A Game of No Direwolves

It’s episode three into Game of Thrones, and I have one question: WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE DIREWOLVES?!

I can accept that the book won’t include every scene from the book that I love.  I can accept that the screenwriters have to condense a 600-page book into 10 episodes.  I can accept that some characters will have to awkwardly deliver exposition in order to save time.

But where the FUCK are the direwolves?!

At this point in the show, Sansa has lost Lady to the sword, and Arya has had to drive Nymeria away.  But Robb still has Grey Wind, little unseen Rickon has Shaggydog, Bran has Summer, and Jon Snow has Ghost.  The Stark direwolves never leave the Stark children unless they’re forced to.  Was it really too expensive to film an albino direwolf following Jon around, or standing off to the side and chewing on a direwolf chew toy, while Jon practiced sword fighting with the other guys at the Wall?  Could they not show Summer lying on Bran’s bed as Bran said he’d rather be dead than a cripple?

Seriously, folks.  The direwolves are a HUGE part of the series.  I would divide my loyalties equally between House Stark and House Lannister (because the Starks are moral but I love Tyrion SO MUCH), except for the existence of the direwolves.  I love those wolves almost as much as the actual Stark kids.  Also, Jon and Bran are SUPER IMPORTANT CHARACTERS and their wolves are SUPER IMPORTANT to their development.  Bring back Ghost and Summer and Grey Wind and Shaggydog!

Other than that: I did not like the scene between Cersei and Joffrey because I refuse to believe that Joffrey is ever that forward-thinking, I really liked the scene between Jorah Mormont and Rakharo as it showed the Dothraki as more than “savage brown people” (but I’m REALLY annoyed that it wasn’t Dany’s decision to leave her brother stranded in the grass), and Aidan Gillen is perfect, inspired, abso-fucking-awesome casting as Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish.

It’s also occurred to me that Kit Harrington (Jon Snow) has very similar coloring as my other big TV crush, Darren Criss.  No wonder I think he’s so cute.  A gorgeous British man playing my favorite character from a beloved book?  There’s NO bad there.