What was Bran doing the whole time?

[BlackLightning]

3 minutes ago, rustythesmith said:

I honestly thought Bran was flying around in the ravens to gather up an army of animals who would help fight. I mean the enemy is DEATH after all, and death doesn't only come for humans. It will kill the animals too. So all those wolves, bears, stags and shit need to come help. The Starks have this superpower where they can skinchange into animals so it would have been nice to see it represented in a battle where they need to muster every last shred of power they have and stop sitting on it. 

Bran, being a greenseer, is also likely to have power over trees as well. Like not just powers of clairvoyance, powers of making trees move.

It's been hinted and foreshadowed in several chapters of the book. Asha (Yara in the show) has a moment or two where she thinks the trees are attacking her and her men.

It would have at least been interesting if Bran was looking at the past to find out how the Night King was defeated the first time around.

[Forlong the Fat]

Here's what I suspect, though it is not well established at this point: Bran is able to sift through threads of possible future outcomes. However, based on the lesson he learned from the "hold the door" incident, he knows he cannot substantially alter the flow of events. Hence, he sits passively and watches potential outcomes, taking only those minor actions he can take to reach the preferred outcome (eg, providing the dagger to Arya).

[Skills]

I am hoping they explain this bit, as well.

 

[Wik]

7 hours ago, Stormking902 said:

So Theon and the IB were protecting Bran while he appeared to take over a murder of crows and surveyed the battle field, but for what purpose? It seemed very pointless to me since he wasn't relaying any information. 

He was on the interwebs....surfing those sites most 14 year olds are looking for, then got caught be his Uncle Other. 

[Nerevanin]

Apparently he was having fun by warging into some crows and watching the battle while eating popcorn in his chair.

[HellBoundGR]

Bran looked at the chest of the Night King when he looked down. And right after that, Night King moves his head. Like he's wondering what Bran thinking , Bran already knows what is going to happen.

[StoneColdJorahMormont]

Never understood why Bran couldn't warg into the NK especially when so close by.

Anyways as for the Birds... was this before or after Melisandre's arrival ? maybe he sent them to show her the way to Winterfell

Speaking of which how did she arrive ? it looked like she came from the same direction all the WW were... did she just walk past them ? moments later the Dothraki charge in the same direction and meet thousands of WW's...

[Red Dragon10]

5 minutes ago, StoneColdJorahMormont said:

Never understood why Bran couldn't warg into the NK especially when so close by.

Anyways as for the Birds... was this before or after Melisandre's arrival ? maybe he sent them to show her the way to Winterfell

Speaking of which how did she arrive ? it looked like she came from the same direction all the WW were... did she just walk past them ? moments later the Dothraki charge in the same direction and meet thousands of WW's...

My understanding is that Bran (so far) is only able to warg into things or people with very simple minds.  That's why he was able to warg Hodor.  I'm assuming the NK does not have a simple mind, so I don't think Bran could just take over! 

Nobody knows how Melisandre arrived lol.  Did the good ol' "went around them" as has happened a few times on GOT ha ha.  She arrived before the battle began, so well before Bran warged into the birds. 

[StoneColdJorahMormont]

1 minute ago, Red Dragon10 said:

My understanding is that Bran (so far) is only able to warg into things or people with very simple minds.  That's why he was able to warg Hodor.  I'm assuming the NK does not have a simple mind, so I don't think Bran could just take over! 

Nobody knows how Melisandre arrived lol.  Did the good ol' "went around them" as has happened a few times on GOT ha ha.  She arrived before the battle began, so well before Bran warged into the birds. 

I don't know he looked pretty easily confused by Bran looking at him before his death... I don't think there is a lot going on up there tbh 

[Red Dragon10]

2 minutes ago, StoneColdJorahMormont said:

I don't know he looked pretty easily confused by Bran looking at him before his death... I don't think there is a lot going on up there tbh 

I think he was just as weirded out by Bran as we all are.  "What?  What are you looking at?!  Is there something in my teeth?" 

[Nightwish]

Actually the scene was a bit funny, especially at the second part where Theon was fighting almost on his own but Bran was still disconected for the greatest part of the battle. Apparently he was over watching the battle to see when Night king will arrive but nevertheless there is someone fighting for him just inches away and he still doesn’t come back. Like saying “oh please let me watch episode 3 of Game of Thrones man and don’t make so much noise I get disconnected”. 

[State Trooper]

Watching the last seven seasons on DVD.

[lakin1013]

And from far left field, I was thinking maybe Bran was taking a look at Cersei and how the Kings Landings preparations were coming along.  Bran already knew about Arya, and no longer had to be concerned.  The slight expression on the face of the NK was to indicate his surprise that Bran was not afraid, indifferent in fact.  That was one second before his (the NK) death.

 Bran is truly playing a long game and it involves Kings Landing, Jon, and Dany.

[Jon Snow Bengal]

Yes it just doesn't make sense. Throughout the entire series Bran needed to be the one eyed crow to defeat the Night King. It was really important. Can't kill the Night King with crows? Its just ineffective. Sure he can let them know the NK is coming so spoil the surprise but they all knew that already. They also didn't need him to tell them about which weapons would work. Was his storyline pointless?

Okay it is a plan to "lure" him.... but why would the NK even bother seeking out Bran? Why does he bother? If all Bran can do is warg into birds it just doesn't make any sense.

[Clan O'Raghallaigh]

I don't know what Bran was doing, but whatever it was, it was pretty evil shit. I never believed the theory about Bran being the Night King, but do you know who Bran is? He is the GREAT OTHER. Melisandre saw Bloodraven as the servent of the great other in the books, a servent to Bran. Why was the Night King trying to kill Bran? To end the long night, bring balance to the seasons, so he could finally live in peace. The Night King wasn't 100% evil, just did terrible things for the good of the world. Melisandre unfortunately fucked up again, and believed the Night King was the threat, and not Bran. This works in that Arya is not Azor Ahai or the PTWP, that person is still to reveal themselves.

 

[Hodor's Dragon]

The entire Bran plot, from Chapter/Episode 1 to here, is at stake. It was always the least riveting part of the story, and I always assumed there was going to be a big payoff at the end to make up for it. Is this the only payoff for all that?

[Clan O'Raghallaigh]

Plus, Cersei cannot be the Main Boss in the series, and I am still thinking the show is more ASOIAF than a GOT. 

[nyser1]

Checking out Narth. That's the best place to be when you are about to freeze to death.

[RhaenysBee]

Watching porn. 

What was Jon doing the whole time? 

[Red Dragon10]

39 minutes ago, Jon Snow Bengal said:

Yes it just doesn't make sense. Throughout the entire series Bran needed to be the one eyed crow to defeat the Night King. It was really important. Can't kill the Night King with crows? Its just ineffective. Sure he can let them know the NK is coming so spoil the surprise but they all knew that already. They also didn't need him to tell them about which weapons would work. Was his storyline pointless?

Okay it is a plan to "lure" him.... but why would the NK even bother seeking out Bran? Why does he bother? If all Bran can do is warg into birds it just doesn't make any sense.

Bran's ability to warg into birds and animals is only one small part of what he can do.  He can also see all the past.  And everything happening currently (I think?).  That is why he is the 'memory of man' or whatever they said.  I'm not sure why wiping out the memory/past of man is so important if you plan to kill everyone on the planet anyway, however.... 

But he can definitely do more than warg into birds.  I'm also under the impression that a lot of Bran's power is untapped at this point, because his training was interrupted when the old 3ER died.