As Seen on TV: Game of Thrones to feature many new scenes

Something became evident the first time I read the leaked pilot script almost two years ago now (wow, time flies), and that is that David Benioff and D. B. Weiss were not shy about inventing new scenes for this adaptation. Since then, we’ve heard of a number of scenes that will be added to the series.

Now some of these scenes are not strictly new. They may have been hinted at or mentioned in the books, but not shown. The TV series is not bound by the Point-Of-View restrictions that George R. R. Martin has in his writing, and as a result can show us things we only hear about in the books. That being said, many scenes are completely new and differ from the book’s version. Also, new characters have been created and have seemingly been given story lines to carry.

This raises some interesting questions. Are these new scenes necessary? How will they affect the story? Should we consider these scenes canon? Join us after the jump as we break down some of the new scenes (major spoiler alert!) and discuss what it means for the series.

Let’s start at the beginning. The leaked pilot script gave us a handful of new scenes, most of them revolving around the Lannisters. There is Tyrion and Jaime’s new introduction. Instead of taking place when they arrive at Winterfell, it happens in King’s Landing at, where else, a brothel. This scene gives us a glimpse of the relationship between Tyrion and Jaime and also introduces a new character, originally called simply “red-headed whore” but renamed to Ros. More on her later.

The other major addition, and this one a complete departure from the books, is a confrontation between Ned and Jaime that takes place during the feast at Winterfell. This confrontation serves the dual purpose of giving us some back story (The Kingslayer) but also sets up the animosity between the Starks and Lannisters. Another scene that will help establish this is an added scene between Jory and Jaime, which is there to give weight to their later confrontation. In light of this info, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jory die directly at Jaime’s hands in the TV series.

More new Lannister scenes include a Cersei and Catelyn scene, that surfaced in a casting side. Cersei visits Catelyn at Bran’s bedside, soon after his “fall”, where she reveals that she once lost a child at birth. The child, Cersei describes, had a full head of jet black hair. Cersei mentions that Robert was despondent over the loss of the child. This scene helps set up the central mystery of the first season. “The seed is strong.” Another scene that establishes this mystery is one with Pycelle and Cersei at Jon Arryn’s deathbed, discussing his last words. This scene was written out of the original pilot (all of the above scenes may have been written out by this point, we’re not sure), but there will certainly be at least one scene with Jon Arryn, since they’ve cast the character.

The Lannisters aren’t the only ones getting some new scenes. We’ve also heard that Syrio and Arya will get a new scene together, showing more of Arya’s training. Additionally, it was reported that Varys and Littlefinger will have a new scene together, presumably for them to talk about the “game of thrones” in veiled terms that won’t actually reveal how much the other knows. Littlefinger, being the good business owner that he is, also spends some quality time with his employees in a scene described as a “brothel training session.” This scene is set to feature the aforementioned Ros and a new prostitute named Armeca, played by adult film star Sahara Knite. That’s not all of course (this is HBO we’re talking about here), as we’ve heard we will get to see one of Loras and Renly’s infamous “praying” sessions. One concludes there won’t be an awful lot of praying going on, although someone will be on his knees.

Lastly, the rumors and speculation seem to point to Theon getting an increased role in this first season as well. It seems likely he will have some scenes not seen in the book, which include a lot of sleeping around (It’s not TV, it’s HBO). His main squeeze will probably be Kyra, someone who is mentioned in passing in the first book, but ends up with a slightly larger role in book two. But we’ve also heard that he has some scenes with our old friend Ros. One in which Theon encounters Ros leaving Winterfell and has a brief conversation with her that ends with Theon declaring “I’ll miss you!” Very interesting, indeed.

So these are the new scenes we have heard about, and from the way the writers have been talking, it sounds like there will be many more. So what does this mean for the series?

I think expanding on the books is a good idea. It is going to be great to see some scenes that were only hinted at in the books. And there are certain scenes that are necessary to fill in backstory via dialogue as opposed to the internal monologue used in the books. As far as new characters go, I don’t mind them. George R. R. Martin doesn’t seem to either as he has mentioned that he might find a way to work Ros into a future book. Still, I don’t want them to lose focus of the central storyline. New characters and new scenes are great and all, as long as they don’t interfere with the foundation of the story as laid out by Martin.

Another interesting question is whether these new scenes should be treated as canon? This is an issue A Song of Ice and Fire fans have never had to deal with since Martin has been the only one to create anything within this world. But now David and Dan have been given the keys to Westeros, so to speak, with Martin’s full blessing. Should these new scenes and characters be used while debating events that take place in the books? What about the episode that Martin himself writes? Could that be considered book canon? My feeling is that these scenes should be viewed separate from the books themselves. The TV series is an adaptation of the books, not an expansion. But it is interesting to think about.

What are you thoughts on these new scenes and characters? Do you want to see them? Are they necessary? Do you consider them series canon? Let us know in the comments below.

• Published on 11/10/2010 at 11:59 AM CDT
• Last updated on 11/10/2010 at 11:59 AM CDT