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 Ouze wrote:
If you don't want to be spoiled about this week's episode of game of thrones, and you come to page 7 or 8 of a thread entitled "GOT Season 8 speculation and spoilers" then I don't know what to say but you have no one to blame but yourself.

It made sense to use spoilers when the books were ahead of the show, but that time is long past.

Pretty much this. You basically shouldn't be on any sites (social media or otherwise) that discusses GoT if you don't want anything spoiled at this point.

And most of the spoler tagged stuff isn't really spoilers, just pure speculation. If/when a leak comes out of episodes that haven't yet aired, that's what the spoiler is for.

 Lance845 wrote:
Here is my theory for the next 4 episodes.

Episode 3: Undead fight part 1.
Episode 4: Undead fight part 2.

The end result is maybe 2 or 3 white walkers die and it takes out a large swathe of the undead army. But they do not get the night king. The survivors retreat south and the night king reinforces his troops off the dead, but now there are less white walkers to kill. The Ice dragon might die here but at a major cost.

Episode 5. Retreat South, reinforce at Kings Landing. Cersi gets her come upins.

Episode 6: Final Battle against the dead at Kings Landing.

I agree, sort of.

But, taken from somewhere else, someone said this that has me thinking about where the show is actually going:

The Night's King is the personification of death. Humans cannot live forever, ergo The Night's King Cannot Be Killed.

The Last Hero was a diplomat, not a warrior. He negotiated a truce.

The terms of the pact are up for renewal and the Night's King will withdraw when satisfactory terms on a new compromise are met. [finite mortal life being, metaphorically, the compromise between immortality and death].

Violence is destructive. People who fight amongst people [over the throne] are doomed [and the iron throne, metaphor for self destruction as it is, why do you think its made of swords that literally cut and draw blood from the people who sit on it? along with it]

People who reject individual ambition and prioritize the team sport of survival [i.e. Jon kneeling for the greater good] will be spared and carry humanity on. Those who prefer to win the Game Of Thrones (i.e. Cersei) will be utterly annihilated.

I think this is the the most cogent analysis I've seen of this.

I'd guess that the implication here would then be, perhaps, that Bran sacrifices himself to "negotiate" with the Night King, Jon is spared somehow in giving up any further ambition. Dany nearly is killed, until she realizes that ambition to tyranny is akin to death, and then the Night King and company go south, and kill Cersei and smash King Landing along with the Iron Throne, the "root" of the evil at hand. The Night King is satiated again, tyranny averted, they all go back to Locke's "state of nature" minus perverse "human ambition" to get in the way.

I like it, because it's the kind of simplistic philosophy this show is likely aiming for...

Furthermore, I think Bran's cryptic statement, seemingly foreshadowing one(or both of their deaths) might foreshadow instead that the paradigm, the sot of dialetic of Lifeeath, Tyranny:Liberty does not end. One does not kill Death itself, it brokers an "easy peace" of sorts.

There is no "after" there is only something like the Hegelian "concrete, abstract, absolute" (that is thesis, antithesis, synthesis) of Being/Nonbeing->Becoming.

Perhaps this is exactly the point of the White Walkers, in a sense, a check on human "arrogance" and "excess." You know, just like Death itself is, no matter how powerful (or moral, or just, of kind, or whatever) you are, you still die eventually. "Thanatos" (that is, the "death drive itself, embodied) rears it's head. Except here, it's personified, as if a character.

So, I don't think they actually kill the Night Kill, but they likely try. It's more that Bran realizes Death cannot be "killed" rather, he "melds/joins/becomes one with the Night King, goes and "punishes" Cersei and destroys Kings Landing and the Iron Throne, then retreats back over the wall.

Any thoughts on anything coming from the constant reminders that Daenerys kept Tyrion around because of his intelligence?

If they play the siege of Winterfell straight and the "good guys" end up winning with severe casualties, maybe Tyrion will have a way to turn Cersei's employment of the Golden Company against her?

Whatever happens, the Golden Co. should have never signed on to be the bad guy mercs. of the final season. Maybe they should have figured out a way to bring some elephants.

infinite_array wrote:Any thoughts on anything coming from the constant reminders that Daenerys kept Tyrion around because of his intelligence?

If they play the siege of Winterfell straight and the "good guys" end up winning with severe casualties, maybe Tyrion will have a way to turn Cersei's employment of the Golden Company against her?

I kind of liked seeing who they were putting in the crypt because you Know there’s gonna be a fight in there. I wanna see Tyrion stab a wight. I wanna see that kid stab a wight.

Gordon Shumway wrote:Whatever happens, the Golden Co. should have never signed on to be the bad guy mercs. of the final season. Maybe they should have figured out a way to bring some elephants.

I wanted those elephants...

Even the Iron Bank couldn’t spring for all that CGI.

@H — Agree 100% that the WW/Others are elemental, and not something that can be destroyed or really even defeated. At least how GRRM probably conceived them.

However, the conventional thinking of these show runners makes this take less certain IMO. I think there’s a chance in their narrative that the hero defeats the dark lord with his magic sword and gets the girl (aunt?). I hope not and think not...but it’s possible.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
I do get you, but

Spoiler:

I think it’s because she’s not particularly noticeably aged. Compare to Sophie Turner, who has very much crossed that boundary between a teenager and a woman. Maisie hasn’t to the same degree. Though that could also be because in the show she’s dressed quite boyishly, hiding her figure and that

Probably just me being a bit weird, but I still found it a surprisingly scene.

It's funny that they're only like a year and a half apart in age. Sophie Turner has looked older than Maisie does now since s3/s4. I did not like that scene. It really weirded me out.

 H wrote:

I agree, sort of.

But, taken from somewhere else, someone said this that has me thinking about where the show is actually going:

The Night's King is the personification of death. Humans cannot live forever, ergo The Night's King Cannot Be Killed.

The Last Hero was a diplomat, not a warrior. He negotiated a truce.

The terms of the pact are up for renewal and the Night's King will withdraw when satisfactory terms on a new compromise are met. [finite mortal life being, metaphorically, the compromise between immortality and death].

Violence is destructive. People who fight amongst people [over the throne] are doomed [and the iron throne, metaphor for self destruction as it is, why do you think its made of swords that literally cut and draw blood from the people who sit on it? along with it]

People who reject individual ambition and prioritize the team sport of survival [i.e. Jon kneeling for the greater good] will be spared and carry humanity on. Those who prefer to win the Game Of Thrones (i.e. Cersei) will be utterly annihilated.

I think this is the the most cogent analysis I've seen of this.

I'd guess that the implication here would then be, perhaps, that Bran sacrifices himself to "negotiate" with the Night King, Jon is spared somehow in giving up any further ambition. Dany nearly is killed, until she realizes that ambition to tyranny is akin to death, and then the Night King and company go south, and kill Cersei and smash King Landing along with the Iron Throne, the "root" of the evil at hand. The Night King is satiated again, tyranny averted, they all go back to Locke's "state of nature" minus perverse "human ambition" to get in the way.

I like it, because it's the kind of simplistic philosophy this show is likely aiming for...

Furthermore, I think Bran's cryptic statement, seemingly foreshadowing one(or both of their deaths) might foreshadow instead that the paradigm, the sot of dialetic of Lifeeath, Tyranny:Liberty does not end. One does not kill Death itself, it brokers an "easy peace" of sorts.

There is no "after" there is only something like the Hegelian "concrete, abstract, absolute" (that is thesis, antithesis, synthesis) of Being/Nonbeing->Becoming.

Perhaps this is exactly the point of the White Walkers, in a sense, a check on human "arrogance" and "excess." You know, just like Death itself is, no matter how powerful (or moral, or just, of kind, or whatever) you are, you still die eventually. "Thanatos" (that is, the "death drive itself, embodied) rears it's head. Except here, it's personified, as if a character.

So, I don't think they actually kill the Night Kill, but they likely try. It's more that Bran realizes Death cannot be "killed" rather, he "melds/joins/becomes one with the Night King, goes and "punishes" Cersei and destroys Kings Landing and the Iron Throne, then retreats back over the wall.

That reads like a bunch of Everyone is Jesus in Purgatory. Which makes it a load of crap. Not everything in the show is allegory. The Night King isn't death incarnate. The last hero didn't negotiate a truce. The Wall is a literally magical construct that keeps the Others out. The Iron Throne is just an awesome thing a awesome Targaryen did.

 AduroT wrote:
I wanted those elephants...

She wanted those elephants the way I want those ice spiders.

I hope we're not both destined to be disappointed.

The truth is, the thing I most want to see this season is those damn ice spiders.

By the way, how did Cersei afford the Golden Company? Maybe I am forgetting something, but last I heard after the Lannisters sacked Highgarden, they got ambushed and all the gold was either destroyed or stolen by Dany.

In terms of speculation, I think the Golden Company will turn on Cersei (or follow their real orders from the Iron bank), overthrow her, and ally with the north and either Dany or Jon:

The Iron Bank never wants to bank a loser

There are 100,000 undead in the Night King's army - enough to likely defeat the forces at Winterfell

Once Winterfell falls, all of those forces bolster the ranks of the Night King's army, making it impossible for the Lannisters to win

Here’s a thought.

Bran The Builder is said to have constructed Winterfell as well as The Wall. Some (in-universe) say he did so with the help of The Children of the Forest.

Is it not possible, being no doubt familiar with White Walkers, that Winterfell has additional, specific defences others may be entirely ignorant of?

 Ouze wrote:
By the way, how did Cersei afford the Golden Company? Maybe I am forgetting something, but last I heard after the Lannisters sacked Highgarden, they got ambushed and all the gold was either destroyed or stolen by Dany.

The ambush destroyed grain wagons, it was mentioned that the gold had got safely through the gates of KL before the attack started.

Yarp.

That settled the existing debt - Cersei then borrowed more from The Iron Bank to hire The Golden Company.

 ingtaer wrote:

 Ouze wrote:
By the way, how did Cersei afford the Golden Company? Maybe I am forgetting something, but last I heard after the Lannisters sacked Highgarden, they got ambushed and all the gold was either destroyed or stolen by Dany.

The ambush destroyed grain wagons, it was mentioned that the gold had got safely through the gates of KL before the attack started.

Thanks - I thought they had destroyed the gold.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Here’s a thought.

Bran The Builder is said to have constructed Winterfell as well as The Wall. Some (in-universe) say he did so with the help of The Children of the Forest.

Is it not possible, being no doubt familiar with White Walkers, that Winterfell has additional, specific defences others may be entirely ignorant of?

I was wondering something similar.

Relating back to the idea that there must always be a Stark in Winterfell, as they used to say.

One suspects that this is now meant to be taken that as soon as there was not a Stark ruling in/from Winterfell it all kind of went wrong, but one did wonder for a while if Winterfell , originally, was designed to be the last refuge against the undead -- perhaps it's warded or whatever they do ( or perhaps did in the past bit do no longer) prevents undead from rising inside it.


That said one suspects I'll be quite happy with the ensuing bit battle and UH OH ! -- moments that will no doubt follow.

Fair play to Podrick though , he's come a long way eh ?

The Maisie Williams thing did feel weird.

how old is Maisie Williams spiked on twitter

Not a bad setting up episode and quite a nice montage at the end (although into the Badlands recent one was better)

Some nice interplay between the chracters - especially since they really do need to kill a chunk of them off next week I think. As they have doen since episode one of S7, they have to keep trashing Dany's army to make it a proper war - hence Jon getting a dragon killed, bringing the plains/desert army north to fight in unfamiliar and unhelpful terrain.

I am still suspicious of Bran, he has tried to break up the alliance pressing Sam to tell Jon his heritage and now appears to tell them nothing of value - not sure if he is so detached from reality it does not matter or he is hoping to be "reunited with the Night King". Does he not do the scouting thing anymore and if he is one with space and time (or wahtever nonsense he is) he should know if dragonfire would kill the NK.

No one seems to have remembered that thanks to Jon, the NK has his own Dragon, so rellying on air suppoeriority is a bad idea, plus he has has his +13 javelins of Dragon Slaying.

I wonder if Aryria can impersonate a White Walker?

Still hoping the Gold Company have priestess's of the Lord of Light that will switch them to Dany.

I do think alot of people are trying to read alot more into a series of fantasy novels than was ever there. I donlt know where we are getting the NK is a personifcation of Death. He appears to be just a powerful supernatural creature akin to Nagash who seeks dominion over the world (and a bit of peace and quiet) when the living are gone.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Here’s a thought.

Bran The Builder is said to have constructed Winterfell as well as The Wall. Some (in-universe) say he did so with the help of The Children of the Forest.

Is it not possible, being no doubt familiar with White Walkers, that Winterfell has additional, specific defences others may be entirely ignorant of?

IIRC, Winterfell was actually built in stages. The ground was never leveled like you would if you were building a large castle at once. The appropriately named and currently abandoned First Keep -- where Bran fell IIRC -- is the oldest section and was supposedly originally built by Bran the Builder. The crypt is also in this section and probably dates back to the earliest days too.

This is why some theorize that Winterfell is containing something. The crypt itself is unusually cold considering Winterfell is built over hot springs, and one section of the crypts has collapsed (was sealed?). Note that the statues of the past lords all have iron swords and direwolves at their feet, as if they're standing guard. We also have the phrase about the need for a Stark to be at Winterfell. Perhaps as a kind of warden? Is it a coincidence that the Others/WWs have chosen this winter to move on the south...a winter following a time when Stark rule at Winterfell was disrupted? GRRM continually notes that the iron swords of the statues have rusted, and that's the exact kind of symbolism that he likes to engage in to signal things to readers.

So could Winterfell have magical defenses? Sure...although they might be internal.

Speculative stuff, but that's how deeply layered GRRM's world is. However, I expect that what we get in the show will continue to be a highly straightforward, 160-character version of the books. Just look at how everything involving Azor Ahai, the Lord of Light/Great Other, the Prince that was Promised, etc. has fallen away in the name of keeping the pedal to the metal and bringing the story to a conclusion.

So no, I don't expect any magical defenses to show up on GoT, nor do I expect any resolution to the mysteries surrounding the Wall, Winterfell, the origin of the Starks, etc. You might be on to something in the books though, if GRRM lives long enough to tell his version of the story.



Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Mr Morden wrote:
I do think alot of people are trying to read alot more into a series of fantasy novels than was ever there. I donlt know where we are getting the NK is a personifcation of Death. He appears to be just a powerful supernatural creature akin to Nagash who seeks dominion over the world (and a bit of peace and quiet) when the living are gone.

There are death themes all over ASOIAF, and the Others/WWs certainly occupy that conceptual space. And there's a remarkable amount of depth in the books. If people didn't 'read into things', then no one would have figured out that R + L =J. Symbolism and small textual clues were key to putting it all together.

R+L=J isnt symbolism. They all but say it in the clues of the first book.

No symbolism needed.

 Mr Morden wrote:
Not a bad setting up episode and quite a nice montage at the end (although into the Badlands recent one was better)

Some nice interplay between the chracters - especially since they really do need to kill a chunk of them off next week I think. As they have doen since episode one of S7, they have to keep trashing Dany's army to make it a proper war - hence Jon getting a dragon killed, bringing the plains/desert army north to fight in unfamiliar and unhelpful terrain.

I am still suspicious of Bran, he has tried to break up the alliance pressing Sam to tell Jon his heritage and now appears to tell them nothing of value - not sure if he is so detached from reality it does not matter or he is hoping to be "reunited with the Night King". Does he not do the scouting thing anymore and if he is one with space and time (or wahtever nonsense he is) he should know if dragonfire would kill the NK.

No one seems to have remembered that thanks to Jon, the NK has his own Dragon, so rellying on air suppoeriority is a bad idea, plus he has has his +13 javelins of Dragon Slaying.

I wonder if Aryria can impersonate a White Walker?

Still hoping the Gold Company have priestess's of the Lord of Light that will switch them to Dany.

I do think alot of people are trying to read alot more into a series of fantasy novels than was ever there. I donlt know where we are getting the NK is a personifcation of Death. He appears to be just a powerful supernatural creature akin to Nagash who seeks dominion over the world (and a bit of peace and quiet) when the living are gone.

I think Bran is doing a Dr Strange. He's seen the future, and he knows enough that this is their only chance, and he has to let it play out. If he says 'oh, and watch out for this', it skews things. We don't fully know (I may be wrong) if he sees A Future, The Future, or Multiple Futures. I suspect the latter, and he's guiding events towards the best possible outcome. But being all sagely and that, is careful to make his ripples as small as possible, cutting down the variables?

 Lance845 wrote:
That reads like a bunch of Everyone is Jesus in Purgatory. Which makes it a load of crap. Not everything in the show is allegory. The Night King isn't death incarnate. The last hero didn't negotiate a truce. The Wall is a literally magical construct that keeps the Others out. The Iron Throne is just an awesome thing a awesome Targaryen did.

OK,

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
I think Bran is doing a Dr Strange. He's seen the future, and he knows enough that this is their only chance, and he has to let it play out. If he says 'oh, and watch out for this', it skews things. We don't fully know (I may be wrong) if he sees A Future, The Future, or Multiple Futures. I suspect the latter, and he's guiding events towards the best possible outcome. But being all sagely and that, is careful to make his ripples as small as possible, cutting down the variables?

I don't think he can "see" the future per se, but rather, recognizes the historical wheel that they are in. He knows that the paradigm of the Night King curbing human excess/immorality does not end. But I think he is aiming things toward taking his "proper role" as the Three-Eyed Raven, that of the mediator between historical precedent and possible outcome, i.e. something like facticity vs transcendence.

There’s still Bran’s time travel to factor in. Introducing that and having it have consequences wouldn’t make sense just to use it as exposition dump when you have parallel means of bringing in the same info. Plus, like most of the big final twists, it’s a big part of the first book with Old Nan telling Bran how important his name has been throughout history. Much like most of Jon’s page time being dedicated to just how bizarre it is that honorable Ned has a bastard.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

 Mr Morden wrote:
Not a bad setting up episode and quite a nice montage at the end (although into the Badlands recent one was better)

Some nice interplay between the chracters - especially since they really do need to kill a chunk of them off next week I think. As they have doen since episode one of S7, they have to keep trashing Dany's army to make it a proper war - hence Jon getting a dragon killed, bringing the plains/desert army north to fight in unfamiliar and unhelpful terrain.

I am still suspicious of Bran, he has tried to break up the alliance pressing Sam to tell Jon his heritage and now appears to tell them nothing of value - not sure if he is so detached from reality it does not matter or he is hoping to be "reunited with the Night King". Does he not do the scouting thing anymore and if he is one with space and time (or wahtever nonsense he is) he should know if dragonfire would kill the NK.

No one seems to have remembered that thanks to Jon, the NK has his own Dragon, so rellying on air suppoeriority is a bad idea, plus he has has his +13 javelins of Dragon Slaying.

I wonder if Aryria can impersonate a White Walker?

Still hoping the Gold Company have priestess's of the Lord of Light that will switch them to Dany.

I do think alot of people are trying to read alot more into a series of fantasy novels than was ever there. I donlt know where we are getting the NK is a personifcation of Death. He appears to be just a powerful supernatural creature akin to Nagash who seeks dominion over the world (and a bit of peace and quiet) when the living are gone.

I think Bran is doing a Dr Strange. He's seen the future, and he knows enough that this is their only chance, and he has to let it play out. If he says 'oh, and watch out for this', it skews things. We don't fully know (I may be wrong) if he sees A Future, The Future, or Multiple Futures. I suspect the latter, and he's guiding events towards the best possible outcome. But being all sagely and that, is careful to make his ripples as small as possible, cutting down the variables?

That is my issue with Bran as well. If you could foretell what will happen, why not warn of the dangers (crypt being unsafe, etc.) unless he either cannot see it clearly or is unwilling to reveal it. In either case, a simple one or two line explanation as to why he is not saying anything would be helpful. Maybe it was said and I missed it...

In any case, I am greatly looking forward to the big battle, but will mourn the characters lost. Here is my personal list of who can go during the battle in the north and I will feel no remorse:
- Dany
- Bran
- Varys
- Missandei
- Grey Worm
- Jorah
- Lyanna (OMG she is insufferably arrogant...)

Anyone else would truly be a sad day for me; however, the above list can't leave soon enough for me...

Well, the Bran thing.

Being the Three Eyed Raven, he's no longer human. That's reflected in some seemingly throwaway lines 'Bran, you're a grown man'....'Almost'.

It could be he's gone full on Doctor Manhattan - so far removed from actually being human, that the niceities that come with our foibles just don't register. He's clearly playing a very important role, so is simply focussing on that. The cost is just your standards Butcher's Bill, those come with any battle.

And I'm not even sure, from the show only, that Bran can actually Time Travel? Yes, we've seen he can sort of affect the past. But to what actual extent? And if he needed to, surely he'd have done so by now? Being able to be heard, and being able to take actual, extensive action are very different matters.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
In terms of who is on the chopping block?

I think money has to go on Brienne. Narratively, her arc is complete. She's completed all her oaths (took out Stannis, got Arya and Sansa back to Winterfell, one way or the other), and she's become a proper Knight.

So she seemingly has nothing left to do, except die a heroic death and enter the annals of history.

Bran flat out said this season. He cant see the future. Only the past and present

Unless he's telling a fib, to prevent others from pressing him for details.

When it comes to fixing on a future, the less said to others, the better?

 MDSW wrote:

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

 Mr Morden wrote:
Not a bad setting up episode and quite a nice montage at the end (although into the Badlands recent one was better)

Some nice interplay between the chracters - especially since they really do need to kill a chunk of them off next week I think. As they have doen since episode one of S7, they have to keep trashing Dany's army to make it a proper war - hence Jon getting a dragon killed, bringing the plains/desert army north to fight in unfamiliar and unhelpful terrain.

I am still suspicious of Bran, he has tried to break up the alliance pressing Sam to tell Jon his heritage and now appears to tell them nothing of value - not sure if he is so detached from reality it does not matter or he is hoping to be "reunited with the Night King". Does he not do the scouting thing anymore and if he is one with space and time (or wahtever nonsense he is) he should know if dragonfire would kill the NK.

No one seems to have remembered that thanks to Jon, the NK has his own Dragon, so rellying on air suppoeriority is a bad idea, plus he has has his +13 javelins of Dragon Slaying.

I wonder if Aryria can impersonate a White Walker?

Still hoping the Gold Company have priestess's of the Lord of Light that will switch them to Dany.

I do think alot of people are trying to read alot more into a series of fantasy novels than was ever there. I donlt know where we are getting the NK is a personifcation of Death. He appears to be just a powerful supernatural creature akin to Nagash who seeks dominion over the world (and a bit of peace and quiet) when the living are gone.

I think Bran is doing a Dr Strange. He's seen the future, and he knows enough that this is their only chance, and he has to let it play out. If he says 'oh, and watch out for this', it skews things. We don't fully know (I may be wrong) if he sees A Future, The Future, or Multiple Futures. I suspect the latter, and he's guiding events towards the best possible outcome. But being all sagely and that, is careful to make his ripples as small as possible, cutting down the variables?

That is my issue with Bran as well. If you could foretell what will happen, why not warn of the dangers (crypt being unsafe, etc.) unless he either cannot see it clearly or is unwilling to reveal it. In either case, a simple one or two line explanation as to why he is not saying anything would be helpful. Maybe it was said and I missed it...

In any case, I am greatly looking forward to the big battle, but will mourn the characters lost. Here is my personal list of who can go during the battle in the north and I will feel no remorse:
- Dany
- Bran
- Varys
- Missandei
- Grey Worm
- Jorah
- Lyanna (OMG she is insufferably arrogant...)

Anyone else would truly be a sad day for me; however, the above list can't leave soon enough for me...

Eveyone on your list apart from Brana nd Lyanna is a sad loss for me

My list of "very pleased to see them go":

Sam
Jon
Bran

Sadly at least two of them are safe behind miles think plot armour.

And there's a remarkable amount of depth in the books. If people didn't 'read into things',

No more than any other good fantasy novel - plenty of them out there with more developed worlds. As a Steven Erikson fan, large time scales within the plot are not unusual - and we are talkinig alot longer than a mere few millenia

People credit Martin with a lot more ability than he has. The books are dense but most things are in the open. Things that aren't are things he was thinking of fleshing out and didnt get to. Honestly the actual world/writing isnt as good as several series out there. Try David Drakes Isles series, Stackpole's Dragonwar (I think) or Sanderson's epic stuff.

I enjoyed the episode. Lots of little nods for those of us in it from the beginning. Lots of reconnects. A great set up for what's to come and to remind me of the good times with various characters. This season has been solid so far. Bow for 2 episodes of mayhem!!!!

I thought the siege was billed as a single episode?

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Unless he's telling a fib, to prevent others from pressing him for details.

When it comes to fixing on a future, the less said to others, the better?

Sure. And Sam is telling a fib. Turns out HE is reagars son. He just doesnt want the resposibility. There is equal evidence for that as there is Bran seeing the future. In that there is none. We have never seen bran see the future. He never told anyone he could. And he has never had a conversation with anyone where he made predicitions that couldnt have come from any other person with absolute clarity of the present.

Apprently, books say Bran should be able to see the Future, as the previous Three Eyed Raven could.

But I very much accept your point we've no evidence of that in the show