I can't remember all of them, but I'll list a couple off the top of my head.

*MILD SPOILERS*

1) As far as Arya at Harrenhal goes, the scenes between Arya and Tywin are excellent, allowing Tywin's character to be fleshed out first hand earlier - and a little more - than it is in the books. This is done by altering the chronology from the books. When Arya first comes to Harrenhal Twin is off beating Roose Bolton so he's not there to make him his cup bearer. Instead she's a scullion made under a brutal work overseer, a portion of the book I particularly enjoy as I feel it makes Arya's choices as to who she wants H'Ghar to kill for her more difficult. Having Tywin, Arya and H'ghar at Harrenhal when H'Ghar has granted her three deaths opens up something of a plot hole. In the books Arya asks H'Ghar about killing someone like Joffrey or Tywin and he says that he will kill them but in time, causing her to focus on more immediate revenge, highlighting that she's still very much a impetuous child. However, with Tywin right there, one has to wonder why Arya doesn't use one of her three deaths on him, a man who is warring with her family and planning such in her presence.

2) I really like how Daenerys' time in Qarth. From an entertainment standpoint The Spice King is an excellent addition and makes those scenes far more enjoyable to sit through than they were in the books. A minor criticism I might level at this section is that The Spice King seems a little to nonchalant about the arrival of dragons in his city, though that could be chalked up to him deliberately to strengthen his bargaining position. I'm intrigued to see where the events from the end of the last episode take us. I imagine the warlocks are responsible and this will lead Daenery's to the House of the Undying, as opposed to her simply tiring of Daxos' advances and going there of her own volition.

3) The scene between Robert and Cersei from the first season was very touching, giving some fresh, interesting insight into the two characters' relationship and humanizing them more than they were in the books.

4) I think the overt homosexuality between Renly and Loras was unneeded. I think it played out better from repeated, subtle hints in the books. As it is in the show it feels exploitative and overly melodramatic. It does allow for the ruthlessness Margaery Tyrell to be spelled out early on, but I don't know whether this will be a good or bad thing until much later on in the series.

That's all I can think of at the moment. I may post more examples if any come to mind.

minor spoilerssome of the main differences i like are fleshing out the non-point-of-view characters (from the books) and giving them motives and ambitions that you can't pick up on as well in the books. like margaery tyrell is never much of a focus. you only hear about her through other characters' chapters. she's important but you don't get to know her. her scenes so far have been great and i'm really interested in her character now, especially as she becomes more significant in certain story lines later on (intentionally vague statement).

like fs said, tywin's scenes are great. i was amazed by charles dance in the first season when he skins and guts the deer while lecturing jaime in his tent. that was one of my favorite scenes, now that i think about it. the writers have definitely made an effort to put more focus on the characters who have been acted the most compellingly, like tywin and robb. tywin doesn't have many central scenes in the books that i can recall--he's mostly a man whose reputation precedes him--but charles dance has earned them by being so fucking good. robb isn't even in the second book, but i read the directors were so impressed with him in season one that they forcefully worked his storyline into season two instead of waiting for it to pick up again in season three. he's never even a pov-character in the books actually. making him a main character in the tv series has been a good move.


on another note, i can't wait for roose bolton's bastard to be formally introduced.

and damn ygritte is feisty. i like her.

Okay, I actually thought about this one when I first saw the episodes, and the way I saw it is, up until the arrival of Tywin, everyone in the camp was pretty guaranteed to be horribly tortured and killed. When he arrives he brings some civility to Harenhall, therefore killing him would indeed be a great boon to her family, but in the immediate she and her friends would be back under the dominion of the assholes who initially ran the keep. So rather than displaying impetulance, she is actually showing restraint and resonability, targetting those who would do her immediate harm and perhaps saving Tywin for later, if at all. It's a great counterpart to the earlier scenes where she is fanticizing about killing Joffrey, Cersei, and the Hound, yet when the time comes she doesn't even immediately think of any of those three.

Just a different perceptive perhaps. Oh and as far as the last one, I have a great answer: it's HBO, so they ate that shit up (figuratively speaking of course).

gregor clegane in charge is the fucking bane

I also think its because she actually values the relationship she has with him as one of the only sane people there and as someone who is treating her pretty well. It's pretty tough to order the death of a non-asshole even if it would help your family (obviously she doesn't know too much about his own asshole past but he hasn't been an asshole to her). In any case I haven't read the books so I don't know for sure but I'm pretty certain that Tywin knows she is Arya Stark (his response to when she said loyalty killed her father is rather telling).

Just finished my run through the series up to the current ep. I want to read this thread but I'm scared that y'all have been discussing the books and will spoil everything for me. (I have no intention of reading the books until the show ends at the earliest.) Can someone let me know whether it's safe to read?

I haven't read the books either. It is safe to read as people have been blocking out any spoilers in white text. I would skip over Jess's list of his favorite characters from the books though as it might give some tip-offs.

i can go ahead and white out my posts

wow that was fast, thank you kindly

As someone who has never been remotely interested in fantasy (even compared to other genre fiction like sci-fi) and in particular fantasy tropes like magic, dwarves and elves, etc. I was refreshed and encouraged to watch s1 of Game of Thrones and find what a minor, compartmentalized role it played in the show. I just don't have the patience to invest in that shit. That's why I knew Peter Dinklage won the Emmy but going in I was concerned that he was going to be some kind of King of the Dwarves, and was relieved to find that his siblings were full-sized and that he was exactly the kind of dwarf on the show that he is in real life. That's why I love the scenes where the power struggle is in full view, where operators like Tyrion and Petyr are doing their thing, where the Stark girls are staring death in the face, where Dany is discovering her skill and confidence and destiny (and I don't see the dragons as being a problem; they're like reptilian direwolves). It's also why I have trouble caring about the threat from the North (oh noes white walkers? Oh shitzzzzzzzzzz) and why I just about tune out entirely in any scene with Stannis or his slutty priestess, or any time Bran has a dream and bitches about it. I just don't fucking care the way I care about seeing Tyrion turning Cousin Manwhore against Cersei, seeing Arya's* back-and-forth with Tywin, etc. So on the whole I like the show but more accurately I love love love most of it and am tolerating the rest, while feeling concerned that the omens about the returning magic are going to change the show into something more typically LOTRish and less the Shakespearean personal/political drama it's been.

*Definitely my favorite, the only competitors are Tyrion and Dany and they're the actors getting awards and buzz, picking one of them feels like saying Tony's your favorite Soprano.

I do love fantasy but like you I find the North of the Wall arc to be the least interesting. One thing I will say that I really like with the fantasy elements is how prophecy doesn't always come true and isn't set. Of the major characters my favorites are:

1. Tyrion
2. Dany
3. Arya
4. Robb
5. Eddard

Supporting Characters (at least so far)
1. Tywin
2. Bron (one could quibble with this)
3. Renly
4. Varys
5. Margery Tyrell

It'll get better. Much better.

i think that was my favorite episode so far.

I think this is what makes the show so popular. The fantasy element is there, but it's so subtle that there is a certain sense of verisimilitude that is rarely pulled off in these types of shows, or films.

Great episode last night. The ending was chilling.

Yes it was. Of course I'm positive it was just the two orphan boys that they charred and not Bran and Rickon but still pretty twisted (and I love Theon's face as he looks at them as you can see some of the pain and conflict in his visage). Also loved the Cercei-Tyrion scene, the Jamie scene with his cousin, and of course Tywin and Arya. So obvious to me that he knows who she is.