High Sparrow

This week's Game of Thrones was stuffed to the brim, running the full hour and still feeling swift as always.

The biggest storyline of the week for book readers was the newest major departure from the book -- Sansa Stark is to be wedded to Ramsay Bolton. It's a wonderful development that improves the narrative for almost every character. TV viewers and book readers alike are aware of what a psychopath Ramsay is, and the thought of having Sansa anywhere near him is horrific. It might even be more tense for book readers, who can imagine some of the horrors that were visited on a minor character in the books now befalling Sansa instead. Theon's story is elevated too. Faced with the dilemma of what -- if anything -- he can do in his position, at least he would be contemplating it to help an actual Stark (rather than the imposter of the book).

The one character I'm not sure this change helps is Littlefinger. He has always been the character in this story that knows exactly what every person in the game of thrones is about. Yet it seems as though he knows nothing of Ramsay's penchant for cruelty. It's hard to imagine him putting Sansa in danger deliberately and not caring, but the alternative is that he doesn't know what he's doing in this situation -- and that can't be true. I suppose we'll have to see what develops in the weeks ahead.

The other major departure from the book was made possible because the child characters are older on the show. Thus we got to see Margaery actually seal her marriage with Tommen. (Third time's a charm, I guess.) Yes, as we've seen time and time again, the TV incarnation of Margaery is a very clever and calculating individual. If Book Margaery is even really a player of the game at all, she has chosen the role of naif. TV Margaery is willing to be much more bold. And I expect the show's writers will have more bold moves in store.

Other small adjustments this week dealt more efficiently with major plot points. As in the books, Cersei is responsible for increasing the power of the High Sparrow. But here, she is essentially the one that gives him any political power at all; in the book, she augments power he already has in a more abstract chapter that involves historical precedent and clearing family debt. Nice adaptation there.

Tyrion's capture by Jorah Mormont completes the excising of the aggravating "Griff" subplot from the books. But the fact that they still made a point of showing us a Red Priestess in Volantis, and an even louder point of talking about greyscale, does make me wonder if those minor plot points from the book are in fact not as minor as I thought they were.

Jon's story at the Wall continues as it has this season, largely in the path of the books, but largely out of order from the books. On this occasion, I think it improved things on one count and damaged them on the other. In the books, he offers a promotion to Alliser Thorne after he executes Janos Slynt (a circle of vengeance moment for Slynt's role in betraying Eddard Stark). Here, Jon offers a carrot before a stick, which I think lends greater credibility to his acceptance as Watch Commander. But on the other hand, on the show he turns down Stannis' offer of Winterfell and legitimization after being appointed Watch Commander. In the book, Jon was more noble to turn down the offer when he had nothing to fall back on, only the prospect of abuse at the likely soon-to-be-commander Thorne. Jon refusing from a position of power makes it seem less of a sacrifice.

Arya's story essentially played out exact beats from the book, but powerfully so. It mattered in the book that she couldn't give up her sword Needle and chose to hide it instead, and that moment carried the same impact on the show.

And then there was Brienne's story of why she loved Renly. Again, this was taken from the book, but it was powerfully performed here in monologue by Gwyndoline Christie. She took you through each step of Brienne's anguish, embarrassment, and resolve. And also made more explicit was the real motivation that seems to get her up in the morning -- the possibility of getting vengeance on Stannis. That's something not at all clear in the books.

Overall, a wonderful episode that put a lot of tense stories into motion. I give it an A-.