George R.R. Martin's vast, complex world of A Song of Ice and Fire was a staple of the fantasy genre long before HBO brought it to stunning life in 2011, as Game of Thrones. The show was a cultural phenomenon, bringing this world to a broader audience. However — as is the case when adapting virtually any literature — plenty was lost in the translation, as the creators whittled the content down to be more palatable to audiences.

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This is something of a double-edged sword. While it makes the narrative smoother and more digestible, it also sometimes leaves vital information. This can lead to confusing plot lines, as the missing information can snowball into more significant issues across multiple seasons.

8) Dorne (Seasons 4-7)

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Image via HBO

Probably the biggest victim of the necessities of adaptation, the Dorne storyline — while compelling and well-thought-out in the books — is given short shrift indeed by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. After Pedro Pascal's breakout turn as the fiery, charming Prince Oberyn in the fourth season — and his subsequent demise at the hands of the Lannister's attack dog, The Mountain — many viewers were poised to see what Dorne would do next.

Unfortunately, it turned out to be very little. The sudden coup carried out by Ellaria (Indira Varma) and the Sand Snakes, while shocking, brings the story to a bit of a stand-still. It isn't until Varys' (Conleth Hill) proposal of alliance that we hear from Dorne again in a significant way, and they are quickly dispatched by Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk) and the Iron Fleet when they engage with the war. Ultimately Ellaria's fate does demonstrate how monstrously cruel Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) is, but does little else and leaves fans wondering what the point of the entire storyline was in the first place.

7) Arya's Training (Seasons 5-7)

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Arya (Maisie Williams) stood out from the rest of the Stark children. Most of them were happy in their roles, as heir (Robb), fighters (Bran), bastards (Jon), or ladies (Sansa). Arya wanted something different for herself; as we see from the very scene she is introduced, outstripping Bran with the bow and arrow. She wants to be a fighter and considers the life of a noble lady as a form of torture.

However, she was loyal to her family, and her identity was also a big part of her character, which is what makes her decision to train at the House of Black & White a baffling one for fans. Their code means that identity is shed, giving themselves to serve the Many-Faced God (Death). To truly become one of them, Arya first had to become no one, which ran counter to her character's warmer, more relatable parts. Fans rejoiced when she eventually abandoned this dreary mausoleum.

6) Shae's Betrayal (Season 4)

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Despite their initial meeting, the show spent a lot of time developing the relationship between Shae (Sibel Kekilli) and Tyrion (Peter Dinklage). However, when their relationship was subject to more scrutiny, Tyrion tried his best to protect Shae from his father's wrath. Shae's stubborn refusal to be bought off and her loyalty to Tyrion were admirable traits of her character.

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This is what makes the character's actions during Tyrion's trial for the murder of his nephew so incredibly baffling. Having already refused the offer of a bribe, she turns against Tyrion, testifying against him — for a bribe. Not only is this plotline confusing, it effectively undoes a long period of character development — not the first time the series would be guilty of this, of course.

5) Jaime Goes Back to Cersei (Season 8)

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Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) had one of the most interesting character arcs of the series. Growing up as an accomplished, near-unbeatable warrior, his skill at arms was his defining trait. His cockiness is only eclipsed by his romantic attachment to his twin sister Cersei. However, after capture by the Starks leaves him in the hands of a ruthless captor, and the captor's subsequent removal of his right hand, Jaime begins to learn something that had never factored into his thinking to that point in his life — humility.

This series of events leads the character on an existentially fraught path, as he questions his worth beyond what he had defined himself as. After splitting from Cersei over her choice to not aid the rest of the Kingdoms in fighting the White Walkers, Jaime ultimately separates from her, riding North in an attempt to regain his honor. However, this liberation is short-lived, as, in a matter of four episodes, he turns around and goes back to King's Landing to be with her. This again wholly undermines all the character development beforehand.

4) Jon is Aegon Targaryen (Season 6)

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The mystery of Jon Snow's (Kit Harington) true parentage had fans guessing throughout the show's early run. Although Ned Stark (Sean Bean) claimed to be his father, it was heavily implied that there was something more going on, and perhaps one of the most tragic lines in the series was when Ned promised him as they part ways in the first season, "the next time we're together, I'll tell you about your mother."

This mystery was ultimately resolved at the end of Season 6. As some fans had already deduced, Jon was actually the child of Lyanna, Ned's sister, and Rhagaer Targaryen. Although the popular myth was that the prince, against her will, kidnapped Lyanna, it turns out they were married in secret, which made Jon a Targaryen with a claim to the Iron Throne. The biggest problem with this storyline was it went nowhere. After a brief warning from his aunt, the subject is never mentioned again, and the series ends with his cousin taking the throne and Jon going North.

3) Sansa Marries Ramsay (Seasons 5-7)

Iwan Rheon as Ramsay Bolton with Sophie Turner as Sansa-Stark in HBO's 'Game of Thrones'
Image via HBO

The Machiavellian Petyr Baelish (Aidan Gillen) always seemed one step ahead of his contemporaries — when Martin was responsible for the writing. However, after the series ran out of books to adapt, this character's actions made less and less sense. This is perhaps best typified by his decision to marry Sansa (Sophie Turner) — one of the few characters in the entire story he appears to have genuine affection for — to the unstable and sadistic Ramsay Bolton (formerly Snow, portrayed by Iwan Rheon).

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Ostensibly to strengthen the Vale's ties with the new rulers of the North, this ultimately put Sansa in danger, which would make sense for Littlefinger — if it was any other character. But given his ties to Sansa and her mother, a confusing decision ultimately led to Sansa being abused by Ramsay. It simply doesn't make sense for the character to willingly put Sansa in harm's way, regardless of the political points it might have gained him.

2) The Red God (Entire Series)

Carice Van Houten as Melisandre in Game of Thrones
Image via HBO

Game of Thrones has a funny relationship with magic. It seems to be mostly gone from the world at the story's outset, but when Daenerys's dragons are born, it results in a resurgence of the abilities of magic wielders in the world. We first see glimpses of this with the warlocks at the House of the Undying in Qarth, but the most potent demonstrable magic wielded by people is through the power of the Red God.

Melisandre (Carice van Houten) is a priestess of this order and often speaks of the prophecy of the prince that was promised. First thought to be Stannis (Stephen Dillane), she shifts her focus to Jon after his ultimate defeat. However, this plotline eventually comes to naught. For such a powerful force in the story, this was a massive disappointment to fans, as so much time had been spent establishing the real power of his followers — like Thoros of Myr's repeated resurrections of Beric Dondarrion. The promise of a warrior preordained by this power — whether the God itself existed or not — was one of the most compelling plot points that went nowhere.

1) Daenerys is the Mad Queen (Season 8)

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What else could be number one? After ten years and eight seasons of Daenerys' (Emilia Clarke) development from naive child to Khaleesi of the great grass sea, we saw her develop into what we thought would be the queen to reunite the fractured Westeros and restore the rule of the Targaryen dynasty, which for better or worse had kept the seven kingdoms together under one banner for 300 years.

However, what we got was a sudden heel-turn, as, during the invasion of King's Landing, Daenerys decides to use Drogon to kill thousands of innocent civilians, burning vast parts of the city unnecessarily and annihilating her reputation. This confused and angered fans perhaps more than any other plot twist in the show's history, as it completely undermined the character's arc for the run of the series. Some apologists have claimed that the warning signs were there, but ultimately Daenerys became the victim of lazy writing and bad plotting.

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