Winds of Winter is probably coming out sometime next year, if the rumors are correct, and of course Old Man Internet has lots of ideas about what’s going to be in the next A Song of Ice and Fire book. He likes to tell his tales, that one! And they range all over the place. One thing that’s not much of a guide for us: The Game of Thrones season 5 finale. It’s easy to forget, since some months have passed, but the show’s latest season left the books entirely behind. And that issue isn’t going to go away in Game of Thrones season 6.
The Game Of Thrones Season 5 Finale Ruined Everything
When I first watched the Game of Thrones season 5 finale, it ruined the show for me. I’ve backed down on that feeling somewhat since then… but then I remembered what actually happened in it. It’s bad, folks. It’s real bad. Let me remind you: Sansa went to Winterfell, married Ramsay Bolton, suffered terribly, and then was spirited away by Theon. This was supposed to happen to Jeyne “Arya Stark” Poole. Brienne and Pod came up to save her. Stannis killed Shireen in a sacrifice, and Selyse killed herself. Then he lost the Battle of Winterfell and Brienne (maybe) killed him. None of that happened in the books! Stannis hasn’t fought the battle yet, and Shireen and Selyse are both very much alive (Melisandre isn’t even with Stannis; she’s still at the Wall).
Other dumb stuff happened too: Myrcella was killed instead of slightly injured; Jaime’s harebrained scheme in Dorne went foul; Varys showed up in Meereen, of all places; Tyrion won a privileged position at Dany’s court (actually, I’m fine with that); Jorah got greyscale, and Aegon Targaryen never showed up. It’s a sea change from the books: It’s an entirely different world now.
The show has made bigger changes than the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter movies ever did compared to their source material. It’s practically a different fantasy series altogether at this point, or a weird Fanfic of Ice and Fire for the television. I’m sorry to say it, but the reverberations from the changes in Game of Thrones season 5 have no easy fix—especially since the people behind the show don’t want to fix them. After all, they made those changes on purpose. And the result is something completely different. It’s a shame.
At least we’ll always have the books. Not that they’re even out yet!
