[BOOK SPOILERS] What will Bran be doing in Season 4?

[Azor Ahoy!]

What will Bran do next season? They've finished all his ASOS material in Season 3, with Bran, Hodor, and the Reeds going beyond the Wall in "Mhysa". I hope it won't just be traipsing around beyond the Wall all season with filler and only at the end getting to the 3EC, but on the other hand they need to leave him material for Season 5. What do you think?

[~No One~]

Bran's got like, 3 more chapters total for the next two seasons, so I'm guessing major re-writes are in store. D&D have cast a whole bunch of Craster's wives...maybe Bran and Co. run into them on their way to the cave? I'm not even convinced we'll see Coldhands...no one on the new cast list seems to fit the bill...

In any case, there'll likely be fewer scenes of Bran, and hopefully of Dany too, in order to make room for all the KL and Wall stuff that we have to get through!

[Khal-a-bunga]

Based on casting information (a number of Craster's daughter-wives have been cast, and Burn Gorman - the Night's Watch mutineer who killed Craster recently confirmed that he would be returning for the fourth season as well), and shooting reports, I'd also say that the story with the mutinous remains of the northern party and Bran and his company of merry men (and woman) will be the main thrust of his story line for the season. I also agree that he'll likely have even less screen time than he had in the third season, though they still have a lot of material they haven't used from the second and third books that they could transpose into this season and beyond (such as giving the Reed siblings more development; I'd also like to see them swear their oath of fealty to Bran and hear the Knight of the Laughing Tree story).

In any case, the main narratives of this coming season will certainly be the happenings at Castle Black and the political intrigue at King's Landing. I wouldn't expect them to minimize Dany's screen time, considering she was just nominated for an Emmy for her performance, but I also don't think we'll see any more of her than we did last season (which I felt was just about right). There's also a number of (comparatively) small sub-plots like Yara searching for Theon, and whatever Stannis and company will be doing in the early portions of the season. Plus we know that they've cast a decent number of characters for scenes in the Vale and/or at the Eyrie, so we'll be getting some (though who knows how much) of that, since it might also encompass some of the material with Arya and The Hound. But I would definitely expect King's Landing to dominate this season, by and large. These are all of the main or supporting characters who will be at that location for the fourth season (parts of it, at least; and some of these are conjecture):

Tywin, Jaime, Tyrion, Joffrey, Cersei, Kevan, Lancel, Sansa, Shae, Varys, Dontos, Loras, Margaery, Olenna, Mace Tyrell, Oberyn Martell, Ellaria Sand, Brienne, Pycelle, Bronn, Gregor Clegane, Podrick, and possibly Tycho Nestoris, Roose Bolton, and Walda Frey (plus whoever I'm forgetting, if there is anyone).

That's a lot of characters. That, alone, is more named characters than most shows have all together. And I'm expecting them to give Oberyn an increased role as compared to his book counterpart, and it looks like they are also going to dedicate some time to developing The Mountain more thoroughly than they have (read: at all), so that's even more time we'll be spending there.

Anyway, kind of went off-topic. Sorry about that.

[SoManyVows]

Below is a possible outline of what might transpire based on what we know or think we know about the characters and storylines that are currently North of the Wall. I feel reasonably confident in the overall plot arc, less so in the specific details and the timing. I think Bran will only appear in five or six episodes total this season. Hence the speculative grouping of episodes.

Episode 1: Bran, Hodor, and the Reeds are making their way through the forest. There’s no sign of any living thing, but Meera’s keen senses tell her that they are being watched. Bran alludes to some story he heard when he was younger about the legends that exist beyond the Wall – Giants, the Children of the Forest, etc. Jojen makes some ominous proclamation about the ancient powers beyond mortal comprehension, or some other mumbo-jumbo. Hodor says “Hodor” a few times for good measure. Maybe they stumble across a ruined, abandoned village that looks like it’s been attacked, but oddly enough, there are no dead bodies lying around (now why would that be)? The sense of dread increases, and they decide to press on – this area isn’t safe for the living.

These scenes are mostly about establishing a sense of atmosphere. They also remind casual viewers that these characters exist.

Episodes 2 and 3: As Bran and the others continue to travel North, they stumble across a group of mutineers from the Night’s Watch who are out foraging/patrolling, possibly led by Rast (as Khal-a-bunga points out, the actor who plays Rast is confirmed to be returning). Bran is initially happy to see them, but it soon becomes very clear that these men are dangerous. Maybe Bran lets something slip about his brother Jon. Maybe someone from either party crosses the line from wariness to open hostility. Whatever sets it off, there’s a struggle and the mutineers take Bran and his companions into custody.

Episode 4 and 5: Bran, Hodor, and the Reeds are taken back to Craster’s Keep, where the mutineers are living wild. Though the group is largely undisciplined, Karl (played by Burn Gorman – also confirmed to be returning) has taken over as their de facto leader. They’ve been burning through Craster’s wares at an extremely unsustainable rate – eating all of his food, drinking all of his wine, and terrorizing/raping his wives. Rast and several of the mutineers want to kill and possibly eat Bran, Jojen, and Hodor (just think of all the meat that they could get off of poor Hodor) and add Meera to their unwilling harem.

Karl, on the other hand, knows that the mutineers’ current position is unsustainable. Winter is coming, the White Walkers are coming with it, and his group doesn't have enough food, supplies, or weapons to outlast either force. On top of that, a few loyal members of the Night’s Watch (Green and Dolorous Edd) managed to escape the massacre and return to the Wall, and he knows that the honorable Black Brothers will not allow the murder of their Lord Commander to stand.* Karl knows that the mutineers’ only options are to flee, defect to the Wildlings (not favorable, as they would still be danger from the White Walkers), or find a way to get enough supplies to last out the winter. If Karl learns that Bran is Jon’s brother (either by figuring it out on his own or because Bran let something slip), then he will know that he has a bargaining chip - for food, weapons, a ship across the Narrow Sea, etc. He decides to hold Bran and the Reeds captive until he can figure out how to leverage them.

*There have been unconfirmed reports floating around that once news of the mutiny reaches the Wall, Jon or whoever is in command at the time will send a ‘raiding party’ out to Craster’s Keep to destroy the mutineers. I don’t know if this will actually happen. It seems unlikely that the Night’s Watch would send men away from Castle Black when they know that the Wildlings are approaching from both sides of the Wall, but it seems just as unlikely that an ‘honorable’ commander – assuming that it is an honorable commander and that Janos Slynt hasn’t taken over already – would allow the mutineers to escape without punishment. If the raiding party does happen, we’ll have to consider how that ties in to Bran’s story, if at all.

Episodes 6 and 7: Karl and the others argue about what to do with their captives while Bran, the Reeds, and Hodor languish in captivity. Rast pops up from time to time to leer at Meera and taunt Bran (“I hear your brother went over to the Wildlings. He’s a filthy traitor.”) Bran responds (“You’re lying. And even if it’s true, what does that make you?”). So on and so on. Eventually, mutineers fall under attack, either from the Night’s Watch or a group of wights/White Walkers. In the chaos, Bran figures out some way to escape (possibly by warging into Summer). The group slips their bonds and flees into the forest. Rast and a few other mutineers give chase, possibly fleeing the battle.

Eventually, Rast corners Bran and his companions. As they are about to kill them, Coldhands shows up and kills Rast and the surviving mutineers easily. Bran and the others are left staring up at their savior, unsure who he is and what his intentions are.

Episodes 8, 9, and 10 (assuming 9 is mostly/all the Battle at the Wall): Coldhands leads Bran and his companions through the forest to the Three-Eyed Raven. Bran and the others debate the nature of this “monster”. Meera is suspicious of him. Jojen thinks that they should trust him. Hodor says “Hodor”.

Under Coldhands’ guidance, the group reaches the cave of the Three-Eyed Raven. Just outside the entrance, they are set upon by a massive group of wights – far too many to outrun or fight off. Coldhands makes a stand and Bran tries to help by warging into Hodor, only he blacks out. When we wakes up, he and his companions are inside the cave, surrounded by Leaf and the surviving Children of the Forest. Leaf tells Bran that it is time for him to meet the Three-Eyed Raven.

Similar to what happened with Jon and Mance Rayder at the junction of Seasons 2 and 3, Bloodraven’s introduction will be saved for the start of Season 5.

Why I think that it could play out this way:

I'm sure that there will be people who believe that this approach might be a little aggressive on the plot, and that Bran shouldn't make it all the way to the CotF this season. That's perfectly fine. The reason I'm advocating this approach is that Bran only has three chapters in ADWD, and the writers can only stall his story by sending him on an extended travelogue for so long before the casual audience just entirely loses interest in the character (it's already started to happen based on last season). Structuring Bran's story this way would allow him to be involved in some action for once, possibly rekindling audience interest.Then Seasons 5 and beyond can delve deeply into the nature of Bran's powers, possibly beginning to explore some of the history and mythology of Westeros - "Promise me, Ned", R + L = J, the nature of the White Walkers etc.- through his visions.

[oierem]

At least, it is clear that he will reach the cave by the end of the season, there's no way of avoiding that (nor should they avoid a natural ending point of the story). In any case, most of the story will have to be made up, and it's good that they will conect them to the NW storyline somehow.

The meeting with the three-eyed raven can be delayed until next season, although the actual meeting isn't a strong way to start season 5, I think (as opposed to Jon meeting Mance). If Bran meets the three-eyed raven by the end of the season, that can be a good way to say goodbye to the character for a while, if necessary.

In any case, the truth is that, with the published material, there is no storyline for Bran in season 5 ("random training scenes" doesn't qualify as a storyline). There are three options: somehow create a totally original storyline somehow connected to the other characters, incorporate unpublished material from future books for Bran (as early as season 5!), or keep him out of the show for a season (but no more than that). Which one is the best option?

[Khal-a-bunga]

I think there is a viable fourth option, which is to give him the season two Jaime treatment. Jaime had a very small amount of screen time in season two, with just one or two major scenes dedicated to his character, and I think that worked out just fine. People will likely cite D&D's unwillingness to leave Theon in the background of season three as a counter-point, but to that I would say that there are very obvious reasons why Theon had nearly half an hour dedicate to him in the third season, and some not-so-obvious reasons.

1. D&D like both the character and Alfie Allen.

2. The show doesn't do flash-back sequences, so it was necessary to flesh out (pun not really intended) what happened with Theon in 'real time' to make the transformation believable and not completely out of left field.

3. As a way of introducing Ramsay, and showing the audience how twisted the Bolton family really are. Build at least some empathy for Theon, if not outright sympathy (I mean, he did get his twig and berries cut off...).

4. The not-so-obvious reason: It was likely the cheapest of all the story lines to film. Only two named characters, with a few featured extras. One full-time location. Granted, there was that awesome horse chase, but beyond that, it was mostly darkly lit interiors (naturally, given the nature of this story line). In what was surely an incredibly expensive season, this plot thread likely provided them some leeway in other story lines. \

5. Whatever Yara is going to be doing next season, in terms of what happened with her scene in the season three finale. No clue how this is going to play out.

The Bran story line doesn't really require anything of the character, other than to keep him relevant in the story with interesting material. Intertwining the two plot lines is a smart way to do that, I think. But again, I'm really hoping for Jojen & Meera to get more development, and to hear the Knight of the Laughing Tree somewhere along the line. Oh, and to hear the Reed siblings deliver their oath to Bran.

[Blasted Femur]

The outline suggested by SoManyVows seems solid to me, and I definitely think that aspects of Bran's story that were glossed over in earlier seasons can be brought into S4. Coldhands coming out of nowhere might feel a bit like a deus ex machina, but it's probably the best way to introduce him. I presume Bran's story will end at the mouth of Bloodraven's cave.

In any case, the truth is that, with the published material, there is no storyline for Bran in season 5 ("random training scenes" doesn't qualify as a storyline). There are three options: somehow create a totally original storyline somehow connected to the other characters, incorporate unpublished material from future books for Bran (as early as season 5!), or keep him out of the show for a season (but no more than that). Which one is the best option?

While it won't really be a proper storyline, I think Bran's role in S5 will mostly be him exploring the past, possibly with a few scenes with Jojen and Meera (possible conflict over wanting to leave?). In a show this big, not every character has to have a proper arc every season, so as long as we get some information on the background of the story, his presence in the show will be justified. It's not an ideal solution, but leaving him out for a season right after he completes his epic journey north would be a disappointment, and incorporating too much material from later books would have a knock-on effect on other storylines.

[Nezzer]

I don't know, but Kristian Narn, who plays Hodor, said that season 4 was his favorite season so far. So it looks like it might be pretty good.

[Broken Fox]

If Coldhands is introduced I can see a lot of cool shit going down north of the wall.

[Colonel Green]

(such as giving the Reed siblings more development; I'd also like to see them swear their oath of fealty to Bran and hear the Knight of the Laughing Tree story).

I think there are significant issues with dramatizing that story. Firstly, it's really not screentime for Bran in any meaningful sense (he just gets told a story). More broadly, it's an extremely detailed story, and it relies a lot on backstory that the show hasn't provided in order to make any sense of it.

[Khal-a-bunga]

I think there are significant issues with dramatizing that story. Firstly, it's really not screentime for Bran in any meaningful sense (he just gets told a story). More broadly, it's an extremely detailed story, and it relies a lot on backstory that the show hasn't provided in order to make any sense of it.

This is probably all true, but one can hope. I do think Bran will eventually be utilized in a capacity that allows for him to act as a window into the past for the audience, so perhaps we'll see some version of the story eventually.

[oprahnoodlemantra]

I can't see Bran's season 4 story ending with him walking in the snow beyond the Wall. I doubt we'll meet Bloodraven this season but maybe Bran's last scene will be reaching the cave after fighting wights and then we'll meet Bloodraven next year.

[binga]

He will reach the caves by the end of season 4. There is enough for him to do to fill time. Some combination of doing stuff at Craster's keep, interacting with Coldhands, having Jojen fall ill, and have a big scene with them running from Wights. Hell they even had some pointless rabbit skinning scene in season 3 and tension between Meera and Osha which led absolutely nowhere. He will train with Bloodraven for season 5. We may get to see what happened in the cave before Winds of Winter is even written. The fact that the story has been accelerated indicates to me that something very important happened in that cave that we did not get to see in Dance with Dragons. My guess is someone dies.

[Arkash]

I'm sure that there will be people who believe that this approach might be a little aggressive on the plot, and that Bran shouldn't make it all the way to the CotF this season. That's perfectly fine. The reason I'm advocating this approach is that Bran only has three chapters in ADWD, and the writers can only stall his story by sending him on an extended travelogue for so long before the casual audience just entirely loses interest in the character (it's already started to happen based on last season). Structuring Bran's story this way would allow him to be involved in some action for once, possibly rekindling audience interest.Then Seasons 5 and beyond can delve deeply into the nature of Bran's powers, possibly beginning to explore some of the history and mythology of Westeros - "Promise me, Ned", R + L = J, the nature of the White Walkers etc.- through his visions.

This is exactly my thoughts and I agree entirely with how you see Bran's arc for next season !

They could already start to give some info on history, past and mythology this season. I expected them to do so for season 3 already, but let's hope we start to have an info-dump Bran arc coming up ! Perfect way to spice up his story... along with everything you said about how the season might turn up !

[Colonel Green]

and the writers can only stall his story by sending him on an extended travelogue for so long before the casual audience just entirely loses interest in the character (it's already started to happen based on last season).

I was talking with one of my non-reader friends a while ago and asking her for her thoughts about the last season, and any questions she might have; her first was "So is Bran interesting in the books?"

[Arkash]

I was talking with one of my non-reader friends a while ago and asking her for her thoughts about the last season, and any questions she might have; her first was "So is Bran interesting in the books?"

I feel so lucky with my Unsullied friends... it's a bunch of 4/5 people and damn, all of them are so invested in the show and are really digging it deeply ! They remind me of TwoP Unsullieds.

They all understand it is an adaptation and they were all very interested when I told them season 3 was the 2/3 of book 3 and that the last third will be 4th season ! They are so excited to see it now ! Especially when I told them that book 3 is the end of the first Act of the whole saga !

Coming back to Bran, they understand his story arc is a long term one, so they patiently wait and are really curious to see where it will go !

[Frumpus]

What will Bran do next season? They've finished all his ASOS material in Season 3, with Bran, Hodor, and the Reeds going beyond the Wall in "Mhysa". I hope it won't just be traipsing around beyond the Wall all season with filler and only at the end getting to the 3EC, but on the other hand they need to leave him material for Season 5. What do you think?

They'll do his ADwD storyline and then he'll be written out of the show. The actor is just getting too old.

[Colonel Green]

They'll do his ADwD storyline and then he'll be written out of the show. The actor is just getting too old.

The show has been roughly following the idea that each season is a year (even though, if you actually examine the events, it's impossible to fit that much time into each season, or between them), so his aging isn't a problem.

[Arkash]

Bran's story arc is one of the easiest ones to create new material for !

Between the journey North of the Wall (Craster's Keep, Mutineers, Coldhands, Wights...) and in the cave (Green Dreams, exploring the past, being told tales of old...), I dont think it will be that much trouble keeping him in the show !

[SoManyVows]

Per WiC.net, the Three-Eyed Raven has been cast for this season! He'll be played by Struan Rodger, a British film and television veteran. I'm not personally familiar with his work, but he certainly looks the part!

http://winteriscoming.net/2013/10/three-eyed-raven-cast/

So Bran will get to actually meet him this season after all (Or, at the very least, as the author of the post suggests, he'll be popping up in Bran's visions throughout the season). Great to see that the writers are moving this story along. I'm not sure what this means for the speculation about Bran's arc that I posted above, but there's a possibility that some of it might still happen - the Three-Eyed Raven most likely won't physically appear until the latter half of the season. And I'd be fine with proven wrong - I'm just glad that Benioff and Weiss aren't spinning wheels in place when it comes to Bran's story,