'Game of Thrones' Season 8, Episode 3 Spoilers: Bran Drops 2 Major Clues
by Jake KleinmanGame of Thrones Season 8, Episode 2 mostly focused on providing a few moments of heartwarming closure before your favorite character dies at the Great Battle of Winterfell next week, but it also included some important, cryptic clues. In two key scenes, Bran Stark provided hints (and maybe even spoilers) at what could be coming in Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 3.
Warning: Spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 2 (and maybe future episodes) ahead.
Bran Reveals the Night King’s “Target”
The first big Bran spoiler came during a pivotal scene where all the main characters gathered to formulate a battle plan. After Jon suggests that killing the Night King could destroy the entire undead army at once, Bran chimes in with a useful bit of information.
Here’s the ensuing conversation between Bran (aka the Three-Eyed Raven) and Samwell Tarly, who helps provide some extra context:
Bran: “He’ll come for me. He’s tried before, many times with many Three-Eyed Ravens.”
Sam: “Why? What does he want?”
Bran: “An endless night. He wants to erase this world. And I am its memory.”
Sam: “That’s what death is, isn’t it? Forgetting. Being forgotten. Your memories don’t come from books. Your stories aren’t just stories. If I wanted to erase the world of men, I’d start with you.”
The conversation gets very existential very quickly, but the basic details are here: the Night King is coming for the Three-Eyed Raven. That’s his “target.” That’s what this has always been about. The Night King wants to destroy all life, and Bran is a key obstacle.
It’s unclear if this connection goes any deeper. Does Bran possess the power to kill the Night King or hold off his forces? Is the Three-Eyed Raven some sort of anti-Night King? And if so, could he raise the dead bodies under Winterfell to fight against the White Walkers? Anything is possible.
In the meantime, the plan seems to be using Bran as bait, placing him in Godswood by the weirwood tree with Theon on hand to protect him. Meanwhile, Jon and Dany will circle nearby on their dragons, ready to swoop in once the Night King reveals himself.
Who Dies at the Battle of Winterfell? Bran May Know
Speaking to Jaime Lannister in a separate scene, Bran let’s another big potential spoiler slip. When Jaime apologizes for pushing Bran out the window all those years ago, Bran responds in typical Three-Eyed Raven fashion by saying that it doesn’t really matter compared to the upcoming battle.
When Jaime asks if Bran will feel the same way “afterwards” when the battle is done, he gets an eerie response: “How do you know there is an afterwards?”
This could mean a few things. Maybe the Night King wins and everyone dies. Or maybe Bran is talking specifically about Jaime, meaning the reformed Lannister will die in battle.
Then again, maybe he doesn’t know what’s coming. After all, as the Three-Eyed Raven, we know Bran can see the past and present, but can he look into the future? As far as we know, the answer is no, but based on that conversation with Jaime, perhaps the Three-Eyed Raven still has a few tricks up his sleeve.
He’ll definitely need them when the Night King shows up.
Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9 p.m. Eastern on HBO.