dontos escape was one (if not the) best tablecloth-yank of Storm of Swords. The hints, the red herrings, the eventual reveal…it was goddamn literary perfection and I was most displeased to see the show take a different direction. As much as I love the pissing matches between Varys and LIttlefinger, I don’t see how even this battle of wits could be as satisfying. And from a characterization standpoint, why would Varys keep this information to himself? He’d immediately go to Cersei. There’s no reason why he would waste his time pondering the psyche of Petyr Baelish when he could instead take his competition down a peg. Unless we’re meant to believe that he wants Sansa gone? I don’t buy that motive, either. He’s nothing if not practical, and he knows the best place for Sansa Stark, in his perspective at least, is there in King’s Landing.
I dunno. I’m reserving judgement, but this is our first big fight and I don’t know how we’ll go from here.
As a side note, seeing Dany being all badass and confident makes me even sadder when I remember Dance with Dragons. How the mighty have fallen, y’all.
Words with Hannah 