# Game of Thrones 6.07 "The Broken Man" 6/5/16 \[Show Discussion\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 6, 2016, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631 "2016-06-06T00:20:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/281 "2016-06-08T08:10:35Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > I don’t think we need an excuse for Arya’s behavior other than that the director/writers were showing us that Arya is a changed person - her time with the faceless men has matured her and given her new skills, and now she’s ready to go back to being Arya Stark. She’s shed her acolyte/child skin, and now she’s confident, competent, and ready to assert her place in the world. Or she was… The look of astonishment on her face when she was stabbed might clue her in that things are not going to be so easy for her. Yeah I read it as a visual back-to-Arya cue, too. The way she looked and was moving about evoked, in me anyway, the calm, knowing demeanor of Syrio Forel. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/282 "2016-06-08T08:22:47Z")
> [@Oswald\_Bastable](#): > > Although I threw the switcheroo theory out there earlier, I too think the Arya situation is most likely just as it was presented to us. The reason why speculation is so rampant, I believe, is because the last we saw of Arya in the last episode, she’d run away from the temple, recovered Needle and, appearing to be fully aware of the danger she was now in, found a quiet little hidey hole in which to nervously plan what she was going to do. Then, when we see her this episode, she’s boldly striding through Braavos throwing big bags of coins at ships captains. It almost feels like we’re missing something in between. Plus, those scenes did seem to be filmed in such a way to suggest something was not quite as it seemed (but that could just be misdirection). That’s more or less the reason I think everything was not as it seemed with the Arya/Waif scene—there’s been too many hints that still need to pan out: Arya’s preparation with Needle in the dark, and the sword’s conspicuous absence in the assassination scene; her explicitly shown familiarity with the face the Waif used; all her training re fighting while blind, etc.; the possibility of wearing multiple faces, even of living persons; the inexplicable bags of money; her grossly out-of-character strutting around in the wide open while she knows that there’s a society of killers out after her. If all of these really come to nothing, that would be way worse writing than we’ve generally seen on this show. But I haven’t really a clue a to what it is that really happened. Anyway, we ought to find out eventually. Although I won’t let that stop me from throwing out my own crazy theory: it indeed wasn’t Arya who was stabbed, but one of the acting troupe, maybe the young woman who wanted to (apparently) have the older actress killed, whom Arya manipulated/bribed/threatened into brokering the deal with the Westerosi sailor, and whom she outfitted (using some faceless men magic) with her own face (although of course we haven’t seen that to be possible, and indeed, wearing a face while not being noone seems to have adverse effects—but of course, the well-being of the actress probably wasn’t really one of Arya’s concerns). So the reveal will be ‘Arya’ collapsing at somebody’s feet, breathing her last, and then the camera pans up to show the real Arya looking down at the corpse, and taking the face of her. But my track record of predictions on this show is abysmal, so what do I know. Although when they introduced the commune of faithful building the chapel in this episode, I immediately thought, well, that’s just way too fucking wholesome for anyone of them to live, so at least I got that one right. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/283 "2016-06-08T08:27:46Z")
> [@Oswald\_Bastable](#): > > Ooh, I forgot to add - my favourite scene of the episode was the lingering shot of the woman from the Hound’s religious community chopping potatoes. Surely that was a deliberate reference to the potato controversy from an earlier season… I guffawed anyway. > > OB There was a potato controversy? ---
**Author:** ![Oswald\_Bastable](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oswald_bastable/32/214_2.png) [@Oswald\_Bastable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oswald_Bastable)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/284 "2016-06-08T09:38:59Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > There was a potato controversy? Oh, yes… [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=721412&highlight=Game+thrones+4.03&page=7](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=721412&highlight=Game+thrones+4.03&page=7) Real fun begins about post 323 with the beginnings of a philosophical discussion as to whether potatoes are mythical or not. OB ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/285 "2016-06-08T10:53:12Z")
I agree that the scene we saw was as it seemed is the most likely explanation. However, if I had to come up with a fake-out theory, I was going to post almost exactly this: > [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > Although I won’t let that stop me from throwing out my own crazy theory: it indeed wasn’t Arya who was stabbed, but one of the acting troupe, maybe the young woman who wanted to (apparently) have the older actress killed, whom Arya manipulated/bribed/threatened into brokering the deal with the Westerosi sailor, and whom she outfitted (using some faceless men magic) with her own face (although of course we haven’t seen that to be possible, and indeed, wearing a face while not being noone seems to have adverse effects—but of course, the well-being of the actress probably wasn’t really one of Arya’s concerns). So the reveal will be ‘Arya’ collapsing at somebody’s feet, breathing her last, and then the camera pans up to show the real Arya looking down at the corpse, and taking the face of her. - Arya’s face has been used before, so it’s technically usable. - Non-faceless men (specifically Arya) have been shown using faces before. It’s not a huge leap to think Arya may have shown the actress she saved how to do it, and then sent her to book passage on a ship for her as “proof of concept.” And told her to meet her on the bridge when she was done. Sure it will strike the actress blind, but Arya’s desperate. On a semi-related note, I don’t necessarily think there was fake blood involved, but you guys saying fake blood is hard to get are thinking too modern. Specifically regarding the “fake” part. Stroll into any butcher shop and buy as much real blood as you like, probably dirt cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/286 "2016-06-08T11:07:34Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > Which tbh is an attitude I never quite got—I mean, not only is at least some measure of the supernatural present in this world (witness the dragon skulls), but more importantly, nobody builts a goddamn 100m wall of ice without having a bloody good reason for it. Even knowing nothing about that world, you come to that wall, you’ll probably think that there’s something not very nice on the other side of it (and something more dangerous than roving bands hald-starves wildlings). Well it’s been like a thousand years since the last wight had been seen. Even Ned Stark reassured Bran that they’re long gone. It’d be like somebody up and telling you their next door neighbour is a witch, or a worshipper of Baphomet, or has [vampire melons\*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire_pumpkins_and_watermelons) in their garden. Far as the people of Westeros are concerned, the Wall is a relic of a time when their world was full on heroic-fantasy ; but it’s been a long time since the DM has been on a boring realism kick. (\* they suck back. RIP, PTerry) ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/287 "2016-06-08T13:32:40Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > On a semi-related note, I don’t necessarily think there was fake blood involved, but you guys saying fake blood is hard to get are thinking too modern. Specifically regarding the “fake” part. Stroll into any butcher shop and buy as much real blood as you like, probably dirt cheap. But real blood clots?? And pretty damn fast, about six minutes unless treated with something like heparin according to some Googling. So Arya has to find a butcher, fill some pig bladders(?) with it, hide them under her clothes, get to the tavern where the ship owners are hanging out, go through those ‘negotiations’, walk over to the bridge, and get stabbed … all before the blood turns into chunks of clots in some watery ooze? How in the world could she maneuver the Waif to be waiting to kill her at precisely that place and that quickly? And how would she know that the Waif would go for belly stabbing vs throat cutting or any other method? It just doesn’t pass the smell test. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/288 "2016-06-08T13:41:00Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > On a semi-related note, I don’t necessarily think there was fake blood involved, but you guys saying fake blood is hard to get are thinking too modern. Specifically regarding the “fake” part. Stroll into any butcher shop and buy as much real blood as you like, probably dirt cheap. I’m sure animal blood is pretty easy to get, but I don’t know how someone in Game of Thrones times could get a blood packet. The packet would need to be concealed under clothes, and only burst when hit by a weapon, and not burst or leak out until needed, either for a play or for faking a death. They don’t have plastic bags, and I’m sure you could make some sort of bag from animal skins but I think it would either be too thin and burst too early, or too thick and maybe not burst at the right time. And you couldn’t exactly make a Ziploc seal so the bag isn’t just leaking on you as you walk around. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/289 "2016-06-08T14:17:24Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > That’s more or less the reason I think everything was not as it seemed with the Arya/Waif scene—there’s been too many hints that still need to pan out: Arya’s preparation with Needle in the dark, and the sword’s conspicuous absence in the assassination scene; her explicitly shown familiarity with the face the Waif used; all her training re fighting while blind, etc.; the possibility of wearing multiple faces, even of living persons; the inexplicable bags of money; **her grossly out-of-character strutting around in the wide open while she knows that there’s a society of killers out after her.** If all of these really come to nothing, that would be way worse writing than we’ve generally seen on this show. But I haven’t really a clue a to what it is that really happened. Anyway, we ought to find out eventually. Has it been established that she knows the faceless men are trying to kill her? I thought she thought her failure to kill the actress meant not being accepted into the faceless men and after quitting she would just leave and go on with her life. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/290 "2016-06-08T14:22:20Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > Has it been established that she knows the faceless men are trying to kill her? I thought she thought her failure to kill the actress meant not being accepted into the faceless men and after quitting she would just leave and go on with her life. Jaq’en specifically said something like “a face is going up on the wall one way or the other” with Arya’s last assignment, with the implication that either Arya kills the actress or Arya is going to be killed, and Arya seemed to understand that. ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/291 "2016-06-08T14:30:36Z")
I still really kinda like the switcheroo idea, because it at least seems to fit the weirdness of the stabbed Arya really well. We know the Waif seemed really contemptuous and/or jealous of Arya’s highborn background. We also don’t really know what her role is in the House of Black and White. But the last thing we hear her say to Jaqen, “You promised me,” seems odd: either she’s a terrible Faceless Man (or another failed acolyte) because she has a specific, personal desire to kill a girl, or it was something else that Jaq’en promised. That she could have Arya’s highborn identity and go live her life (maybe incidental to some other FM business in Westeros)? Still seems like a bad desire for “no one” to want to go be “someone.” Maybe that’s why Jaqen or another FM had to kill her. But if it was the Waif who got to “be” Arya, it would explain the exaggerated “rich person” walk, flaunting money (and where the money came from, especially if she would have FM business where she was going, the FM would probably set her up with whatever money she needed), extreme confidence, and almost a gleeful outlook on what’s to come…and going to stare wistfully at the river and the giant statue, since the Waif has probably been in Braavos a long time. The Waif would also not expect that she herself is being hunted, and may have her guard down. So that’s not to say that the old lady attacker is actually Arya wearing multiple faces. I guess it could be, but it could also be Jaqen or another Faceless Man; since it seems like the Waif is actually a pretty terrible FM if that’s what she’s supposed to be. She might have the physical ability, but her temperament is very un-Jaqen-like, malicious, and jealous. It does parallel the actresses a bit: the jealous one wants the other dead, and the Faceless Arya sees the injustice and intercedes. Maybe Arya was the one who passed the test; the Waif, however, has failed and the Faceless Man intercedes to stop the injustice. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/292 "2016-06-08T14:35:55Z")
Why on Earth would the Waif put Arya’s face on ? How does that help her shank the real Arya in any way ? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/293 "2016-06-08T14:48:13Z")
Eh. We’ll find out what happened with Arya soon enough. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/294 "2016-06-08T15:20:51Z")
Arya didn’t like the “Sansa” actress, and basically ratted her out to the troupe. There was a little dialog between Arya and the Lady Crane actress about “masks we wear”, I think. So maybe Arya went back to the “Sansa”, apologized for ratting her out, told her to wear this mask and get on the next boat out of town, and here’s some bucks for the trip. Arya knows the FM will be gunning for her, so the actress she doesn’t like will get whacked, the actress she does like survives, a face gets put on the wall, and the real Arya is hiding in her dark place with Needle, where the Waif will find her after the botched hit comes to light. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/295 "2016-06-08T15:33:29Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Eh. We’ll find out what happened with Arya soon enough. Please, we still have 4 more days of wild speculation. Also, am I the only one that thinks that if was someone other than the young actress that set up the hit? I’m guess it was Richard Grant’s character, if only because of the Law&Order rule (it’s always the special guest). ---
**Author:** ![Pedro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/919ad9/32.png) [@Pedro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pedro)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/296 "2016-06-08T15:41:23Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_Rat](#): > > Arya didn’t like the “Sansa” actress, and basically ratted her out to the troupe. There was a little dialog between Arya and the Lady Crane actress about “masks we wear”, I think. So maybe Arya went back to the “Sansa”, apologized for ratting her out, told her to wear this mask and get on the next boat out of town, and here’s some bucks for the trip. > > Arya knows the FM will be gunning for her, so the actress she doesn’t like will get whacked, the actress she does like survives, a face gets put on the wall, and the real Arya is hiding in her dark place with Needle, where the Waif will find her after the botched hit comes to light. How do we account for the fact that Arya is half the body size of all these people? Do they just morph when putting on “the face”? This faceless ridiculousness can’t end soon enough. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/297 "2016-06-08T15:42:17Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_Rat](#): > > Arya didn’t like the “Sansa” actress, and basically ratted her out to the troupe. There was a little dialog between Arya and the Lady Crane actress about “masks we wear”, I think. So maybe Arya went back to the “Sansa”, apologized for ratting her out, told her to wear this mask and get on the next boat out of town, and here’s some bucks for the trip. > > Arya knows the FM will be gunning for her, so the actress she doesn’t like will get whacked, the actress she does like survives, a face gets put on the wall, and the real Arya is hiding in her dark place with Needle, where the Waif will find her after the botched hit comes to light. Interesting idea, but that would mean that anyone could wear a face from the stock of the Faceless Men. And I doubt that’s the case. Plus wouldn’t the actress have ripped off the mask after being stabbed, or after emerging from the water? ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/298 "2016-06-08T15:47:53Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Interesting idea, but that would mean that anyone could wear a face from the stock of the Faceless Men. And I doubt that’s the case. Plus wouldn’t the actress have ripped off the mask after being stabbed, or after emerging from the water? A Man only speculates for he is bored. And I won’t be able to watch it until next Wednesday, so I won’t even know how this plays out until then. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/299 "2016-06-08T16:51:46Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > But I haven’t really a clue a to what it is that really happened. Anyway, we ought to find out eventually. New Theory: We never find out. Arya suffers from [Chuck Cunningham Syndrome](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChuckCunninghamSyndrome) ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/300 "2016-06-08T17:36:27Z")
Has there ever been a character on this show who was mortally wounded in one episode and died in the next episode? Pretty much everyone where there was a question if they were going to die or not ended up alive. They only person who I can think of who had a drawn out death was Robert, and that was still was over the course of one episode. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631.md?page=16)