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[BOOK SPOILERS] So Jaqen H'ghar...


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Refusing her entrance straight away was an utter waste of time. Testing her resolve makes no sense.. "You crossed a country in open warfare and then an ocean... but I want to watch you behead a pigeon before you enter" The reaction of the lads who target her as well makes even less sense... Faceless assassins that are instantly recognised.

As to it being a different faceless man... Of course its the same one!! there is no other way they would know what face she had seen before and why would they make an effort when the very training she is about to receive is to persuade her that they are faceless!

Yeah I agree with all of this, and it's why I was posing the question earlier of how the show would deal with the faceless aspect of this storyline. I don't think they have a good handle on it based on the introduction, but we'll see.

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IMO it makes the FM seem smaller, less potent.

If The Man was the guy in a cage on the way to the Wall who dies but for Arya, this is not the KGB we're talking about here.

yah i was kind of thinking the same thing...

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I like that he's back. Whether or not that's the actual Jaqen will probably be revealed in later episodes. Him saying there's no Jaqen here and that he's not Jaqen doesn't have to mean that he's not the same person Arya interacted with. The Faceless Men don't have real names, they're no one. This can simply be him trying to get Arya ready for that. If he doesn't abandon the persona he used back at Harrenhal then how can he expect Arya to shed her skin and let go of the past to become no one?



Plus, how would he know which face to take to make a random girl feel more welcome? Is there a face labeled "Jaqen" in their vault? That'd be hilarious.



Only thing I didn't like was him telling her to go away, then coming back and recruiting her. If there was some sort of test involved it would've made sense. The way it was presented made it seem really pointless.


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If he is a faceless man how come all the kids are afraid of him and ran away? They surely don't recognise him. Is it just because he's an old man? I don't understand.

Because he is a faceless man!

Everyone in Braavos knows WHO they are, or they are stupid.

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my brother and i both absolutely loved this reveal.


i think it's a great thing especially for people who watch just the tv show to have this anchor for arya.


also i'm in love with the actor and his portrayal of this character and i'm super excited for this eye candy to be back on my screen.


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Yeah, it's the same person.... that's clear from the interview. I mean Arya "found him". It would have been interesting if it was really someone different with that face... guess that would be too complicated for this show.


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I loved that reveal! I was always hoping for Arya to meet Jaqen in Braavos in the book. And of course this is the real Jaqen! Saying "I'm not Jaqen" doesn't mean he's not the same person Arya met in season 2, but that that's not his real name and he is actually "no one" like all the faceless men.

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Right - I liked the fact he clarified for her that his statement that "no one here by that name" was not a lie - because everyone there is "no one" and the names are only names, personas, faces. It's her first lesson on how they operate - but of course she has no idea and doesn't understand - yet.

Yes. YES. THIS. I get all heebilly-jeebilly just thinking about it! Arya's B&W time has been one of my absolute favorite parts of the books. I'm very excited to see it onscreen and I really like the way they used "Jaquen" to introduce how the FM operate. Hopefully they will do it justice (fingers crossed...not necessarily a good track record for the show runners).

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'Faceless' means more than being faceless.

?

I always took it that as a Faceless Man you were supposed to be able to blend in and not be instantly recognisable.

It reminds me a bit of the Star Wars prequels when they came out. That was the first time I realised that in the original Star Wars movie "old Ben Kenobi" was keeping a low profile on Tatooine by walking around in a Jedi uniform.

:dunno:

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That's out side of Braavos or when on business.

Yea I agree... I think some might be confused because the robe sucks. If they kept it as described in the books, or like the doors they used, it would be more clear that the Braavosi would know very well who he was.

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If they recognize your face you're doing a bad job at being faceless.

I feel like the "face" that Jaqen had on when he opened the door is actually a sort of representation of the kindly man. This face is known in the HoBW as a servant of the God of Many Faces (think the Kindly Man); Not a FM but merely as someone who associates with their "God."

In the Books Arya's different faces are easily recognized by people around Braavos (see: Cat of the Canals) but none of these people know that she is essentially an assassin in training while she sits behind them listening to their conversations and learning their secrets.

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My guess is people in Bravos have a pretty good idea who the people are in the black/white temple - so when they see them out, they turn and go the other way.



I'd also say that even if you know a faceless man by sight - are you really going to screw with him? There's a reason everyone cowers from them.



Also again - it's a TV show - you have to have characters the audience can consistently follow so it makes sense to bring in Jaqen at least for the intro. I suspect for Arya, they may have a guest character for her kills, and have her switch around corners and such.


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Tom made an interview with EW : http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/19/game-thrones-character-Jaqen-Hghar-returns



But here's what is interesting :






On his feelings for his protege and his plans: “He definitely cares about Arya. But the question is: If he’s hiding it and why is he hiding it? Is it part of a bigger plan? And we still don’t know why he surfaced in first place. He was a prisoner in King’s Landing. Why was he there? Was it all part of a bigger plan and, if so, who is behind it? I like that his character is so mysterious.”


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As someone already mentioned, but about the kids running away: the man was wearing the official robes of the house of black and white. The house/temple even takes visitors so it's not unlikely that people know the robes (although most of the visitor comes to ..er.. stay), and they are the same colouring as the doors. So even if they did not recognize the face, the robes would do it.



I don't mind seeing Jaqen again either, even though in the books I don't think the kindly man is the same man that Arya met in Westeros. But in the serie I do think D&D means that it is.

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Yes. YES. THIS. I get all heebilly-jeebilly just thinking about it! Arya's B&W time has been one of my absolute favorite parts of the books. I'm very excited to see it onscreen and I really like the way they used "Jaquen" to introduce how the FM operate. Hopefully they will do it justice (fingers crossed...not necessarily a good track record for the show runners).

They do seem to be botching up a few of the storylines here and there so far this season, don't they? *sigh* I knew this was coming because now that the show-writers are moving into uncharted territory, they're going to decide to make up story lines that George didn't or wouldn't. Only Mr. Martin is the wizard of ASoIF and writes the way he does for the purposes he does. He has said many times he writes things for a reason, even if that reason does not become apparent until far down the line in the story (sometimes many books later even!)... and unfortunately the show writers don't know that and aren't the masterful writers he is nor do they think 4 moves ahead. They are writing for a show, for entertainment in the here and now - for the immediate season's popularity. That's sad but true and I'm resigned to it.

Maybe putting Jaqen in the Kindly Man's place is a huge overall mistake. I considered that after my initial immense excitement. Maybe it will screw up the whole Faceless Man story? We have no way of knowing because we don't know how Arya's story ends yet ... we're at the mercy of HBO from here on out until GRRM finishes the next book and we can again lay faith in that (canon) over whatever the show writers decide to create.

Please don't mess up Arya's story D&D, it's one of the last hopes I have!

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