Game of Thrones 2016 JUNE

There are no spoilers in this article about the future of Arya Stark on Game of Thrones. Everything presented here is based on official footage released by HBO. But still, speculation abounds! So proceed with caution.

Based on her fishy behavior in last week’s episode, there have been a lot of odd and complicated theories circulating around the Internet about Arya Stark. What was the deal with that stabbing scene in the latest episode? Are Arya and the Waif actually the same person à la Fight Club and Mr. Robot? Did Arya put her face on one of the actresses? Was that actually Jaqen H’ghar in disguise to test the Waif? Was it all just a dream? Sorry, Braavosi Fight Club truthers, the answer is probably much simpler than any of that. Here’s a reasonable explanation for Arya’s plan to get out of Braavos in one piece.

Why was Arya—last seen cowering in her room with her sword, Needle, clutched in her hand—walking brazenly down the streets of Braavos without her trusty weapon? The answer? She was playing a part. Inspired by the theater troupe (and maybe even helped by an indebted Lady Crane), Arya decided to put on a show. And whether intentionally or not, she costumed herself to look like her father, Ned.

The swagger, the loud plans to catch a ship, the flashy coin purse, etc., were all meant to draw the Waif out. Arya is still playing the part when she meets the Waif disguised as an old woman. How do we know she’s acting? Because Arya has seen that elderly face before. She stared at it for a long time in the Hall of Faces back in Season 5, Episode 6. That’s right, Game of Thrones planted the seeds for this plot last year.

So, there’s no way the shock on Arya’s face here is genuine. However, her fear and pain are. Arya might have known that was the Waif in disguise, but she was genuinely stabbed in the gut.

So what could possibly be her next move? The Season 6 trailer holds the best clue. In it we see Arya’s hand (clad in the same blue shirt she’s wearing in the trailer for next week) carefully trailing blood along a wall.

Once again, Arya is making herself easy to find, only this time, when the Waif gets on her trail, Arya’s rival will be much cockier knowing how wounded the Stark girl is.

Where might Arya be leading her? Those clues have also been a long time in the making. All season we’ve seen Arya learn to fight blind. She and the Waif may be fairly evenly matched when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, but Arya will surely have the jump on her when it comes to fighting in the dark.

Given that Arya knows she can fight better in the dark, doesn’t this moment with the candle at the end of Episode 6 make even more sense?

So a girl probably has a plan—but is it a smart one? Kind of, but it’s also incredibly risky. How could Arya have known the Waif would go for the gut instead of slitting her throat or something else instantly fatal? Truth be told, even if this is Arya’s plan, we’ll have a bone to pick with Game of Thrones. Robb, Talisa, and Jon all died from similar wounds. For Arya to survive will take some potent Faceless Man magic. Though she does have quite the array of potions and powders at her disposal. Sure, they’re mostly poison, but there might be something curative in there.

So, yes, Arya’s plan is risky, but maybe no less risky than Sansa Stark writing to Littlefinger for help. And, yes, that was who Sansa was writing to. Some Internet geniuses decoded her scroll. You can also thank intrepid Internet geniuses for cracking Arya’s plan. And they did so in verse.

As crazy as Arya’s plan may be, it makes a lot more sense than the other theories floating around. It will also pay off the endless scenes of Arya training blind. And, if Arya delivers up a dead Waif to Jaqen, she’ll be free of her debt to the House of Black and White. “One way or another,” Jaqen told her in Episode 6, “a face will be added to the hall.” He meant either hers or Lady Crane’s, but odds are it will be the Waif’s face on that wall once the season is over. We’ll see for certain what a girl’s plan may be when Episode 8, “No One,” premieres on Sunday.