10 Scenes in Game of Thrones Season One versus the Books

In the books: Daenerys Targaryen eventually consents to intercourse with Khal Drogo. In the show: Daenerys Targaryen is raped on her wedding night.

Episode 2: The Kingsroad

In the books: Jon Snow decides to join the Night’s Watch completely on his own and no one wants to stop him. There are also no requests by Lady Catelyn for him to leave. In the show: As Jon says goodbye to Bran, Lady Catelyn asks him to leave.

Episode 3: The Kingsroad

In the books: In the novel A Clash of Kings, Jaime describes thoroughly to Catelyn how the Mad King killed them: Rickard Stark was taken to the throne room and suspended from the rafters, dressed in his armor, while a fire was lit beneath him. Then Brandon Stark was brought in, his hands chained behind his back, and around his neck a leather cord attached to a device. His legs were left free, and his longsword was set down just beyond his reach. While Rickard was roasted alive slowly, Brandon tried to reach his sword so he could free his father, but doing so tightened the cord constricted around his throat. Brandon strangled himself while helplessly watching his father burn to death. In the show: Jaime Lannister and Eddard Stark mention only briefly the death of Eddard’s father and brother, Rickard and Brandon by King Aerys II.

Episode 4: Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things

In the books: Castle Black has no walls or gate so that the Night’s Watch can only defend enemies coming from the North, thus unable to rebel against the Seven Kingdoms. In the show: Castle Black is shown to have walls and a gate.

Episode 5: The Wolf and the Lion

In the books: The fight between Ser Jaime and Eddard never happens. Jaime only tries to frighten Eddard and orders his men to kill the Star guards. The fight ends with Eddard’s horse falling on him, shattering his leg. In the show: Ser Jaime confronts Eddard at the brothel and the two trade blows ending with Eddard taking a spear to the leg.

Episode 6: A Golden Crown

In the books: Tyrion’s trial by combat takes place in the Eyrie’s garden and Bronn defeats Lysa’s champion with a stab to the chest. Also, the Moon Door is a side door. In the show: The trial takes place in the High Hall and Lysa’s champion is stabbed in the neck and thrown down the Moon Door… which is on the floor.

Episode 7: You Win or You Die

In the books: In Eddards confrontation with Cersei about Jaime, Cersei attempts to seduce Eddard in the book and slaps him when he spurns her advances. Cersei reveals that she never gave birth to any child of Robert, and the only time she got pregnant from him – she had an abortion. Robert was unaware of both the pregnancy and the abortion. In the show: Eddard confronts Cersei and tells her that he knows the secret that Jon Arryn died for. Cersei doesn’t deny the charge and confesses to hating King Robert. She departs, dropping the infamous line, “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.”

Episode 8: The Pointy End

In the books: The book merely depicts a conversational confrontation between Mago and Khal Drogo. Mago stands down, lives another day and Khal Drogo is injured by a bloodrider of Khal Ogo – which eventually kills him. In the show: There is a duel between Khal Drogo and Mago in which Drogo slices open Mago’s throat and rips his tongue out. This was added into the show because actor Jason Momoa believed that the audience hadn’t been shown Khal Drogo’s combat prowess.

Episode 9: Baelor

In the books: In the battle, Tyrion is depicted giving a battle speech before riding in the vanguard and fighting a knight whom he eventually causes to yield. He also spears a horse with a frickin’ unicorn helmet – the only thing that will fit his head. In the show: He gets knocked out before the battle even starts and he wakes up after everything is over.

Episode 10: Fire and Blood

In the books: In the pyre scene, Daenerys steps into the fire and and emerges nursing three dragons as she was pregnant. Though her skin is unburnt, all of her hair has burned away (but grows back naturally). In the show: She enters the pyre at night and emerges in the morning with three hatched dragons.