So if Bran can fuck with time, why doesn't he go kill that first white walker?

Okay, it was a huge moment and very striking.

That said, when I think about it, that time travel thing doesn't make sense to me. He fucked up Willis aka Hodor from before Bran was even was born by searing this 'hold the door' thing into his mind. Hodor then lived his whole life mentally incapacitated, only able to say hodor. As a result of that incapacitation, he became Bran's personal servant and carried him around and whatnot. And as a result of that, he was in a position to hold that door. So what the fuck? How does that explain Hodor's history? How does this timeline (or timelines) actually work? In order for Bran to need Hodor's help, Willis would have already have to have been fucked up and become Hodor. That's how they got to that tree scenario together. But Willis only became Hodor because Bran needed his help. It's a paradox 1,000x shittier than chicken vs. egg. I hope I'm missing something, because if not, it's very weak piece of writing.

drewsro wrote:

Just watched the episode last night.  I'm so confused now.  So essentially Bran is a time traveler?

Nodor.

I don't think of it as time travel as Bran wasn't there in the flesh. But his consciousness is not bound by time or distance. Sending his consciousness imbues a certain energy to the witnessed scene, energy that would typically be unnoticed; specifically attenuated individuals (think along the lines of psychics or folks who can see ghosts) may recognize it on some level (Willis, who seemed to see Bran to at least some degree when no one else did and was the only one who noticed the shouting, is apparently one such individual). Perhaps in times of deep stress, that energy can actually manifest in a way (now we are thinking along the lines of poltergeists, perhaps moving a cup or knocking a picture off the wall). The amount of energy he attenuated then broke his mind- or perhaps he saw his own future, and the knowledge of his heroically impending death did.