# 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:** 17
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/321 "2016-06-10T01:58:53Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I think the Arya situation is actually going to be pretty straightforward. She’s wounded, someone will finally help her, she’ll hide, she’ll heal, and she’ll kill the Waif in episode 10. > [@Smid](#): > > I was thinking that too, but the next episode is called No One. Ok, so they try and have multiple things to do with the titles (ie: Theon also being a broken man), but the short summary does mention Arya, so she’s doing something next episode… Yeah, I think it’s gonna be Episode 8: Waifbowl, Episode 9 (titled “The Battle of the Bastards”): Snowbowl, obviously, and we’ll finally get the much awaited Cleganebowl in Episode 10. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/322 "2016-06-10T07:03:47Z")
These Arya conspiracy theories all seem to be based on the idea that Arya is playing some trick because she knows the Faceless Folks are planning to kill her. As someone else pointed out earlier, that hasn’t been established at all. As far as we’ve seen, Arya doesn’t know that she was observed by the Waif when she sabotaged the assassination of the actress. There’s no reason to think Arya knows that she’s in trouble. There’s no reason to think she doesn’t take a morning stroll around the marketplace every day. There’s no reason to think she expected to get attacked. There’s no reason to assume she didn’t expect to quietly vanish before the Faceless Folks realised she wasn’t following orders any more. Now, all those things are _possible_, but there’s no reason to assume they’re established facts. People are jumping to conclusions all over the place here. Personally I think what we saw was what happened: Arya got jumped because she didn’t know she was in danger. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/323 "2016-06-10T07:28:59Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > These Arya conspiracy theories all seem to be based on the idea that Arya is playing some trick because she knows the Faceless Folks are planning to kill her. > > As someone else pointed out earlier, that hasn’t been established at all. As far as we’ve seen, Arya doesn’t know that she was observed by the Waif when she sabotaged the assassination of the actress. There’s no reason to think Arya knows that she’s in trouble. There’s no reason to think she doesn’t take a morning stroll around the marketplace every day. There’s no reason to think she expected to get attacked. There’s no reason to assume she didn’t expect to quietly vanish before the Faceless Folks realised she wasn’t following orders any more. > > Now, all those things are _possible_, but there’s no reason to assume they’re established facts. People are jumping to conclusions all over the place here. Personally I think what we saw was what happened: Arya got jumped because she didn’t know she was in danger. Yeah, it’s very tinfoily. Same thing on Reddit too. Same cockamamie theories about blood pouches and multiple layers of faces, and all that nonsense. None of them make any sense when you break them down though, because there’s no reason for anyone else to pretend to be Arya, and no reason for anyone else to pretend to be the Waif. And there’s certainly no stage blood or pig’s blood. That would be the most ridiculous twist of all. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/324 "2016-06-10T11:32:46Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > Personally I think what we saw was what happened: Arya got jumped because she didn’t know she was in danger. I thought that the Jacquen stated that she had to do the job or she’d be dead. Something to do someone’s face up on the wall, the jobs face, or Aryas… So I thought she knew she was in trouble… ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/325 "2016-06-10T11:42:42Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > I thought that the Jacquen stated that she had to do the job or she’d be dead. Something to do someone’s face up on the wall, the jobs face, or Aryas… > > So I thought she knew she was in trouble… Immediately after foiling her own attempted poisoning of the actress, Arya retrieves Needle and retires, fearfully, to a dark cell where she sleeps with one hand on her sword. She has been explicitly told that she has been given a second chance and that there will not be a third. She clearly knows she is in danger. This is why everyone thinks its weird that she is next seen strolling around bold as brass and then not, e.g. pre-emptively stabbing every old woman who comes within arms length. It is weird. Personally, I think it’s just bad writing because they wanted her in peril which meant she had to expose herself; but the elaborate theories about masks and subterfuge do at least account for the total, abrupt and unexplained shift in Arya’s attitude to risk. ---
**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 10, 2016, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/326 "2016-06-10T12:04:25Z")
I do find the speculation a little over the top, but it’s a legitimate point that she all of a sudden acted completely differently, going from cowering in the dark to boldly strolling around in broad daylight. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/327 "2016-06-10T13:02:22Z")
I’m dubious of the conspiracy theories about hidden identities and fake blood. I could even get past Arya’s new boldness: she has finally made a decision and feels new freedom and confidence in what she wants to do. But the fact she doesn’t have needle with her bothers me a little bit, and I can not come up with an explanation of where she got the bags of money. She _could_ have stolen it from the temple or a merchant on the street, but I feel like that would have been shown if it were the case. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/328 "2016-06-10T13:18:22Z")
I do hope this isn’t just sloppy writing. That’s the problem with even the best TV, sometimes things don’t seem right for no other reason than that the writers screwed up. it’s true, Arya going from sitting in the dark with Needle and then just boldly strolling around doesn’t make much sense. Hopefully they’ve fooled us all, because if this isn’t part of some plan by Arya it’s awfully sloppy. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/329 "2016-06-10T13:43:44Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > Or, even more likely, that wasn’t Arya getting stabbed. Arya is sneaky as hell. Arya doesn’t wander up to a table, loudly announce where she wants to go, throw money around, and demand a cabin upgrade. Arya certainly doesn’t do all that and then go stand on a bridge in the middle of town, paying no attention to her surroundings, especially when she knows there are people trying to kill her. That person didn’t walk like Arya, dress like her, or act like her. Didn’t even have Needle by her side. > > There’s a few possibilities about who it could be. But I’d put money on that not being Arya at all. > [@adaher](#): > > I do hope this isn’t just sloppy writing. That’s the problem with even the best TV, sometimes things don’t seem right for no other reason than that the writers screwed up. it’s true, Arya going from sitting in the dark with Needle and then just boldly strolling around doesn’t make much sense. Hopefully they’ve fooled us all, because if this isn’t part of some plan by Arya it’s awfully sloppy. The first thought that went through my head when I saw Arya walking around seemingly without a care in the world after cowering the dark the previous episode was “that can’t really be her”. I also think many of the theories to explain this are pretty far-fetched, but I sure hope it isn’t poor and inconsistent writing (though there is precedent: the entire Dorne subplot). They seemed to make a pretty big deal out of her taking Needle and blowing out the light and sitting in the dark. The obvious conclusion was that Arya was planning on leveraging her prior blindness to her advantage. To not resolve this discrepancy would be a disappointing oversight. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/330 "2016-06-10T14:43:06Z")
> [@Algernon](#): > > They seemed to make a pretty big deal out of her taking Needle and blowing out the light and sitting in the dark. The obvious conclusion was that Arya was planning on leveraging her prior blindness to her advantage. To not resolve this discrepancy would be a disappointing oversight. She puts Needle down and blows out the light because it’s time to sleep. I didn’t get the impression that she was laying in wait in the dark, I got the impression she was a little wary but not, you know, freaking out. Not so concerned that she couldn’t sleep. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/331 "2016-06-10T15:07:59Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > She puts Needle down and blows out the light because it’s time to sleep. I didn’t get the impression that she was laying in wait in the dark, I got the impression she was a little wary but not, you know, freaking out. Not so concerned that she couldn’t sleep. Still, people have a point : where is Needle. Also, I’m not convinced the story is as simple as presented. Maybe there was an excellent reason to murder the “gentle” actress, and it will become a bad surprise for Arya. Or at the contrary she didn’t failed but passed the test by refusing the murder. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/332 "2016-06-10T15:57:02Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Or at the contrary she didn’t failed but passed the test by refusing the murder. Why would Jaqen tell the Waif she could kill her then? ---
**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 10, 2016, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/333 "2016-06-10T16:08:47Z")
For me a big problem with most of these theories is how complex they are and the time it would take to present them to the audience. Even if you default to having someone just stand there and spout exposition, as clunky as that would be, it would take time that seems to be in short supply given how many plot lines are building to crisis points and there are only three episodes left in the season. ---
**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 10, 2016, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/334 "2016-06-10T16:19:13Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > She puts Needle down and blows out the light because it’s time to sleep. I didn’t get the impression that she was laying in wait in the dark, I got the impression she was a little wary but not, you know, freaking out. Not so concerned that she couldn’t sleep. I agree. Was she still in the House of Black and White, though, or had she left and found a room elsewhere after recovering Needle and (apparently) deciding to end her Faceless Men training? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/335 "2016-06-10T16:36:43Z")
There is one explanation already mentioned that’s relatively simple and straightforward: Jaqen didn’t want Arya killed by the Waif, so he put on an Arya suit so to speak and made sure to be noticed by flinging the money around for a trip to Westeros and all that, then put himself in a conspicuous position on the bridge to draw the Waif out. The whole thing could have been a decoy to distract the Waif while Arya got out of town. It also explains how ‘Arya’ somehow came into possession of huge sacks of money. It could also be a test for the waif, because he told her not to let Arya suffer, and she was clearly intending to make Arya suffer. And didn’t the Waif already flunk the ‘just a girl’ test by demanding to be the one to kill Arya? So perhaps when Jaqen said, “Too bad - a girl had many gifts” he might actually have been talking about the Waif, who he knew he was going to have to kill because she was behaving as a person with her own grudges rather than as a faceless girl who meant nothing. Also, the ‘life for a life’ trade might get Arya off the hook if Jaqen takes the Waif’s life instead - but first she’d have to screw up in a way that allows him to do that within the religion. There is precedent for this: Jaqen already drank poison intended for Arya. Sacrificing himself, or a version of himself, for her is established as something he might do. I always got the sense that he thought Arya was special and destined for greater things. So the demands of the Waif may have put him in a position where he had to intervene to protect Arya so she could fulfil her destiny back in Westeros. And he couldn’t very well say, “we’re not killing her” to the Waif, because that would violate what they’re all about. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/336 "2016-06-10T17:08:02Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Still, people have a point : where is Needle. Why would she have Needle with her when it isn’t needed? She left it hidden in a wall for months, why would it suddenly become something she carried at all times? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/337 "2016-06-10T17:30:45Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I agree. Was she still in the House of Black and White, though, or had she left and found a room elsewhere after recovering Needle and (apparently) deciding to end her Faceless Men training? Why would she sneak back into the House of Black and White when Jaqen told her she would be killed if she failed her mission? > [@Shakester](#): > > Why would she have Needle with her when it isn’t needed? She left it hidden in a wall for months, why would it suddenly become something she carried at all times? She was under threat of death, and knew it. ---
**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 10, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/338 "2016-06-10T17:37:23Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > There is one explanation already mentioned that’s relatively simple and straightforward: Jaqen didn’t want Arya killed by the Waif, so he put on an Arya suit so to speak and made sure to be noticed by flinging the money around for a trip to Westeros and all that, then put himself in a conspicuous position on the bridge to draw the Waif out. The whole thing could have been a decoy to distract the Waif while Arya got out of town. It also explains how ‘Arya’ somehow came into possession of huge sacks of money. > > It could also be a test for the waif, because he told her not to let Arya suffer, and she was clearly intending to make Arya suffer. And didn’t the Waif already flunk the ‘just a girl’ test by demanding to be the one to kill Arya? So perhaps when Jaqen said, “Too bad - a girl had many gifts” he might actually have been talking about the Waif, who he knew he was going to have to kill because she was behaving as a person with her own grudges rather than as a faceless girl who meant nothing. Also, the ‘life for a life’ trade might get Arya off the hook if Jaqen takes the Waif’s life instead - but first she’d have to screw up in a way that allows him to do that within the religion. > > There is precedent for this: Jaqen already drank poison intended for Arya. Sacrificing himself, or a version of himself, for her is established as something he might do. I always got the sense that he thought Arya was special and destined for greater things. So the demands of the Waif may have put him in a position where he had to intervene to protect Arya so she could fulfil her destiny back in Westeros. And he couldn’t very well say, “we’re not killing her” to the Waif, because that would violate what they’re all about. Why would “Arya” then jump into the river and look so surprised and distressed about being stabbed? If it was Jaqen in disguise I would think “Arya” would accept the stabbing and die on the bridge if it was as a sacrifice instead of Arya dying, or if it was a test for the Waif I would think “Arya” would immediately kill the Waif. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/339 "2016-06-10T18:36:33Z")
I think those are pretty easy to fanwank: ‘Arya’ looked surprised because that’s how she’s supposed to look if she was real. Jaqen/Arya dove off the bridge to A) attempt to actually survive, B) to maintain the subterfuge as long as possible to give Arya more time. If he had just died on the spot, then the Waif might see that it’s not Arya, and immediately go looking for her. instead, if she thinks Arya is dead she goes home, or if she thinks she’s alive and swimming, she goes looking for her in a specific place where the real Arya is unlikely to be. I’m not claiming this is the way it’s going to be, just that it’s a decent theory that accounts for Arya’s strange behavior before the stabbing and can be justified by Jaqen’s previous behavior towards her. That beats the heck out of the bizarro theories about Arya being the waif, the waif being Arya, blood bags, and all the other crazy ideas floating around out there. If we were to assume that ‘Arya’ wasn’t real, Occam’s razor would make this the most likely alternative explanation. But the most likely explanation is still that Arya was Arya, and her strange behavior was just written that way to move the plot forward. Otherwise, we’d be asking, “Hey, how did the Waif find her?” ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631/340 "2016-06-10T18:46:01Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > There is one explanation already mentioned that’s relatively simple and straightforward: Jaqen didn’t want Arya killed by the Waif, so he put on an Arya suit so to speak and made sure to be noticed by flinging the money around for a trip to Westeros and all that, then put himself in a conspicuous position on the bridge to draw the Waif out. The whole thing could have been a decoy to distract the Waif while Arya got out of town. It also explains how ‘Arya’ somehow came into possession of huge sacks of money. > > It could also be a test for the waif, because he told her not to let Arya suffer, and she was clearly intending to make Arya suffer. And didn’t the Waif already flunk the ‘just a girl’ test by demanding to be the one to kill Arya? So perhaps when Jaqen said, “Too bad - a girl had many gifts” he might actually have been talking about the Waif, who he knew he was going to have to kill because she was behaving as a person with her own grudges rather than as a faceless girl who meant nothing. Also, the ‘life for a life’ trade might get Arya off the hook if Jaqen takes the Waif’s life instead - but first she’d have to screw up in a way that allows him to do that within the religion. > > There is precedent for this: Jaqen already drank poison intended for Arya. Sacrificing himself, or a version of himself, for her is established as something he might do. I always got the sense that he thought Arya was special and destined for greater things. So the demands of the Waif may have put him in a position where he had to intervene to protect Arya so she could fulfil her destiny back in Westeros. And he couldn’t very well say, “we’re not killing her” to the Waif, because that would violate what they’re all about. > [@Sam\_Lowry](#): > > Why would “Arya” then jump into the river and look so surprised and distressed about being stabbed? If it was Jaqen in disguise I would think “Arya” would accept the stabbing and die on the bridge if it was as a sacrifice instead of Arya dying, or if it was a test for the Waif I would think “Arya” would immediately kill the Waif. Jaqen is drawing the Waif into a trap. I don’t know why he wouldn’t just kill her on the spot, but the man has many reasons for his actions that we don’t understand. Added weight to it isn’t Arya: In [this interview](http://www.tvguide.com/news/game-thrones-maisie-williams-1033874/) from the first season Maisie talks about the fact that Arya is left handed and how hard she works to do everything possible, including learning to sword fight left handed. > [@](#): > > “I’m right-handed, and when Mom was reading the first book, she told me about Arya being left-handed,” she says. “From then on, I was like, ‘Alright, I’m going to try to do everything left-handed.’ When I was practicing out in the garden and things I would do left-handed just to feel that rhythm. Unfortunately, when it came to filming, sometimes I have to do things right-handed because of the camera angle and things like that. So some people are a bit annoyed that Arya hasn’t done everything left-handed. I wanted to. I really did. But sometimes it was just too tricky and we couldn’t do it.” She’s continued to work at that, increasing her left handedness skill every season. In the scene with the captain, Arya was doing some very basic and easy tasks like tossing the coin purses and picking one up with her right hand. She was also doing the walk with her hands behind her back which is a very Jaqen way of moving and unlike anything we’ve seen from Arya so far. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-6-07-the-broken-man-6-5-16-show-discussion/756631.md?page=18)