Game of Thrones *spoilers* (no book spoilers, in fact don't even say the word 'book')

There's a difference between the magical and paranormal and realism though.

Viewers are set up and trained to understand that the world that GoT resides in has a magical aspect that differs from our perception of realism and our own world. We understand that. The viewer sees the GoT universe as one with many similarities to their own - but a few key differences - such as the mythical relevance of dragons and magic. When magic is presented to us, we accept it.

What we don't accept is when the aforementioned similarities between that world and ours are stretched. Mortality is one element where we are trained to relate to it. Death is death, bar the intervention of magic. In six seasons we rarely see death treated differently to how we'd expect - a wound to the head kills, like it would in our world. Based on experience, we perceive the GoT world's concept of natural death to be identical to ours.

Which is why the Arya scene is so awkward and sloppy. There's nothing mythical involved. There's nothing magical involved. She, a small and young female, receives multiple stab wounds to the abdomen. Who even survives one deep stab to the abdomen? It usually causes irreparable damage to the intestines/stomach. Yet Arya survives multiple piercings - and not only that, but a fall into open water. With the extent of her wounds and the state of that water, it's infection and probably sepsis? waiting to happen. On top of that, she seems to go ages without any sort of assistance or medical intervention. With multiple wounds to the abdomen and her size, blood loss would claim her rapidly.

On top of that, we're expected to believe that an untrained lay woman is able to patch her up? It's just too much of a stretch. No magical explanation was offered; if it was - we would buy it, because we're conditioned to understand the role of magic in this universe. But it's not; it's presented to us in a realist sense. To play into the parallels we draw between that world and ours.

Normally I run with what the show gives me and embrace and enjoy it. But that was the first time I've truly been frustrated with it - so there's my rant.

 

I think it would have been better if Arya had been murdered and then she turned into Jagen H'ghar as her third promised death.