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The Climb Differences

This page contains a log of TV/book differences and discrepancies in Season 3's episode "The Climb" to A Storm of Swords (Third Novel). Naturally, the content on this page contains spoilers.

Character Changes

Scene Changes

  • In the books Jon Snow does not climb up the Wall on a rope with climbing gear. The Wildling raiders below hoisted rope ladders up to those who climbed the Wall before. Jon climbs up these afterwards with Ygritte.  
  • In the show Ygritte's pick cracks the ice on the side of the Wall. In the books, different groups of Wildlings, not including Ygritte, race for the top of the Wall. Suddenly, as Ygritte and Jon Snow watch at the base, a fifty feet square chunk of ice crumbles off the Wall, killing an entire climbing team.
  • In the show Ygritte says she knows Jon Snow is loyal to the Night's Watch and hasn't stopped being a crow. In the novels she seems to believe Jon Snow is completely turned, not saying Jon needs to be loyal to her.

The Wall defends itself.

  • The HBO show depicts Jojen Reed going into seizures when he is having a greensight dream. This isn't mentioned in the book.
  • The scenes of torture, including the flaying of Theon Greyjoy, are not related to readers of the books until flashbacks in the 5th book of Song of Ice and Fire. The fate of Theon Greyjoy is mentioned by northerners throughout the books, but little details are known until A Dance With Dragons.
  • In the show Samwell Tarly and Gilly make a fire in the woods, days from the Wall. In the books they reach the abandoned Wildling village of Whitetree, and camp in the deserted homes. Sam also does not show off his dragonglass (obsidian) dagger to Gilly.
  • Lord Walder Frey does not ask for Harrenhal as a condition for his allegience to Robb Stark in the books. In the books Lord Frey only asks for Edmure Tully to marry his daughter Roslin and an official apology from Robb Stark.

Added or Extended Scenes

  • The show adds multiple new scenes with Tyrion Lannister, including with Cersei Lannister and Sansa Stark. Tyrion asks Cersei if Ser Mandon Moore was commanded to kill him in the show. He does not confront Cersei about Ser Mandon Moore in the books.  Also, in the novels Cersei, not Tyrion, tells Sansa of her marriage to Tyrion mere minutes before the marriage. 
  • Lady Melisandre never traveled to the Riverlands in the books to take Gendry. Gendry is still with the Brotherhood Without Banners in the novels, serving as a blacksmith. In the show Gendry is given up due to Thoros of Myr's faith and coin for the guerilla war. It appears that Gendry is standing in for Edric Storm, who may have been omitted from the show completely.
  • All the conversations involving Lady Melisandre including with Arya Stark, Thoros of Myr, and Beric Dondarrion were added into the show.  However, in the books a dwarf witch glimpsed Arya's future while she was with the Brotherhood, and saw the same darkness and death as Melisandre.
  • Anguy's archery lesson with Arya Stark was an added scene in the show.  It was used to bond Arya to the Brotherhood and to setup Melisandre's arrival in the Riverlands.
  • In the show, a new scene exists featuring Meera Reed and Osha arguing over skinning rabbits. In the book there is little tension between the two, they work together for Bran Stark's own good.
  • The scenes between Tywin Lannister and Olenna Tyrell were added into the show. In the show they discuss marriage arrangements between Cersei Lannister and Loras Tyrell.  They do not interact on this scale in the books, their conversations are not mentioned if they happen at all.
  • Sansa Stark and Loras Tyrell are never to be betrothed in the books. The Tyrell plot involves Willas Tyrell marrying Sansa.  Therefore, show scenes of Loras and Sansa in the garden never occur in the novels.
  • The gruesome death of Ros at the hands of Joffrey Baratheon was added into the show. Ros is not a character in the novels. And although he is a little shit in the books, Joffrey Baratheon isn't nearly as sadistic as he is in the HBO series.
  • Littlefinger's 'chaos ladder' speech to Varys in the throne room, upon his departure from King's Landing, was a new scene added to the show.
The climb is all there is.

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