Warning:for HBO's Game of Thrones Seasons 1-5 follow - as well as how certain events differ from all of George R. R. Martin's books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series.

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Oh, Grow Up

"We're gettin' the Bran back together."

Cat's Cradle

Nagging is coming.

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Worst to Worstest

You will watch Chrisley Knows Best with me. Oh, yes. You will.

The Half Man's Half-Friend

Bronn admires Tyrion's "Grumpy Cat" impersonation.

Cup-Bearer

Emo Greyjoy

♫"I'm just a little bit caught in the middle..."

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The Nose Knows

Sure, you kept your nose. But hows about a haircut, hippie?

Purple Horseshoes

"He's got your Math'laknak."

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When it comes to adapting a beloved book, or book series, to the screen, there's simply no pleasing everyone. Once called "unfilmable" by author George R. R. Martin himself, the book series that HBO's Game of Thrones is based on was written with a specific disregard for adaptation/production budget; allowing for certain luxury of content and scope. Of course, HBO and EP's David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have found a way to successfully adapt (with Martin's blessing and producer credit) the dense, layered material depicting the addictively brutal power struggles found in the fantasy realms of Westeros and Essos.With one extreme end of the fan spectrum containing viewers who've never read the books and are just enjoying the HBO series as it comes, and the other containing die-hard book purists who don't agree with any single change made to the source material, the middle ground is filled with those who love the book series and the TV show, understanding the meaning of the word "adaptation" and recognizing the very specific differences between the two storytelling mediums.With the show now moving past Martin's novels completely - aside from a few lingering storylines from A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons - we've officially entered unknown territory for the most part. We know that Martin has told Benioff and Weiss how he intends to end the saga, but specifics regarding exactly how much was impacted to them aren't known. So, as it stands, the two of them will move the story along how they see fit. In a way that could drastically deviate from Martin's final books.Given that, here are some of the best changes, big and small, that the producers and writers have made so far over the course of the first five seasons.Considering some of the mature material that the child characters in Game of Thrones have to endure, it probably wouldn't have worked if, say, Robb was 14 at the start of the series. Or if Bran was seven. And can you imagine watching Daenerys experience her Dothraki adventure if she were 13? Yes, in the cruel "middle ages"-style world of the books, you were pretty much a man at five and a woman at minus three, but that wouldn't fly on TV. So everyone got aged up, and the kids were cast older.Catelyn Stark wasn't the easiest person to like, in the books or on the show. No, she wasn't terrible, just not a fan-favorite. And her stubborn resentment of Jon Snow didn't help her cause. But one of the things Benioff and Weiss did to make her a teensy more relatable and pleasent was that they had her, at the outset of the series, ask Ned to stay in Winterfell and to not go off to King's Landing to be Robert's "Hand of the King."Considering what happens to Ned, it would have been worse for Catelyn if they'd had her push Ned to leave and find Jon Arryn's killer like she did in the books.While there were plenty of moments within the books to let us know what a monster King Joffrey was, the show added even more. The books' format is that of specific "Point of View" characters, whose minds you get to enter as the story is told from their perspective and sight line. Joffrey, never a POV character, remained in the background for much of the books, but since the show simply can't have actors vanish for long stretches or entire seasons, we needed more Joffrey. Which meant MORE OF JOFFREY BEING AWFUL!So scenes involving Joffrey torturing and cross-bowing whores were inserted to really drive home the point that this kid was the ebola of people.The chumminess between Tyrion and Bronn exists in the books, but it's not as prevalent. Or, at least, Bronn's not as remarkable a character. The on-screen chemistry between Peter Dinklage and Jerome Flynn was evident right out of the gate, and back in Season 1 they were already having additional scenes together, including that fantastic "I Never" drinking game in Tyrion's tent. So Bronn becoming a more prominent figure has definitely made for a stronger show.While many of the colorful characters within Arya's journey through the first three books were shuffled and shifted around, her scenes - her pairings - produced some of the greatest moments on the show. Arya becoming Tywin Lannister's cup-bearer was AMAZING. In the books, she poured wine for Lord Bolton, but pairing her up with Tywin gave us the some of the best scenes in Season 2 while also bringing Tywin more to the forefront as a fleshed-out character.While Theon was peripheral character in Martin's first book, he became a POV character in A Clash of Kings. And rightfully so given his epic storyline. But Benioff and Weiss decided to make Theon a bit more sympathetic on the show than he came off in the books when he decided to turn his back on Robb Stark and join his father in raiding the Northern shores. So Theon actually wrestled with his decision on screen, even writing a note to Robb, warning him about his father's plan and advising him to head back North to protect the land.But Theon wound up burning the note, choosing the side of Greyjoy over Stark. A small moment, but it meant a lot in so far that it let us all in on his internal crisis of conscience.The Imp got to keep his nose. In the books, his nose was sliced off in the Battle of Blackwater and he continued on in the rest of the series being more hideously disfigured than he already was (yes, Tyrion not actually being grotesque already was another change). Peter Dinklage is, more or less, the face of the show. The face needs to have a nose. Plus, all the money saved on endless nose-removing CGI can now be spent on dragons.While feelings were mixed about some of the changes made to Daenerys' Season 2 story in Qarth, it's easy to understand that the writers were seeking to make what was mostly a very internalized story in the books into something more exciting and TV appropriate. So they turned Xaro into a violent usurper of power and had the warlocks kidnap Dany's dragons. Her venture into the perilous House of the Undying at the end wasn't as elaborate and foreboding as it was in the book, but it did contain a fantastic dream-like moment where she was taken back to her late love, Khal Drogo. Along with her unborn son, Rhaego.Going the "less is more" route, the show was able to convey so much about Dany's journey, and the road "not taken"/"lost to her," with one scene. This was a very different life she was seeing, and one that probably would have been filled with love but not the Iron Throne.

More great changes, including the Night's King, the Hound, and more on page 2...