2) I was very shocked at the death of Ned Stark. I don't think I've ever seen a TV show kill off the main character so soon. That took a lot of balls.
They pretty much HAD to. It's in the first book, and if they didn't do it they'd have to rewrite the entire story afterward - if Ned was allowed to live much of the conflict in the later books would just never occur. Rob would no longer have a justification for war and he would take his army back north, and that would just be boring.
It's one of the things I respect most about George R.R. Martin - he is not afraid to kill off an important character if it advances the story.
Oh, I respect him for doing so -- Ned was too noble to live. I had trouble seeing how he could possibly get himself out of the situation, though I suppose a Ned/Arya/Sansa for Jaime trade may have worked. I love to hate King Joffrey.
I just bought the first and second books today... how faithful of an adaptation is the series? Does the book have chapters/events the series does not?
