The Hound was one of the better characters in the books he made his presence actually felt, and he even gets a character arc! Not bad for someone who doesn't appear as a main character. I was absolutely pissed when he was killed. But at least he got a sort of epilogue later. I'm super interested in what the show may do, since clearly he skirted the fatal wounds in the inn. And he's so perfectly cast, it would be hard to waste that. In the books, he wasn't quite the confrontational jerk, but rather drunk and hungry in the inn. This is sort of illustrating some of the shakiness in some of Martin's characters personalities when he wrote them...they don't always seem very thought-out, but more of a "I'm going to write this and see where it goes stream of thought."

I love the Arya from the books and from the show, but sadly they are different. Their kills are in different spots and with different motivations and reactions. It's really bizarre how she's been changed between the two. But I do like it; it adds some nuance to her.