What do you think he should have done differently from his prior form?
That's a fair question. I don't know that I can provide a compelling answer, but as Saxon said on page one of this thread, "when a guy's waist gets wider it really throws a physique off, even if the rest of his body gets bigger."
Branch got bigger but his aesthetics were ruined in the process. Aesthetically speaking, a bodybuilder at a given height can only carry so much weight (get so big) before his lines get ruined. That weight will vary from person to person (depending mainly on their height, length of limbs, shape of head, etc) but once that line is crossed the body doesn't look good anymore--even if it has more muscle, as the two pix above demonstrate.
McFarland do you think he looks better in the first or second pic above?
I'm no BB judge, but I think his legs overpower his upper body in the second pic.