One of the most exciting twists in movies of the late 1990s was the reveal in Fight Club that the characters played by Edward Norton and Brad Pitt are one and the same. The audience loved this moment, and the box office proved it. It would not surprise any of us, therefore, that viewers would look for similar reveals in movies and television shows and writers would seek to emulate this storytelling technique. It should also not surprise us that, after experiencing such mind-blowing reveals as how Hodor came to be known as Hodor, viewers of season six of Game of Thrones have started to wonder if the show is pulling a Fight Club on us with Arya and the Waif after this week's episode. Here is the latest theory that's blowing up the internet.
The theory, first credited to Redditor catNamedStupidity, goes something like this: Arya and the Waif (the girl who trains with her in the House of Black and White) are the same. The Waif is simply part of Arya's psyche, a Brad Pitt to Arya's Edward Norton. Either Arya must defeat the Waif and then be Arya again, or the Waif will kill Arya and the Arya we have grown to love will be gone, now truly "no one" and now one of the Faceless Men.
Is your mind blown yet? For those of you who are totally confused, here are some reasons to support this theory.
While the theory certainly makes sense, the show will have to do a good job of selling it if true.
There's also the point floating around that the show could allow this theory to play out in a way that leaves you to believe it or not but does not give us an answer. This could feel quite fulfilling, if done well. It basically says that if Arya kills the Waif, then Arya goes back home and continues to be Arya, and we never know what truly happened to the Waif but can presume that she was part of Arya's psyche and is no more. On the other side, the Waif could kill Arya and continue on as the Waif, and we could assume that side of Arya's psyche has won. It could easily play out where both believers of the theory and nonbelievers are left happy.
We are left with three equally likely options of who the Waif could be.
The third option may very well incorporate aspects of number two, but wouldn't we all be much more impressed if it's an original spin on this theory? Perhaps the Waif is simply a spirit that serves the Many-Faced God or an aspect of Jaqen himself that must be defeated for his apprentice (Arya in this case) to prove her worth. There could be numerous other reveals that would be exciting and, perhaps, more intriguing than something we've seen before.
Hopefully we'll be getting an answer next week, since the episode is called "No One." What are your thoughts? Would you be blown away if the Waif and Arya are one and the same, or would you feel it was too cliché?