Why Wheel of Time is a Failed Adaptation | Character Comparisons

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  • Опубліковано 28 тра 2024
  • Wheel of time season 2 is over and it's time to call this show a little failed adaptation
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  • @gregowen2022
    @gregowen2022  6 місяців тому +103

    I tried to do a reaction to the first three episodes with just some notes and my anger to guide me. It's.... not my style, but it was worth a shot. It's no longer public, but I'll leave it here for posterity: ua-cam.com/video/UsmqBmm5MIc/v-deo.html

    • @007Thanos007
      @007Thanos007 6 місяців тому +13

      "We want to have our cake and eat it too.
      We want to invoke the name of an intellectual property specifically known for this, that, and the other thing, BUT we want to totally do our own thing, AND we don't want you to criticize us for having done our own thing."
      -activist writers

    • @FairAndBalanced07
      @FairAndBalanced07 6 місяців тому +3

      I feel your pain.

    • @613harbinger316
      @613harbinger316 6 місяців тому +10

      @@007Thanos007 It's funny. Paul Verhoeven got the rights to Starship Troopers so he could use the name. Didn't care for the actual story (he was basically a socialist who wanted to push an anti-fascist story, similar to his anti-capitalist story of Robocop) and built his own skinsuit of a story around the skeleton of the original. Should've been crap, but, look at that!, he had talent and actually made a good movie that was entertaining and his message ended up getting sidelined by the spectacle. The same result as Robocop. Both results are hilarious in that light. AND we got two great movies out of it.
      If you've got talent, it shows. If you don't have it, you (or your activist defenders, and sadly desperate fans) make excuses or blame others.

    • @007Thanos007
      @007Thanos007 6 місяців тому +1

      @@613harbinger316
      I think that "Starship Troopers" worked because it was something unknown, even to most science fiction fans (the source material I mean), and yes, because he did good work.
      The same with RoboCop.
      Similarly, I think that The Boondocks was such an excellent animated series, because even though what's-his-name Magruder is a leftist and apparent black separatist, he seems to have largely left the series alone and allowed the show's creators to make a great product.
      Who knows if The Boondocks would have been nearly as good in the year 2023, where people seem to want to *deliberately* be as annoying and edgelord as possible in addition to simply putting forth their political beliefs.

    • @lanmandragoran8337
      @lanmandragoran8337 6 місяців тому +2

      Yep, couldn't watch the trash.

  • @durzostern
    @durzostern 6 місяців тому +576

    They butchered every single character, it's actually impressive.

    • @gregowen2022
      @gregowen2022  6 місяців тому +102

      It took real effort and obvious disdain for the source to accomplish it, haha

    • @yogib5819
      @yogib5819 6 місяців тому

      Put a chick in it and make it gay and lame. Nailed it!!

    • @jamesalexander958
      @jamesalexander958 6 місяців тому +32

      Yeah every character and storyline. It took hard work to mess things up that bad

    • @durzostern
      @durzostern 6 місяців тому +43

      @@jamesalexander958 my guess is narcissistic, eternally online writers who think they have more talent than Robert Jordan. I think they actively hate the source material but don't have the talent to write something better so they destroy the adaptation trying to "fix" all the non-existent issues.

    • @jamesalexander958
      @jamesalexander958 6 місяців тому +19

      @@durzostern I don't like to assume the worst but that's probably the only explanation

  • @JoelAdamson
    @JoelAdamson 6 місяців тому +311

    Wow. To hear BRANDON SANDERSON, of all people, the guy who said "always err on the side of awesome" say they were sacrificing story for cool scenes..."damning" is an understatement.

    • @gregowen2022
      @gregowen2022  6 місяців тому +82

      Indeed. He tore the show to shreds in the nicest possible way during that video

    • @KingSpectre844
      @KingSpectre844 6 місяців тому +41

      Thing is, Sanderson understands that for a moment to actually land as "awesome" it has to make sense and not pull you out of the narrative asking logistical questions. He, unlike the writers of this shit tier adaptation, understands that if you If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding. You have to lay the foundation of meat for the "awesome" pudding payoff to work.

    • @asciiavatar
      @asciiavatar 6 місяців тому +20

      Sanderson also knows that WoT was not his story. He's a major fan of Jordan's work and was given the honor of completing that work by Jordan's widow, Harriet. So, yah, he's very defensive about it and is not happy about the changes.

    • @KingSpectre844
      @KingSpectre844 6 місяців тому +23

      @@asciiavatar Exactly. Sanderson respects the original work he was brought in to finish.
      These showrunners actively disrespect the original books and go out of their way to shit on it, and Jordan's life's work. They are arrogant enough to think "we can do it better"
      Sheer fucking hubris.

    • @rbtsubs
      @rbtsubs 6 місяців тому +3

      The show is an understatement itself. I quit watching Because of season one

  • @Halak014
    @Halak014 6 місяців тому +147

    The show-runners broke the wheel. The Dark one must be proud.

    • @threeriversforge1997
      @threeriversforge1997 6 місяців тому +13

      Robert Jordan drew a lot of his world from the Real World. He was trying to illustrate that evil exists and often is hidden in plain sight. Think about how the traveling salesman would visit the Two Rivers every year, always seeming a wonderful guy, but was in reality an agent of the Dark One always searching. The "fans" of the books desperately want to believe that's all just fiction because that's the easier way to live life. However, when you watch how these scum went out of their way to butcher the story, just like they did to Tolkien, you have to open your eyes and understand that there is real evil at work here. They rejoice in the complaints from the 'fans'. They openly threaten the fans and call them foul names. Why? Because they know that the 'fans' will take any abuse all the while still tuning in and still enriching those who abuse them. It's literally Abused Spouse Syndrome writ large. And until folks wake up and refuse to participate, the abuse will continue. The Dark One Wins.

    • @katherinekeller4149
      @katherinekeller4149 2 місяці тому +4

      My name for this show is Tire of the Ages

  • @bryanwigmore7224
    @bryanwigmore7224 6 місяців тому +72

    "She wouldn't be giving him the carrot, she'd be dangling it near his stick." Brilliant.

    • @gregowen2022
      @gregowen2022  6 місяців тому +7

      Haha, much appreciated. I was rather pleased with that line

    • @user-dc7jp7md6u
      @user-dc7jp7md6u 6 місяців тому +4

      Not to mention in the books she actualy IS quite the carrot. Most beautiful woman in the world. I know it is literaly impossible to film but they didnt even tryed.

    • @Merecir
      @Merecir 5 місяців тому +1

      @@user-dc7jp7md6u AND she uses compulsion on all of them. Even Loial who likes women with hairy ears is infatuated with Selene.

  • @karenmorrell9301
    @karenmorrell9301 6 місяців тому +118

    I can’t express how much I completely LOATHE what they’ve done to these books

  • @philnorfleet1371
    @philnorfleet1371 6 місяців тому +166

    I tuned out of Amazon's "Waste of Time" during season 1 because I was so enraged with what they did. I'm now in my 50s, but I first read "The Eye of the World" at Fort Benning, GA, right before I started Army Basic Training, and then I ended up taking it and "The Great Hunt" with me in paperback to Desert Shield/Storm ... so WOT has been some of my favorite books forever ... and what they did is appalling.

    • @rachelwilson2487
      @rachelwilson2487 6 місяців тому +8

      100%

    • @MrMagnaniman
      @MrMagnaniman 6 місяців тому +8

      Exactly. I probably should have just turned it off as soon as that nonsense with Perrin's wife in the very first episode. Instead, I watched until the absurd love triangle with Perrin and Egwene. Not worth my time. I'm done tuning in to watch my favorite stories be ruined. I have better things to do.

    • @nicolethompson8613
      @nicolethompson8613 6 місяців тому +9

      ​@@MrMagnanimanyes I started watching with a friend who hasn't read the books, and found myself explaining from the opening moments how "that never happened", "he would never do that" (said as to every "he" in the show), "this is what he/she really looks like", "they aren't together", etc. I stopped watching and I am glad she did too, because I am sure she will enjoy the books if this show didn't completely taint them for her. And having to explain to my bestie why I would spend an entire summer reading the books after she saw this monstrosity of a show...😂

    • @MrMagnaniman
      @MrMagnaniman 6 місяців тому +9

      @@nicolethompson8613 It's like they inverted all the male characters.
      Perrin was the most faithful, devoted lover, so he's going to have a new wife that he murders and he's going to try to birddog his best friend's girl.
      Rand is the primary protagonist and is the most powerful channeler, so he has to be an indecisive weakling.
      And poor Mat never had a chance. He's funny, and the people that made this show think that a "joke" is when you belittle someone for not living in New York, Chicago, or L.A.

    • @nicolethompson8613
      @nicolethompson8613 6 місяців тому +5

      @@MrMagnaniman you are spot on. Those three are such wonderful characters, Perrin was definitely my "book crush", that seeming half-wit that plays him on the show is like Perrin's polar opposite. Ugh. I don't know how anyone can watch. The Three Rivers boys were done the dirtiest for sure.

  • @vonsowards1297
    @vonsowards1297 6 місяців тому +220

    The most rewarding scene in the books was the end of book 7 Lord of Chaos. You have spent 7 books with these women who are so entitled and evil to the point of capturing Rand and locking him in a box. Then when he is freed by the men he leads, these men who have been cast aside as insane trash by these women but Rand has brought purpose. They decimate, and Tain says “softly” and with authority to the women “Kneel and swear to the Lord Dragon, or you will be knelt.”
    Best scene! Chills every time!
    This show can not pull this moment off. It would go against everything they have set up. It goes against every philosophy these creators stand for.
    And for that, this show is trash.

    • @dyslexicultimatum5318
      @dyslexicultimatum5318 6 місяців тому +39

      Rafe says he doesn’t like that scene because “it demeans women” so that will probably get cut, if the show even makes it that far

    • @darthbane97
      @darthbane97 6 місяців тому +26

      Also lord of chaos is book six not book7

    • @xdomeman
      @xdomeman 6 місяців тому +6

      We will never see something like that again

    • @GunnerstahlY
      @GunnerstahlY 6 місяців тому +9

      Lord of Chaos is 6

    • @MrMagnaniman
      @MrMagnaniman 6 місяців тому +36

      @@dyslexicultimatum5318 Of course it demeans women. That's the point. Taim is a bad guy. And this is when Rand is feeling very vulnerable and powerless, so he feels he has to show how strong he is. And, based on the traumatic experience he literally just escaped from, he thinks that strength is cruelty. This is the biggest turning point when Rand begins his dissent into ruthlessness. The box changed him.
      It could be said that sparing their lives was generous. However, instead, he enslaves them. With the force of magical compulsion (by way of the Oaths). Hardly any better.
      Point being, it's clear that the people making the show don't understand any of this. That makes it a very easy choice to not bother watching it. And that's really the only way to make it stop.

  • @magmos6346
    @magmos6346 6 місяців тому +74

    Fun fact: The character in the series Rafe most related to was Egwene.
    Tell me that doesn't explain a LOT.

    • @nyetzdyec3391
      @nyetzdyec3391 6 місяців тому +18

      Probably starting with the reason that the woman in charge of Amazon Studios let him be the show-runner in the first place... because it obviously wasn't due to his ability and/or experience.
      And yes, it explains a lot of other things, too.

    • @gregowen2022
      @gregowen2022  6 місяців тому +35

      His love of Egwene is painfully obvious and ironically that's what ruins her in the show. He loves her too much to let any of her weaknesses show

    • @MaleusMaleficarum
      @MaleusMaleficarum 6 місяців тому +10

      ​@gregowen2022 that is a classic problem for writers... the self insertion.

    • @codecixteen
      @codecixteen 6 місяців тому +16

      How very Gawyn of him. Lol

    • @seapeajones
      @seapeajones 5 місяців тому +2

      If that were true, we'd have gotten a picture perfect adaptation.

  • @thomasciuffreda8783
    @thomasciuffreda8783 6 місяців тому +240

    Thank you for so much for calling out Daniel Greene's weak defense of the show; he should be leading the criticism of Rafe's horrible adaptation, but he's pulling his punches.

    • @siyasithole7995
      @siyasithole7995 6 місяців тому +44

      He's trying his hardest to be forgiving, but at this point, man just throw in the towel. It isn't worth defending garbage

    • @Perry_Wolf
      @Perry_Wolf 6 місяців тому +34

      I was late to watching the live reaction with Dusty Wheel, Daniel Greene and Brandon Sanderson, but what I found odd is that before watching it and later even scanning some of the live chat from it's airing, so many people were saying Sanderson was too weak to criticize the show, he was being too nice and political in his views. Yet when I finally watched it, he was the most critical of the three! Too often both Matt and Daniel were defending the show! Matt was the worst offender though, I lost a lot of respect for him watching that reaction episode!

    • @davidpowell3469
      @davidpowell3469 6 місяців тому +18

      Yes, I littered Daniel Greene's videos in season 1 comment section every single week about his selling out because of $$$$.

    • @sum87itt
      @sum87itt 6 місяців тому +21

      @@Perry_Wolf i stopped watching his channel after viewing a few of his live reactions. He was loving obvious bullshit. He is giving episodes 9 or 10 which should have been 2 or 3.

    • @deadskinrippers
      @deadskinrippers 6 місяців тому

      His discord fanbase has some rabid folks though!

  • @NefariousKoel
    @NefariousKoel 6 місяців тому +155

    If people are claiming the Wheel Of Time series is fine, it's absolutely disingenuous.
    The original novels were slaughtered on the proclaimed "modern audience" altar and the name used as a lure.
    As happens so often lately. More than twice is enemy action.

    • @gregowen2022
      @gregowen2022  6 місяців тому +28

      I know I'm biased, but I agree. I am unable to see how someone can enjoy this show unless they really are just turning their brain off and letting it play in the background like HGTV

    • @Marveryn
      @Marveryn 6 місяців тому +7

      @@gregowen2022 since i didn't watch either, the one good thing i heard of WoT is that is better than Ring of Power. so yeah that not exactly a good thing

    • @CNNBlackmailSupport
      @CNNBlackmailSupport 6 місяців тому +10

      Everyone is doing the "Time to diversify my cast(and apparently writers)" thing at the same time. When every major commercial studio decides they need a few black people in every commercial at the same time, it looks more coordinated than it is. It is coordinated, of course, but more like surfers on the same wave than gulls flying to shore.
      This is the response to #Oscarssowhite, (60% of the population) even if using population as a guide for representation means it should really be #Oscarssojewish (2% of the population) Just let's you know it isn't actually about representation of demographics, but irrational hatred and misplaced rage.

    • @kilgoretrout4350
      @kilgoretrout4350 5 місяців тому +1

      @@gregowen2022 it seems that some folk are unmovable in their desire to be mad. They have decided that there is no other way than the way they like.
      I agree with you that the show is no where near the books and that’s disappointing, but you could choose to enjoy the fictional story presented to you and be less whiny. Or you could choose to watch with the intention of picking it apart. Everyone has the right to choose how to watch for themselves.

    • @Metalgarn
      @Metalgarn 4 місяці тому +4

      @@kilgoretrout4350 How could you enjoy this story? Even if you forget the books, this is an extremely poorly written story (at best, I'd argue its a conglomeration of random woke concepts without the need for story), with almost no character development and absolutely no point or purpose. It makes the last season of Game of Thrones look a masterpiece.

  • @babyblue3717
    @babyblue3717 3 місяці тому +13

    As a 21yo woman, the Wheel of Time was such a wonderful surprise to me exactly because the female characters feel like REAL people, and the sexist societies make complete sense. I even agree with a lot of the sexism tbh, but the fact that this man, writing a classic fantasy "chosen one" book series, actually put in the effort to create such incredible female characters and such a complex world, filled with actual realistic societies, and seemed to have equal respect for both male and female characters, both patriarchal and matriarchal societies, just stunned me. Thye did NOT need to try and make this story more feminist. There was NO. NEED. It is already a feminist story. The way the show just destroys Rand, Mat and Perrin by trying to make Egwene, Nynaeve and Moirane more important is just... a tragedy. Ugh. And they couldn't even achieve that. They just made all of them worse. All of it.

  • @frocat5163
    @frocat5163 5 місяців тому +15

    Possibly the second best passage in the entire series:
    "Oh, Light, Ingar," Rand released his hold on the other man and sagged back against the stable wall. "I think... I think wanting to is enough. I think all you have to do is stop being...one of them." Ingtar flinched as if Rand had said it out. Darkfriend.
    "Rand, when Verin brought us here with the Portal Stone, I - I lived other lives. Sometimes I held the Horn, but I never sounded it. I tried to escape what I'd become, but I never did. Always there was something else required of me, always something worse than the last, until I was... You were ready to give it up to save a friend. Think not of glory. Oh, Light, help me."
    Rand did not know what to say. It was as if Egwene had told him she had murdered children. Too horrible to be believed. Too horrible for anyone to admit to unless it was true. Too horrible.
    After a time, Ingtar spoke again, firmly. "There has to be a price, Rand. There is always a price. Perhaps I can pay it here."
    "Ingtar, I..."
    "It is every man's right, Rand, to choose when to Sheathe the Sword, Rand. Even one like me."
    Before Rand could say anything, Hurin came running down the alley. "The patrol turned aside," he said hurriedly, "down into the town. They seem to be gathering down there. Mat and Perrin went on." He took a quick look down the street and pulled back. "We'd better do the same, Lord Ingtar, Lord Rand. Those bug-headed Seanchan are almost here."
    "Go, Rand," Ingtar said. He turned to face the street and did not look at Rand or Hurin again. "Take the Horn where it belongs. I always knew the Amyrlin should have given you the charge. But all I ever wanted was to keep Shienar whole, to keep us from being swept away and forgotten."
    I know, Ingtar." Rand drew a deep breath. "The Light shine on you, Lord Ingtar of House Shinowa, and may you shelter in the palm of the Creator's hand." He touched Ingtar's shoulder. "The last embrace of the mother welcome you home." Hurin gasped.
    "Thank you," Ingtar said softly. A tension seemed to go out of him. For the first time since the night of the Trolloc raid on Fal Dara, he stood as he had when Rand first saw him, confident and relaxed. Content.
    "Rand turned and found Hurin staring at him, staring at both of them. "It is time for us to go."
    "But Lord Ingtar --"
    "-- does what he has to," Rand said sharply. "But we go." Hurin nodded, and Rand trotted after him. Rand could hear the steady tread of Seanchan boots, now. He did not look back.

    • @avanz2885
      @avanz2885 5 місяців тому +4

      Made me tear up ❤

    • @Merecir
      @Merecir 5 місяців тому +3

      Mat and Perrin were mounted by the time Rand and Hurin reached them. Far behind him, Rand heard Ingtar's voice rise. “The Light, and Shinowa!” The clash of steel joined the roar of other voices.
      “Where's Ingtar?” Mat shouted. “What's going on?” He had the Horn of Valere lashed to the high pommel of his saddle as if it were just any horn, but the dagger was in his belt, the rubytipped hilt cupped protectively in a pale hand that seemed made of nothing but bone and sinew.
      “He's dying,” Rand said harshly as he swung onto Red's back.
      “Then we have to help him,” Perrin said. “Mat can take the Horn and the dagger on to -”
      “He is doing it so we can all get away,” Rand said. For that, too. “We will all take the Horn to Verin, and then you can help her take it wherever she says it belongs.”
      “What do you mean?” Perrin asked. Rand dug his heels into the bay's flanks, and Red leaped away toward the hills beyond the town.
      “The Light, and Shinowa!” Ingtar's shout soared after him, sounding triumphant, and lightning crashed across the sky in answer.

    • @BelMarduksBizarreBazaar
      @BelMarduksBizarreBazaar 3 місяці тому +2

      there is a related anecdote. They often mention "take what you want, pay for it" as much of the evil done was by those trying to avoid paying the butchers bill. In my opinion this proves Ingtar and Verin died clean. May the last embrace of the mother welcome them home.

    • @erickramirez5129
      @erickramirez5129 28 днів тому

      I shed tears to this when I first read it

  • @Speciallogic
    @Speciallogic 4 місяці тому +9

    I wish I could remember the UA-camr who said this so I could give credit, but its the best take: "this isn't The Wheel of Time, it's The Tire of Clock."

  • @mikiaization
    @mikiaization 6 місяців тому +57

    "the showrunners understand Perrin the least" - That's easy. Perrin (maybe besides Lan) has the most positive masculine traits of the cast. no wonder they don't understand him.

    • @gregowen2022
      @gregowen2022  6 місяців тому +20

      That's an excellent point. It's like they almost want to bring him down. If the show ever gets far enough, I can only imagine how they'll butcher his relationship with Faile

    • @johnaverill6308
      @johnaverill6308 6 місяців тому

      Idk if Lan is exactly a positive masculine character but Perrin definitely is. At least Lan isn't at the beginning of the story, he's cold, distant, and doesn't see any kind of life for himself except to avenge his people, but later learns to love thanks to nynaeve

    • @Alustar22
      @Alustar22 6 місяців тому +5

      He's a positive figure because of his growth and the fact that even in his darkest points, he never let go of the duty he had to the Emonsfield Five and the ultimate goal of fighting back the darkness. I'm the beginning he's very self reliant to the point of almost being a flaw, but later on becomes far more open to accepting help. He displays the best and worst aspects of Stoicism and demonstrate how a person avoids the pit falls. At least from what I took from his development in the books.

    • @garethwhite8770
      @garethwhite8770 6 місяців тому

      He's not all positive. Full of self doubt and can go into berserker mode.
      Good characters are complex.

    • @JackMoore0311
      @JackMoore0311 6 місяців тому +4

      Lan is a positive male character but he is still just a man. This means he will have peaks and valleys like everyone else. Men even good men are flawed.

  • @Rabbitmancer
    @Rabbitmancer 6 місяців тому +61

    I don't know anything about this show or the book series it's based on, I just watch these videos in solidarity because of the hundreds of adaptations that have disappointed me in the past. Wheel of Time fans, I see you, I feel your pain.

    • @hoi-polloi1863
      @hoi-polloi1863 6 місяців тому +3

      S1 ... was rough. I kept watching it because *every* *now* *and* *then* there'd be a glimmer of the true Wheel of Time, buried in all the nonsense. I just couldn't bring myself to watch S2 at all, even to hate-watch.

    • @lakshaykochhar6799
      @lakshaykochhar6799 6 місяців тому +3

      My condolences to their favourite story.

    • @MrMagnaniman
      @MrMagnaniman 6 місяців тому +5

      The books are still the same. With the tv show, I can just not watch it, not give it any energy, and it might as well not exist.
      I just don't care anymore. Let them butcher all the old stuff I liked. I'll just go find new things to like, made by creative, inspired people.

    • @qq-wy7zs
      @qq-wy7zs 6 місяців тому +5

      I actually started with the TV show. I watched the first episode, thought it was decent , went and read the 1st book, wondered why they changed some things, then cringed every moment the show continued.

    • @iamgroot4063
      @iamgroot4063 6 місяців тому +1

      @@qq-wy7zs Did you finish the books? If not, I definitely would, but you will hate the show even more. You could finish the series and then go back to the books, but honestly you'll probably either regret watching the show or reading the books because it shows how bad the Waste of Time series really is.

  • @gadflyfiction
    @gadflyfiction 6 місяців тому +30

    when you make significant changes to the characters, significant changes to the setting, and significant changes to the plot you end up with something completely different. It is clear that these types of changes are deliberate and intentional, and one must then ask what the purpose for those changes are.

  • @PotzerTheMan
    @PotzerTheMan 6 місяців тому +86

    They butchered the characters, they butchered the themes, the only thing they didn't butcher was the "gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss" meme.

  • @malcolmhays2726
    @malcolmhays2726 6 місяців тому +70

    One of the running themes (there are lots) throughout the series is the relationship between fathers and sons. All three main characters (Rand, Mat, and Perrin) learn significant lessons from their respective fathers (or father figure in the form of master blacksmith Luhhan for Perrin). These lessons provide the keys to their eventual success and triumph at the end. Mat's father, in particular, is one of the most respected men in the the Two Rivers. Abell Cauthon is a successful horse trader, honest as the day is long. He's equally as good a judge of people as he is of horse flesh. He's also the only man in Emond's Field that can outshoot Tam Al'Thor with a bow or outfight him with a quarterstaff. Genuine stone cold badass. Mat has tremendous love and respect for his father and it shows throughout the books.
    They destroyed Abell Cauthon's character in the very first episode of the show just to make a point--the father and son relationship is worthless, of less than no value.

    • @TheYobo1016
      @TheYobo1016 6 місяців тому +4

      It's been a while since I've read the series from.the beginning. Thank you for the refresher. I just watched Season 1 last night with much lip biting. I didn't remember anything about Matt's father truthfully. They truly bastardized the whole story.

    • @f0rth3l0v30fchr15t
      @f0rth3l0v30fchr15t 6 місяців тому +2

      "a successful horse trader, honest as the day is long" - never bought a used car, have you?

    • @bcfortenberry
      @bcfortenberry 6 місяців тому

      Exactly

    • @Arphemius
      @Arphemius 5 місяців тому

      What? They completely disappear after the first few chapters of the first book, are down to a one henpecked weaklings who are wrong about everything they ever say, and only Rand's father is allowed to finally do something useful for his son when Sanderson took over.

    • @JeffPenaify
      @JeffPenaify 3 місяці тому

      @@ArphemiusNo they dont

  • @RickWrecker
    @RickWrecker 6 місяців тому +16

    Just add this to the ever growing list of beloved IPs that have been ruined/destroyed by ideologue untalented hacks

    • @nyetzdyec3391
      @nyetzdyec3391 6 місяців тому +1

      Diversity hires... because they obviously weren't hired for their abilities and/or experience.

  • @stephenmaloney7419
    @stephenmaloney7419 6 місяців тому +54

    Thanks for this, it's like group therapy listening to you vocalize the deep dissatisfaction most of us felt when watching the show.

  • @durzostern
    @durzostern 6 місяців тому +255

    You only need to watch the first minute of episode one to know it would be terrible. Small extremely diverse village is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen.

    • @Mongoosesummoner
      @Mongoosesummoner 6 місяців тому +60

      Doubly so when you remember that the people from these small villages tend to have a distinct look about them, to the point they'd stand out if they went to another village. It's why Rand was so noteworthy because he quite clearly looks like he's not from anywhere NEAR those villages.

    • @nyetzdyec3391
      @nyetzdyec3391 6 місяців тому +22

      Yeah... but if you notice that, you must be a you-know-what-ist.
      Because you have eyes that work... aren't blind.
      Strange. One would think that most people who, uh, WATCH TV... probably aren't blind.

    • @haku8135
      @haku8135 6 місяців тому +44

      @@Mongoosesummoner It also makes each location less distinct and less special.
      I'm going through the books again, on Audible specifically, the ones narrated by Kate Reading and Michael Kramer cause fuck everything to do with this rafing.
      When you first go to the white tower there's this emphasis on just how diverse the people in town are. Because other places are mostly populated by the people that live there, because unless you can sail there you're probably not gonna find an incredibly wide variety of people in any given place. CAUSE THIS ISN'T THE MODERN WORLD! But it's current year, and EVERY fantasy needs to reflect the world we live in now.

    • @headboil
      @headboil 6 місяців тому +6

      Since it auto played, I thought it was a spoof beer commercial. Absolutely terrible

    • @Shineinpoverty
      @Shineinpoverty 6 місяців тому

      I always suspected that people turned on diversity in any age and place are a bit...A bit special. I want them to be diverse. I do not care about history or realism. My villagers have to be diverse. I do not care what you say because you are jus ta racists, diversity is our strength.
      They are stuck in this idea. Do they feel brave knowing people will critic them? Perhaps they dream of crucifixion where they will die of criticism forgiving cruel evil jews (that is us).
      The industry is sinking in these cretins. And they are given these possibilities by other cretins who allow them to flush millions of dollars on this garbage.
      And on top black rock, the abominable tyrant who keep everyone in fear to make sure they follow these atrocious rules.

  • @spacedoyster7686
    @spacedoyster7686 6 місяців тому +28

    I find it funny that they went out of their way to put in a character to teach Rand how to use the sword, then when it came time for his to actually use the sword, he didn't do it and the excuse was he hadn't been trained. Brilliant!

    • @gregowen2022
      @gregowen2022  6 місяців тому +15

      The excuses are legendary for this one. Rafe says he didn’t want to do the fight in the sky because “we’ve been seeing that so much lately”. Did I miss something? When did sword fights in the sky become an overused trope?

    • @Marveryn
      @Marveryn 6 місяців тому +1

      it has been more than a decade that i read the first book but wasn't part of it. His father taught him something, the ancient ghost that talk to him in his head. That mad one that kill his entire family taught him a few things.?

    • @qq-wy7zs
      @qq-wy7zs 6 місяців тому +6

      I think he's referring to the big skyportal fight trope ala. Marvel movies but the fight at Falme was so different it definitely wouldn't count. It had a deep fairy tale vibe to it with the strength of the armies below varying with the ebb and flow of the swordfight. Mystical is a good word for it. Same goes for the end of EotW. The show has a bland lack of mysticality.

    • @MaleusMaleficarum
      @MaleusMaleficarum 6 місяців тому

      ​@@qq-wy7zsAmazon has a policy of intentionally downplaying "magic."

    • @unionofsa
      @unionofsa 5 місяців тому +1

      We may get Rand and Lan training in season 3 based on links, these videos whine about the issues without looking for what has been confirmed or rumoured to happen next.
      Season 3 is going to be with a focus on Rand, Matt and Perrin as stated by Rafe and the other writers and producers.

  • @greent26tube
    @greent26tube 6 місяців тому +28

    Dude, you’re the reason I am glad I paid for a premium, UA-cam subscription. Your dialogue and the way you describe things, sounds like more of an intelligent discourse and script than most people could sit down and put together over the course of weeks. Love your content and always look forward to a new video.

    • @gregowen2022
      @gregowen2022  6 місяців тому +3

      I can't tell you how much I appreciate your kind words!

  • @KAZVorpal
    @KAZVorpal 6 місяців тому +59

    The reason adaptations like this fail is that Hollywood bureaucrats don't realize they are not as good at storytelling as the original author.
    Tolkien, Heinlein, Rowling, Burroughs, Herbert, they succeeded because the stories were told so effectively.
    I'm not even a Robert Jordan fan: But he sold hugely because he was telling the story well, for those fans.

    • @mateuszmierzejewski1355
      @mateuszmierzejewski1355 6 місяців тому

      eeeh rowling was more like a lucky shot , she showed her shitty writting in every other harry potter sereis.

    • @KAZVorpal
      @KAZVorpal 6 місяців тому +5

      @@mateuszmierzejewski1355 Every other than which one? The only one I found poorly written was the last, Deathly Hallows. Before that, she seemed to have been writing each book with increasing sophistication, perhaps on the theory that her readers were progressively a year older and more able to handle it. She's no Tolkien, but appears quite competent.

    • @hoi-polloi1863
      @hoi-polloi1863 6 місяців тому +13

      It's worse than that in the case of Jordan and Heinlein. The people chosen for the adaptation of those two author's works *actively* *disliked* the themes of the source material, and wanted to make a new story to replace the original.

    • @MrMagnaniman
      @MrMagnaniman 6 місяців тому +12

      @@hoi-polloi1863 I will never understand why projects are given to people on the basis of their desire to actively destroy the IP. It seems like a really bad business plan.

    • @gregowen2022
      @gregowen2022  6 місяців тому +27

      Agreed. And Hollywood acts surprised every time. “We packed this thing with the name of something popular but changed it’s core and now those toxic fans are mad again. What is their problem?”

  • @jorge23483
    @jorge23483 6 місяців тому +21

    Every time Daniel Greene makes a video about the "Waste of Time" he sounds more like "Please, please! I lobotomized myself for enjoying this poorly written fanfic... Please, don't report my UA-cam channel, don't cancel me!!"
    Anyway, apparently my time wasn't wasted watching this parody of a saga I like a lot.
    Thank you for the video.

  • @karenmorrell9301
    @karenmorrell9301 6 місяців тому +18

    Matt is my all time favorite WoT character. I tried watching season 1 and was gutted at what they did to him and his family in the show. I haven’t even tried to watch season 2

    • @gregowen2022
      @gregowen2022  6 місяців тому +1

      Don’t watch it, it just gets worse for him. He’s a crap bag the whole way through until the last 20 minutes when he blows the horn. He is a good guy for about 2 minutes total. It’s awful

    • @kaia2202
      @kaia2202 3 місяці тому +1

      Matt is also my favorite of all the WoT characters. He brings joy and playfulness to the somewhat dark undertone of the books. I hated what they did to him in the series. He got the worst of it. Sad really.

    • @BelMarduksBizarreBazaar
      @BelMarduksBizarreBazaar 3 місяці тому

      his weapon has been changed. He tied the dagger to a bed post.

  • @sacredbeastzenon
    @sacredbeastzenon 6 місяців тому +91

    Daniel Greene is so sad. He ignores the blatant destruction of this adaptation just because it wears the same name of his favorite book series.

    • @NefariousKoel
      @NefariousKoel 6 місяців тому +35

      I can't comprehend how someone who enjoyed the novels would make excuses for this book burning of a show. It makes no sense.

    • @mikiaization
      @mikiaization 6 місяців тому +51

      He has a leftward bend to his thinking (thank you current culture) so he probably feels (maybe subconsciously) like he can't go against it.

    • @jamescollier9196
      @jamescollier9196 6 місяців тому +23

      ​@@mikiaizationI think this is it. He thinks to dislike this is to be a misogynist.

    • @nyetzdyec3391
      @nyetzdyec3391 6 місяців тому +28

      This is the reason I quit watching DG's channel.
      I have no interest in watching someone's STUPID opinion...
      Or one that was bought-and-paid-for...
      Or one which is delusional.
      Whatever his own reason, I no longer value his opinion, so I no longer watch his channel.

    • @thrombocyte2054
      @thrombocyte2054 6 місяців тому +15

      The price of access one would think.. plus he has been sympathetic to the politics behind it.

  • @flatebo1
    @flatebo1 6 місяців тому +5

    The Wheel of Time is based on Norse and Arthurian mythology. Any adaptation which doesn't understand this is doomed to fail.
    Rand is King Arthur Pendragon, the Once and Future King.
    The Aes Sedai are the Aesir, living in an impregnable city built by giants.
    Tar Valon is Avalon, home of the three witches (Nynaeve, Egwene and Elayne? or Min, Aviendha and Elayne?) who take the fallen King Arthur to convalesce until his eventual return.
    The Amyrlin Seat is Merlin, advisor and mentor to King Arthur.
    Moiraine is combination Morgan le Fay/Merlin.
    Lan is Lancelot du Lac as played by Clint Eastwood.
    Nynaeve is Nimue/Lady of the Lake, who is even called Nynyve in Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur.
    Egwene is a sorta/kinda Guinevere in the early part of the story, probably combined with Elaine of Corbenic, daughter of the Fisher King and bearer of the Holy Grail.
    Elayne is a more final-form Guinevere, with Caemlyn as Camelot.
    Mat is a combination of Odin, god of battles, and Loki, god of mischief, and is appropriately married to Tuon, who is herself both Luck (Fortuona) and Death (Tuoni, Finnish goddess of death).
    Perrin is Perun, the Slavic equivalent of Thor and a werewolf.
    Galad is Galahad.
    Gawyn is Gawain.
    And these are just the major characters.
    But it is likely that the writers/showrunner of this series know little to nothing of either Norse or Arthurian myth. They certainly don't seem to understand much about storytelling.

  • @hereticalhero1574
    @hereticalhero1574 6 місяців тому +6

    Perrin also hates the axe because when he, Elyas and Egwene were being chased by the crows and thought they were going to be caught and painfully ripped to pieces by them, Perrin came to the decision that if that happened he would kill Egwene with the axe. He felt sick afterwards because he knew he would follow through with that decision if it came to it. And that terrified him

  • @gadflyfiction
    @gadflyfiction 6 місяців тому +23

    "No man may walk so long in the shadow he can not return to the light" one of the greatest lines and moments in the entirety of the series. And the show just ignored it completely

  • @MightyR3dwood
    @MightyR3dwood 6 місяців тому +12

    THANK YOU, thank you, thank you for putting together this calm, collected, and well thought out explanation as to why this show is objectively garbage and logically dismantling all the excuses being made for it. The show is disgraceful and insulting to the creator of the story as well as the fans of the story. This amount of disrespect does not deserve to be forgotten about, it deserves to be pointed out and ridiculed so that it is not allowed to happen again.

  • @ehellstrom7127
    @ehellstrom7127 6 місяців тому +10

    I'm 7:30 minutes in and I just need to mention the two authors you brought up, Daniel Greene and Brandon Sanderson.
    I used to subscribe to Greene but I had to abandon his channel (with a flag to not have UA-cam recommend his videos) because it appeared that he was going easy on the series. I then discovered that he had a book published through Amazon. I will never support this sellout.
    As for Brandon Sanderson, yes he has been critical of the series. However, before the series released he fully offered support for both the show and Rafe Judkins himself. In one interview with Shadiversity when asked to give opinions on certain subjects appearing in trailers his response was, "I have to work with these people." I still haven't forgiven him for helping to promote what he knew was a crap show because he was angling to get his own series filmed. I'm not going to be as harsh with him as I was with Greene, but I also haven't bought a single one of his books since season 1 aired.

    • @rikimez127
      @rikimez127 6 місяців тому +2

      I was the same way with Greene. He gave stunning praise, and i stopped watching, then he have tepid criticism and i thought he could be redeemed but he ended up just supporting the terrible show again. So I have blocked him as well, he is either dishonest or stupid.
      Sanderson I dont think is as bad like you said, but he foes still make actually quality stories while still having to play the Hollywood game. Everyone has to, but if he stops making quality stories then its clear he played too hard and sold out

    • @ehellstrom7127
      @ehellstrom7127 6 місяців тому +3

      ​@@rikimez127 I disagree that everyone has to play the Hollywood game, but it probably helps if you have a solid stance when battling Hollywood for control.
      For example, Eiichiro Oda the mangaka that retains control over the IP, One Piece, was able to make a deal where the live action scripts had to be approved by himself. I saw reports that he forced rewrites of some scenes that he didn't approve. Now, he has clout because the franchise is valued around $20 billion. However, Sanderson also has significant clout because he is a very popular author.
      I honestly think that he could have refused to support the WOT series without it damaging his own projects. I think he just took the easy way because when it comes down to it WOT isn't his. He sacrificed WOT just to make his own life easier.
      Of course this is just my opinion. I don't hate him, I still enjoy much of his works (although they are starting to get stale with me). I just lost respect for him.

    • @rikimez127
      @rikimez127 6 місяців тому +1

      @@ehellstrom7127 fair fair. good insight

  • @jbs3t
    @jbs3t 5 місяців тому +7

    I started reading this series way back when The Great Hunt was released. In fact, I started with that book and somehow didn't realise I was starting with the second in the series. Lol. At any rate, The Wheel of Time has grown to be my favorite book series -not just fantasy, but series of novels, period - of all time, and the way that Rafe Judkins has treated this story and the characters that I have loved for so long, is just unforgivable. This is what happens when you give activists jobs writing screen plays. When they are in the writers room, they tend to be activists first and screen writers second and, just like season 2 of The Witcher, it definitely shows in the case of The Wheel of Time.

  • @psychodeviant8903
    @psychodeviant8903 6 місяців тому +18

    It is very cathartic to see someone review and call out this show in an insightful, intelligent, well-structured and well-organized manner.
    I have not watched the show and have zero interest in ever doing so, but I've heard enough about the things that have been changed to know I would never want to watch it. When I saw the early trailers I knew this was not going to be a faithful adaptation. From the moment in the trailer where Moiraine says something about "One of you is the Dragon Reborn" or something like that, implying that maybe Egwene or Nynaeve could be the Dragon, despite that completely going against how the prophecy of the Dragon and the whole lore of the story work, I knew this story was fucked. Not that I think a faithful adaptation of this story would even be possible. Wheel of Time is HUGE!!! Fucking HUGE!!!
    There is just no way I could see that story, and more importantly that world adapted to the screen. WOT is a divisive story even among fans of fantasy stories and one of the most common criticisms I read of the books is that it's bloated and takes forever for the plot to advance at times. But in my opinion, the strength of the books is that bloat, the fact that Jordan created a world and let the reader LIVE in that world. So yes, we spend lots of timing reading about Rand and his friends hanging out at the Broken Knuckles inn and watching the bar maid clean the table and descriptions of the fine clothes the wealthy nobles wear, and the way their hair is styled and the different accents of the Taraboners vs the Illians, and the and so on and so on because Jordan is creating a world. That level of detail was never going to be replicated for a television show, no chance at all.

    • @jeandiatasmith4512
      @jeandiatasmith4512 6 місяців тому +1

      And all that world building bloat - should have made for a perfect adaptation. All they had to do was follow the books for a hugely successful series. Jordan handed them everything they needed. All the minutiae. Every detail. From hemlines and fabric to the stones and spires of monumental buildings. Having a visual medium portray it accurately would have been amazing - and since we wouldn't have to READ through all the detail, and months of walking and nothing happening EXCEPT the world building - it would make a much tighter story. Such a wasted opportunity by a guy that just wanted to make it his vision and story (being generous - I think he just wanted to bank millions and destroy it) instead of honoring the author.

  • @asherdales
    @asherdales 6 місяців тому +9

    When the current grandmaster of fantasy is telling you your sh-t sucks, change it and you don't you get exactly what you deserve.

  • @RhiannonSenpai
    @RhiannonSenpai 6 місяців тому +6

    Rosamund Pike is the only actor that is also a producer on the show, no wonder she used her producer power to make herself the main character. While the actual main character of the books, Rand, got relegated to a supporting character that does nothing and waits around in the first 2 seasons.

  • @HankMB
    @HankMB 6 місяців тому +8

    Mat was my favorite character by the end of the books. It sucks he won’t be in the show.

    • @dueldr
      @dueldr 6 місяців тому

      Same

  • @Adurmas
    @Adurmas 6 місяців тому +21

    I love the books, it's sad to watch them getting butchered like this...This seems to be a general problem with the writers of every show based on books...they are so presumptuous, thinking they can write a better story than the real writer who made those books great...that's just ubris...the books are great because the original writers were actually capable of writing good stories, changing parts of a story it's like changing parts of a starry dish recipe...you will not have the same dish cause the new cooks are not good enogh chefs.

    • @wombatillo
      @wombatillo 6 місяців тому +4

      I think the millenial writers also genuinely find a story like WoT to be stuffy and problematic. I think they genuinely think they're doing society a big service by adding mary sues everywhere and demasculating men. They read a book written in the 80's and telling a story from a different world and a different time and what do they see first and foremost? Problematic social issues, unfair power structures and so on. They see a chance to improve the world by rewriting bigoted stories and correcting misguided fans. I really do believe these writers and producers are this delutional.

  • @garnermcculloch2778
    @garnermcculloch2778 6 місяців тому +7

    Thank you for being a well read, well spoken critic. I follow other channels that can be... let's say... venomous at times. I always say in a debate/discussion that when you use cuss words or insults you lose the high ground. Keep the high ground.

  • @fredricklloyd5300
    @fredricklloyd5300 6 місяців тому +5

    Your verbal swordsmanship is heron mark level.

  • @seapeajones
    @seapeajones 5 місяців тому +3

    My wife asked me sweetly to stop watching after she saw my face when rand was learning the sword from the dementia patient. We've been reading the books together since, so theres that

    • @gregowen2022
      @gregowen2022  5 місяців тому

      Hahahaha, that scene in the asylum was torture. But the silver lining is you’re reading them together! I hope it’s an enjoyable read

  • @LunilWormwood
    @LunilWormwood 6 місяців тому +14

    Dude if you think this is bad, the recent TV adaptation of Interview With The Vampire is absolutely atrocious. They changed EVERYTHING 😣

    • @peopleschampiii584
      @peopleschampiii584 6 місяців тому

      Nah WOT was worse. Atleast you have Sam Reid to carry the show. It stuck to the same themes atleast. WOT is horrendous

    • @MaleusMaleficarum
      @MaleusMaleficarum 6 місяців тому

      I actually found the IwtV adaptation to be an enjoyable story.. yes, significant character changes, but they kept loyal to the themes.

    • @peopleschampiii584
      @peopleschampiii584 6 місяців тому

      @MaleusMaleficarum they leaned kinda hard into the h0mo stuff, but other than that i enjoyed it

    • @MaleusMaleficarum
      @MaleusMaleficarum 6 місяців тому

      @@peopleschampiii584 ... did you ever read the books!? 😆

    • @peopleschampiii584
      @peopleschampiii584 6 місяців тому +1

      @@MaleusMaleficarum yep

  • @reedr7142
    @reedr7142 6 місяців тому +36

    Saw the cast list, and knew how and why they selected their cast. I never bothered to watch, and I’m glad. The reviews I’ve seen, and the brief clips told me all I needed to know. Glad I have the books.

    • @MrMagnaniman
      @MrMagnaniman 6 місяців тому

      Good call. I got suckered into watching two or three episodes. Figured out pretty quickly how bad it was going to get, though.
      They won't stop doing this until people stop watching. He talked about how he forced himself to watch... WHY?!? He must be getting paid a lot to make these videos or something...

    • @TheYobo1016
      @TheYobo1016 6 місяців тому

      The best scene so far is the battle between Rand's mother right before she gives birth on Dragonmount, and some soldiers. That is a fantastic scene. The whole series could've been that good in the right hands.

    • @Nava9380
      @Nava9380 6 місяців тому

      But just think about a bunch of men trying to kill a pregnant woman how is in labor.
      And Tam was one of them, maybe i forgot.
      Why would they do that?
      The scene is cool, but doesn't make sense.

    • @TheYobo1016
      @TheYobo1016 6 місяців тому

      @@Nava9380 My memory is foggy, but it is explained in the book. I think the Aiel had crossed over the mountains seeking revenge for an injustice against them.

    • @isleidir3155
      @isleidir3155 5 місяців тому +1

      ⁠​⁠@@Nava9380From what I recall, the Aiel crossed over in retaliation to the offense given when someone destroyed a gifted sapling/tree of some lore importance I can’t recall. Some time after the battle Tam finds Rands mother bleeding out on the mountain slopes and makes a promise to raise him.
      As for the whole pregnant lady in battle I can’t remember why but I recall some reason was given at some point. I remember a trend towards strong female spear warriors for the Aiel as a whole

  • @blackoak4978
    @blackoak4978 5 місяців тому +4

    I was annoyed with what they did, but I decided to give it a chance to stand on its own, then they did what they did to Matt. Turning Matt into someone who would abandon his friends was a bridge too far for me. In the books he's a trouble maker and scoundrel, but at his core he is a very dedicated and fiercely loyal friend.
    For all that he wears the role of the useless vagabond, thief, gambler, and rogue, when the chips are down he will always be the first to stand by a friend in trouble.
    When they had him walk away I swore off the series

  • @towerofghenjei
    @towerofghenjei 6 місяців тому +6

    THANK YOU!!!! And they call us every -ist they can think up.
    You’ve said everything I’ve been thinking for the past 2-3 years.

  • @nineradvocate
    @nineradvocate 6 місяців тому +7

    How did I miss this? Greg killed it again. Fantastic!

  • @essentialasa5233
    @essentialasa5233 5 місяців тому +2

    Thank goodness! I thought I was alone. I dropped the show 15 min into episode one and couldn't believe people singing its praises. I thought I was losing it.

  • @Tianda1969
    @Tianda1969 5 місяців тому +3

    When I heard they were going to make a series of this book series, I was so freaking stoked. When I was the first episode, I was so disappointed that I didn't watch any more of it because I saw from the first, they were not going to honor the source material and butcher the hell out of the Late and Great Robert Jordan's writings of this outstanding world he created. It is a shame they didn't do the books justice and they should have just called the bloody show, Patterns In the Wheel.

  • @yuchaosng1972
    @yuchaosng1972 6 місяців тому +3

    I've seen quite a number of youtube videos correctly criticizing the amazon's version, including Knight's watch, Salty Texas, sword and pen reflection, etc. They even broke down episode by episode analysis. But, in a single video, yours is by far the most complete and accurate analysis. And you have shown great knowledge and understanding of the books, original story and plots, and characters. Well done! And thanks for speaking out!

    • @unionofsa
      @unionofsa 5 місяців тому +1

      😂😂😂
      Those videos are all clickbait and rage. They are fake wikipedia level fans who have made errors and not looked into the future of the plans for the show in season 3 because the shows plans for that season includes some of the things they want to happens or so they claim, but if they don't report that then they have less to constantly whine about.

    • @yuchaosng1972
      @yuchaosng1972 5 місяців тому +2

      @@unionofsa nope. They are people who have read the books. I guessed your comment reveals which category you fall into.

  • @pedanticperson1149
    @pedanticperson1149 6 місяців тому +8

    One telling aspect about all the changes to the characters is - who they've chosen to change & butcher and who they've changed & empowered; with Rand, Mat & Perrin, they've all been butchered & lessened in many ways to the point that Rand is a side character, Mat was changed from a loveable rogue to a thieving scumbag & Perrin is just meh. Compare that to Egwene whose only real change is to make her more awesome or Liandrian who was pointlessly humanised.
    At the end of both seasons now we've been promised that next season they'll get things back on track & start developing Rand as a character, but there's simply no reason to trust them, certainly not after all the showrunner has said about his plans or his reaction to criticism.

  • @MumRah
    @MumRah 6 місяців тому +5

    My wife read at least one of these books (I didn't ask how many) she doesn't get bothered by much and can enjoy just about anything she might like. She tried to get me to watch this with her. I made it about 30min and she quit after about 2 episodes and started rewatching Gossip Girl 😂

  • @DigiThorn
    @DigiThorn 6 місяців тому +5

    This whole thing is basically a high budget fan fiction

  • @Senior-Donjusticia
    @Senior-Donjusticia 6 місяців тому +5

    18:36
    No, the Red Ajah had full control over the script.

  • @cameronpetie8318
    @cameronpetie8318 6 місяців тому +6

    As far as Season 3 goes, we've heard that it will follow Book 4 but I think we can safely say by now that there might be a handful of scenes that closely match the books with the rest made up. Because that's what we've had so far. It's so strange (and damning) that this adaptation has actively changed every single detail from the books. Not even clothing or jewellery or weapons are made to match the books. They must have spent more time and more money to change something than to just read something and make it as is written.

  • @TheLouis1973
    @TheLouis1973 6 місяців тому +3

    This adaptation is a catastrophic failure. I’ve read this series 3 times. And I couldn’t be happier that they were finally going to make a show. Imagine my surprise when I watched the first couple of episodes and didn’t even recognize what I was watching 😡. I stopped after episode 3. Just terrible

  • @frocat5163
    @frocat5163 5 місяців тому +3

    Mat is my favorite character. Of all the characters they assassinated in this travesty of a show, his hurt the most.
    I think the best part about the comparison between Mat and Siuane's uncle is that it's proven 100% accurate by a story Nynaeve tells later in the books. Mat saw a kid "drowning" in Emond's Field. He _IMMEDIATELY_ jumped into the pond and "saved" the kid. Afterwards, he found out the kid was just goofing off, and everyone mocked him mercilessly for months afterwards, and during that time, he swears loudly and often that he'll never save anyone from drowning again. The following year, he sees someone actually drowning, and he doesn't even hesitate to _IMMEDIATELY_ dive in and save that person. The second time, the person was legitimately drowning, and the people in Emond's Field stopped teasing him about his actions. He constantly swears he isn't a hero and doesn't want to be a hero (those bloody fools always end up killed)...and is the most heroic character in the entire series.

  • @beebTim
    @beebTim 6 місяців тому +8

    I so wanted to love this show, but I lasted as long as the end of the first episode of season one. My better half - who has also read (and loves) the books - lasted less than half an hour.
    Game of Thrones was translated excellently from the books to the screen, up until GRRM couldn't be arsed to finish the story. The writers (yeah, right) of the tv series didn't have the ability to conclude it properly which is how we ended up with the final season.
    Why Hollywoke writers think they are better than the guy(s) who wrote the WoT books is delusional and breathtakingly stupid. I'm still surprised that season two was made, season three will have to conclude the story very quickly in order to squeeze it into three seasons, because I can't see that there will be any more!

  • @Heretowatchstuff
    @Heretowatchstuff 6 місяців тому +5

    I was so excited when I heard they were going to make this show. When I saw the first episode, I was done. The final nail was seeing the Myrddraal. The look of the eyeless is terrible.

  • @thefourthcolor
    @thefourthcolor 6 місяців тому +4

    If nothing else your vids are inspiring me to pick up the books again and actually finish them this time. I bailed around 7 or 8 years ago and haven't gone back, but the reminders of how _awesome_ the series could be at times is tempting me.

    • @DanWheeler9000
      @DanWheeler9000 6 місяців тому +1

      Matt's "women are like goats" speech is worth the effort.

    • @codecixteen
      @codecixteen 6 місяців тому

      Please go back and finish the story! Mr Jordan and Mr Sanderson worked so very hard to give this story a beautiful last act. There’s so many messages in there for us to reflect on too.

    • @kl8455
      @kl8455 5 місяців тому

      Sanderson does a great job of finishing what Jordan started. Jordan also wrote some really good Conan books.
      the slog is WoT is a little brutal though. was hoping to see a TV adaptation of Jordan's work. maybe 1 day someone will do a show that follows the books.
      making Emond's Field=Manhattan was so great as well as Moiraine shooting off fireworks to announce who/what she was. NOT.

    • @Merecir
      @Merecir 5 місяців тому

      @@kl8455 The slog is not nearly as bad when you have the books in hand. It was the years waiting in between releases that made it a slog.

  • @MaleusMaleficarum
    @MaleusMaleficarum 6 місяців тому +2

    You do a great job breaking down the discrepancies in the tv show story. I do not see how they can recover a cohesive story at this point

  • @dramaticwords
    @dramaticwords 6 місяців тому +2

    "Bait and switch" seems to be standard practice in Hollywood these days. That's why, when I heard this series was being made, I read the books instead.

  • @berniemargolis4288
    @berniemargolis4288 6 місяців тому +7

    It's clear to me that you read and enjoyed the original books immensely, like I did. Unlike me, you actually powered past the first couple of episodes. The deal-breaker for me was giving Perrin a wife. I knew that they would go one of two directions: replace Faile with this wife, or immediately kill off the wife. I suspected the were going to kill off the wife, but that presented two more choices that were both horrible: waste a bunch of time dwelling on the death, padding out a story that was already longer than it needed to be, or have Perrin completely forget about the death, effectively making him into a heartless psychopath. I didn't want to see where the story was going to go after that.

  • @nathanmorgan3647
    @nathanmorgan3647 5 місяців тому +2

    To this day I am not allowed to leave reviews anywhere on Amazon for any product due to my "suspicious activity." (Direct quote from Amazon).
    I have left exactly two reviews in my life on Amazon. One for WoT, the other for RoP. Both respectfully, but unflinchingly flaying apart the post modern deconstruction of the original works of art. My reviews were instantly deleted and I was exiled. Though strangely enough, Amazon seems to have no trouble continuing to take my money for other products.

  • @NOYFB982
    @NOYFB982 6 місяців тому +7

    Don’t feel guilty. Maybe I’m one of the few people who never read the books, but it doesn’t matter. The show just sucks. In fact, it made me think the books must be horrible, and even that Brandon Sanderson must be as well (only now looking at reading fantasy). So, this is not about enjoying an alternate universe or some such adaptation drivel; it’s about a damn bad series that should not be continued.

  • @Jake_the_NPC
    @Jake_the_NPC 6 місяців тому +5

    Honestly, that standup bit was way better writing than anything they had for Mat in the first place😂 bravo man👏

  • @Eggasalad
    @Eggasalad 6 місяців тому +6

    When this was called a “feminist show” they committed an error that has become epidemic in modern media. They were committed to feminism as parody. It’s what happens when you don’t think complex ideas all the way through, which happens when people express views they pretend to hold.
    This is behind things like race swapping. No one bothers to think through what the consequences are when those products fail or is used to literally divide audiences between desirables and deplorables. When you don’t have a connection to the well thought out ethics that lay under the surface of all powerful ideas then creators are only able to represent those ideas as a performance of values because all they’re equipped to handle is a signal response of what tribe they belong to.
    Great video Greg!!!

    • @nyetzdyec3391
      @nyetzdyec3391 6 місяців тому

      Is it a parody? Or is it the "real face" of it?
      The narrative, from a loud part of that group, that "men are useless" dates back to at least 1973. (Re: bicycles and fish)
      The show is true to that narrative... not a parody.

    • @Eggasalad
      @Eggasalad 6 місяців тому

      @@nyetzdyec3391 It’s unintentional parody. It’s always tempting to assume that the good faith version of ideologies we don’t like are reducible to their dumbest application when the dumbest application is nothing more than the Dunning Krueger effect, which is what creates the unintentional parody.
      I’ll use CRT as an example. I hate CRT. My reading of the primary sources is that it’s civil rights as designed by southern segregationists, but there is a world of difference between the person who is familiar w/ the actual theory and still supports it, and a mindless leftist who barks and cries at anything that seems as if it fits w/i a theory that they only pretend to understand. That person has become a parody of an idea.
      To be clear when I call something a parody I intend it as an absolute insult. I’m calling that person an idiot who doesn’t even understand what they claim to believe:lemmings all of them.
      Going back to feminism, no one besides religious fundamentalists and neo nazis want to go back to a time before 1st (woman’s suffrage) and early 2nd wave feminism (basic autonomy). A parody doesn’t know when to stop so they take things to they’re irrational conclusion, so the parody is not showing you who feminists are at their core. They’re showing you the danger of an idea unmoored from rational thinking.
      Sorry I wrote so much.

    • @Eggasalad
      @Eggasalad 6 місяців тому +1

      @@nyetzdyec3391 one more thing! The parody is the real face of it in so far that the people who are currently pushing this nonsense the loudest are nothing more than empty headed tribal signifiers. It’s more about showing how dedicated one is to the cause. In this case that show of dedication was used in pursuit of ruining one of my favorite book series.
      So again, I’m not letting anyone of the hook or using kids gloves.

    • @Eggasalad
      @Eggasalad 6 місяців тому +1

      Also of note, modern feminism is radically different than the other forms of feminism, which I mentioned above, but the feminist label is used as if they were the same thing (I would love to hear Susan B Anthony’s opinion on the end point of a movement she helped start), so when RAFE says feminism it’s coded as those much more popular things rather than the simp man hating present in the Wheel of Time. This means things like feminism doesn’t have one true face, and people, like Rafe, exploit that (until someone like Rachael Ziegler says the quiet part out loud and the product tanks).

    • @nyetzdyec3391
      @nyetzdyec3391 6 місяців тому

      @@Eggasalad Okay... So, the Wheel of Prime can be called a parody of Wheel of Time because it's a ridiculous imitation, Webster's 2nd definition of "parody".
      IMO, it falls short of the 1st definition, because it's not (IMO) INTENTIONALLY ridiculing the Wheel of Time.
      Parody most commonly is for comedic effect... and there's nothing funny about Wheel of Prime.
      Likewise, 'caricature' would also be misleading.
      Subversion, or perversion, would be more accurate terms.

  • @dudeguy8686
    @dudeguy8686 6 місяців тому +2

    The Light shine on you, Greg, this was beautiful

  • @cameronpetie8318
    @cameronpetie8318 6 місяців тому

    Thank you for doing this video. You've put into words all my frustrations with the show. We need more of this. It's very cathartic for me.

  • @woodsie8965
    @woodsie8965 6 місяців тому +2

    I turned it off 15min into the first episode when they assassinated Abell Cauthons character, and never looked back.

  • @a1no1x
    @a1no1x 6 місяців тому +9

    Luckily, I have managed to know nothing of wheel of time before starting the books. I just finished the great hunt after starting about a month ago and have all 15 ordered... burning through them! LOVE IT! Won't watch the show lol

  • @schitzoflink8612
    @schitzoflink8612 5 місяців тому +1

    I've read the series through over a dozen times and I still get goosebumps when Suian asks Matt "Will you be there when the flames are high?"

    • @gregowen2022
      @gregowen2022  5 місяців тому +1

      It’s such an excellent speech, and then she reinforces it later when they meet again in Salidar, I love it. Mat is just such a fantastic character, multiple times he’s saying “I’m no bloody hero!” While literally doing heroic stuff, lol. Somehow the show turned that into a selfish, thieving, piece of crap. Horrible.

  • @killcat1971
    @killcat1971 6 місяців тому +13

    Watching D.Green trying to find things that were good with season one because he didn't want to lose the access he'd gained was painful.

  • @ethanhypes2657
    @ethanhypes2657 6 місяців тому +2

    I’ve literally never been more enraged at a TV series in my life! It was actually kind of hard to find a negative review of the show on UA-cam. Thank you so much.

    • @nicolethompson8613
      @nicolethompson8613 6 місяців тому

      Check out Disparu, his hatred of this series is epic and so fun to watch.

    • @garethwhite8770
      @garethwhite8770 6 місяців тому

      I went between rage and depression. So many pointless changes and additions. Warders sad af, Matt a scumbag and pointless sex scenes and new magic mirrors. Moraine didn't need to be a lesbian, she ends up marrying Thom ffs. Perrin being married and then killer.

  • @rohit_7777
    @rohit_7777 6 місяців тому +3

    I clicked on the video rubbing my palms in excitement to see the s2 of Wot get dismantle. Imo WOT doesn't get ENOUGH HATE, WHICH IT RIGHTFULLY DESERVE

    • @gregowen2022
      @gregowen2022  6 місяців тому +1

      It doesn’t get enough hate, which is unfortunate. This show should be digitally burned in effigy on any channel that values story telling

  • @blfrench
    @blfrench 6 місяців тому +2

    I started reading the book series in 1994 and it's one of my favorites. Sanderson finished it off about a well as it could be done. I was so happy to hear that a TV series was being made. 2 episodes in I realized that it was bad, and I was actively angry the whole time I watched season 1 because they murdered the characters so thoroughly.
    I didn't bother with season 2, nor will I bother with any additional ones. I can only hope at some point when CGI becomes super-super cheap that someone who actually respects the source material will get a crack at adapting the show, but I'm not holding my breath.

  • @HobbiesofaMan
    @HobbiesofaMan 6 місяців тому

    Amazing video! You manage to clearly articulate so many of the things that I have thought about this show so well!

  • @aw3someinc175
    @aw3someinc175 6 місяців тому +7

    I have thought a lot about adapting books to screen for a couple months now. More so in relation to ‘Foundation’ than ‘Wheel of Time’ because that’s the one I read.
    The ‘Foundation’ book and show have almost nothing in common, the two Hardens and the two Dornicks have way more differences than just gender. Still I have enjoyed both on the merits that each brings.
    On some level it is kind of fun seeing where this new ‘Foundation’ is going because the Second Foundation for example is very much on the wrong planet, so what is going to happen with this one? The Mule also seems to be taking massive changes, Harden has visions of a physically imposing man, not a sad clown.

  • @pyrojones5394
    @pyrojones5394 6 місяців тому +5

    Thank you for doing this review. The book series is very dear to me, and this adaptation is abysmal.

  • @bohd3
    @bohd3 6 місяців тому +2

    I mean if you enjoy hate watching it’s a roaring success.
    Matt was my favorite character in the series not just for personality but I love the idea of Luck as a magical power and that’s Matt’s. He can pull off miracles but also wind up tied up when an assassin comes calling.

  • @thaumaticpig
    @thaumaticpig 4 місяці тому +2

    I'm so glad you went right into the added content, that irked me so much. Also the bit where you say that "season 2 is better than season 1" is not as much of a compliment as it sounds is very true. Like, if you said it was as good as Game of Thrones, or House of the Dragon, that'd be saying something, but saying it's better than something awful is only just saying that it's not awful, nothing else

    • @gregowen2022
      @gregowen2022  4 місяці тому +1

      The added content drove me crazy! I understand things had to be cut, but not to make room for fanfiction!

  • @nathanielwiens6364
    @nathanielwiens6364 6 місяців тому +5

    One correction from me - I haven't read any of the books, nor watched any of the show. So, the reason I'm watching this video isn't because of the that, it is for the fire Greg memes, pro youtube moves, and editing jokes. 👍

  • @KekuTheLaughing
    @KekuTheLaughing 6 місяців тому +4

    I decided to read the books again. So satisfying, I just pretend the series doesn't exist.

    • @gregowen2022
      @gregowen2022  6 місяців тому

      Same. I am halfway through the series again because I wanted to make sure I had my facts straight for this, and it’s just so damn good!

  • @Metalgarn
    @Metalgarn 4 місяці тому +1

    "When are we going to admit this is a failed adaptation?"
    I admitted it when I learned about the casting. Literally told me everything I needed to know of how this would go.

  • @sadiedew3060
    @sadiedew3060 6 місяців тому +1

    Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I have loved this series since the beginning. I hate the tv show, but what I hate more, is when people who say they are fans of the book, make allowances for the tv show, so that they can appear righteous or to not tick off the tv producers for their own potential future benefits. Harriet, why did this happen? So sad.

  • @killgriffinnow
    @killgriffinnow 6 місяців тому +5

    I have to wonder, is there genuinely some kind of concerted effort at work here at "demoralisation"? Every story with any kind of spiritual themes (Star Wars being based off of Oriental/Western Philosophy/LOTR having many heavily Catholic-inspired themes) is being cut down by the same messaging. Anything men enjoy is being turned against them, which "coincidentally" co-incides with a great increase in male isolation and mental health issues. And yet "THE MESSAGE" seems to be the same one, repeated over and over again: "Don't imagine a better world or a better you is possible. All of your heroes are crap. Being a man makes you inherently toxic, so don't grow up. Stay in Neverland forever."
    You might think it ironic that a leftist,athiestic My Little Pony fan such as myself is concerned that modern media is too anti-masculine, too anti-religious and does not encourage people to grow up. My response would be, if EVEN a leftist,athiestic My Little Pony fan thinks these things have gone way too far, then they have SERIOUSLY gone way too far.
    My philosophy on this is summed up perfectly by JRR Tolkien:
    "If we use child in a good sense (it has also legitimately a bad one) we must not allow that to
    push us into the sentimentality of only using adult or grown-up in a bad sense (it has also
    legitimately a good one). The process of growing older is not necessarily allied to growing
    wickeder, though the two do often happen together...Let us not divide the human race into Eloi and Morlocks: pretty children-“elves” as the eighteenth century often idiotically called them-with their fairytales (carefully pruned), and
    dark Morlocks tending their machines. If fairy-story as a kind is worth reading at all it is worthy
    to be written for and read by adults. They will, of course, put more in and get more out than
    children can."

    • @nyetzdyec3391
      @nyetzdyec3391 6 місяців тому

      To answer the question... at least part of it...
      Do you know the "meme" about men "checking out of society"... becoming "basement dwellers", etc.?
      This is how they "reach" the "basement dwellers"... to FORCE their propaganda (ideology) at people in their own homes, "safe spaces", through the media that they enjoy, whether it's Marvel movies, Star Wars, comic books (printed), TV shows, video games, etc.
      If there is something that men enjoy, they want to subvert it... feminize it.
      It is a cultural invasion... an invasion of traditionally male "spaces".
      Do you know how women typically attack a person? Through tactics such as shaming, reputation destruction, etc.?
      What do you think calling the fans/audience names like all those "-ists" and "-phobes" is? We might as well add one of their new favorite insults, too... "incels".
      Do you know what the reference to "bread and circuses" means?
      If you do... then you should realize that they are trying to take away men's "circuses", too.
      That should give you some idea of where this might end up... and also who is to blame for it... and the reason everyone NEEDS to push back against this.
      There's an old saying about "cornered rats".

  • @cladiosanchez6865
    @cladiosanchez6865 6 місяців тому +4

    I was waiting for rand to just die and to hear "i have won again lews therin" and start all over. I want so much more, and its given me some things ive like. Only character changes i liked were to the forsaken tbh. Speeding up ishys story line was better for screen, and lanfear being a bit more spicy. that was about it.

    • @nyetzdyec3391
      @nyetzdyec3391 6 місяців тому +4

      Lanfear being "more spicy" is inextricably linked to making Rand her boy-toy.
      No, it's not an improvement.
      Once again, they also screwed up the casting, for the simple reason that the actress (like Min) is too old... by about 10 years. They should have gotten actresses in their early to mid-twenties... not mid-thirties.

  • @DeezScotts2023
    @DeezScotts2023 6 місяців тому

    This was so cathartic for me. I have spoken to several folks who love the source material try and defend the second season with all the senseless arguments shared here, and it makes me sad. You earned yourself a new subscriber today. AND, you’ve encouraged me to begin my second reread of the series.

  • @aislemontecristo
    @aislemontecristo 6 місяців тому +1

    Thank you sir, for validating my decision to not watch this "show"; but also to encourage me to read the books.

  • @theanimeunderworld8338
    @theanimeunderworld8338 6 місяців тому +5

    Hey, Greg, you going to do a video on the upcoming Percy Jackson show?

    • @gregowen2022
      @gregowen2022  6 місяців тому

      I’m not sure. I haven’t read the books, so I don’t have much to go on

  • @krischristen
    @krischristen 6 місяців тому +4

    I started the tv serries first and thought wow how can this be so bad. People have said the books where so good. How can this be! Then I bought the books...... wow books are so much better The tv series is not even the same world. The TV serries is not the WOT.

    • @gregowen2022
      @gregowen2022  6 місяців тому

      Whew! If anything good came from this show, it’s more people checking out the books.

  • @HauntedHawker
    @HauntedHawker 6 місяців тому +2

    "Hubris that they (the writers) know better than the original author" 10/10 ⭐ Nailed it.

  • @almost-infamous7833
    @almost-infamous7833 3 місяці тому

    Finally, a reviewer with common sense and integrity. Thank you!

  • @durzostern
    @durzostern 6 місяців тому +11

    Wheel of Time into the Panderverse

    • @JeffPenaify
      @JeffPenaify 3 місяці тому

      put a chick in it and make her gay!

  • @2099EK
    @2099EK 6 місяців тому +2

    That husband comedian gag was hilarious. 🤣 Great dissection of Wheel of Time Season 2.

  • @mtandazomoyo7840
    @mtandazomoyo7840 6 місяців тому +1

    What I loved most about the books is the prophecies. Realising how time has warped the understanding of what the prophecy meant

  • @richchappell
    @richchappell 6 місяців тому +1

    You nailed it. I suffered through the first 2 seasons, but I won't be back for another. I understood that they would need to make some changes. For example, changing Loial's appearance in order to save money. No biggie. My problem was that, as you mentioned, they didn't understand the book characters so any changes they made regarding those characters were done poorly. This is why I usually prefer to read the book after seeing the adaptation. Then I can just use the book as additional info. I'm not even sure that would work this time though, because they have changed the very foundation of the story.

  • @ColinFox
    @ColinFox 6 місяців тому +4

    It *is* possible to do a remake that doesn't crap on the source material. Check out Yojimbo, Fistful of Dollars and Last Man Standing. The same story told in 3 genres - Samurai, Cowboy, 30's Gangster. They kept the main story characters and beats very faithfully, considering they changed the whole genre each time.

    • @jasonglebe3235
      @jasonglebe3235 6 місяців тому

      O Brother Where Art Thou

    • @RushianBear
      @RushianBear 6 місяців тому

      7 Samurai, The Magnificent Seven, A Bug's Life. Same story, different genres, all great.

  • @dazblue5515
    @dazblue5515 6 місяців тому +4

    To be honest - that opening about cake/chilli... that also applies Marvel and Star Wars now!

    • @gregowen2022
      @gregowen2022  6 місяців тому

      It really does, and Disney is just so shocked and confused as to why all the movies and shows are bombs

  • @DanWheeler9000
    @DanWheeler9000 6 місяців тому +1

    Seline transports Rand into the mirror world as conformed by Egwenes dream.