Re: HBO TV series sneaking in possible hints for the book series? !!! SPOILER ALERT!!
I actually was extremely disappointed by what they did with Stannis. They changed the essence of the scene and thus the essence of Stannis' character.
When Stannis tells Davos off for releasing Edric Storm, he casually mentions killing him for treason, he doesn't sentence him to death. Secondly, Mel is nowhere to be seen in that scene. Stannis wanted to talk to Davos candidly and without her interference. Since Davos' life was never threatened (and even if it had been, he would never have pleaded), Davos calmly mentions the letter and implores to Stannis' goodness and fairness. Then yes, it is left open until Stannis actually shows up at the Wall.
That being said, the way it's done in the series completely changes the context, and thus the impact, of that whole scene. Stannis was never super "down with" killing Edric Storm, so he wasn't totally invested in a punishment for Davos. (Yes, he threatened it, but halfheartedly.) Sentencing Davos to death thus seemed really out of character. Secondly, when Davos "pleads" for his life, he throws the Watch letter out as a means of saving his own life, rather than a "well, even though you're going to kill me, you should still know this" (which would have been way more in Davos' character), Mel is right there to read the letter and thus tells Stannis what to do rather than the decision coming from moral, upright Stannis himself out of a sense of duty to protect the realm.
I felt like they did Davos a disservice in the scene, and that they totally changed the one element of Stannis that made people cheer for him. When Stannis shows up on the Wall, he's the king who cared when no one else did, and that makes him a bit of a hero. To take that decision away from him, and have it be Mel's no less, makes him a thrall completely under her power, incapable of making decisions for himself. Not cool.
