Ned Stark

In a review of the Game of Thrones TV episode ``Baelor'', James Poniewozik wrote in Time that ``the execution of Eddard Stark is crucial to the story and its themes and everything that follows, but it's also a meta-message to the reader: don't take anything for granted here.'' James Hibberd of Entertainment Weekly stated that tricking the audience into thinking Ned is the hero and then killing him makes the series' story better. Writing that ``the big twist here isn't that Ned Stark dies, but who the true protagonists of Game of Thrones are,'' Hibberd pointed out that the series' focus proves to be the ``new generation'' of leaders, in particular the Stark children but also Daenerys and even Tyrion. He noted:

Question: when does ned stark die in the show
Answer: yes