Let's talk about Arya...and the Waif. The internet has had a bit of time to express their excitement to see the Waif finally meet her end by Arya's hand.

We're all glad the Waif is dead, but what we REALLY want is for Arya and the Hound to get the band back together #GameofThrones

— michelle (@me_carter) June 15, 2016

Arya was badass.
Waif is dead.
Arya killed her.
Arya is going home.
I am a happy happy girl #GameofThrones

— Edward's Lamb (@AffatKiPudia) June 13, 2016

But people are also a bit disappointed that the Waif's death is not actually shown on-screen.

2 gripes with #GameofThrones this week. The blackfish dies offscreen, arya kills the waif and they don't show the battle. #Letdown

— Lou-E (@Lou_E_) June 14, 2016

seriously those minutes of Tyrion telling drunk jokes could've been a scene how Arya kills that Waif. 😒#GameofThrones #ThronesYall

— Maria Patricia (@pattieserrie) June 13, 2016

Considering the violent precedent that the Game of Thrones show runners have set for themselves, I find the fact that Arya's epic chase scene with the Waif was not followed up by a more gruesome/satisfying depiction of the Waif's final moments. However, this seemingly strange move on the part of the show-runners has me convinced that there is more going on than the viewers are being led to believe. Perhaps, just as Arya left the Waif to fight her in the dark, so too are the show-runners leaving viewers to search for answers while they have left us in the dark about the actual fight that takes place in that room.


The Blogosphere has already pointed out the strange inconsistency of Arya's survival after the Waif stabs her. Just check out this article that outlines just how many times similar actions have led to drastically different ends. So why does Arya have the distinctly lucky pleasure of being an obvious exception to what is the usual Westrosi rule of death? I have a few thoughts.

First of all, I am unconvinced that Arya is...well...Arya. Sure, we see the Waif's face adorning the wall in the House of Black and White, but can we be certain that the blood we see is not actually that of Arya?


In the time that Arya trained with the Waif, she was exposed to some bizarre - if not unlikely - psychological tests that seem a bit counter intuitive to the pursuit of attempting to turn a "someone" into "no-one." Seriously, what was the purpose of having Arya revisit and divulge her life story to the Waif? Although an unlikely method of turning Arya into a "no-one," it would have been a good way for the Waif to put herself into the position of having enough intimate knowledge of Arya's life that she would be able to wear Arya's face and take her place.

It seems likely that in a world where practically everyone is striving to work their way up the ladder in pursuit of power positions, it stands to reason that the Faceless men might also want a piece of the power pie (so to speak). Being in possession of a face that belongs to a person of stature puts this group in a better position to achieve such an end. Because Arya becomes uncooperative, the Waif exchanging Arya's face for her own may be a solution to put the Faceless Men back on track to achieving whatever ends they are pursuing through possessing Arya's face. If this theory has any weight, I am certainly curious to know what the Faceless Men are actually up to and how they will use Arya's face.

I realize this may be a bit of a far fetched theory, but very little is ever a coincidence in the GOT world. Some things about this story-line and the way it was presented just do not add up or fall in line with the usual narrational progression of this universe. Frankly, I refuse to believe the show-runners would be so boring about the much anticipated death of the Waif unless there is a much bigger twist to come!
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