Bran Stark becoming king was one of the most controversial parts of Game of Thrones' ending provided a big shock when not only was said throne destroyed, but then Bran was made king. The likes of Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen were much more common theories, and even in of outside bets, Bran hadn't really been in consideration.

There is some logic to the idea, insofar as Bran is a character who doesn't want power and, as the new Game of Thrones' cast back in season 5 certainly didn't help, but season 8 also missed a golden opportunity to help explain why Tyrion Lannister, specifically, chose Bran in episode 2, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."

Game Of Thrones Season 8, Episode 2 Cut Away From Tyrion & Bran's Scene

"A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms" Skipped The Story

"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" is the best episode of Game of Thrones season 8 by a wide margin, although its IMDb rating is still surprisingly quite low, at 7.9/10, likely a victim of the general backlash to the final run of episodes as a whole. Written by Bryan Cogman and directed by David Nutter, it feels like a classic episode that could've been from the earlier seasons of the show, full of small-yet-meaningful conversations and brilliant, well-earned character moments, such as Jaime Lannister knighting Brienne of Tarth.

However, the episode missed one character scene that it probably should have kept, which was a conversation between Tyrion and Bran. The pair, who previously met way back in season 1 and had both been through a lot since then (to put it mildly), have a big catch-up off-screen:

Tyrion: "You've had a strange journey."

Bran: "Stranger than most."

Tyrion: "I'd like to hear about it."

Bran: "It's a long story."

Tyrion: "If only we were trapped in a castle, in the middle of winter, with nowhere to go."

The episode cuts away from them at that point, moving on to a scene with Grey Worm and Missandei, and then never revisits the conversation between Tyrion and Bran in any way. However, it's seemingly very important, given what transpires in the series finale.

Bran Explaining His Story Could've Fixed Him Becoming King

Game Of Thrones' Ending Would've Made More Sense With This

One of the biggest points of criticism with Bran becoming king stems from a line by Tyrion: "Who has a better story than Bran the Broken?" The answer to that, from season 8's detractors, was "just about everybody else." But it's clear Tyrion has a good reason for believing Bran should be king, and the conversation they had in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" may hold the key to it, as it's likely from that meeting that he got the idea.

If we'd been able to see their conversation, then we'd have a much clearer understanding of why Tyrion thinks Bran should be king.

If we'd been able to see their conversation, then we'd have a much clearer understanding of why Tyrion thinks Bran should be king. But even more importantly, we'd have a far greater understanding of who Bran really is now. Though his story was shown, there's a lot left unexplained about what him being the Three-Eyed Raven really means and why he now acts the way he does, and so adding more depth to the character through this talk would've helped to alleviate those issues.

Of course, Bran becoming king would still be somewhat divisive, given he was a left-field choice, but there's nothing wrong with subverting expectations if there's logic and understanding underpinning the choice. The logic is there with Bran, which is why it'll presumably be the same in George R.R. Martin's books, but the understanding was missing. Game of Thrones 8 really should've been laying more groundwork for King Bran so it didn't feel like such a shocking twist, and this scene could, and should, have been exactly that.

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  Game Of Thrones

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  Drama

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  Fantasy

  

  10/10

  477

  9.0/10

  Release Date

  2011 - 2019-00-00

  Showrunner

  David Benioff, D.B. Weiss

  Directors

  David Nutter, Alan Taylor, D.B. Weiss, David Benioff

  Cast

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    Kit Harington

    Jon Snow
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    Isaac Hempstead Wright

    Brandon Bran Stark

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  Based on George R. R. Martin's ongoing A Song of Ice and Fire novel series, Game of Thrones is a fantasy drama set in the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos. It follows noble families like the Starks, Lannisters, and Targaryen vying for control of the Iron Throne while a rising threat from the undead looms in the North. The series received significant critical success and amassed a loyal fan base due to its high production values, sprawling sets, iconic characters, and shocking twists.

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  Game of Thrones

  11

  9.5/10

  Created by

  George R.R. Martin

  First TV Show

  Game Of Thrones

  Cast

  Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Iain Glen, John Bradley, Alfie Allen, Conleth Hill, Liam Cunningham, Gwendoline Christie, Aidan Gillen, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Rory McCann, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jerome Flynn, Rhys Ifans, Matt Smith, Graham McTavish, Fabien Frankel, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Emma D'Arcy, Matthew Needham, Olivia Cooke, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey

  TV Show(s)

  Game Of Thrones, House of the Dragon, A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight

  Game of Thrones is a multimedia franchise created by George R.R. Martin. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire is the basis for the award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones, which lasted for eight seasons. After the incredibly divisive final season of Game of Thrones, the series was followed up by the prequel series House of the Dragon, which also received critical acclaim.

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