LogFAQs > #929621147

I thought I'd have more to say about Bran, but he's a really disappointing one. He's the most magically linked human of the show and we spent a lot of time learning stuff from his POV. He doesn't get to spend much time being active throughout the first half of the show - he learns about lordship and politics, thrust into an unlikely ruling position in Winterfell, and learns what it is to lose your family and your home as well as what it means to be a greenseer and skinchanger.

But Bran's active decisions throughout this first half of the series are rather few. He is saved by Maester Luwin, shepherded by Osha, and literally carried by Hodor, Meera, and Jojen, who impart knowledge upon him. His decisions are essentially limited to warging Hodor.

When Bran returns from his hiatus in S5, puberty has not been kind to him. He's tall but has lost all of the appeal in his face. The writers aren't kind to him either - he essentially gets to make one decision - idiotically disobeying the Three-Eyed Raven's instruction not to be an idiot about when he uses his powers - and afterward essentially is wiped off the face of the planet. Bran never once again shows curiosity about the world, which was one of his defining characteristics, and he becomes a meme well before Season 8's trash. Meera Reed receives one of the worst sendoffs in Thrones history - even the Sand Snakes fare better - and he spends the rest of his time dumping exposition and coming up with one of the worst plans in history.

Bran's motivation at this point is extremely unclear. He is mostly omniscient, including seemingly about the future. He winds up on the Iron Throne after admittedly telling Jon about his parentage and cooking up that shit scheme to kill win the Battle of Winterfell. And when he is granted the Iron Throne based on Tyrion's speech (more on this later, good god), he says... "Why do you think I came all this way?"

... This seriously muddles everything we think we know about Bran. He claims not even to be Bran anymore, so who the fuck just got enseated upon the rulership of King's Landing? Why is this narratively satisfying in any way? Does Bran actually have political ambitions? We're told he'll fly, but he doesn't seem to enjoy doing anything. Are we supposed to take it that Bran manipulated the course of events such that he would gain the throne at the expense of his political rivals in Jon and Dany? Bran winding up on the throne is dumb enough, but these questions are raised in almost a "Gotcha!" method by that comment.

Like, what? What is this characterization? What is this arc? How much of Bran is left? Are we supposed to take him at his word that he's basically a supervillain who conned his way onto the throne with no claim? Bran is one of the first POVs we get and his journey spans the whole show and he winds up "winning" the titular game. So in this strongly character-driven narrative, why do we know nothing about him?

Suffice it to say, massive disappointment. Also, as I mentioned before, it's got to be insanely difficult for GRRM to make this move make any sense, and that's got to be another reason why the books will never come out.
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yet all sailors of all sorts are more or less capricious and unreliable - they live in the varying outer weather, and they inhale its fickleness