Game Of Thrones: 20 Most Shocking Moments Ever

2. The Execution Of Ned Stark

Game Of Thrones Ned Stark
HBO

Jaime pushing Bran from the window was a sign this wasn’t your average TV show. But it didn’t prepare us for the execution of Ned Stark. Nothing in the world could, because it was working against years and years of ingrained rules about storytelling that we all believed in.

Ned was The Hero. This was his story. Sean Bean was the lead actor, of a show clearly designed to run for several years. There’s no way they’d kill him off in Season 1, and especially not just the *ninth* episode. Even when his head was on the chopping block, it seemed he’d get out of it. Ilyn Payne raising aloft that great sword, ready to swing it down? No, something would stop him. There’d be a last minute change of heart, or someone would arrive on the scene. There’d be a distraction. The main character just doesn’t die.

Except...he did. Game of Thrones would never be the same again.

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Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.