Game Of Thrones: 10 Things The Show Did Better Than The Books
8. Ned Versus Jaime
This one's pure fan service, but we actually got to see Ned fight on the show. It wasn't any old fight either but with Jaime Lannister, one of the most celebrated blades in the Seven Kingdoms.
In the book, Jaime ambushes Lord Stark and promptly kills his men, but they can't risk attacking Ned so there's no duel between them.
In the show, Ned fights back hard, which pleases Jaime at first, until he starts to struggle. Ned is a true soldier after all.
There's been tension between the two since the war against the Targaryens, Jaime betrayed the Mad King he swore to protect and Ned found him sitting on the Iron Throne.
This single fight helps encapsulate the sourness between the two and their families, as well as developing their own characters. Jaime is quick to anger, overly confident in his abilities, and itching to prove himself. Ned doesn't need to show off his bravado, preferring to rely on other methods, resorting to violence only as a last resort.