Breaking the wheel

Arya's act of mercy

Mercy is scarce in the vengeful world of “Game of Thrones.” Though many in Westeros pray to Mother Mercy, one facet of the Seven-Faced God, wrongs are righted more often with brutality than benevolence. It might be the case that many deserve a violent end (Ramsay Bolton, anyone?), but as in all revenge fantasies, the slope gets more slippery with each spilling of blood. To quote the Mother of Dragons, stopping the wheel of death requires “breaking the wheel,” though mercy is likely not what she meant. 

The rarity of charity is what makes an act by Arya midway through season six such a stark (sorry, couldn’t resist) turning point for the character and possibly the series. From last season to this point, Arya has trained under the tutelage of Jaqen H’ghar, one of the Faceless Men of The House of Black and White in Braavos. The Faceless Men are assassins known for their face-shifting abilities, which are of much interest to a girl looking to escape her tragic past. After a series of training montages that rival “Rocky” and “Karate Kid,” Jaqen tests his protégé with an assignment: to poison Lady Crane, the lead actress of a theater troupe. Then, Arya’s training will be complete and she will truly become “no one.”

To research her target, Arya attends several performances in which the events of the show’s first few seasons are re-enacted with a farcical twist. Lady Crane plays Cersei Lannister, the first name on Arya’s “kill list,” who presided over the beheading of Arya’s father, Ned Stark. Before the actors head backstage after a show, Arya slips the poison in Lady Crane’s drink. As she makes for an escape, Crane notices and takes an interest in her. 

Because the actors are playing out scenes from Arya’s life, and because she has been to see the show several times, her interest is obvious to Crane, who mistakes that curiosity for a desire to be in theater. Arya suggests Crane changes the way she acts during Joffrey’s death—with rage instead of grief. “The Queen loves her son, more than anything,” Arya says, her eyes expressing the silent realization that Cersei and Arya are more alike than she can ignore, with a thirst for justice bounded in love. Lady Crane asks Arya her name. “Mercy,” she responds. 

Moments later, Arya knocks the poisoned wine out of Lady Crane’s grasp, saving her life. In doing so, Arya rejects her training. Unfortunately, stealing a life from the Many Faced God means that someone else’s must take its place. The Waif sees the act and Jaqen grants her permission to pay the debt with Arya’s life instead. It is unlikely that she will show Arya the same mercy Arya showed Lady Crane. 

When Sandor Clegane, “The Hound,” begged Arya to give him a quick death, “the gift of mercy,” she refused. When she found Meryn Trant, another name on her kill list, in Braavos, she stabbed him in his eyes. Arya’s formative years were filled with horrific acts that led her to embrace death and its followers, the Faceless Men. Disobeying Jaqen to save Crane means accepting that there is goodness in her—love, justice, and mercy—that cannot be broken. By regaining her independence, she also regains her name and virtue. She is a Stark, no matter how far she runs from the name. In the morally chaotic universe of “Game of Thrones,” the Stark family is the closest thing to a compass.

Arya’s return to Westeros has been anxiously awaited for seasons. By reclaiming her family name and adopting a new moniker, “Mercy,” the outcome could be very different than what we’ve come to expect. Cersei is still the first name on her list and likely her first target once she arrives. Will she spin the wheel of violence, or break it?

For more from Landry, read his piece on Netflix's latest batch of comedies.