What was Bran doing the whole time?

[Glorion]

On 4/29/2019 at 3:27 PM, Clan O'Raghallaigh said:

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.

 

I have a similar theory but I believe Bran is actually The Lord of Light. If he was The Great Other, R'hllor would've had no reason to bring back Beric from the dead so he could save Arya so that she could ultimately kill NK before he killed Bran, as that would've all worked in R'hllor's favor. Some other reasons I think Bran is R'hllor:

1. Bran's wolfs name is Summer which is of course the opposite of winter. The wolf names for Jon, Arya, and Sansa are all appropriate. Jon came back from the dead making him a Ghost. Sansa is the Lady of Winterfell. Arya is a great female warrior like Nymeria. 

2. Although Bran seemingly did nothing during the battle, it was still very clearly a battle between Bran and NK. NK's army was the dead, Bran's was the living. NK's weapons were cold and ice. Bran's weapons were fire. Dragon fire, flaming swords, fires surrounding Winterfell, etc. 

3. Bran likely became R'hllor after his fall from the tower. Maybe not necessarily R'hllor himself, but his human vessel, similar to Christ and God. I think it's possible he even died from the fall but R'hllor brought him back. Not long after Bran's fall were Dany's dragon eggs hatched. This was likely R'hllor beginning to build his army of fire to combat NK. They said it was Dany's dragons that brought magic back into the world, but it was likely Bran's fall and rebirth as R'hllor that brought magic back to the world. 

4. The Red Priests see visions, Bran of course is the master of visions. Also the Red Priests seem to be more powerful in Westeros. Both Thoros and Melisandre have brought people back from the dead in Westeros. I don't believe that has been done in Essos. This could be because the Priests have greater powers when they are closer to R'hllor.

5. I simply find it too hard to believe that the last 3 episodes will all be dedicated to war with Cersei and who sits on the throne. Too much time was spent building up the whole Azor Ahai thing, Bran's powers, The Others etc. There has to be more to it. Bran's eyes suddenly turning red and setting everyone on fire or something followed by Jon killing him would at least bring some closure to all the stuff that was built up over the years. 

[Deminelle]

Why was it so important for Bran to let Jon know about his heritage at that precise moment? Did it change something concerning the battle? I really want them to explain Bran better. Was it just because if Sam and Bran would have died, there was no one else to tell him. So, Bran wasn't sure about their fate at all.

[kevinbgwrites]

11 minutes ago, Deminelle said:

Why was it so important for Bran to let Jon know about his heritage at that precise moment? Did it change something concerning the battle? I really want them to explain Bran better. Was it just because if Sam and Bran would have died, there was no one else to tell him. So, Bran wasn't sure about their fate at all.

I think the sad truth is that they didn't know what to do with his story and just have been using him as exposition. 

[Narvi]

Bran like my teenage son got bored and went back to his video games. 

[Erkan12]

Bran is the only reason why Night King personally went to kill him at Winterfell.

I always find weird for Night King to risk himself in battle, but obviously he can't resist to urge to kill the 3 eyed raven for some reason.

If Night King stayed out of the battle, the living couldn't win.

Not sure why Night King was obssesed with Bran, maybe Bran's greenseer power is the only thing that can see where he is hiding so he wanted to deal with it personally or due to some kind of religious matter, personally killing the most important tool of the old gods.

[#teamNightking]

1 hour ago, Erkan12 said:

Not sure why Night King was obssesed with Bran, maybe Bran's greenseer power is the only thing that can see where he is hiding so he wanted to deal with it personally or due to some kind of religious matter, personally killing the most important tool of the old gods.

It would make sense if something like, if he kills Bran personally he can take his powers. 

But they never said this or showed this. 

So maybe the night king just has ice for a brain? 

 

[Jon Snow Bengal]

I will be surprised if we ever find out why the NK was even interested in the 3ER at all.

 

[Northern Girl 30]

The Night King and Bran stared at each other for a long time. Is there a meaning to this?

[MinscS2]

1 hour ago, Jon Snow Bengal said:

I will be surprised if we ever find out why the NK was even interested in the 3ER at all.

We did find out why the NK was interested in Bran. 
It wasn't just a very good explanation.

[Gianna Dorenberg]

9 minutes ago, Northern Girl 30 said:

The Night King and Bran stared at each other for a long time. Is there a meaning to this?

Apparently, they fell in love with eachother. That was their way of making love since one can't stand and the other can't get it up cause of the cold.

[Northern Girl 30]

6 minutes ago, Gianna Dorenberg said:

Apparently, they fell in love with eachother. That was their way of making love since one can't stand and the other can't get it up cause of the cold.

Thanks for clarifying

[Jon Snow Bengal]

49 minutes ago, MinscS2 said:

We did find out why the NK was interested in Bran. 
It wasn't just a very good explanation.

It wasn't an explanation at all. 

[T and A]

5 hours ago, Jon Snow Bengal said:

It wasn't an explanation at all. 

"That's the only thing you will get. Take it or leave it" - Benioff and Weiss

Here is everything that we know, and I won't leave anything out:

- The Night King was a dude who got pushed a piece of Dragon glass in his chest by the children of the forest while he was tied up in a Weirwood tree. Thus he got blue eyes afterwards, becoming the Night King.

- The Night King likes to make cryptic symbols out of his victims

- He is somehow death. And he wants to wipe out the memory of humankind. Therefore he needs to kill Bran, because he is the memory of the world. 

- He created the WW

- The WW can reanimate and controll dead people (whights)

- If you kill him, you kill all the WW and the whights.

You have questions to any of theese and want further explanation? Fuck you, say the showrunners.

[Forlong the Fat]

6 hours ago, T and A said:

"That's the only thing you will get. Take it or leave it" - Benioff and Weiss

Here is everything that we know, and I won't leave anything out:

- The Night King was a dude who got pushed a piece of Dragon glass in his chest by the children of the forest while he was tied up in a Weirwood tree. Thus he got blue eyes afterwards, becoming the Night King.

- The Night King likes to make cryptic symbols out of his victims

- He is somehow death. And he wants to wipe out the memory of humankind. Therefore he needs to kill Bran, because he is the memory of the world. 

- He created the WW

- The WW can reanimate and controll dead people (whights)

- If you kill him, you kill all the WW and the whights.

You have questions to any of theese and want further explanation? Fuck you, say the showrunners.

You know more than that. He was created by CoF to kill men. And it turns out that’s exactly what he does and wants to do.

Like a lot of people I thought it might be more complicated or interesting. But his motivation was explained.

 

[TheWatch]

I think Bran has social anxiety so once Theon started talking to him, he was like "I'm leaving now!"

[Amris]

How is this:

The children of the forest created the White Walkers as a weapon to keep mankind's expansion in check.

The childrens' greenseers were what controlled that weapon i.e. the White Walkers.

A pact between children and men was made. Men stopped their expansion. Children greenseers withdrew their White Walkers (but kept them around in case they were needed again as a weapon against mankind in the future.)

Children dwindle and produce less and less greenseers. Until only last greenseer is left.

Last greenseer (i.e. Bloodraven) starts to fade and isn't strong enough to keep control over the weapon. Without control the weapon i.e. White Walkers start to go on their destructive mission against humanity.

New greenseer needed to regain control. Bran found.

Last greenseer dies before new greenseer (Bran) fully educated. Bran can't regain control over WW yet.

White Walkers know that Bran has the potential to regain control over them. WW need to get rid of him before that happens.

WW push south. Battle of Winterfell happens.

Night's King gets overconfident once:

- both dragons taken out of the equation

- both dragon riders downed and seemingly helpless

- human army practically overrun

- Bran seemingly alone and helpless

So Night's King, surrounded by his forces feels safe enough to approach the helpless Bran.

Then Arya happens.

***

And what was Bran doing?

Trying (and failing) to get control over the Night's King.

 

[Ser Hedge]

1 hour ago, Amris said:

How is this:

The children of the forest created the White Walkers as a weapon to keep mankind's expansion in check.

The childrens' greenseers were what controlled that weapon i.e. the White Walkers.

A pact between children and men was made. Men stopped their expansion. Children greenseers withdrew their White Walkers (but kept them around in case they were needed again as a weapon against mankind in the future.)

Children dwindle and produce less and less greenseers. Until only last greenseer is left.

Last greenseer (i.e. Bloodraven) starts to fade and isn't strong enough to keep control over the weapon. Without control the weapon i.e. White Walkers start to go on their destructive mission against humanity.

New greenseer needed to regain control. Bran found.

Last greenseer dies before new greenseer (Bran) fully educated. Bran can't regain control over WW yet.

White Walkers know that Bran has the potential to regain control over them. WW need to get rid of him before that happens.

WW push south. Battle of Winterfell happens.

Night's King gets overconfident once:

- both dragons taken out of the equation

- both dragon riders downed and seemingly helpless

- human army practically overrun

- Bran seemingly alone and helpless

So Night's King, surrounded by his forces feels safe enough to approach the helpless Bran.

Then Arya happens.

***

And what was Bran doing?

Trying (and failing) to get control over the Night's King.

 

Nice one. Would be too much to dare hope Dumbnuts & Doofus provide this explanation on show though.

[Jarl Halstein]

I'll agree with two things others have said:

-I hoped they'd actually do something with the ravens. I was hoping they would swoop down at a crucial moment to distract the NK while Arya or someone else killed him.

-They didn't know what to do with Bran. It's clear he'll have a longer role in a longer war in the novels. All those lives, all those chapters spent on Bran, to give him the power to see - this is clearly to make him the eyes during a long war. Which didn't fit this shorter story. So in THE LAST MOMENT we get something never, ever mentioned before in the long show: "The Night King goes after Bran because he's - the world's memory. Apparently other people don't have memories and books." This was just thrown in right before the battle. No, doesn't compute. Hodor and the rest didn't have to die for this, the NK would have come for Winterfell anyway, for the fun of killing anyone in his way.

 

I'll add another thing I hoped for:

-I thought maybe Arya would be the one sitting in the chair, looking like Bran. Then when the NK raised his sword, she'd stab him.

Then I realized that Bran would have to be dead for that, because she'd have to wear his face. Bummer. But, why not? He could live on like a spirit, or take another body. Or just take one for the team. But then I also realized that the NK is drawn to the marks on his arm, and probably would notice if he was dead. Way to ruin my theory in advance, producers.

[OmnomnomPomelo]

Maybe Bran saw the future through the weirwood of Winterfell and saw he has to stay there, coz the Night's King will be dead this way. And to secure this possible future he may warged some people or even wights to do what he wants them to do? Dunno, can not find logic in GoT HBO show.