gotgifsandmusings:

Too often book readers who gripe about the show are told one of the following: “you’re being overly nit-picky,” or “why even watch it if you’re going to complain?” Allow me to clarify a few things:

• The complaints of book readers are not minuscule. The show is clearly diverging from the books in terms of the story it’s telling. Characterizations are getting thrown out, themes are ignored, and the context of plot points are completely altered. This isn’t “oh HP 6 had too much Ron/Lav.” This is literally a case of “what am I watching because this is not the story I know.”
• That being said, even though a story isn’t a collection of discrete plot points, the show-runners have confirmed they’ll be spoiling the books. That means the “outcome” of the show does have meaning to book-readers, even if its presentation is different/stripped of the thematic, literary meaning.
• Game of Thrones is cultural necessity. It is “water cooler conversation,” and there is a sense of missing out for those who don’t watch.
• Moreover, with the proliferation of social media in every aspect of our lives, it is nearly impossible to avoid spoilers. Even if the narrative is horribly warped, it’s better to learn the “endgame” with some context than from a tweet about “noooo I can’t believe X died.” 
• It’s fun to try and outpace Cersei’s drinking while watching new episodes.
• There’s something oddly satisfying about hate-watching and complaining with other book-readers.
• In an weird way, it makes the nuances and intrigue of the books shine even more.

Bring on Season 5!