Thrones and Crones

So far I am a tad disappointed by HBO’s rendition of George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series. Granted, I’ve only just watched the pilot so far, but what’s the deal with the re-imagined Catelyn Stark?

First they ditch Jennifer Ehle. Then they gut the character herself. The scene in the book where she compels her husband into the king’s service for tactical reasons was really the first that got me hooked on the novels. But in the TV version they’ve reduced her to begging him to stay, so it’s clear she’s to be cast as an archetypical Waiting Wife rather than a strategist with some political sense. It’s particularly frustrating given that most other elements of the series so far seem to follow the novel Fire and Ice in intricate detail.

What other monstrous revisionist herstories HBO intends to unleash on its unwitting audience is anyone’s guess. Thoughts so far from readers/viewers?