The only saving grace of the show!Ned is, basically, being played by Sean Bean.

I imagine they probably thought that a deliberate killing would make Arya less sympathetic, especially since all her inner thoughts are lost on the show.

I agree, much like they removed that bit of Sansa going to Cersei. But still, I have a soft spot for killer little girls in fiction.

So far most (though definitely not all) character/plot changes have worked for me, but I wonder if that may be because I didn't remember the book all that well.

I'm still 90% happy, which is more than I can say for any adaptation I'd seen before.