The eighth season of Game of Thrones will be defined by relationships, because they are the only thing that can potentially stop the White Walkers from ending humanity. It's cooperation or death, and though many former enemies have chosen the former, not everyone appears to be onboard heading into season 8.
Warning: Game of Thrones spoilers will follow.
Thankfully, an unlikely pair of heroes just might band together in the final season of Thrones—and the end of season 7 may have even given us a preview of how successful they can be. And it's not who you might expect! We know Jon Snow and Daenerys will make waves, and Jamie and Tyrion Lannister might even find themselves fighting on the same side once again. But the real power couple could be... Bran Stark and Samwell Tarly?
At least, that's the theory being advanced by some Thrones diehards over on the Game of Thrones subreddit. At the end of "The Dragon and the Wolf," Bran and Sam team up to finally unravel the mystery of Jon's ancestry, with Sam's deep knowledge of written text aiding Bran's ability to look back through time. Reddit user kinboy suggests this is a sign of things to come:
...Samwell's master codex. He is Encyclopedia BritBrannica. To have the most curious character meet and partner with the most omniscient character is to create the Internet in Westeros. Sam won't have to dig through books and tomes anymore. He can simply BRoogle the answer and away we go.
While it might be a stretch based on just one conversation we saw at the end of season 7, that isn't stopping anyone from taking the idea and running with it. Other examples have been brought up as a possible product of their powers; like, what if Bran can rediscover how to make Valyrian steel? This could be a potential game-changer in the battle against the White Walkers, as the "recipe" for making the precious material was lost in the Doom of Valyria.
But even if Sam and Bran can't uncover those sort of secrets, they can team up and impact the fight to save humanity. Now that we know Bran isn't all-seeing, and in need of a wise guide to help him maximize his memory searching, there's almost no one better to pair him with than Sam. His maester training forced him to read and transcribe thousands of old texts, which should hopefully allow him to fill in the blanks for Bran, guiding him toward the recollections that carry the most important information.
There's just one concern here—can somebody get these two a bodyguard? Bran's mobility is an obvious concern, and Sam has not exactly acquitted himself well as a warrior. Once someone figures out the kind of power they hold, they should at least leave a capable swordsman around to back them up.
Or don't, and risk the fate of humanity in the process. But you know, totally your call!
