The Show This was the moment the show broke every rule of television. There are still rants online about the insanity of killing off a main character. It was arguably one of the hardest moments to watch in the history of television. It played almost like a stage play, with everyone perfectly choreographed on a stage. Ned, the Lannisters, Littlefinger, Varys, Sansa, and the executioner. It was clean, and absolutely agonizing to watch. The Book The scene takes place from Aryas perspective and, as you may remember, she didnt see the actual execution. For her, the crowd sort of sighed and started to disperse. She doesnt even see the body, just knows it happened. Its a scene that was deliberately underwritten, the death of the ostensible protagonist, of the best man left in Westeros, taking place by implication. Its like having a band-aid torn off, happening so fast that you have to read it a couple of times to be sure what you read was real. The Verdict: The Show Im going to judge this one by my own reaction, although Im well aware thats not an objective perspective. Reading the book (halfway through watching the first season) I remember sitting up and just gawping about in astonishment, with tears occasionally flowing down my face. Watching the show, knowing what was coming didnt help at all (which it does a bit for the Red Wedding). It actually made it worse, and I ended up sobbing hysterically, curled in a fetal position.