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A better way to handle the Arya Faceless Men story?

posted 8 years ago by ronindave
19 replies | jump to latest

I hate Episode 8's resolution(?) of Arya's storyline with the Faceless Men. After about 2 seasons of some of the most boring and unenlightening training ever put to film it finally came to an end with a gut-wounded Arya in a parkour chase that ends with a ridiculous contrived ending of her defeating her foe in the dark because she was blind for about a week or a month then after swearing over and over again to be a part of the Faceless Ones whom she sought out and begged to join she tells Jaqen to take this job and shove it.

I think instead of being bored with stick fighting, body washing, a mumbling mystical nonsense (she got more life lessons from the Dancing Master, the Hound, and 2nd Season Jaqen) they should have done a Bran break. Have Arya enter the temple then not reappear until the end of Season 5 when she kills Trant. And reappear again at the end of Season 6 for her Walder kill.

When you have something mysterious like the Faceless Men keeping it mysterious is a good thing. She becomes a mysterious badass assassin and her training only barely hinted at leaving it up to our own imagination. Instead all we saw was the aforementioned stick fighting, body washing, and mumbling nonsense yet somehow she picks up by herself the face-changing magic and the parkour skills.

Basically the less is more principle would have been better IMHO than the plodding storyline where the Faceless Men despite their (his?) incredible talents go around doing low-level Assassin Creed missions whacking corrupt harbor masters and traveling troupe actresses. And no subplot Waif nonsense!

[–] Leo_ofRedKeep 8 years ago

Yes, it was crap. The whole season was.
Thinking about how it could have been done better won't change it.
Just watch something else that makes sense.

Long may she reign http://i.imgur.com/BxJJSJZ.jpg

[–] userrrrr 8 years ago

The whole season was crap

🐙

[–] ioan_18 8 years ago

Without changing it too much:

1. Arya leaves the House of Black and White, but Jaqen doesn't tell the Waif to kill her. The Waif, however, hates Arya and goes to murder her.

2. Arya isn't dumb so she doesn't get stabbed. Instead, she prepares a trap for the Waif because Arya know that girl is bitter af. In the end, they end up in that room where they fight in the dark and Arya wins.

3. Arya brings the face to Jaqen and they show this diaogue:
Arya: Did you send her?
Jaqen: No, but she was driven by anger. She wasn't no one, but you are.
Arya: I'm Arya Stark of Winterfell and I'm going home.
Jaqen nods and says: "Like the girl should've been from the beginning"

No plotholes, no inconsisties. The audience is led to believe that the House of Black and White was a test, a place for training and a place to refind yourself, not to become an assassin.

[–] ronindave 8 years ago

yeah that would have been than what we got though I still hate the Waif because her character helped to ruin the Faceless Men mystery.

I was hoping there would be some kind of Mr. Miyagi "wax on, wax off" reveal to Arya's seemingly pointless boring training and assignments and that the Waif was part of her training but no! Instead it just became like some school girl story where the girls are vying for the teacher's affection and the bully girl is jealous of the new girl.

[–] RebelBlood 8 years ago

I'd enjoy seeing that version, ioan. The end of the Braavos story was too ambiguous for me even though I liked the setting.

[–] ioan_18 8 years ago

I agree, it was a mess.

[–] CheruthCutestory 8 years ago

Make the Waif the good guy and depict Jaqen as the evil man who entices children to leave their identities and join death cults that he is. She intentionally didn't stab her in lethal spots. She kills Lady Crane but on a merciful way (the God needs his death.) She's willing to give Arya a shot to escape. And they kill Jaqen for the missing body.

Was she mean to Arya before? Yeah because other people don't consider themselves side character's in Arya Stark's journey. That's her only crime. That she didn't kiss Arya's feet like most do eventually. She didn't like Arya and that's her right. It's not evil to dislike someone. But she isn't evil and doesn't want a little girl's life destroyed.

The problem with Arya's whole story is she has all these people looking out for her sometimes with their lives with no motive other than to help and protect her. Why the *beep* did Syrio die for a little girl he barely knew? Why did Yoren break his vows for her (by getting involved)? How is Gendry the only good non-rapey dude on his way to the NW? Why is Lady Crane taking in and stitching up a random weirdo who stalked her and then claimed someone was trying to kill her? Why did the Hound continue to protect her when everyone who would pay a ransom was dead? Why did Jaqen care so much? Why didn't Tywin pursue his inkling that something was off with her? One or two of these is totally fine. But all of them? Everyone else lives in the real world. Where, yes, you have friends and allies because not everyone is bad but people also use you for their own advantage or betray you.

The House of B&W has been around thousands of years but in the end is only about Arya's self-actualization. It's vomit enducing and reduces her as a character.

Have the whole thing end on the negative note that she was being inducted into a cult and barely escaped. Have her being used not facilitated. But at least she learned some stuff.

No wonder Jesus quit carpentry. It's so much harder than talking on a donkey.

[–] Elliot_Alderson 8 years ago

She intentionally didn't stab her in lethal spots.

I think this was out of malice, more than anything.

I'm only supposed to be your prophet. You're supposed to be my God.

[–] CheruthCutestory 8 years ago

No, I mean in my hypothetical plot change.

Her actions become less nonsensical. And more the conflict of a girl trapped in this life at an age too young to understand the implications and feels pity for this girl who isn't trapped, yet, despite not liking her as a person.

No wonder Jesus quit carpentry. It's so much harder than talking on a donkey.

[–] ronindave 8 years ago

Until Arya killed her, the Waif could have been part of Arya's true training or been Jaqen in disguise or the many face god but the way it ended it was just "nope! The Waif was just a jealous bitch who despite hating Arya and being an assassin she didn't cut Arya's throat when she had the chance nor killed her when she killed the actress in a horrible way (without waking Arya in the process)."

It just became stupidity upon stupidity and the Faceless Men reduced to a creepy cult of two people who kill nobodies when they could be killing and replacing major world leaders. Overall a letdown of what had been one of the most interesting aspects of the show.

[–] Leo_ofRedKeep 8 years ago

Fan service. No sorry, wrong term: stupid fan service. Pleasing fools is their new business.

Long may she reign http://i.imgur.com/BxJJSJZ.jpg

[–] ronindave 8 years ago

The Arya story in Braavos did seem to have gotten lost in itself. By the end of it the story became Arya struggling with her identity and psychopathic rival but the writers and fans forgot that it was Arya who went to great lengths to seek out Jaqen and swear her resolve to become a Faceless One. It was like a soap opera where emotional conclusions rather than logical ones are common. Some deluded fans thought Arya telling off Jaqen was a satisfying conclusion - "yay, she claimed her identity! You go, Arya!"

When she told Jaqen she was leaving I wish Jaqen had said "Bitch, you showed up on my doorstep begging me to take you in not the other way around! I gave you the chance to get your eyesight back and leave but you kept swearing you would be part of the club but because you found out that a group of assassins actually (gasp!) killed people you suddenly felt this wasn't for you! If there were any lawyers in Braavos I'd sue your ungrateful ass for eating my food and killing my help. Who's going to light all these candles now?"

The writers tried to do a captive resisting their captor storyline but it wasn't like Jaqen had kidnapped her. She made huge efforts to get to Braavos. She waited outside the temple for days. She kept promising to follow the Order's rules and in the end she just chucked the whole thing begging the question of what was the point of any of it?

To satisfy those soap opera-ish fans the writers sacrifice logic and mystery. In the end there was no deeper meaning to the Faceless Men. They or he are just petty assassins for hire squandering their or his incredible talents killing nobodies for the silliest of reasons - an actress in a traveling theater troupe wants the lead role? Really? Was this written by a junior high school girl?

I think if anyone put the Arya Braavos storyline together to make one continuous story without the breaks for other stories and the long season break it would show how badly incomprehensible that story was handled and concluded.

[–] Leo_ofRedKeep 8 years ago

"yay, she claimed her identity! You go, Arya!"

This is the standard reaction to most plots in Season 6.

"Wow!!! Look at that old Hag! Eeeeeeek!!!!!!!"
"Yeah!!! My boy Jon lives!!!!!!!!!!!!! AWESOME!!!! Best episode EVAAAAAH!!!"
"DIE OLLY, DIE!!! F.ck Olly. Olly did it all. DIE OLLY, DIE!!!"
"Yeah! Burn them! You go girl!!!!!!!!!! GIRL POWERRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!"
"Nooooooooo!!! sob sob sob Hodor! sob sob No, I can't take it! sob…"
"Yeah! Show them! You go girl!!!!!!!!!! GIRL POWERRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!"

It goes on…

Long may she reign http://i.imgur.com/BxJJSJZ.jpg

[–] ronindave 8 years ago

I liked the Hodor bit but yes I can agree overall it's been fan service the whole season over logic. People overreacted to Jon's death whose resurrection you could see coming before he even got stabbed. His return was so anti-climatic yet your simpleminded fans cheered and they hated Olly forgetting he watched his family killed and eaten by the same people Jon let in through the gates. But because he killed Jon, he had to die to satisfy their bloodlust for daring to harm their anointed hero.

The show's popularity has become it's own hinderance and the Arya Braavos conclusion is indicative of this. Looking at "professional" reviewers recaps of this season's episode is to wallow in a shallow sea of soap opera-ish fan adoration. People don't care about story consistency anymore so long as their favorite character doesn't die and does something awesome. The Mary Sueing has gotten out of hand.

And the fan theories have gone into looney land. There are people who think that Arya is now the Waif. Like who in their right mind would replace a main character with a nobody just for a lame twist? But these nutjobs in complete disregard for basic story-telling are convinced this has happened just for the sake of this twist.

Logic and common sense are losing grounds to the emos and tinfoil hatters!

[–] Leo_ofRedKeep 8 years ago

His return was so anti-climatic yet your simpleminded fans cheered and they hated Olly forgetting he watched his family killed and eaten by the same people Jon let in through the gates. But because he killed Jon, he had to die to satisfy their bloodlust for daring to harm their anointed hero.

The hate for Olly was one of the ugliest things I have seen in years. This is the human trait at the basis of lynch justice.

Looking at "professional" reviewers recaps of this season's episode is to wallow in a shallow sea of soap opera-ish fan adoration.

Professional reviewers live from pleasing their audience, they will never be truly critical of something popular. Their task, conscious or not, is to support the trend. This is how popularity snowballs.

Long may she reign http://i.imgur.com/BxJJSJZ.jpg

[–] ronindave 8 years ago

The hate for Olly was one of the ugliest things I have seen in years. This is the human trait at the basis of lynch justice.

A good and disturbing point when you think about it. People were cheering the death of a 12 year old. It shows how a narrative can easily make someone a hero or villain regardless of the truth. If this were a Game of Olly, Jon would come off as a villain or at least an untrustworthy fool. It's rather frightening how easily people can be swayed to hatred.

Professional reviewers live from pleasing their audience, they will never be truly critical of something popular.

True though on the other hand you get your hipster reviewer who hates something just because it's popular which actually enhances the popularity trend. People love something because it's popular, people hate something because it's popular and few actually give a good levelheaded analysis.

[–] Leo_ofRedKeep 8 years ago

It's rather frightening how easily people can be swayed to hatred.

Or convinced of a false notion of justice. Daenerys randomly crucifying people based on their belonging to certain families still finds defenders and many do think the High Sparrow had good intentions, even though they will criticise his methods.

Long may she reign http://i.imgur.com/BxJJSJZ.jpg

[–] Boundeem 8 years ago

Scrap everything and start from scratch.

Cai's Finest

[–] gabste 8 years ago

Yes I didn't like Arya's storyline in season 6. I liked her character until this last season.

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