Game of Thrones season 6: Is Syrio Forel alive? Actor responds to theory after release of photos from episode 8

Never has a silhouette from an episode still got people so excited

So far in Game of Thrones season 6 *spoilers ahead*, we’ve seen two presumed dead characters (Benjen Stark and The Hound) return very much alive, so what the hell, why not bring back Syrio Forel too?

That’s what’s potentially on the table in episode 8 - ’No One’ - after HBO released a mysterious still from it yesterday.

Would a Syrio Forel comeback make any sense? No. Would it be the moment Game of Thrones jumps the shark? Probably? Would it give us all a cheap thrill though? Absolutely.

Let’s break down the theory:

This image shows the Waif apparently hunting Arya, but who is that behind her?

HBO

The silhouetted figure does seem to match up with Arya’s season 1 sword teacher:

b_walker08/megabreath/Reddit

And this curly-haired man was previously spotted on set with the two Faceless Men apprentices, being concealed by umbrellas:

With Syrio Forel return hype having gone into overdrive, the actor, Miltos Yerolemou even responded to it on Twitter:

So if the water dancer is back, what would be the narrative explanation?

A popular, albeit fanciful, idea is that he is in fact Jaqen H’ghar, or indeed, Jaqen H’ghar is him.

We never actually saw Forel die at the hands of the Lannister guards, and him being Jaqen would explain why H’ghar has given Arya so many chances.

However, this a giant leap and pretty convoluted - if Forel did escape, why would he not just track Arya down and be like ‘Hey, fancy booking in a few more swashbuckling lessons?’ And what function what reviving a minor season 1 character serve? Where would his story go from here?

If Forel does return this week (still unlikely), there’s a strong case to be made that Game of Thrones is descending into fan service, as evidenced by the WWE-style return of The Hound and the possible setting up for Cleganebowl.