You may have thought Hodor’s tragic, time loop origin story was about as sci-fi as Game of Thrones would ever get, but Game of Thrones Season 6 episode 6, “Blood of My Blood,” took it a step further.
As Bran Stark and Meera head south for the Wall, the young greenseer suffered through a flurry of visions, trapped in the traumatic events of recent Westerosi history. His eyes lolled back in his head, chalk white, and he saw the Night’s King, the undead army, his father and mother’s death and his own tumble from the tower of Winterfell. But most consequential were the brief flashes of a wild-haired man, shouting “burn them all.”
Bran is seeing visions of Aerys II Targaryen, “The Mad King.” Not only did he ramp up production of the explosive wildfire, but he began burning people alive. We even catch a few frames of Jaime Lannister, advancing on the despotic madman and earning his “Kingslayer” nickname.
The brief glimpses we get of the pre- Game of Thrones rule of the Mad King closely aligns with a Bran fan theory that pins the king’s insanity on Bran’s time manipulations. He is paranoid and hears voices not because he’s insane, but because Aerys Targaryen is hearing the whispers of Bran, cast back through time.
Unfortunately, Season 6 episode 6 doesn’t go quite so far, keeping Bran’s entanglement with King’s Landing’s horrific recent past a mystery.
Whether or not Bran winds up influencing the Mad King could have major consequences for the way we frame Game of Thrones. If accidentally frying Hodor’s brain is the extent of his time travels, we can assume that Bran is just one more part of the fight. He’s learned the perils of newfound powers and will put them to good use in the fight ahead.
But if Bran did drive the Mad King insane, it turns from a character of great import into the architect of all Westeros’ woes. Without the Mad King, there doesn’t need to be Robert’s Rebellion. And with the ascendant Baratheons, you don’t get ascendant Lannisters. Should later episodes demonstrate Bran’s complicity in the Mad King’s insanity, he will immediately become the most consequential figure on Game of Thrones.
For now Bran’s visions in Game of Thrones Season 6 episode 6 look like a nice nod to a popular fan theory, but future episodes could always anoint Bran the ultimate author of every woe in this world.
