Summary

  • Character arcs and major plots were disregarded in Game of Thrones' script simplification, leading to unexplained loose ends.
  • Important figures like Quaithe and Howland Reed, critical to the story, were forgotten, weakening the narrative's depth.
  • The series neglected key prophecies, character development, and political intrigue, diminishing the grandeur of George R.R. Martin's universe.

Game Of Thrones presented a unique universe and memorable characters, resulting in vast regions and diversity in its cast. As the seasons passed, its narrative became more simplified, and important parts of its setting were cut or ignored by the script, raising significant questions for viewers that were not answered.

The ignored plots in Game Of Thrones affect not only the exploration of its world but also the development of its characters, whose trajectories were radically altered or barely explored to the point of being unrecognizable when the original material is considered. Thus, the series lost its initial power by trying to simplify its script while focusing on shallow storylines.

10 Biggest Mistakes Made by Game of Thrones Characters, Ranked
10 Biggest Mistakes Made by Game of Thrones Characters, Ranked

Grave mistakes in Game of Thrones led to brutal wars, tragic deaths, and the downfall of powerful families across Westeros.

The Whispers Of Qarth And Volantis

Its Strong Mysticism Was Not Enough When The Series Ignored It

By choosing a swift journey for Daenerys Targaryen through Essos, its strong mysticism became one of the plots ignored in Game Of Thrones. With their three distinct factions, Quaithe, the Warlocks of Qarth, and Kinvara were important figures introduced to the audience but abandoned to make the plot simpler and more action-oriented.

Quaithe appears to Daenerys only to be cut soon after, while the Warlocks of Qarth are defeated by the protagonist and her dragons. Despite their attempt to assassinate the Targaryen, they do not return. The same happens with Kinvara, a red priestess in the religion of the Lord of Light. She suggests an alliance with the queen of Meereen, but she disappears soon afterward.

The Abandonment Of Daario Naharis And Meeren

The Series’ Cuts Made One Of The Important Plots Be Ignored

When Daario Naharis is left behind by Daenerys Targaryen in Season Six, he embodies one of the plots ignored in Game Of Thrones. After the protagonist heads toward Westeros with her army, Daario remains to protect Meeren, yet he never appears again, becoming another character forgotten by the show.

This ignored plot also reflects on Daenerys, who abandons her main Breaker of Chains arc of ruling and establishing order in Meeren to proceed to Westeros. Thus, her stay proves insignificant, as the desertion of that region and of key figures such as Daario removed layers that once expanded the narrative.

The Subversion Of The Legend Of Azor Ahai

The Most Important Prophecy Of Game Of Thrones Was Forgotten By The Hbo Max Adaptation

The Azor Ahai prophecy was one of the most important plots forgotten by the Game Of Thrones series. The adaptation chose Arya Stark to kill The Night King in one of the season’s most memorable scenes, simplifying its narrative weight by discarding even more important characters such as Jon and Daenerys, whose developments remained incomplete.

The myth behind the prophecy is central to George R.R. Martin’s universe, A Song of Ice and Fire binds both magic and the sacrifice of its heroes, yet the HBO Max series delivered an empty execution. Thus, the series prioritized a shocking twist for viewers over a concise narrative that brilliantly tied up loose ends.

The Anticlimactic End Of Cersei

In Her Death, The Character Is Poorly Developed Amid A Forgotten Plot

With Maggy the Frog’s prophecy, a plot ignored by Game Of Thrones, Cersei suffers an anticlimactic end in the eighth season. One of the most important parts of the prophecy depicts her death, making clear that the character would be murdered by one of her brothers, where valonqar precisely translates to younger brother.

Game Of Thrones 10 Things The Books Did Better Than The Show, Ranked
Game Of Thrones 10 Things The Books Did Better Than The Show, Ranked

While the HBO series gained fame, the Game of Thrones books offer a richer, more layered world. Here are the 10 best things the novels did better.

Instead of building up viewers’ expectations over which brother, Tyrion or Jaime, would be the one to kill her, the series chose to let Cersei die crushed by rubble. The show not only ignores her prophecy but also oversimplifies the karma that should have served as justice for her brutal actions throughout her journey.

The Curious Case Of Howland Reed

By Witnessing An Important Event, The Character Is Ignored By The Series

A survivor of the brutal fight at the Tower of Joy, Howland Reed features in one of the plots ignored by the Game Of Thrones series. As one of the only people able to prove Jon Snow’s parentage, besides Bran Stark, Howland never appears in the HBO Max adaptation, allowing Aegon Targaryen’s claim to be questioned.

In a universe where valuable information means power, ignoring an important character like Howland Reed made the narrative not only simpler but also weaker. Moreover, the revelation rests with Bran, yet it changes little in the story, since Jon is exiled after killing Daenerys at the end of the series.

The Unexplained Motives Of The Night King

The Series’ True Threat Was Poorly Used At The End Of Game Of Thrones

With the white walkers introduced as the greatest threat in this universe, they form part of one of the plots forgotten in the Game Of Thrones adaptation. The Night King’s motivation was scarcely explored, since his goal of killing the Three-Eyed Raven established him as a low-level villain. By doing evil for evil’s sake, the series left all questions about his origin and motives unanswered.

His presence makes viewers and characters ask what is worth fighting for, only to be belittled and easily defeated once the final boss becomes Cersei herself. This quick conclusion harmed not only the climax of the story but also its resolution, making the game of thrones larger than the annihilation of humanity and its universe.

The Powerlessness Of Jon Snow’s Lineage

One Of The Greatest Mysteries Became A Plot Ignored In The Game Of Thrones Series

Considered one of the greatest revelations of Game Of Thrones, Jon Snow’s identity became one of the series’ most ignored plots. With its main function limited to creating a rivalry between Daenerys and Jon in their rise to the iron throne, it had no influence on the final political outcome of the story.

By seeking to subvert the role of the chosen one for the protagonist, Jon Snow’s development ends up disappointing the public after seasons feeding the mystery of his origin. As if that were not enough, the character’s ending only diminished the importance of his lineage in the series, given his exile after the death of his aunt, Daenerys Targaryen.

The Wasted Potential Of The Golden Company

The Mercenaries Had Their Threat And Plot Ignored In Game Of Thrones

With its more than 20,000 mercenaries, the Golden Company constitutes one of the plots ignored by Game Of Thrones. Although they were hired by Cersei to secure her victory in the final battle, her men were wiped out by Daenerys Targaryen and Drogon within minutes of screen time. Thus, they barely represented the threat that their fame suggests in the early seasons and in the books.

10 Most Heartbreaking Game Of Thrones Scenes, Ranked
10 Most Heartbreaking Game Of Thrones Scenes, Ranked

Game of Thrones didn’t hold back when it came to heartbreak. These scenes defined the tone and fate of Westeros in the most emotional ways.

The Golden Company’s defeat reflects their minimal narrative importance in the eighth season of Game Of Thrones, which abandons logic to deliver Drogon’s spectacular destruction. This decision had the opposite effect of lending credibility to the narrative, rendering Cersei’s investment useless along with Euron’s effort to transport the mercenary army.

The Narrative Collapse Of Dorne

One Of Westeros’s Greatest Powers Was Ignored By The Series’ Script

Game Of Thrones ignores another plot of George R.R. Martin’s work by poorly adapting the complexity of Dorne and its important characters. With Oberyn Martell’s death, the series fails to focus on Ellaria Sand and the Sand Snakes, who come nowhere near the Dornish level of danger in the books.

The series focused on immediate action, Dorne’s patient politics were not only forgotten but completely erased with Doran Martell’s death and Cersei’s revenge. This decision simplified the narrative and prevented the Dornish from playing an active role in the struggle for the Iron Throne.

The Ambiguous Fate Of The Tullys And The Riverlands

Considered An Important Kingdom, This Was The Most Ignored Plot Of Game Of Thrones

As one of the houses that suffered most during the War of the Five Kings, the region serves as the setting for the most ignored plot in Game Of Thrones. After Arya Stark eliminates all the Freys, the Riverlands remain without a ruler, only to receive one of the most unfair and erroneously comic scenes in which Edmure Tully is silenced by Sansa Stark.

With the focus reduced in the final moments of the HBO Max series, both the Tullys and the Riverlands suffer under the writers’ choice to eliminate or forget great houses and important characters to highlight a handful of protagonists. Thus, the fate of a kingdom and a people was ignored by a work that abandoned its initial concept of a broader and richer political game.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image
Game of Thrones Poster
Game Of Thrones
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget
Release Date
2011 - 2019-00-00
Display card main info widget end Display card media widget start Display card media widget end
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

Seasons
8
Story By
George R.R. Martin
Streaming Service(s)
MAX
Creator(s)
David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
samwell-tarly-and-jon-snow-in-game-of-thrones-season-1.jpg