 The emotional charge of the scene hit home for many reviewers : Scott Meslow of The Atlantic called it " an absolutely nightmarish scene " and labelled Eddard 's death " horrific in its indignity . " Jace Lacob from <unk> and Maureen Ryan from AOL TV admitted having shed tears at the episode 's dramatic conclusion . The latter found the scene " masterful " and felt that the visual medium and Alan Taylor 's excellent work had made it more powerful than the book 's original version . 
