I love the show. I started with the show: didn't read until someone posted an excerpt of Cat's death scene after the Red Wedding episode.

The show's made a bunch of good changes: Joffrey's wedding dwarves, Arya + Tywin, Arya+ Hound, I really like what they're doing with Sansa, and I'm one of the few that likes Grey Worm and Missandei. There are four things about the show that have annoyed me. The Iron born Theon rescue, that whole Pod whore thing (no one turns down money, that's just stupid), the fireball skeleton fight, and now the Sand snakes. It's been five seasons. Of course some shit is going to hit a bad note. The books themselves have a couple bad notes.

But everyone likes to Monday Morning Quarterback. It's fun to talk about how you would have reshuffled things. Personally, I would have included Stoneheart and had Jaime + Bronn running around the Riverlands, fighting the brotherhood/wolves and threatening to catapult babies. Only a couple scenes though.

As much as it pains me, I think cutting Quentyn was a good move. I would have kept Arianne and the Myrcella plot. A lot of this season is about females and power, I think Arianne trying to crown Myrcella, arguing that women should have an equal role, would have fit well. No need for Oakheart: have Arianne manipulate her little brother Trystane into delivering Myrcella, possibly by tempting him with being King Consort (or however that works). If you must have a Sand snake, throw one into Arianne's retinue and make her the Darkstar.

Ironborn: Toss in a couple lines when Roose and Ramsey are talking about how the Ironborn are fucking up the coasts. Or, that they've mysteriously vanished and that seems weird. Put them off until next season.

That was super fun to think up and type out. However, I can't figure out what Doran's master plan would be without Aegon. Who could Arianne marry to make herself Queen? Makes me a little more sympathetic to D&D: this shit is hard.