Game of Thrones season 6 episode 8: Arya and The Waif's final scenes in 'No One' – a great sendoff or poor writing?

Many fans have been disappointed by the episode

** Spoilers for season six episode eight of Game of Thrones **

Before ‘No One’ aired, there was a lot of online discussion about Arya and how she would survive being stabbed in the stomach five times by The Waif.

Some fans believed that Syrio would somehow save her, others thought that Jaqen H'ghar was somehow wearing Arya’s face in order to test The Waif. There were even some Fight Club-esque theories that discussed the possibility of The Waif and Arya being the same person.

What transpired was that it was Arya the entire time; she was merely being a complete buffoon, strolling around Braavos like she owned the place, demanding cabins, and inevitably paying for her naivety.

This has, understandably, angered the fandom, many of whom are questioning the quality of the writing this season considering Arya went from hiding in the shadows one episode to waltzing around in clear view the next. (That single episode of her walking around the city really does seem quite out of character.)

Just look at a few examples. While people were arguing “she used the wrong hand” to throw the money to the sailor, the most telling part was when she asked for a cabin. When traveling from Westeros to Essos, she specifically said she “wouldn’t need a cabin”. Going from being the person who doesn't need the finer things to one who demands cabins seems odd (but perhaps down to the Faceless Men offering very few comforts).

Then there’s the fact she really was just strolling around the city, exactly the same way Tyrion was in Mereen; arms behind her back. Is that not odd for someone who knows they are being hunted by assassins?

Defenders of the show will argue that it was Arya’s plan all along; to lure out The Waif by acting out of character in public. That’s why Needle was lying in a dark room with just a single lit candle, so Arya had that advantage and could defeat her.

Still, that doesn’t explain how she survived being stabbed five times. Was that her plan going wrong? If a scratch killed Drogo, how on earth did five stabs to the stomach, a twisted knife and a swim through a dirty canal not kill Arya? And how did she manage to just 'sleep it off'?

What this really tells us about Game of Thrones, though, is that the fandom, myself included, are willing to speculate non-stop over the smallest, sometimes simplest things. The explanation really is that Arya let her guard down for a minute and paid the price; her cunning eventually allowing her to kill The Waif.

Perhaps that’s all the explanation we need? Is it that hard to imagine she got caught up in the dream of travelling home, something The Waif saw and acted upon? Something more leftfield would have been interesting, but do we need more bizarre twists and turns when we've already had so many this season?

Meanwhile, the show runners have discussed Arya’s scenes in the episode, talking about the inevitability of death when you’re marked by The Faceless Men.