Game Of Thrones: The Waif’s Hatred Of Arya Was A Faceless Men Plot Hole

The Waif’s actions toward Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) went against the practices of the Faceless Men, leading to an interesting Game of Thrones plot hole. The character, played by Faye Marsay, was a member of the guild of religious assassins and worked alongside Jaqen H’ghar (Tom Wlaschiha) at the House of Black and White in Braavos. She intersected with Arya’s arc during Game of Thrones’ seasons 5 and 6, but her motives went on to unearth an array of questions.

The Faceless Men were essentially a cult that served the Many-Faced God, also referred to as the God of Death. Acolytes were known to give up their identities to become “no one” as they trained to deliver the “gift” of death. The assassins charged exorbitant fees for their killings and had the ability to change their faces to carry out their missions. The Faceless Men never executed a murder for personal gain. Acting out of anger or hatred was also forbidden according to the cult.

Arya first met Jaqen in Game of Thrones season 2, but she didn’t train to become a member of the Faceless Men until season 5. While at the House of Black and White, the Waif took over much of Arya’s training as Jaqen watched from afar. From the moment Arya arrived, the Waif seemed to have a low opinion of the newcomer. She constantly beat Arya, berated her, and tortured her emotionally. When Arya failed her first mission, the punishment made Arya go blind, but after her second failure, the Waif volunteered to kill her. Jaqen agreed if the Waif promised to kill Arya humanely, but that wasn’t the case at all.

Faceless Men Weren’t Supposed To Have A Personal Vendetta

Rather than give Arya a quick death, the Waif repeatedly stabbed her in the stomach. She survived the murder attempt, but the Waif found her the next day. The problem, however, wasn’t that the Waif pursued a mission to kill her but rather the motivation she used to carry out the action. The Faceless Men weren’t supposed to want anything, but it was clear the Waif craved the death of Arya. She ignored the request of giving Arya a quick death and elected to make her suffer. The personal hatred that the Waif had for Arya went against the ideologies of the Faceless Men.

The Waif disguised herself as a young man and attempted to kill Arya a second time. After a grueling duel, Arya emerged victoriously, and the action gave her the opportunity to become “no one.” Instead of taking the offer, Arya proclaimed herself “Arya Stark of Winterfell.” It’s possible that Jaqen knew the Waif was going to ignore the teachings of the Faceless Men by targeting Arya, but like most of the cult’s motivations, Game of Thrones didn’t effectively delve into the characters enough to avoid certain plot holes and contradictory narratives.

About The Author

Kara Hedash
(1744 Articles Published)

Kara Hedash is a features editor and writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world’s most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara’s not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty.

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