How does the series premiere of Game of Thrones compare to its book counterpart?

It's now been over a decade since Game of Thrones first aired on HBO, but that doesn't mean that the fans have forgotten it. There are admittedly many who have disowned the show for its notoriously divisive final season, but the disappointment of those episodes is a direct result of how beloved the show was in the beginning.

One way for fans to experience the magic all over again is by reading the books that the show was based on: George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. The first book, A Game of Thrones, came out in 1991, when many fans were too young to read it. I am one of those who watched the show first, and reading the source material has added a lot of depth to my understanding of the franchise.

With another season of House of the Dragon years away and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms not expected until late 2025, now is the perfect time to go back and watch the first season of Game of Thrones again, knowing how it was done in George R. R. Martin's original books.

The first episode, "Winter Is Coming," by itself a lot of intriguing differences from the book, as well as scenes that were translated exactly, with dialogue that follows the text line for line. Here are the major events I noticed in rewatching the premiere that are different from the book, along with my thoughts on whether the changes were for better or worse.

First Encounter with the White Walkers

Both the books and the television series begin with an encounter between the Night's Watch and the White Walkers, which immediately pulls the audience into the story. This tells the readers what the real threat is from the get-go, urging them to not get distracted by the political intrigue, as the characters are wont to do.

In the book, a party of three rangers is sent after a group of wildlings. Their scout, Will, finds their bodies, seemingly frozen to death. But when he returns with his brothers, they are gone. He climbs a tree to seek them out, and Ser Waymar Royce comes face to face with an Other, a name for the White Walkers not used in the show. Royce puts up a good fight but is eventually cut down. When Will climbs down to see what happened, an undead Royce rises again and strangles him.

The show portrays this completely differently. To start, the wildlings were brutally dismembered and laid out in a pattern, as though they were meant to be found. When the Walkers arrive, they stab Royce without a fight and then chase the other men through the woods. Eventually, a Walker beheads the third man, tossing his head to the scout.

On the surface, these scenes are quite similar, with some elements added for visual effect. However, the show lacks much of the tension and paranoia of the book, because the Walkers seem to want people to know they're coming. Why dismember bodies that they could use? Why arrange them in a pattern for no one to see? Why deliberately leave one man alive, to tell what he saw?

None of this is unacceptable, but it does suggest a very different mentality behind the Walkers. Their greatest advantage, through almost the entire series, is that very few people believe they exist. Why would they give that up to terrify one man?

The Execution of a Deserter

From there, the story turns to Winterfell, where Ned shares his philosophy with his children: "the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword." He's taking his kids out to see him execute a Night's Watch deserter. The show gives a bit of insight into daily life in Winterfell first, which is a useful change. There's less time elsewhere in the show to linger on the dynamics at Winterfell, so the audience gets a quick introduction to the Starks, their skills, and their interests.

The actual execution itself is relatively consistent between the two versions, although the deserter in the book is the one who stayed with the horses, not the one who directly encountered the White Walkers. Either way, he is terrified, and his account of what happened beyond the Wall is ignored, an excellent early case of southern beliefs overshadowing evidence of the undead.

Finding the Direwolves

After the desserter is executed, Robb Stark and his bastard half-brother Jon Snow stumble upon the direwolf pups. This scene is full of symbolism, but it goes farther in the show than the book. In both versions, the direwolves' mother had been killed by an stab, symbolizing how House Baratheon would be responsible for the death of the current generation of Starks. But in the show, they first find the disembowled stag, foreshadowing Robert's fate.

Although these scenes could be interpreted as having the wolf and stag kill each other, Stark ward Theon Greyjoy suggests that the creature that killed the stag might have been a mountain lion, bringing in more symbolism. After all, both Robert and Ned will be killed by Lannisters, whose symbol is the lion, despite the fact that Joffrey is originally presented as a Baratheon. This is a worthwhile addition, helping to establish the upcoming conflicts with a little more complexity than the original.

The Lannisters discuss Jon Arryn

Although the beginning of the episode is incredibly similar to the opening of the book, it then shifts to a scene at King's Landing where Cersei and Jaime Lannister openly discuss killing Jon Arryn for finding out a secret about them that would get them killed.

Although the explicit nature of that secret is not stated, this scene has a lot of implications for the rest of the season. In the book, there is a lot of reason to doubt Lysa Arryn when she claims the Lannisters killed her husband. And though Cersei and Jaime's affair is revealed fairly quickly, the true parentage of their kids Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen is not revealed until about two-thirds of the way through the book.

By adding this scene, there is far less ambiguity when it comes to Jon Arryn's death, and there is hardly any mystery about what secret he discovered. Like with the opening scene, the mystery has been eliminated in favor of explicit confirmation of the Lannister threat.

This is helpful in some ways, because it allows audiences to see more of Cersei's machinations, rather than simply being hit with them. She doesn't get her first POV chapter in A Song of Ice and Fire until A Feast for Crows, the fourth book, which limits how much audiences can understand and empathize with her. However, the change can make Ned feel like a bit of an idiot, since viewers already know the secret he takes so long to figure out.

Incidentally, according to Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, this scene was added after the fact to establish that Cersei and Jaime were siblings, something test audiences didn't pick up on in the early viewings of the pilot.

Tyrion Lannister's Introduction

Tyrion Lannister is perhaps done the most dirty in the transition from book to screen, largely because season 1 is so focused on vulgarity. Rather than arriving in Winterfell with his siblings, Tyrion is in a brothel, flirting with a prostitute. It's not out of character for him, per se. He admits to sleeping with whores hundreds of times elsewhere in the book, but having it be his introduction is off-putting.

In the book, Tyrion is a font of wisdom when he comes to Winterfell, primarily for Jon. They bond about being outcasts from society, and he becomes a mentor of sorts for Jon. He doesn't actually have sex until the last hundred pages or so of the book, because other things have his attention.

While Tyrion certainly enjoys sex, he comes across as a bit of a romantic in the first book, holding onto the memory of his first wife and wanting his relationship with the prostitute Shae to be monogamous. He seeks emotional intimacy far more than physical intimacy. The show will portray this more in the future, but the first episode provides a very limited view of one of the fans' favorite characters.

The Baratheon royal family comes to Winterfell

Many of the interactions between the Starks and the Baratheon royal family come right out of the book, although much was cut out for time. Perhaps the most important parts, included nearly in their entirely, are the conversations between Ned Stark and King Robert Baratheon in the Winterfell crypts; these talks help establish the dynamic between the two men while also providing some of the backstory about their father figure Jon Arryn and Ned's late sister Lyana.

However, there are very few interactions shown between the younger generations of each family. Rather than showing the hostility between the younger Starks and Baratheon-Lannisters, the show focuses on the relationships between the Starks. While there is some fawning over the young Prince Joffrey from Sansa Stark, the biggest thing the show depicts is her annoyance with Arya, from her running commentary when the king arrives to Arya flicking food at Sansa.

The biggest absence is Joffrey's interactions with Robb, the eldest Stark son. In the show, Robb makes a snarky comment about him to Jon and Theon, but that's all the interaction they get. In the book, they develop a hostile dynamic, largely due to Joffrey mocking Robb's skill with a sword. The boys spar, but Robb is still using wooden practice blades, which makes his shift to leading his troops into battle by the end of the book feel very significant.

The show cuts this interaction entirely, which is a matter of prioritization. Joffrey will give Robb plenty of reasons to hate him later on. But the childish insults and youthful rivalry in the book help show why Robb felt so determined to prove himself later on. The decision to focus on the Starks' relationships with each other makes sense, since it's the only opportunity to see them all together. However, I do miss some of the complexity that the books provide.

Daenerys Targaryen's introduction

Although most of the first episode is focused on the Starks, Daenerys does get two scenes to capture the audience's attention. Unfortunately, her presentation is incredibly shallow in this first episode. While many of the scenes are taken word-for-word from the book, the absence of her thoughts means they fall flat.

Overall, the relationships between the Targaryens and the wealthy trader Illyrio Mopatis are established, and Daenerys' older brother Viserys is shown to be a monster, though one more inclined toward lechery than cruelty. However, we learn next to nothing about Daenerys herself. Actor Emilia Clarke keeps up a vacant stare for much of the episode, which makes it hard to connect with her.

In some ways, this works. It's possible to feel how broken she is, having been in exile all of her life, raised by her cruel and ignorant brother. But we don't get her personality. When she steps into the too-hot bath, we don't know that it's her way of reminding herself that she is blood of the dragon. When Illyrio promises Viserys the world, we don't see her suspicion, all of which we get in the book. With so much to cover, Daenerys' identity before joining the Dothraki is almost completely sacrificed, at least in this first episode.

Benjen Stark's conversations at Winterfell

Back in Winterfell, the nobles feast while Jon stays outside, taking out his bitterness on a practice dummy. This is a minor deviation from the book, where he was merely seated in a less dignified place. Either way, it gives him the opportunity to talk to both Tyrion and Benjen, his uncle. While the conversation with Tyrion is pretty much the same as in the book, his interaction with Benjen is a bit confusing.

In both versions of the story, Benjen makes brief comments about how Jon would be welcome in the Night's Watch, only to push back strongly when Jon indicates that he wants to go. However, the nuances of why Benjen brings it up in the book are lost. In the show, he just mentions that bastards are welcome at the Night's Watch, only to scold Jon for wanting to give up his freedom so young.

In the book, they have a much longer conversation where they discuss the tension between Ned, Robert, and Cersei. Benjen compliments Jon on his observational skills and says he would be useful in the Night's Watch. When he pushes back on Jon actually joining, it feels more like a test, with Jon having to argue his reasons for wanting to go.

Again, this is not a major change, but it makes it so those who have only watched the show don't know how close Jon and Benjen were, and how Benjen tried to look out for his nephew. One part of their cut conversation also focused on Jon's admiration for Daeron I Targaryen, whose story has many parallels to Jon's.

Instead of that, however, audiences get a scene between Benjen and Ned that was fully created for the show. This, I think, was a positive change. Benjen is a leader in the Night's Watch, so it only makes sense that he could serve as a liason between Ned and the Wall. He defends the deserter, explaining that he wasn't just a coward and alluding to the rising threats they face.

This scene is wonderful, giving audiences a better understanding of the brothers' relationship and continuing to show how little validity is given to the threat beyond the Wall. Ned may be a Northern lord, but even he refuses to believe in the supernatural forces at play. This willful ignorance is precisely how the problem got as big as it did.

Daenerys' wedding to Khal Drogo

In the book, Daenerys is scared and alone, but she is at the center of her story. It's told from her perspective, and readers learn that she was able to find joy even in situations where she was clearly a pawn. She is incredibly grateful in the books for the help of Jorah Mormont, feels an instant connection with the dragon eggs, and loves riding her horse. Her arranged husband Drogo chose her horse because its coloring reminded him of her hair; it's the first personal interaction they have. She is thrilled by the experience, asking a translator to, “Tell Khal Drogo that he has given me the wind.” These little moments show what she values, how she accepts the role she has been given, and how she bolsters herself when she is afraid. The show loses all of this

But of course, the biggest change is the wedding night. In both versions of the story, Daenerys is afraid, and in both versions, Viserys pressures her. But only onscreen is the wedding night a violent rape scene. There is absolutely an argument to be made that their union was inherently statutory rape, but the book scene is written with overt consent.

Though Khal Drogo does tell her “no” in the books, he is telling her not to cry and not to be ashamed of her body. When it comes to the actual consummation, he asks for permission, and she agrees. This is not to say it was morally right, but it shows her making the active choice to give him access to her body.

The show goes the complete opposite direction. Drogo has all of the control, undressing her and controlling her body. There is no question of permission, because he takes what he wants. This is a change George R. R. Martin himself has condemned.

I don’t believe that it was romantic in the books, and I won’t argue that it was acceptable, but Daenerys was the one who got to make the final decision. This is an important moment for her character, because while she was abused before and after this moment, her way of navigating a brutal situation is what helped her to gain power later.

Daenerys' circumstances gave her very little control over her life. But the writers of the show took away what little agency she did have, presenting her as the puppet Viserys sees her as, rather than the clever, resilient girl she is. Neither situation is good. But I’d rather see how she as a human being handles the situation than just force her to follow the path set out for her.

Bran Stark's fall

The pilot episode of Game of Thrones ends with Bran Stark’s fall from the broken tower, pushed by Jaime Lannister after he finds Jaime having sex with his sister Cersei, King Robert's queen. Bran's proclivity for climbing is shown earlier in the episode, which helps set up this moment. But the book spends a lot of time with Bran on his climb, showing again and again that he would never have fallen on his own. This is important to why the Starks might think he was pushed.

Furthermore, the book has Cersei and Jaime talking about their schemes in the tower, a scene that was largely translated into an earlier scene in this episode. While that change isn’t particularly significant, it adds to why Jaime would feel the need to kill a small child. Bran had not only seen them in a compromising position, but he had also heard them discussing the death of Jon Arryn and alluding to the secret he knew.

It makes sense that those details would be cut, because they were established elsewhere and would take too much time to do again. However, it once again flattens the show’s most complex characters. Jaime pushing a child out of a tower is incredibly effective at making audiences hate him, but the show makes it seem like he is indifferent to or enjoys doing it, while the book stages it as something he does out of necessity, with “loathing” directed at either Cersei or himself.

By and large, the first episode of Game of Thrones is incredibly faithful to the book, with many scenes torn straight from the pages. However, the loss of internal monologues leads to some serious problems with characterization. In some parts, it feels like the characters are simply going through the actions George R. R. Martin prescribed to them, rather than feeling like people with distinct personalities, acting as they would in a given situation.

A Game of Thrones built a world far too complex for a television show to capture. The fact that the series did manage to show so much of the scale and fantastical elements from the books is amazing and worthy of praise. However, I find it hard not to see the show as being a bit two-dimensional in comparison to the book, because it loses so many of the thoughts and attitudes of its characters.

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