Last year was quite difficult for Bran Stark in Game of Thrones, and apparently that’s not changing any time soon. Isaac Hempstead Wright made an appearance yesterday evening at the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience in New York’s Madison Square Garden, and Entertainment Weekly was on hand to interview the new three-eyed raven.
Hempstead-Wright had quite a bit to say to EW’s Shirley Li regarding Bran’s transformation (but not “growing up”) and the tragic loss of his companions. Thankfully, the usual Game of Thrones tragedy is a long way away for the actor:
“We got done in the beginning, which really helped for me. I think they were filming until February, but I was done [in 2016] when everyone was still flying back out.”
As for filming without Kristian Nairn, who has been his companion and friend since the very first season, apparently “it’s just weird. It feels empty, like, where’s my buddy on set? Although it’s a lot more peaceful now. [Laughs] I’m just teasing! Don’t tell him.”
Despite the tear-jerking consecutive sacrifices of Summer, Leaf (Kae Alexander), the three-eyed raven (Max von Sydow) and —last but certainly not least— Hodor (Kristian Nairn), Bran finds himself in an uneasy position at the beginning of next season:
“Is he gonna tell Jon? Is he gonna find anyone? Is he even going to make it past the Wall? He’s only with Meera now… out in the middle of nowhere, so it’s not looking great.”
“He suddenly lost his legs, and then his family got killed, and then his house burned down, so it’s like, okay, ‘Now I’m in this forest with all these random people, and now I’m having weird dreams,’ but what Bran is thinking of above anything else is this sense of responsibility and purpose and not just being a kid anymore and doing whatever he wants to do. Bran has certainly understood that this is out of his control now. He’s a piece on the chessboard that has to make a move, and he hasn’t got any moves.”
Has this quest made a grown-up out of the Stark pup? According to the actor, not quite:
“I think Bran has transcended ‘growing.’ Growing up or being an adult is not on his to-do list anymore. It’s doing what he needs to do. He’s on another plane. It’s not like he has to grow up and prove himself a man. He just knows he has to do his stuff.”
It seems Bran Stark is not as much “growing up” as he is transforming into something entirely different… Perhaps something that will let him embody his ethereal role. Is that part of Bran’s story in season seven? Perhaps… But Isaac Hempstead Wright won’t tell. However, he will freely give enigmatic clues that Bran’s former tree-mentor would be proud of. When asked to define next season with one word, this is what he said:
“Probably ‘connections.'” Stark connections? “[Shrugs] Take that how you will.”
If you wish to read the whole interview, head on to Entertainment Weekly.
Hold the Door!
1 – DVD commentary confirmed that Benjen left Bran and Meera not just “in sight of the Wall”, but at the specific Weirwood where Jon and Samwell swore their vows in Season 1 – logically, it’s the closest Weirwood to the Wall, which is why the Night’s Watch uses it for vows, and it seems that’s as far south as the magic animating Benjen could go? (shrug) Makes sense. Well, that tree is stated to be just one mile away from Castle Black. So I don’t see a four episode arc of “Bran continuing to try to get back to the Wall.”
2 – …they made this more clear in the Inside the Episode featurettes, but Bran really did “become” the Three-Eyed Raven in a sense – he “downloaded” all of his memories into him.
Direct comparison I’d use is the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mothers from Frank Herbert’s Dune.
Getting so many new memories handed down in turn like links in a chain one generation to the next – it’s a profound change on him.
I love Isaac! He always seems to say so much more than the others, always with the tantalizing hints, pulling back before it becomes a spoiler.
This is so frustrating, ‘growing up’ and ‘acting a man grown’ despite being a little kid put in impossible circumstances is a constant repetitive theme of Bran’s book counterpart. I don’t blame Isaac at all and think he does a lovely job of trying to polish a turd but Jesus H Christ, show!Bran is such a lazy butchery and that quote is pretty encapsulating of why.
Basically, Bran isn’t even a character, he has no goals, no desires, no motivations, no personality, he just, as Isaac says, “has to do his stuff”.
Isaac however is lovely and I hope to god that after Thrones (if he wants to continue acting) he gets a role where he actually gets to play a real character and not a breathing set piece.
He’s going to finally connect the dots to that theory 😛
To me it seems clear he’s going to make it to the wall. There’s not much left for him to do up north and his boo, the NK, is hot on his tracks.
And speaking of Bran downloading GoT/ASOIAF/TWOIAF last season, he probably knows how and maybe even when his family and friends are going to die. That’s a lot to deal with.
maryanne,
Acting like a man was part of Bran’s story in the show too, especially at the beginning. The show is beyond the books now. He’s the three-eyed raven now. He’s more a “thing” than a person. That’s not because they’re lazy at writing the character; his dehumanization is very much on purpose.
Luka Nieto,
Book bran isn’t an emotionless shell and his visions aren’t deteriorating his sense of humanity, so no. And you think after 5 books of Bran trying his best to grow up and find himself, its just going to end with his POV being a drooling unhuman robot? Of course its very convenient to flippantly give a character a debilitating mental disorder when you don’t want to actually write anything meaningful for them, so you can shove them in the background all season until you need them for some plot device purpose.
And I’d like to add that Book Bran will also never be the “Three Eyed Raven”, and will always be his own person, because the “Three Eyed Raven” isn’t an entity thats passed down from person to person, in the books that is.
I think the Hold the Door sequence will be a transforming event for Bran moving forward over and above him becoming the Three-Eyed Raven; he understands now just how great the consequences of his actions are. He went off into a vision unsupervised and it ended up costing him Summer, Hodor, the Three-Eyed Raven (his tutor for a role he had only scratched the surface of in terms of him understanding it) and the remaining Children of the Forest (as far as we can tell; it seemed like they were all in that cave, and only Bran and Meera made it out of the cave alive).
As for the ‘Connections’ theme, I wonder if this is perhaps a bit of an extension to what a lot of the team have been saying for a while now – characters in seemingly disparate story arcs are crossing paths either for the first time or for the first time in many seasons – and what they have learned along the way is being brought together to move the story towards its conclusion. Events that seemed unconnected are, in fact, related; characters that have never met find that they have much in common.
Luka Nieto,
The dehumanization of disabled people and fictional characters is a huge problem in real life, but also in fiction and shows/movies and I was hoping GoT would steer away from that type of discrimination. It’s ableist. Guess I was too optimistic.
The Dragon Demands,
other memory, I love it, great analogy! except he didnt have to trip balls to obtain it, hahahah
In ADWD we clearly see how Bran’s quest, his visions and most strikingly his warging are deteriorating his sense of humanity, bit by bit. If you don’t think that won’t continue and be aggravated by the three-eyed crow’s training in the books, I don’t know what to tell you, except… re-read his last chapter.
Flayed Potatoes,
I don’t see the connection there. Bran’s physical disability has nothing to do with his transformation into a more metaphysical entity, which is the thing that is making him more detached, not the fact that he can’t use his legs. He’s becoming… well, a god, a magician — however you wanna put it.
I’ve never once thought that Bran’s character in the show had anything remotely to do with discrimination of disabled people. Where are people getting this stuff? He just happens to be crippled. I’ve never once seen his character marginalized, used as some kind of stereotype due to his disability, or turned into a “drooling unhuman robot”. The only ones on the show who would do that to Bran are already bad guys, so we would kind of expect that from them, but I’ve never seen some type of offensive situation involving Bran that needs to be addressed or criticized. Of course, if you disagree, please give me an example.
maryanne,
You cannot do in the show what the books hints at. For example, I remain unconvinced Bran will ever cross the wall again in the books. We know the Hodor thing happens, but GRRM’s own words state they will differ and happen in different circumstances. So they made some changes. For good reason though, because they want to utilize IHW. I tend to think Bran will become one with the tree in the books and indeed lose his sense of humanity. I think the Weirwood paste chapters which enables Bran to skinchange into the roots provide hints of this. He will communicate important events by speaking to other characters through the Weirwoods. Jon’s several wolfdreams where Ghost winds up at a Weirwood and senses and smells something familiar looking back and speaking to him seems to hint Bran trying to communicate with Jon Snow.
Translating this to screen in an adaptation presents difficulty. How would you do it? Especially when you want to ensure the actor remains utilized. The way they chose to proceed does present some head scratching moments, I agree, but I think they did the best they could with the difficulty in translating the probable character outcome of book Bran Stark.
Luka Nieto,
No, we don’t. Bran is still as of ADWD mourning his family and his circumstances. You see Bran giving into the hopelessness of his situation, which is NOT the same thing. I really don’t know what to tell you if you cant see that the lack of humanization for show bran has been a very obvious problem since Bran woke up from his coma in season 1.
More importantly, your repetition of the excuse that Bran is now a shell just because he’s a godentity or whatever, does not align with what the writers themselves have cited as the excuse. THEIR excuse is that Bran is traumatized by the torrent of visions in 6×05. Thats what they themselves said. Bran is far from the only character to endure trauma, yet he’s the only one whos side effects include turning into a prop? Not buying it.
Mr Derp,
Its not other characters smacking Bran on the face and calling him a dumb cripple, I don’t get why you’re acting like it has to be that cut-and-dry. Its a slow build up of treating Bran like more of a plot device than a person over the course of 6 seasons.
They’ve been doing that with Sansa too… >.>
😛
Clob,
I don’t agree with that. Sansa was her own person in season 6. In fact the show went out of its way to tell us multiple times how Sansa feels about what happened to her and how she’s changed as a person. Unlike Bran, who’s dialogue almost exclusively consisted of clunky exposition naming characters off for the audience.
maryanne,
We can agree on that at least.
maryanne,
Sorry, it was more of a troll comment and I don’t usually do that. I don’t keep it a secret that I don’t like the Sansa character but I don’t typically throw stuff out in that fashion. 🙂
maryanne,
I understand what you’re saying, but Bran IS more of a plot device though, isn’t he? His character is there to show flashbacks and connect the dots. What exactly do you want them to do with Bran that they’re not doing? It would be redundant and arguably a waste of his character if they do the same thing with him that they’ve done with other Starks. We’ve seen Sansa’s emotions over losing her family, same with Arya, and to a certain extent Jon. Do we need to see it with Bran too?
To your point, it would be nice to see him show some emotion over losing Hodor and Summer though, but I think this has more to do with limited running time than anything. You have to pick and choose what to put in the show MUCH more than what can fit into a book.
orange,
I don’t think it has anything to do with wanting to utilize the actor, I think its a matter of Bran being too important to the endgame that they can’t simply kill him off. Otherwise they wouldn’t have ousted him completely from season 5 even though there was enough book material to at least include him in an episode or two, even a nod to his character via the Theon weirwood scene. When the writers really want to give a character/actor more screentime, they find a way. See Sansa in season 5
Luka Nieto,
The connection is that disabled characters are not treated as complex human beings, like the able-bodied ones are. Bran is stripped of his humanity and simply considered a magical entity. His representation is actually pretty stereotypical (see number 4).
https://lpjackson.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/what-are-the-stereotypes-of-disability/
The series also has a problem with using disability as a way to “punish” characters, but that’s a different discussion.
Mr Derp,
Um……yes?! What is this argument? “theres too many characters with a personality so we have to make one character a piece of cardboard”? Why is Bran the one character to have his humanity stripped from him, just because his siblings beat him to the punch? This speaks to Flayed Potatoes point about disabled characters being displayed as subhuman and unsympathetic. All the book starks have individual personalities, yes, INCLUDING Bran, yet you get none of that from him in the show.
maryanne,
Calm the f down. i don’t think you read my entire post. The show has limited running time. They can’t show every single emotion of every single character. You’re getting into preference more than anything. Just because you prefer to see more from Bran doesn’t make it a fact that he is being marginalized or treated unfairly.
Mr Derp,
Why shouldn’t we see these reactions with Bran too if we’re seeing it with his siblings too? He’s lost just as many people as they had, if not more. I’m sorry, but that’s unfair to the character. You and the show are simply limiting him to flashbacks that have nothing to do with Bran as a person and that’s unfair and ableist. All his visions this season were either about Jon or the NK, and Bran is neither of those characters. He’s not just an exposition machine. He’s had friendships and relationships that have spanned entire seasons and yet they’re not explored the way Arya’s and Sansa’s are, even though Bran is endgame. He’s a main character, but the treatment he’s been getting is that of a tertiary one.
maryanne,
Exactly.
Mr Derp,
Every criticism of the show is based on preference though, if you’re going to get that upset about people critiquing the decisions the show makes, why even engage in this discussion? Now you’re just derailing. You can hand-wave away literally every negative thing ever said about the show with “well its just a time thing”.
I’m not limiting anyone to anything. We simply have a different opinion on how to use a particular character on a show that is already crowded with important characters.
We haven’t seen season 7 or 8 yet. They might make him more humanizing for your tastes in those seasons.
maryanne,
I’m not upset. What are talking about? I’m actually having an open discussion and bouncing different ideas back and forth, which is what a discussion is supposed to be. You’re the one getting emotional and overreacting to my comments and that’s not my problem nor should it be.
Mr Derp,
Based on leaks and this very interview, that doesn’t seem true at all. But even next season when it turns out Bran is more of a prop than ever before you’ll still find an excuse to shut down every criticism of the way Bran gets treated by the writers.
Limited running time, and limited resources or reasons to greatly expand the characters role on the show. People may want more depth in Bran’s story and believe he’s extremely important for the endgame. He may be and probably is, but, we have to remember that he’s only had seven chapters total in the last three books. Seven, and just three in the last two. They’d have had to really expand on written material to give us more Bran, cutting into other storylines.
Right…so what makes your preference more important or more correct than mine?
Mr Derp,
I literally never said that, but your excuses boil down to ‘well my favorite characters already have feelings, so bran doesnt need them too’ and ‘well its a time thing’. Sorry if I’m not convinced by any argument you’ve given at all.
You’re putting words in my mouth that aren’t there. It’s immature and unnecessary if you’re honestly interested in an open and adult discussion
Clob,
Sansa had 3 chapters in the last two books as well. And only 3 more than Bran in the last 3 books. Yet theres a disproportionate disparity between their show counterparts.
Clob,
They did it for Sansa, so they could do it for Bran too if they cared. She had 3 chapters in AFFC and none in ADWD, whereas Bran had 3 in ADWD and none in AFFC. When there’s a will there’s a way and it’s obviously selective.
maryanne,
I have no interest in convincing you of anything. I have my opinion, you have yours. Learn to live with differing opinions. It makes the world a much more tolerant and enjoyable place to be.
Mr Derp,
This is a stark contrast from every other comment you’ve made on this post, but sure, take your own advice and this wouldn’t even be a discussion in the first place.
maryanne,
That’s b.s. and you know it. Nothing has changed from me. I simply have a different opinion than you about Bran and you went out of your way to get all upset and started attacking me as a result. You see Bran as nothing but a set piece and I see it differently. I’m interested in a discussion, you’re interested in an argument. It was obvious from the first post you made in this thread.
Mr Derp,
I think you recollect this conversation a bit different than what happened in reality, considering the first person to start directing personal comments and derailing the conversation was you. But since you’ve gotten it thoroughly off topic by now, lets just shake hands and move on.
So Isaac didn’t film at all this year…interesting. I wonder how much screen time he’ll have compared to last year? With only 7 episodes and the increased role the Citadel will have I’m expecting less screen time for characters like Bran, Sansa, and Arya.
J Lee,
Most of the key cast also give tantalising but enigmatic comments about upcoming developments, though a few (Sophie especially) also troll. Liam may have accidentally spilled the S7 premiere time.
By the way, I’m doing a commentary re-watch. If anybody wants an hour of almost unadulterated joy with GoT, watch the commentary to S1E3, ‘Lord Snow’. It’s Isaac, Maisie and Sophie back in the good old days, and their comments are funny, perceptive, and informative about the least grueling season of the show. Of course, they’re very enthusiastic, especially about observing the acting of masters like Sean Bean. Isaac focuses on minutiae, Maisie is precocious in her understanding and astute in her insights, and Sophie is articulate (she’s easiest to understand) and informed about the later plot (she had read the books). And the giggling is delightful.
Flayed Potatoes,
We know BRan can see the past and maybe present, but whether he can see the future is not clear, especially on the show. As with Melisandre, dreams/visions are one thing, but accurate interpretations are another. According to the Wiki of Ice and Fire, in the books:
“A person with greensight sometimes dreams as other people, but the green dreams are different, filled with symbolic meaning, images, and metaphors of what is to come.[1] The meaning behind the dreams is not always obvious, but the dreamer experiences the fulfillment of visions in the unfolding of events. Supposedly these dreams can concern the dreamer or another person, but the dreamer will be able to tell the difference. Greenseers might also dream of their own deaths. Wargs have been known to also possess this ability.[2] “
Perhaps with time and increased control he’ll be able to, especially as he’s both warg and greenseer. Even if he never sees future events unambiguously, by accessing the past to see what people did and said and the consequences, he can predict with some accuracy what will happen and advise how people should behave to obtain the right/desirable result. I hope for his own sake he cannot see the loss of loved ones. Of course, being a Stark partisan, I hope none of them will be lost.
maryanne,
There’s nothing to recollect. The conversation is all right there to read. When did I get personal with you?…and when did I derail the thread?
Mr Derp,
“calm the f down”, when my comment was simply an on topic response to yours? changing the subject to a conversation of preferences, which had nothing to do with the discussion at hand and just undermines every point being made? Why are you still keeping it up?
maryanne,
And shaking hands with someone who is still making snarky comments out of the side of their mouth is not an honest way to shake hands. I’m perfectly ok with shaking your hand and making peace if you are sincere.
So nice to hear from him. ☺
I find it amazing that people here bring up Sansa when she isn’t relevant to the topic, and then cry and complain when virtually every conversation on this site becomes a Sansa argument.
It’s obvious bran is a victim of shoddy if not neglectful writing and that doesn’t seem to be changing, but isaac is always very positive and professional in his interviews which makes them fun to read.
I totally buy Bran’s “dehumanization” if that is what the writers are actually doing to him. Bran has suffered the loss of family and home, just like his siblings but unlike them he had the added trauma of not being able to move freely. He is also burdened with a destiny he wouldn’t have chosen freely had he not loss his free mobility. He’s been told the apocalypse is coming and that he is in a way chosen to fight for the survival of humanity. He has powers he can’t fully control, visions upon visions of things that were and things that are yet to come. And now he has to live with the knowledge of what he did to Wyllis. That is fcking too much for anyone to handle. Bran can either give in to depression and helplessness or he can push it back and do what must be done which I imagine is bringing his chess pieces together to create a front of resistance. Everyone sees what they want to see, I personally don’t see Bran as robotic, I see him as a kid who is surviving as best he can. Arya has her rage, Jon has his need to hang on to his humanity, Bran has his shield. People don’t react to trauma the same way.
Danny,
Agreed 100%
Danny,
If they handled it in a thoughtful way, sure, but having a character lose almost all of his friends and his direwolf, bizarrely never having him react in any way at all to it, and then after the fact explaining that its because he’s traumatized because thats not clear at all by what they presented on the show, isn’t really that thoughtful. Maybe season 7 will handle it in a sensitive way, but i’m not holding my breath.
Speaking of connections:
Bran = an important part of any breakfast
Breakfast = first meal after dreaming
Dreaming = what Bran does a lot
I saw what you did there, G.R.R.M.
Holy hell, I forget to post my tiny comment until after lunch, and in the meantime thread-wights have taken over. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the Wall this morning. ?
I want to participate, but are the comments spoiler free? Haha
help
Dee Stark,
So far I think you’re in the clear 🙂
Clob,
I don’t see what else they could have added to Bran. More training? More trekking around? I actually think Brans arch is one of the best ones in terms of time spent on things etc.. They didn’t over complicate it or drag it.
From this point on, I think, everyone’s screen times are going to be limited, except the main characters like Jon and Dany (but what do I know).
Dee Stark,
A personality perhaps
Mr Derp,
Yay! I had caught one that didn’t discuss plot.!
Dee Stark,
Exactly! Just like that season 7 spoiler that says…..oh……wait….
maryanne,
For Bran?
He has one… I think that since he was a child, he has been thrown in situations no child should be, which is why I think he struggles with himself, his confidence, and thinks he is doing the right thing all the time.. when he isn’t always.
Anyway.
Mr Derp,
hahaha 😛 nice one!
Dee Stark,
🙂 Sorry, can’t help it sometimes…just trying to inject a little humor and levity back into this thread
Dee Stark,
…when does he think this?
Also I dont recall any show moments where bran struggles with himself or his confidence, though I can think of several in the books. maybe thats what youre thinking of?
Well, I would have preferred that they had just parked her at The Eyrie and left her out for a season like they did Bran, but that’s my preference.
The situations between the two are different though… There wasn’t a random character arc way north of the Wall that would be necessary to the overall storyline that they could steal and give to Bran. Expanding on Bran’s greenseeing wouldn’t work very well. They’d either give too much information too soon or show him seeing many unnecessary things requiring a lot more use of extra in-the-past cast members.
Dee Stark,
I don’t really think bran has ever arrogantly thought he was right when he was wrong. I see this said about him all the time, along with him being whiny, and both confuse me because brans never done either of those things. All characters have made mistakes and bran is not special on that front, but that’s different from what “always thinking he’s right when he’s wrong” implies.
maryanne,
Perhaps you weren’t paying attention? Like when he first lands in Winterfell past and sees his father and his siblings at play. Did you not notice the longing, the wanting to stay because he was home. Did you not notice the anger he displayed when Bloodraven forced him out of the vision? In my opinion, Bran does have a personality of his own, it is simply not a flashy one. He like the other Stark siblings were raised on the ideals of honor and duty, perhaps Arya and Sansa don’t always adhere to the ideals because no one has told them that the fate of the world rest on their shoulders so they are freer in a way to be angry, entitled, etc. Whereas Jon and Bran have basically been told, one way or another, to kill their innocence because they are meant to lead/save the world. In many ways, “kill the boy” is code for get though, kill emotions.
Jojen Paste, ser, Jojen Paste…in the books they at least feed him a paste made from raw weirwood seeds. You don’t want no part of that shit.
Am I the only one who considers Bran becoming a god to be very sad?
Shy Lady Dragon,
I can certainly see that viewpoint. Being a God would isolate him from his family and loved ones.
It kind of reminds me of the mortality vs. immortality debate. On the one hand, it would be cool not to die, but on the other hand, you would have to endure all of your loved ones dying while you keep going. Would be a difficult burden to carry, imo.
I don’t like how D&D omit Penny. DAMMIT, SHE HAS FEELINGS, SHE ASPIRES TO BE AN ENTERTAINER, SHE HAS LOST HER BROTHER, AND SHE SHOULD NOT JUST BE THROWN ASIDE LIKE GARBAGE LIKE THIS!!!!!!!!!!
It MUST be because she is a little person… The intentional butchering of some character transitions from page to screen is devastating
Making the 8,
Penny isn’t at all on the same level of importance as Bran, so your cute strawman falls apart at the jump
Danny,
Agree with that assessment of Bran 100%
Jack Bauer 24,
That’s right about Isaacs, also true for Sophie. End of Last year at a award show Sophie said she finished filming for S7. Maisie however continued filming into this year though not as much as other main actors like Kit and Emilia. So I think either Sansa and Bran have either smaller parts to play S7 or their scenes are all inside so it didn’t take as long to film.
Danny,
THIS. Thank you. I’m making Saner Half watch GoT with me (we’re only up to S2, Ep 6, his first viewing, my third), and in the interest of being a critical viewer will look for what some commenters find “dehumanizing,” “robotic” or “ableist” about Bran… but honestly, reading through this thread has been exhausting!
Mr Derp,
Yes, that’s what I meant.
Wolfish,
How about that scene in season 6 where all his friends but one got wiped out and the next time you see him Bran seems perfectly fine. I guess thats not “robotic” because the writers explained after the fact that he’s traumatized, rather than showing that on screen like a competent writer would, meanwhile we’re told over and over when other characters endure something that emotionally screws them up, sansa’s ramsay plot, jon getting murdered, theons torture, etc
Luka Nieto,
Shy Lady Dragon,
I agree about Bran becoming god like but the thing is while that is needed for the White Walkers that’s too much power that isn’t needed for someone once their defeated so I can’t see a happy ending for Bran. Either he leaves and goes into solitude like the other Three Eyed Raven, he losses his power, he wargs himself into something permanently or he dies either by the power being too much or sacrifices himself for the greater good.
There’s a very good chance that Sansa is essentially “immobile” inside Winterfell the entire season. I’m talking about a Cersei type range in S6 when she was in the Red Keep the whole time.
Clob,
Technically, she had one scene outside, when she was waiting for Myrcella and Jaime to return. It was the only time she was spotted that year, I think.
Luka Nieto,
Ah, that’s right. I’ll equate that to Sansa going into the Winterfell godswood then. 😛
Mel,
I think sansa has the biggest role this season, out of the three kids.
Mel,
I’m with you about the sheer necessity of sacrifice. I just wanted to point out that immortality doesn’t sound like a blessing to me and transcending the human condition can be an unfortunate thing.
maryanne,
Long time lurker waking up to comment on this. I disagree that Bran needed to have some kind of emotional breakdown onscreen to show that he was feeling traumatized.
Everyone agrees that time passage is very inconsistent on this show. Where some story lines seem to be unfolding over days, weeks, and months, others seem to only take days. I think a case can be made that where they left Meera and Bran is only a day or two after they had to leave the tree. When you are running for your life, you don’t have much time to emote about it. Also, the fact that Meera keeps having to make him stop greenseeing so that they can keep moving is an indication of sorts that he is being a bit escapist at the moment. It’s quite possible that when he is safer or meets up with his family, he might lose it.
As others have said, people deal with trauma in a lot of different ways. My grandfather was wounded in the Normandy invasion, and he was one cold-ass dude after that. Didn’t talk about it at all. Pretended it didn’t happen. Got on with it, but wasn’t the same either.
maryanne,
My eldest cousin lost her only son at 25 from an accidental drowning when he was on vacation. My cousin has always been a drama queen, the type who always seems to think the world is against her, very emotional. The days following her beautiful son’s death she was so incredibly serene it was completely jarring. Her son was everything to her, actually her son was everything to a lot of us and yet she was calmer than all of us, almost unfeeling, robotic. His death hit her a lot later of course but like I said, everyone reacts differently to trauma.
IntoTheWoods,
I’m leaning more towards Arya having a bigger part more noteworthy part, Sansa I imagine it will mostly be political.
Shy Lady Dragon,
I agree it’s not a good thing, we should be worried for Bran. Even with survival look at the state of the last three eyed raven basically pinned to wall for who knows how long all along the only reprieve to have visions but knowing what horrible damage you can do if you makethe smallest mistake I wouldn’t wish that fate on Bran
Just considering where the story has been heading I wouldn’t assume that at all. She’s at Winterfell now so what does she really have to do that’s truly important as they move into more warring and the climax? The only thing really looming is how she deals with Littlefinger. Ugh, if there’s too much of those two in a room talking I’ll throw myself out a tower window.
My opinion is that their three roles will be close to equal in time while Arya and Bran have a part in the storyline that has a feeling of greater importance.
This, exactly
And who is going to help bran get around this year? I don’t imagine wheelchairs are very effective in the snow… unless all his scenes are in front of a tree
Clob,
But I’m willing to believe that the central conflict of the winterfell plot line is sansa and Littlefinger. I agree that it’s dull and needless, and in my opinion the focus should be on bran and arya and their newly achieved powers. I don’t really think sansa needs to be a part of this season much at all, but that’s not the vibe I’m getting from sophie’s interviews.
Danny,
Totally agree. Bran has a personality, one only has to understand what happens, and that episode of him wanting to go back to Winterfell would be my evidence for it as well.
Besides, after big traumas, sometimes one does not react due to blockades and similar reactions (as in PTSD. I have a lot of blockades due to it, for example. It looks like I am emotionless, but I am not, I am just blocked).
IntoTheWoods,
Yea, he did kinda get left out in the cold there with nowhere to go. I’m curious about that myself. I have a feeling some Night’s Watchmen will find him and Meera at the Weirwood and will take them to Castle Black, and then eventually to Winterfell on a horse or something.
Mr Derp,
I meant more like
LEAK INFO:
he’s got no one left to help him
IntoTheWoods,
Ah, well derp on me then. That’s a good point.
Maybe he can go back in time, find a kid and create Hogate to be there for him when he gets older… Too soon?
Clob,
Hmmmmmm, LOL, Hold the gate? I think you found Hodor’s long lost brother/sister
Danny,
Exactly!
IntoTheWoods,
Are there information about Meera leaving him? I think a strong bond has developed between them and, at least for some time, she will stay with Bran.
Shy Lady Dragon,
Yes
The Season 7 poster does not have the premiere date.
http://ew.com/tv/2017/03/08/game-of-thrones-season-7-teaser/?xid=entertainment-weekly_socialflow_twitter
I concur, even more because the recent teaser has Sansa’s “You’re house will be forgotten” speech and Ramsay’s response, both distorted, played over distorted scenes of Winterfell. Littlefinger must go this season IMO to seal the Game being over and the apocalyptic End-Game beginning in earnest. Neither is Sansa Endgame material IMO, so she can go too or be conveniently married to Robin, which would would make sense for Jon, politically. That would necessitate her giving up Winterfell, which would be good for the family and the show. Bran and Arya are both End-Game and are still working through their mystical-existential ordeals to find practical applications in the Wars to Come. Much more interesting for sure than the who can outmaneuvre whom of the LF-Sansa merry-go-round.
I wish that the WF storyline focuses more on Arya and Bran. Sansa had her big moment last season – the entire North plot revolved around her. For God’s sake, give some time and focus for Arya and Bran as well. Let the plots be about them instead of the dull Sansa-LF drama once again. That’s over and done with – LF as a character has been totally destroyed on the show. I don’t care about him anymore.
maryanne,
I hear you on this. You’re frustrated that Bran has succumbed to the stereotypical disabled character trope. My resounding takeaway from season 6 with his character was his lack of reaction to the deaths of his companions. Especially Summer!!#stopkillingdirewolves.
it’s quite obvious they don’t care for Bran as a character. He is solely plot device on the show.
Remember when his companions of many years died and instead of having him react to hodor and Summer deaths, they threw him into another flashback that literally has nothing to do with his character?
SerNoName,
Yep, agreed, and (leaks discussion)
Abbie,
this is where my big frustration comes from, I’m totally cool with bran being traumatized if the show would actually focus on bran being traumatized and I think in the hands of good writers that could be an interesting direction to take him, but instead they are clearly just using it as an excuse to ignore him. thats whats wrong with it. its really annoying to read the comments here that are being ignorant about this. dont give me the line that they just dont have time for him, it takes only a bit of rewriting to establish bran as traumatized and they have no problem whatsoever doing this for any other character. having to heavily infer stuff offscreen or from what the writers say in the after the episodes is bullshit, bran is a fictional character who doesnt exist outside of what he does on the show. you cant just throw a piece of cardboard on screen for an hour and then have a 5 minute discussion afterwards about how the cardboard was really a deep introspective thinkpiece about trauma and if you cant see that then youre the problem.
Mel,
Thank you! I’d like the future heir of Winterfell to be Bran and Meera’s child.
Mel,
Thank you! I’d like the future heir of Winterfell to be Bran and Meera’s child. It would make Bran’s turning into a god less sad. In my mind, it qualifies as “bittersweet”.
IntoTheWoods,
It’s my tinfoil theory that he will get someone: the Hound, when he gets to the North. He will get someone to take care of who is the opposite of Joffrey.
Stark Raven’ Rad,
Sansa will never leave WF again. Don’t you remember “we should have never left Winterfell” part? Neither will Jon for that matter. And she is done with psychopaths, she won’t marry Robin. And Jon will never force his sister/cousin into another marriage. I think he would rather face the NK alone than having to force any marriages for the KotV. So Sansa is not going anywhere.
Annie,
Exactly! It’s sad people don’t get this.
You could say the exact same thing about Rickon and he is not disabled. Every other sibling was considered a main character but he disappeared only to reappear to be slaughtered. Would you call his lack of character development ageism? Because he’s so young his POV wouldn’t be important? Or maybe it was just not necessary to develop him more as it did not advance the plot…
Does Jamie Lannister count as disabled? He lost his hand so I’d think so, and we know plenty about how he thinks/feels/relates to others. And we also witness firsthand his reactions to the deaths of his children.
We do see Bran’s reaction to losing his family just as we see his siblings’ reactions – Sansa faints and cries, Arya channels her grief into rage, Jon feels desperation to rejoin his family and seek revenge, Rob assaults a tree and also seeks revenge, and Bran first dreams of his father’s death, then internalizes his feelings (as many people do) while trying to appear strong for Rickon and serve as lord of winterfell in Rob’s absence.
I mean… of ALL the unfair things that have happened to the characters in GoT, we’re really sitting here talking about how sad it is that we don’t know more about Bran’s emotional state and somehow that’s because he’s being marginalized against due to his disability? Give me a break. And who on earth told you that this series was fair??
Alex G,
Rickon and jaime are not comparable and I think you know that. rickon is not a main character nor is he even a POV, we don’t really know him at all, and you bringing him up is akin to the person upthread who randomly brought up penny and pretended that was a good argument as well. As for jaime its intellectually dishonest to pretend that theres no psychological difference between how the average person perceives jaime’s disability and can often forget about it because of how relatively less it affects every aspect of his life, and how brans disability is the first thing people notice or say about him. bran is without a doubt the most visibly disabled character on the show, and yes, the dehumanization of disabled characters is a big problem. KEEP IN MIND- i’m of the opinion that IF the show handled brans “”””trauma””” in a genuine way, ON SCREEN, and actually had the character and those around him acknowledge it and try to handle it, that would not be dehumanization. Let me repeat myself again, having a character lose nearly all of his friends in one fell swoop and then the next time you see him its not mentioned once by anybody and he’s up and ready to go find out who an unrelated characters mommy is, is not humanization. you can make up as much meta about it as you want, but at the end of the day, it amounts to little more than fanfiction. theres no argument against the fact that sansa was clearly affected by the ramsay stuff, or jon by the murder, or theon by the torture. none of these three were shown handling their trauma in exactly the same way and yet all three were shown, very clearly, handling their trauma. and the complaint is that while every other characters fans have debates about whether their favorite was mischaracterized or whatever, as are perfectly 100% valid and i’d never shut them down like you and others are whenever complaints about bran get brought up, we literally just want bran to be a character. The main thing that ever gets talked about with bran is “whens he gonna tell jon snow about his parents?” “whens he gonna bring jon snow into a vision?” “whens he gonna show this other vision about an unrelated character i care more about?” “whens bran gonna tell jon how to defeat the white walkers and then sit in a tree for the rest of eternity?” brans the only character this happens to because theres almost nothing personal about him and he exists only to act as a prop for others. And yes, we’re free to complain about it as everyone else is free to complain about how their character of choice is treated.
Annie, I won’t address your spoiler cover except to agree with your line “if Sansa was smart”. Mind, I don’t think she’s stupid, but she’s far from smart. She is now capable of comprehending, scheming, and occasionally sussing out ulterior motives. But contra Littlefinger, the man who can out-maneuvre Machiavelli, she’s at a major disadvantage. At least she’s always been a liar, which has been accentuated by her eagerness to ‘play the game’. But she knows LF is a multi-murderer. After living with him cheek-by-jowel and having been sold to the Boltons by him, she should be suspecting he’s rather anti-Stark and Tully. I bet when Arya and Bran arrive they’ll each be suspicious of him. He admitted he’s using Sansa for the IT or advancement, but her reply was merely “It’s a pretty picture”. She’s ashamed of her connection to him, having lied to Jon about where she learned Blackfish held Riverrun and that she’d asked LF for Vale army help. If she’s trying to best LF, she’s playing with wildfyre. How smart is that? If she truly loves Jon, her family, the people of the North, and Winterfell, she must not harbour a murderous, ambitious, manipulative snake in the grass in their midst. Worse, I have a premonition that while his being there will result in his death, it will also cause some tragedy to the Starks. The smart thing would have been to send LF home.
This conversation got a bit ridiculous yesterday when I offered up my opinion, so I’ll just say one more thing and move on…
Everyone has a right to their opinion. You are free to think that nothing is wrong with Bran’s character and you are free to think it’s the worst character development since Anakin Skywalker in the prequels. No one is a bad guy or wrong here. It’s a matter of differing opinions, which should be welcome. However, what I do not find acceptable is being labeled some kind of hater of disabled people because I don’t hate Bran’s character on the show. One poster stated I was “limiting” the character and being “ableist” because I didn’t have an issue with him. That’s the kind of vile, unnecessary, hateful, intolerant nonsense that is making the world more divisive with each passing day.
Catspaw Assassin,
???
We all need a little Bran ?
Mrs. Podrick Payne,
That isn’t tinfoily at all, given that the Hound is heading north with Beric and Thoros and has already saved both Stark girls’ lives. In fact, it might serve as a nice completion of an arc… a former bannerman of the Lannisters protecting each of the surviving Starks in succession.
I hesitate to weigh in any more on Bran’s onscreen characterization, given how heated this conversation has become!
Mr Derp,
Totally agreed, and now I’m going to break down and do what I just said I wasn’t going to do… and make just one more comment about Bran.
As I noted earlier in the thread, I’ve just started watching the series again with Saner Half, who hasn’t seen it at all. In the interest of critical thinking, I’ll look for what some viewers see as inconsistent/nonexistent/downright shitty character development for Bran.
Having said that… I find it odd that no one has mentioned the fact that, besides possibly dealing differently with trauma, Bran simply doesn’t have the luxuries his siblings do. Even though Jon, Sansa and Arya have all been in great danger, at the end of the day they’re still sheltered, fed, and in a physical environment deeply familiar to each of their respective characters. Bran hasn’t had any of that for a long time. He and Meera must concern themselves with primal survival while Bran continues the terribly unenviable task of becoming an omniscient wise man and potential savior of the world at the ripe old age of, what, 12 or something? I can’t begin to fathom how deeply internalized his grief and rage must be. The others can afford to emote. He can’t.
Wolfish,
If he is able to reunite with his family at Winterfell I think we will see Bran’s emotions come out a little more. Hopefully that will satisfy some people that do not like Bran’s character development.
Wolfish,
I think you and I were on the same wavelength – that Arya and Sandor have unfinished emotional business.
There were too many callbacks and clues in S5 & S6 for them to be coincidental. (Plus, a whole bunch of parallels and foreshadowings in S1 -S4, but that’s for another day, probably in a prolix entry in the Forum section. )
Stark Raven’ Rad,
Stark Raven Rad:
You wrote that you’re doing a
commentary re-watch, and…
“If anybody wants an hour of almost unadulterated joy with GoT, watch the commentary to S1E3, ‘Lord Snow.”
Where do I find this Commentary? I’m a sucker for unadulterated joy….
Ten Bears,
It’s on the Blu-Ray box-set.
Absolutely! Their dynamic is one of my favorites in the show: two people far apart in age, one male and one female, one psychologically tortured by everything he’s witnessed and also done himself, the other driven by grief and a desire for vengeance, both with a strong core of decency and humanity in a world that crushes those things. Arya may not realize it yet, but I think Sandor is the first person who taught her, not directly but by the example of his life, how complex a person can be: a man might kill a 13-year-old on orders from another 13-year-old, live to regret the horrors he has participated in, and become worthy of forgiveness and redemption. And in him, Arya seems to have stirred a parental instinct – something different from his protectiveness of either Joffrey or Sansa.
I also find the gender dynamic between them very interesting, since Arya is far more comfortable around men and Sandor, though totally a “man’s man,” seemingly trusts girls with his vulnerabilities in a way he does not trust boys or men. One of the changes from the book that I really wish hadn’t been made is the way Sansa finds out what happened to his face; in the books he is the one who tells her, not Littlefinger, and later on he also tells Arya. He certainly doesn’t do so in a gentle way, but the fact that he confides in them at all is striking.
Luka Nieto,
Thank you for saving me from futile Google and YouTube searches. I don’t have the Blu-Ray boxed set. ?
Wolfish,
Well said!
I’ve rewatched Sandor’s scenes with Arya and with Sansa countless times. They never get old.
I’m not sure why the show transferred Sandor’s face-burning story to LF. (As you pointed out, in the books Sandor tells Sansa directly.) Maybe the show wanted to “save” the reveal that Sandor wouldn’t just be a background character.
Meanwhile, I thought the scene in which Sandor tells the story to Arya was quite possibility Rory McCann’s best acting on the show. Even his subtle body language – like the barely perceptible nod of his head after Arya asks if she can at least wash his wound – was exquisite. I’m not sure anything can top the banter and action in the classic S4E1 “Every F-cking Chicken in this Room” scene, but the quiet scene with Arya comes close.
Ten Bears,
I’m sure there are illegitimate ways to get a hold of the commentaries online, like with everything nowadays, but we won’t link to them here.
Anyway, the DVDs also have commentaries, not just the Blu-Rays. In case you you have those.
Ten Bears,
Totally agreed! The depth of acting on GoT is incredible. It’s such a big show with such a big story, but the acting that invariably touches me the most is in quieter scenes such as the one you described – which is also one of my own favorites between Sandor and Arya, and definitely one of McCann’s highest points. Another of my favorites is Lena Headey’s scene when she comes to the realization that Myrcella is dead. The whole sequence is incredible… from the joyful, girlish skipping down the hallways and steps, to the anticipation of seeing her daughter, to the realization that she is gone, to the desperate attempt to control herself and not simply implode. Completely wordless and utterly heartbreaking.
Rory is really a gem. Even in his first acting roles (highly recommend The Book Group from years back if you haven’t seen it) he has a natural introspectiveness about him that makes him much more than the token 6’6″ 240lb big dude. I mean, there’s ‘Yarp’, but…?
Pigeon,
I’ve watched just a few scenes of “The Book Group” and am really intrigued; American TV and film tend to be so plasticized (for lack of a better term), I find myself thinking that even the things I enjoy don’t really look or feel real. (And don’t get me going on every print advertisement looking like it was photographed in front of a green screen.)
And yeah, there’s definitely the “yarp” factor too. As I noted earlier, Saner Half (who has never seen it) and I are up to S1 Ep 6, and he’s just started really liking certain people… including Arya and the Hound. I’m desperately trying not to let on, ehrm, how much I like him. 😉
Heehee, good luck with that! ?❤ I agree about most TV shows…I actually tend to stick with British detective shows (Lewis/Endeavour/Vera/Midsummer Murders/etc) as shows I actually make time to watch. Some are a bit silly but fun. They have a charm to them. I really don’t watch much tv!
Luka Nieto,
Silly me! I had actually found the “Lord Snow” commentary, but didn’t realize the commentaries were voice-overs; I watched the first few seconds and heard some giggling girls singing along to the intro theme song, and figured I had come upon a fan video.
It wasn’t until I went back and listened further that I realized it was a young Sophie and young Maisie!
I had no idea these things existed. Now I know how I’m going to pass the next four months. ?
Stark Raven’ Rad,
Found it! (At least a seven-minute snippet of the S1E3 Commentary; not an hour, but I’m not complaining.)
You know what else was enjoyable? Apparently, Lena Headey participates in many of these Commentary tracks. She’s an unabashed Maisie fangirl. Check out, for example, the Commentary to S4E10, Brienne encountering Arya and the Hound.
I basically agree with you, but for a few seasons, Arya was neither sheltered nor regularly fed. She was usually roughing it out of doors, and when she wandered about with the Hound, they were usually hungry (remember how they wolfed down the farmer’s daughter’s soup?) and almost never slept indoors. Her worst experience was probably at Harrenhal, where she was in manacles and kept in an open pen with other prisoners, slept in rain, and watched people being tortured to death. )Ironically, Tywin Lannister saved the day for all those prisoners.) Though she did receive austere food and shelter in the HOB&W, she also spent time homeless, blind and begging for coins. Sansa always lived in highborn luxury despite the background fear and eventually Ramsay’s cruelty. Even Jon, whenever he was in Castle Black, had a bed and food. Only Bran and Arya suffered real privation.
Stark Raven’ Rad,
Excellent points about Arya, although the privations she suffered still don’t compare to Bran’s. At least people, monstrous as they can be, are a known entity; not to diminish the horrors Arya has witnessed, but the North and the wights are in an entirely different league. Having said that, I was so happy to see the photos of Arya looking healthy and attired as a proper young Northerner!
On another note, I’m not surprised Lena Headey “is an unabashed Maisie fangirl.” I know McCann is a great fan as well, which I think speaks very highly of how natural her acting has been from the very beginning. One of the things Saner Half has had trouble with (and we’re still only in the second season) is the disparity of acting ability between the veterans and some of the less-experienced actors; he still hasn’t warmed up to Emilia Clarke, for instance, but loves all the older actors and pretty much immediately loved Maisie. 🙂
Wolfish,
So Saner Half has yet to see the Arya & The Hound traveling road show ?
I hope you’ll make roast chicken to snack on when you watch S4E1…
(For that matter, have you noticed that just about every Sandor scene ends with him eating ?)
Ten Bears,
That is correct! I’m so looking forward to it; he’s absolutely going to love it. And hell yes, I’m making roast chicken! My favorite ridiculously easy recipe:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/quick-roasted-chicken-mustard-and-garlic
And yes, I have noticed that. RAWR!
On another note, the premiere date is two days before the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death (July 18) and eight days before my daughter’s 27th (July 24), so if I go back to Portland (where she lives) for a birthday visit, we’ll have an epic GoT/Austen/birthday mashup party.
Note: I wrote “go back to Portland” because I’ll be there for the Concert Experience on April 2 (and meeting up with at least one other person from WotW)!
Wolfish,
Love your recipe! I’ll save it (called “Wolfish roasted chicken”) and try it.
Wolfish,
Everything I read is making me more excited about the Portland concert! If you haven’t read it already, the Huffington post article about Isaac included a theory that the concert was designed to make the audience feel as if they were seeing Bran’s visions through his connection to the weirwood network. With Isaac’s comments on connections, I think the leaked photos were right about
Jack Bauer 24,
So Isaac didn’t film at all this year…interesting.
wow, I totally missed that. Has that been said, or is it just that no one has seen him filming (ie, that everything he does might be in studio?)
Not sure I want to jump in to the fray, but I don’t see the problem with Bran ‘losing his humanity’. He’s become 3 eyed raven. He has powers and knowledge that only a god could have. His goals are unknown, but he obviously has them. What he has become is what I’d expect him to be
I’d like to talk more about how disability is portrayed on the show. Could someone give me some examples of how it is done wrong, and how it should have been done?
Making the 8,
Oh gawd are you f kidding me? That was probably the most brilliant thing that the show did! Unless you are talking tongue in cheek and its late and didn’t catch it. Honestly that was one of the worst arcs in the book, and flip through it when I reread.
Mr Derp,
Yeah, thats what I figured, probably Ed.
Annie,
I agree with this.
Lonely Cat,
SQUEEE!!!
When I read the interview it sounded to me like he had filmed in 2016 but not 2017, and had wrapped season seven while there was still non-NI filming going on. So he has filmed scenes for season seven, just early on in the filming schedule.
When the paparazzi photos of shooting came out early in the autumn, Isaac was in the makeup trailer with Maisie and I think in one other photo. Plus he’s mentioned in the leaks. He’s surely in it, but probably got his scenes done early. I think his big season will be the last, as he seems very Endgame. Maybe he’ll even be the Last Hero.
Alba Stark,
Just remember filming for S7 started Early October and both him and Sophie finished filming S7 2016 so that can still be around 3 months of filming and if most of their locations are inside the Belfast Studio It wouldn’t have taken them as long to film compared to the other actors aka Kit and Emilia etc who filmed in all different countries basically the whole time. We barely saw Lena either so no idea how much she filmed but considering in the past 90% of her scenes are in the Red Keep aka inside that’s understandable, no one even saw Carice at all doesn’t mean she didn’t film but when it’s in the Belfast Studio and they don’t come outside we rarely know who films.
Bran is going to warg into himself and activate his legs.