Photo Credit: HBO
If the best ruler has the best “story,” was Bran really the right choice for King on Game of Thrones?
Bran the Broken is on the Iron Throne, and he can thank Tyrion Lannister for this Game of Thrones outcome. Here was Tyrion’s sales pitch:
“What unites people? Armies? Gold? Flags? Stories.
There’s nothing in the world more powerful than a good story.
Nothing can stop it.
No enemy can defeat it.
And who has a better story than Bran the Broken? The boy who fell from a high tower and lived.
He knew he’d never walk again, so he learned to fly.
He crossed beyond the Wall, a crippled boy, and became the Three-Eyed Raven.
He is our memory, the keeper of all our stories.
The wars, weddings, births, massacres, famines.
Our triumphs, mm, our defeats, our past.
Who better to lead us into the future?”
This argument was clearly effective, as Bran was named King of the “Six” Kingdoms only a few minutes after. The pitch was basically comprised of two main points:
1. “Who has a better story” than Bran?
2. “He is our memory.”
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Regarding #1, Bran definitely had an incredible story. He got pushed out of a tower and lost his ability to walk. He traveled North of the wall and gradually discovered he had powers. He met and ultimately became the Three Eyed Raven, the world’s “memory.” The Night King targeted him but ultimately failed, and now….he’s King.
But it’s not clear that anyone in Westeros really knows Bran’s story. Even the people on the “King-Naming Council” didn’t seem to have much of an idea of what was going on with him. The Three Eyed Raven seems to have an incredibly important role in the world, but are there any existing legends about this entity that the common people would be familiar with? Of course, the story of Bran the Broken would surely spread quickly and have a level of effectiveness. But again, it’s not clear that he has a story that the people of the “Six Kingdoms” would easily embrace.
If Bran consistently demonstrated his powers, this would serve to only enhance his ”story,” but how often does he actually do this? He wargs into birds and seems to know what will happen, but he’s not one to really “show off” his powers. There were a few moments, for example when he gave Arya the dagger she used to kill the Night King, that he took minor steps, but he largely has been on the sidelines.
Overall, Bran does have a great “story” and his role as “the memory” certainly reflects the important role he has. But we never received enough details regarding his story or his powers to make these appealing reasons for him to be King. For the record, I think Bran ending up on the throne is a conceivable ending for his character. However, I think the show didn’t do a great job of setting it up, and in particular, think Tyrion’s argument in his favor was lacking.
Season 8, episode 5 (debut 5/12/19): Liam Cunningham, Kit Harington.
photo: Helen Sloan/HBO
Jon Had The Better “Story”
Based on Tyrion’s “story” argument, Jon, not Bran would the best choice for King. Jon grew up thinking he was a bastard then went to join the Night’s Watch. He lived with the Wildlings, became the Commander of the Night’s Watch, and was ultimately the world’s leading advocate for coming together to fight the White Walkers. His strategies were not always perfect, but he won the battle against Mance Rayder and the Wildlings, the Battle of the Bastards, and the war against the White Walkers. And did I mention he DIED then came back to life? And what about the world’s biggest secret about his true Targaryen heritage and the fact that he was the rightful heir to the throne? He fell in love with the Mother of Dragons, only to find out she was his aunt. He rode a dragon, and to top it all off, he essentially saved the world by killing the women he loved.
A lot of people in Game of Thrones have “great stories.” Arya, for one, could arguably give Jon a run for his money. But in terms of potential rulers, the winner of the “story” test seems to be Jon. Not only is his story remarkable, but it is also a story that would be clearly understood by the people of the realm. I don’t know how many people knew about the Three-Eyed Raven, but everyone would be struck by the reveal of Jon’s lineage, the fact that he killed the “Mad Queen,” the fact he literally came back to life, and maybe most importantly, the fact that he was the rightful heir to the throne.
If offered the throne, Jon may very well have rejected it as he repeatedly said he would, but it seems strange that he was not at least given the chance to do so. Instead, they decided to exile Jon to appease Greyworm and the Unsullied, which didn’t exactly make sense (were there really so many Unsullied left that they carried that much leverage in negotiations?).
Photo Credit: HBO
A Flawed System
I understand that Tyrion and others wanted to “break the wheel” and create a system whereby being the “rightful heir” didn’t matter, but there are a lot of potential flaws in the system they agreed upon. It seems unlikely that once Bran dies, people will just peacefully come together and pick another ruler. The system of monarchy is very flawed, but it at least creates a certain level of stability in terms of passing the torch from one ruler to the next. Having Jon as King would have enabled this system to continue, and he would have laid a good foundation moving forward. Of course, per Sam’s suggestion, a democracy would be preferable, but it just wouldn’t have been possible in the current world.
The downside to the “monarchy” approach is the very real possibility that the rightful heir would be awful like Joffrey. But what about a middle ground, where a group of Westeros leaders comes together to choose the next king among a pool of potential heirs connected to the King? For example, when Jon theoretically died, people could come together to choose a king among his children, relatives, etc. This would limit the number of potential suitors for king and also avoid the “Joffrey” situation. Under the new system installed in the finale, everyone would have a shot at the Throne, and I think violence would be inevitable. But then again, maybe violence would be inevitable no matter what.
Overall, I’m satisfied with the ending for Jon’s character. However, I think he was the obvious choice for King, and he should have had the opportunity to reject it and head North rather than being forced to do so. Not only was he the rightful heir, but Tyrion’s “story” argument for Bran was actually better suited for Jon.
Did you feel like the right person was chosen to sit on the Iron Throne? Be sure to tell us in the comment section below!