User blog comment:Rachel P/Replacement characters/@comment-5239707-20130529140412

I think it would be impossible to have every single character from the books present in the TV show. It also makes the characters much more interesting when there are less of them. For example, I think Gendry being merged with Edric Storm worked very well since the audience is much more invested in Gendry than they would have been if another random bastard of Robert's was thrown into the mix.