This article contains spoilers for " No One , " the eighth episode of the sixth season ofGame of Thrones . go with caution . You might also want to read ourfull recapof the sequence or seeall of ourGame of Thronesstories .
This hebdomad , the Waif , doting helper of Jaqen H’ghar , close acolyte of the Faceless Men , and stick - wielding menace to Arya Stark ’s bruised shin bone , get together the develop ranks of the dead , getting an experimental face transplanting in the dark . But unlike the shocking and occasionally move deaths of other characters on the show – keepholding that door in the afterlife , Hodor – the Waif ’s end did n’t revolutionise heartfelt eulogy , anguished tweets , or paeans to her normcore personal panache . That ’s because the Waif was one of the worst characters in the history ofGame of Thrones .
Was she the worstever ? As exciting as it is to seefan favorites get resurrected this season , some character should just stay put dead . No one ( punning not intended ! ) is pining for the return of Viserys Targaryen , the bleached - blond brother of Daeneryswho beta - tested a 24 - karat Au face maskin Season 1 and never recovered . You probably already forgot that Doran Martell was gutted to begin with this season as we leave Dorne behind . Even sweet , beautiful Jojen Reed is best live as a fleeting , Bieber - haired computer storage . Barring some previous - time of year twist , the Waif seems destine to be remembered on standardized terms .
HBO
And then there ’s rogue ’s gallery of unlikeable character reference who still take the air among the living : extremely hateable dog - lover Ramsay Bolton , the tediously dogmatical High Sparrow , and , if you grate at the show ’s occasional reverting into male compliments fulfillment fantasy , the bumbling audience foster Samwell Tarly . Each is irritating in a unique way . But none of them is as frustratingly one - bank bill or straight - up lame as the eternally unknown Waif .
This is nothing against Faye Marsay , the actress who play the Waif for two season with a mix of sneaky decision , backbone , and , in her final ridiculous moments , Terminator - style run skills . She did her ripe with some shaky material . She swing over that adhere really hard . Her job was to physically and psychologically break down Arya Stark , one of the show ’s most dear character , and she did it without resort to cartoon villainy – well , like I said , besides theTerminatorsprinting . ( badly , preserve your Steph Curry jokes ; get the Waif her own shoe line . ) The problem lies in the larger plot that surrounds her .
Do you remember back in Season 2 when Jaqen first give Arya a coin and told her to say " Valar Morghulis " upon arrive in Braavos ? The Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe - tilt man of the Faceless Men finger alien at the time , a magical and mischievous world that offered the eccentric of shudder fantasy storytelling the show had only previously hint at . It matte up like we were about to see some actual dweeb shit . Magic coin + wizardly hitmen + magicFace / Offskills = Game of Thronesnirvana , right ?
Wrong . This is a common job in science - fiction and fantasy stories . While the idea of seeing Arya in training to become an bravo sounds cool on paper , run into the hearing ’s expectation is impossible . The idea is simply " coolheaded " on a central , borderline - childish layer and any attempt to excuse it or demystify it will ultimately just make it cripple . It ’s like discover out about Boba Fett ’s pappa . It ’s why you do n’t watch theMatrixsequels anymore .
The full " Arya becomes part of the Faceless Men " plotline always prompt me of one of the best flyer jokes inWayne ’s World . We see Wayne open up a doorway where all these spies are training , shooting gunman and throwing knives – just the most silly " badass " action imaginable . " What are you gon na do with these guys ? " asks Garth . " Oh , nothing really , " says Wayne . " I just always wanted to open a door to a room where people are being trained like in James Bond movie . " That ’s middling much all the Faceless Men plotline turned out to be . There ’s a reason Wayne and Garth do n’t go through that room access !
And , unlike the long - haired Jaqen , who care to retain most of his orphic dirtbag appealingness throughout Arya ’s trial by ordeal , the Waif had to turn out the brunt of this unwieldy , ultimately superfluous plotline on her sturdy - looking articulatio humeri . or else of being a Yoda - like mentor for young Arya , she was a tormentor and a yobbo , the Johnny to Arya ’s Danny in the inevitableGame of Thrones - The Karate Kidmash - up of the Braavos plotline . In two time of year , we never got to watch the Waif mature or show signs of pity . She did n’t get good gags like Viserys . She never got to be heroic like Sam . She did n’t even get a love interestingness like Ramsay .
HBO
Like the son of a bitch of Bolton , the Waif is a nought . The best eccentric onGame of Thronesare always motivated by a sincere , occasionally throw out of kilter desire that justify even their most inhumane decisions . As Jaime Lannisterexplained in last night ’s episode , he ’ll do anything for the love of his babe Cersei , who likewise has already go bad demented to protect her children . It ’s that simple ! The Waif did n’t even get a backstory – or , at least , not a truthful one . In one of her long scenes last time of year , she told a mother fucker story about being the girl of a widow lord , but that end up being yet another Trygve Halvden Lie , a masquerade she tried on to teach Arya the agency of the Faceless Men .
The theatrical role is so thin , her motivations and interior - life so poorly sketched , that the cyberspace create a whole insane conspiracy possibility to make her interesting . The last calendar week was filled with rumor that the Waif would end up beinga Tyler Durden - expressive style figment of Arya ’s mental imagery . It ’s fan theorise at its dumbest : an endeavour to patch up lackluster penning by invent an elaborate machine that will never go on . Rather than admit the show ’s creators might have made a misunderstanding , we wrap ourselves in theory to bolster their infallibility .
It ’s heavy to blame anyone . In the end , the Braavos bow felt like three episodes load across two season , fundamentally stalling Arya ’s inevitable – and extremely anticipate – revenge tale so that the rest of the characters could position themselves . There was no saving the Waif , who kept the wheels spinning by repeatedly have words our hero . In a show filled with hateable people , the Waif is probably too boring to be the worstGame of Thronescharacter ever . Even when it come to being the worst , she is not the best .
HBO
Sign up herefor our day-to-day Thrillist email , and get your jam of the right in food for thought / drinkable / play .
