We see it all too well now that Lord Eddard Stark was the absolute worst decision maker in Game of Thrones, but he worked hard to build this ability over the course of several key mistakes. If there had to be a prize for the single worst decision however (and I'm afraid there must be), the mantle must go to a character not many of us would have ever expected. The list so far has not really been a ranking of the scale of how bad these character decisions have been, but this last one is placed at number one because it really does take the cake, not just for the obviousness of the error, but for the potential game-changing consequences the right decision could have incurred. Making her escape from the dangers of King's Landing, Arya Stark travels north with a fresh batch of Night's Watch recruits. Amidst the perils of that journey, Arya saves three caged men from certain death. One of them just happens to be the best assassin, ever. I mean seriously, this guy proves to be untouchable! In return for three souls saved, Jaqen H'ghar offers Arya three deaths; any three deaths, just name three names and they will die, doesn't matter who they are, or where they are, Jaqen H'ghar will kill them for her. So of course, Arya immediately names Tywin, Cersei, and Joffrey. Jaqen H'ghar promptly dispatches Lord Tywin in his chamber, before heading south to the capital to rid the world of the last two villains. Robb Stark easily wins his war against a baby King Tommen and seats a trusted ally on the Iron Throne; he then returns to rule over an independent North, and thus the realm knew lasting peace. I forgot for a minute there that we are talking about Game of Thrones, a show where good things rarely come to those who deserve it, and those with the power to alter the fates of all for the better, squander those opportunities with their terrible decision making abilities. I shouldn't be too harsh on poor Arya though, she is only a child for heaven's sake, but she really does drop the ball on this one. Arya is too concerned with stopping those who are doing evil around her, rather than those who are the cause of that evil, and as such she gives her first name: the Tickler, the man who is torturing prisoners at Harrenhall. It is a noticeable trait in Arya's character that she lives almost entirely in her present moment, and is very aware of her immediate environment. It is a prominent aspect of her POV chapters in the books: her inner 'voice' or 'narrative' is very descriptive of her surroundings she is not a dreamer like Sansa, or a schemer like Tyrion; she is mostly focused on the things that are happening around her, and so her decisions reflect her nature. That is not to say that she does not consider the future or the past (her nightly mantra is testament to that), but her day-to-day decisions, like with most of us at that age, are governed by the things she can control within her vicinity, and subsequently, her ability to witness their effective results first hand. Unfortunately for the realm, she had the chance to affect real change for the better; she just didn't see it for what it was, and now the opportunity is gone. So there you have it, twenty mind-numbingly bad choices made by Game of Thrones characters! There's probably a bunch more, but I feel like I've covered a significant chunk of them, the biggest ones at least. Don't forget to tune in on April 6th or 7th (US or UK) for the Season 4 premiere to see which characters will be blindly stumbling through life this year!
