‘Game of Thrones’ Made 2 Mistakes It Could Never Undo
The article argues that two Season 5 storylines made lasting changes to *Game of Thrones*: Sansa Stark’s marriage to Ramsay Bolton and Jaime Lannister’s trip to Dorne. It says these departures from George R.R. Martin’s books altered the plot’s knock-on effects and weakened the pacing of Jaime’s redemption arc.
In the books, Sansa remains in the Vale, learning from Littlefinger, while Ramsay’s bride is Jeyne Poole, who is made to impersonate Arya Stark. That deception gives the Boltons a claim in the North and prompts Jon Snow to send wildlings to rescue her. Jaime, meanwhile, is sent by Cersei to the Riverlands, where he tries to settle the conflict; Bronn is not with him. The supplied article text ends mid-sentence while describing a letter from Cersei.
- Season 5 changed Sansa’s story and Ramsay’s bride.
- Jaime’s Dorne trip replaced his Riverlands storyline.
- The article says both changes weakened the adaptation.
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Game of Thrones is a television adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy novels, set in a world where rival families fight for control of the Seven Kingdoms. The Stark family’s claim to the North and the Lannisters’ hold on power drive much of the conflict.
Sansa Stark is a Stark daughter, Ramsay Bolton is a brutal northern lord, and Jaime Lannister is a member of the powerful Lannister family whose loyalties and actions change over the series. In the novels, Sansa remains in the Vale with the scheming Littlefinger, while Ramsay marries Jeyne Poole, who is passed off as Sansa’s sister Arya; Jaime is sent to the Riverlands to deal with a conflict there.
These differences matter because who is believed to be a Stark heir affects alliances and resistance in the North. Jaime’s journey also forms part of his changing relationship with his family and his sense of honour.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The article’s criticism has a strong case: moving Sansa into Ramsay’s storyline displaced the Vale plot and its political education, while also changing the North’s succession and rescue dynamics. Sending Jaime to Dorne instead of the Riverlands removed a book storyline central to his gradual change, so the adaptation may have made his redemption feel less coherent and the season’s pacing weaker.
The case against
A television adaptation can reasonably reshape characters and combine plotlines to create immediate drama, use familiar actors, and fit the limits of a different medium. Sansa’s ordeal could be seen as giving her a direct confrontation with power that informs her later choices, while Jaime’s Dorne journey brought him into contact with another political world and helped the show distinguish itself from the books; those choices may be uneven without being irreparable mistakes.