Let’s admit it: the fact that characters like Brienne of Tarth and Jaime Lannister are perpetual fan favorites has as much to do with their fighting prowess as anything else, because it’s thrilling to watch the epic battles and one-on-one fight scenes alike in Game of Thrones. But just like in real life, it’s not only brawn that wins — having the brains is crucial too, and as far as John Bradley is concerned, it’s the combined knowledge of his character Sam Tarly and Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) that might save the day in Westeros.
“What I think links those two characters is that they’re both characters who are in possession of abilities and skills that nobody else has,” Bradley told TV Guide in a recent interview. “Between them, they’re such a formidable team because … both of their set of skills are so unique. Sam’s penchant for absorbing knowledge and absorbing academia and his wish to apply that for the greater good combined with Bran’s visions and supernatural skills means that between the two of them, it is a real recipe for success.”
The first glimpse of that success was, obviously, the former Citadel acolyte and current Three-Eyed Raven putting their heads together and figuring out that Jon Snow was not a bastard but the legitimate son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark — a revelation that will have huge implications for Jon and his aunt (and now lover, I guess?) Daenerys.
Bradley believes that the duo have far more to contribute to the endgame in Westeros, and teased that viewers shouldn’t “write them off” as a partnership.
“Between them, they can use their own and each others’ skills to really shake the place up a bit as we go forward,” he said.
The full interview is available here.
good, good
The highlight will be Sam talking Jon into getting a library card.
Sam has always been my dark horse candidate to sit on the Iron Throne.
K. Sam (and Gilly?) will successfully chronicle and disseminate all of Bran’s useful tidbits of insight.
I’m excited to see how Bran’s story ends. Does he become a 3ER tree? Does he die? Does he…..live on at WF knowing everything?
Maybe Sam and Bran should look back at how the NK was beat the last time
House Monty,
Shh >_>
Ever since their brief meeting at the Nightfort, with one fleeing south from a cursed journey and the other escaping north to face his own cursed journey, I have hoped for a twisted Bran and Sam dynamic duo. Great last scene between them in S7. Really looking forward to their bookworming/warging/greenseeing interaction in S8.
Sophie Turner interview: http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/game-of-thrones-sophie-turner-season-8-premiere-date-1202632602/
A little nugget here:
Interesting. Dont’ let the Jonsa shippers read this their heads will go silly places.
That doesnt means nothing..There wouldnt be Jonsa thing…plus Danny will stay pregnant for sure..and Jon will not abandon her and his firstborn[he is too honorable for to do such disgraceful for his character thing]…Jonsa shippers are dreaming things who in GOT cant happen or even and if happen are ended badly.. with death and tragedy..Plus i dont think..Jon..even and if he learns the truth about his parentage ..to have sex feelings for Sansa..He always will see her as his sister ..nothing more,nothing less..Also i do think that she will fall in love/marry with another man ..Tyrion or Gendry or Jaime[as he is like those gallant and sweet guys who like to her..+ fullfiling Cerceis prophesy about the more younger woman who will take the heart of her lover[all that she holds]]…Also there is no so much time [6 episodes with 90 mins each one] for another love to happen.
Go team Starley!!
well, this got me hyped for their role in season 8! yass
I think they will make a great team and will discover how to defeat the NK, their help will be key in winning the fight against the WW
QueenOfThrones,
thank you so much for postitng this interview, I had no idea about it. I am really exited about Sansa`s role in season 8! even though there is not much she can do haha.
I think the “threat” that she is talking about refers to the WW instead of Daenerys, well, at least I hope so, I want to see them becoming friends, I want to see Sansa being Dany`s bridesmaid at her wedding (and make her a beautiful North Targaryen dress) and become auntie Sansa to Dany and Jon`s baby. alright my fanfiction just started.
However, I thin you forgot about an important detail “Yeah, I’m really excited. “Game of Thrones” comes out in 2019. “Dark Phoenix” is in November. Then I have a couple indie movies coming out. I’m a producer on my next movie [“Girl Who Fell From the Sky”]. So I’m really excited about the future.”–> she basically confirmed that GOT will air in 2019, I hope she is just trolling though.
Sam and Bran are going to mess up some viewers wish for a Disney ending
Looking forward to seeing more of Bran and Sam working together. I kind of see Bran as a sort of human encyclopedia – but you still need to actually search through it to find the information you’re looking for. I can see Sam doing research and getting Bran to verify it.
I have to say, I’m also looking forward to Tyrion reaching Winterfell. Can you imagine the combined brain power of him, Bran and Sam? Yes, people like Jon will be going into battle against the Night King and his army, but I think they’ll be armed with knowledge as much as dragonglass and Valyrian Steel.
Artemisia,
Sansa marrying Gendry is interesting. Arya won’;t like seeing that. This could help drive her future to leaving Winterfell and search the world.
Alvaricomg,
IA it will be WW but on the other hand it is always more interesting to have dramatic tension between human characters. Jon/Dany was interesting this season in part because they were in conflict at first, despite both their positions being reasonable. One possibility is Sansa / Arya might see Cersei as an important threat (esp after Jaime brings news) while Jon and Dany are pretty fixated on the WW. But we’ll see. 🙂
I already assumed it would be early 2019… so I don’t think it’s trolling.
Artemisia,
It’s too late… I looked at Tumblr and they are already at it:
Smh… they hate Dany so much – I honestly believe most of them just wish they could bone KH and are projecting that onto Sansa.
Arya the Explorer..lol
Is too late for them …Jon has already impregnant Danny….in the boatsex somehow..and he will stay to his values ..will marry her because of their child….He doesnt want his childrens to raised as a fatherless bastards..Sansa cant bear childrens after of what Ramsay did to her [he may had mutilate her as he did with Theon] and is afraid of/hates the sex with mens..And yes..Sansa is jealous of Danny…because she doesnt know her still..Maybe after she knows her better..and sees how dynamic and independent Danny is…. and then change minds..Sansa has no reasons to fall in love with Jon ..Jon will see her always as his sister..nothing more,nothing less and she should to see him always as her brother ..Jonsa fans dreaming things that there cant happen or even and they happen ..they end up badly…. with tragic/shocking deaths..If Jonsa happens that will end up with the death of Sansa for the Lightbringer[the girl with the thick long red hairs killed by him in his book dreams for the Lightbringer] ..The Jonsa fans knows that might happen…but they doesnt talking about that…it scares them as fuck ..because in GOT the most sweet dreams..are made of this ..always turned into the most terrifying nightmares
Oh dear. Here we go again.
Yikes. And in a Bran and Sam thread too… Can you guys not?
Artemisia,
Why is it even a topic to discuss? Jon and Sansa will never happen they look at each other as brother and sister and will always do so, regardless of the revelation that is coming. Jon and Dany will have a child together and Jon will not abandon his child whether both survive or not in the end .
Sam and Bran will defenitely help to work together with Jon and Dany to defeat the Night King because it will take everyone to defeat them, Jon probably will be the one that fights him one on one but it will take everyone to win in the end.
Yes….and apologies in advance, but:
Not that it matters at this point, but who said Sansa can’t bear children? Ramsay wanted an heir. He made sure he didn’t ‘hurt’ her in a way that would prevent that. Even his side chick, Miranda, knew that. Again, doesn’t matter. I never saw Jon and Sansa together; I have no idea where that comes from among the fan base. It’s all just bizarre wishful thinking.
====================================
As to the article, I had to laugh when John was talking about Sam’s skills. What skills? His ability to read? Okay. I guess when there is absolutely nothing else you can do as a man in that world, being good at reading counts as a skill.
Having said that, I do love Sam and I absolutely look forward to seeing Sam and Bran together. I’d say Sam’s better and more important skill will be that he is the more diplomatic of the duo….basically a better educated Davos.
Sooo excited!
It will probably be Sam’s idea that bran go back in time 2 when the Knight King was made to try and stop it and that is when bran will become the night King and John will not have to kill the night King he’ll just have to kill bran that’s part of the bittersweet ending
Yea, I mean there are more important things to argue about here, like whether or not Varys is a merman, if Sansa is pregnant with Ramsey’s child, and the fact that everyone is a secret Targaryen.
Priorities people!
Odd that my comment was a casualty and the nonsense still remains…
Anyway, as I said, I love Sam and am really looking forward to Sam and Bran working together. Not only will his reading skills (lol, reading as a skill) come in handy, so will his diplomacy…his ability to quickly breakdown a situation into palatable bits for characters to chew on and understand. Sam is a better-educated Davos.
Aaaand…I’m an idiot. My comment was still there and I requested that the one above be deleted.
D’oh!
Uhhh…Sansa is pregnant, okay? It’s Roose’s baby though, not Ramsey’s. Roose didn’t trust his son because his son is a bastard….probably a Targaryen bastard, at that! After Sansa gives birth, Tyrion will steal the child and put it on the Iron Throne as homage to his beloved sister Cersei when she tragically dies from a bite of a dornishnake.
So put that in your pipe and smoke it!
Erica,
I’m saving my last cigar for when the child is born, though I currently have a pipe that is open to suggestions, so I may have to partake 😉
Hodors Bastard,
I think that goes without saying. It will be Sam and Bran working together who provide the solution to defeating the NK and his army of the dead. We’ll just have wait and see, but this time its a LONG wait!
Well, considering that very few people in Westeros can read…
Plus Sam is also well-read, which cannot be said of all those who know how to read. (In the books it’s apparent not even all highborn can read, for instance, it’s hinted that Ser Loras is barely literate.)
True…perhaps not many can read at all, but it still struck me as funny to consider it a skill; as I said, the real skill is in being able to disseminate what he’s read to others in ways that are useful to the people who need to act on his knowledge.
It’s the same way I found it funny that Tyrion described Missandei to Jon as Danny’s ‘most trusted adviser.’ Isn’t the Hand the most trusted adviser? Either way, it doesn’t matter. They were small, inconsequential things that have nothing to do with the story. I just noticed them. That’s all.
As for book canon, unless the last two are completed, it becomes irrelevant…at least to me.
Ron P,
I also think Sam will sit on the Iron Throne.
Haha…yes. In the show he may very well sit on the Iron Throne….with the permission of the King or Queen, perhaps.
I imagine they can have a stone mason on standby to capture the moment so that Sam can have the memory forever.
The problem of Sam sitting on the Iron Throne is he might get stuck and never be able to get off.
QueenofThrones,
Lol. Teenagers are prone to flights of fancy. Who cares though, let them have at it as long as it doesn’t infiltrate this venue 🙂
Can’t wait. I think that Sam will have the knowledge about the places that Bran need to go. Bran can see everything but he hasn’t have a clue where. Sam does probably.
But onto more important speculation: Will there be any giant baby making with Brienne and Tormund this season?
I think Sam is one of the safest characters to survive the series and I can see him and Bran a) identifying how to stop the Night King and b) bringing up the fact Jamie pushed Bran from the window back at the very start.
Of course they’ll also throw the reveal that Jon is the true king which will seriously mess with Dany’s head.
Erica,
Maybe it’s not Sam’s reading skills that’ll be important: He has proven himself to be a medical prodigy, first with diagnosing the time/cause of death of the wight remains (arm?) found beyond the Wall, and then performing a difficult surgical procedure to cure Ser Jorah in S7, with only a book to guide him.
👨🚀 “DG shard in, DG shard out. Piece of cake.” ????? ST, M.D. in S8 ???? 🤖
That, too.