It makes sense that it was cut—from what we’ve heard, the original pilot didn’t do a great job of condensing the plot of the books into an episode of TV, and you don’t really need to see Jon Arryn die, or Cersei being sinister, when you have the later scene of Cersei and Jamie discussing Arryn’s silencing while they watch his funeral. You already get everything you need from that, while also learning a little bit about Jamie and Cersei in the process—it’s much more efficient, even if it meant less of a role for Standing.

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It’s amusing that Standing still gets fan mail for his scenes in the show, though. What are people actually writing to him about? He literally just sits there with some stones over his eyes, and that’s about it. Someone forward me their Jon Arryn fan mail, I’m genuinely intrigued.

[Los Seite Reinos via Watchers on the Wall]