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I am confused about the place where Bran Stark and Jon Snow almost meet in this episode. Bran is in a tower with his allies whereas Jon Snow fights and kills some free people and leave Ygritte.
I don't understand if the action takes place to the south or the north of the Wall. I thought that Jon Snow was at the north side and was going south whereas Bran was at the south side and going north. If that's the case, how could they possibly meet?
Can anybody explain where these events took place?
The TV-version and the book version differ slightly here. In the show, Jon Snow climbs over the wall with the band of wildlings lead by Tormund Giantsbane, the skinchanger Orell, and Ygritte. They travel south and happen to stumble onto the same tower where Bran and his band have decided to spend the night. Jon kills Orell (and some others) and flees, getting some wounds from Orell's eagle.
In the book, Orell was already dead, being the first wildling Jon killed with Qhorin. Jon climbed the wall with a gang lead by The Magnar of Thenn. Ygritte was also with them. They came to Queenscrown, where Bran, Meera, Jojen and Hodor spent the night. During the night, the wildings come down on an old man, and Jon betrays himself by refusing to kill him. Bran saves Jon with Summer, and Jon flees on the old man's horse towards Castle Black.
In both versions, Bran et al were going north towards the castle the Nightfort, where they think they will be able to pass through the wall.
It's south of the Wall. Jon, Ygritte and the Wildlings with them climbed the wall (on the north side) in ep 6 (called, appropriately, The Climb) and have been south of the Wall since then. (Climbing down the other side of the Wall wasn't shown).
The tower is an abandoned mill, just south of the Wall.
Let's recap the action of both parties:
Jon Snow starts north of the Wall with the Wildlings. In the sixth episode of season three "The Climb" we see Jon and a Wildling raiding party climb the Wall, in which they more or less succeed. Jon has now crossed the Wall and is south of it. We get a bit of foreshadowing when he and Ygritte spot the abandoned mill and talk about castles and towers.
Bran starts from Winterfell and intends to cross the Wall and go north of it. But to date, he has not accomplished this. He is still south of the Wall. During his travel he finds the very same abandoned mill and decides to take shelter there from the coming storm.
Bran is still inside the abandoned mill when Jon and the Wildlings corner the escaped farmer there. The two half brothers are in very close proximity, but alas never meet.
I haven't watched the show, but I have read the books (though about 18 months ago now), so I'll go off what I remember.
This occurs south of The Wall. Bran is travelling north towards it, whereas Jon Snow - still pretending to be a traitor to the Night's Watch and having climbed over previously with Ygritte - is travelling south away from it.
This is the point at which Jon Snow stops pretending to be a traitor, and attacks the wildlings to stop them from circling about and attacking the Night's Watch from the undefended south side.
