I don't think they've been cut out of the show. I think they're going to appear later in the show than in the books.
Haven't watched the fifth ep yet, but I can openly say: I'm kinda over this show. If it gets cancelled tomorrow I'll be like "whatever, dude".
I wouldn't say this season was bad, it's just been really inconsistent - some scenes were perfect whilst others were cringe-inducing - and the the ratio of good to bad scenes has been a little too high for my liking. Besides, ACoK is really top heavy in that the most of the exciting stuff happens towards the end. I'm confident that the show will improve towards the end.
I really want the the show to last until at least the RW.
Even if the show turns to shit, the reactions to that alone will be worth it.