As a fan of George R.R. Martin's series of novels, A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF), I enjoyed HBO's screen adaptation of Westeros, Game of Thrones. The show captured the cold of the North, the intrigue of playing the game, and the fear surrounding what lies Beyond the Wall. However, as I continued to watch David Benioff and D.B. Weiss's adaptation, I noticed small details that deviated from the novel.
Obviously, the show cannot always uphold every detail of the book. I understand that, and I let it pass. However, the show has now graduated from deviating details to full-blown unneeded changes. Suspiciously, some of these changes rob the original story of racial and gender representation.
Among these crimes is leaving out the Lady Stoneheart storyline, cheapening Ygritte's character, and killing off characters like Pyp and Jojen who remain alive and well in the books. I thought, naively, that this would be the worst of it.
Recently, HBO announced season 5 casting. At first, I was ecstatic. Season five is bringing my favorite house, House Martell of Dorne, to the spotlight. I like the Dornish for a number of reasons, but mainly because they value the loves of women just as much as those of men. Evidence of this includes Arianne Martell, first born of Doran Martell and female heir to Dorne.
As such, I was very much looking forward to seeing who they would cast to play her. Only they didn't. Nobody has been cast as Arianne Martell. However, the character who is her unimportant younger brother in the books, Trystane Martell, is being described as "Prince Doran's son and heir to Dorne." There is no mention of the fierce and respected eldest daughter, least of all as heir to Dorne.
I'm guessing that means Arianne, an important figure in the books with her own point-of-view chapters, is being replaced by her younger brother. And for what but the sake of keeping the show male-dominated?
Additionally, Oberyn Martell's--may he rest in peace--daughters, who are referred to as the "Sand Snakes" have been cast. Some of them look surprisingly white for characters from a very southern region of Westeros. This article explains why Dornish culture should not be portrayed as white. That doesn't seem to stop D&D from casting white-passing actors to portray the Martells, including Trystane, robbing people of color representation in the show.
I sincerely hope that Arianne has not been erased from the show, but with D&D running things, I would not be surprised. Learning all this, I can't say I'm really looking forward to the fifth season of Game of Thrones. It's kind of hard to sit by and watch a couple of people butcher a story you love.
I'm here to share my heaps of wisdom about being an all-knowing college student. Writing, watching shows, singing songs, and reading stories. I'm navigating the realms of everyday life all while learning to be a real adult.
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