Thumbnail is supposed to be a joke of it looking like I’m talking to Rand and Mat. I’m now being told it looks like I’m being a dramatic ass… I think the joke lands!
I viewed it as Egwene and Elayne didn't decide to take a nap. Egwene refused to leave, and Elayne, being a new good friend, stayed with her. In fact, Elayne's support in this moment was AMAZING. Instead of continuing to tell Egwene that it wasn't going to work, she went and got a bucket of water to pour over Nynaeve when she reappeared. Then, they stood vigil outside the Arches until they literally passed out from being too tired to stay awake. That's how I interpreted that scene.
My interpretation is almost exactly like yours, but my take away was that they had both, in some form or fashion, kept trying to open it, until they collapsed from exhaustion.
Funny thing about Rand giving the little kid a coin: Josha brought that in, he mentioned that in an interview. He felt that something was needed to show that Rand cares for normal people/the less fortunate in society.
The casual name drops of Cadsuane and Mazrim Taim got me excited. And also Verin's line in episode 2 about loopholes in oaths. Nice foreshadowing there.
...same here, but why did they invent a best friend for her who doesn't appear in the books, when there are literally hundreds of book Aes Sedai they could have chosen?
@@Deanof316.because people will complain either way. If it was a named book character people would have complained that it wasn’t her best friend in the book
The scene with Liandrin and her son was something I totally did not see coming and put a really heartwrenching angle on her character. It is one thing to hear of Aes Sedai speaking of living hundreds of years, but yet another altogether to see it in reality as one secretly nurses a child dying of age inflicted ailments. Just was such an unexpected level of depth to her character.
With the Selene scene where Rand changed clothes, the fact that he was still wearing the ornate coat was supposed to be a signal that this was a dream and not a continuation of reality. Then Rand’s passion in the dream led to him unconsciously channeling manifested in reality, and he woke up to find his real self channeling and inadvertently lighting his dwelling on fire. At least that’s how I interpreted that scene.
@@NateSykesProducer Not just that, she also went and got a bucket presumably to pour over Nynaeve when she returns. She showed support for her new friend through action, not just words. She stopped trying to convince her it wouldn't work to actively participating.
As a mom of a 7 year old, I was bawling by the end even with how WRONG it is to the rules of book Wheel of Time. She did an incredible job of that pain. Ugh.
I really like sly, manipulative Ishamael of the show over literally insane Ishamael of the books; I think it makes him both more engaging and more dangerous.
Yup, Baalzamon works fine on page, but they've essentially skipped straight to Moridin. I think we might see him go wild in the last few seasons as his plans start to unravel and other Chosen come into play.
I disagree, I felt zero fear of ish in the show, just a soft spoken old guy... the insane balza chasing them in dreams while running from shadowspawn while awake is actual fear.
I get that you wouldn't realize Rand was dreaming when he has the coat back on, but how did you miss Elayne explicitly state she was going to grab blankets so she and Egwene could spend the night there?
@@Horacio_Poggi you can see that he was with the red coat on when he gets there, but when he wakes up whe is back with the clothes he has when he was with logain. That's when I realised it was a dream. And it makes total sense if you read the books.
I mean Egwene did literally say she couldn't leave her and Elyane said she would go get things for them to stay the night. So it didnt come out of nowhere
Before you see Egwene and Elaine sleeping by the arches Egwene tells her she can't leave Nyneave, and Elaine says kindly that she would grab some blankets so they could spend the night there.
Was funny when they came across the Fade nailed to the door and were like, "what could do a thing like that to a Fade?" Well, apparently Moiraine without her powers has a good shot at it.
Lan being told to listen to Moraine. One of the best lines from Lan. Breaking the fourth wall. Lan: “this is the first time anyone has asked Lan to be more silent”. This is meme worthy.
Logain's depression, disassociation, and final redemption is one of the most subtle stories in WOT and I love it unconditionally. (Spoiler ahead) Logain's last moments brought tears to my eyes. After everything the man suffered, he finds what he always wanted. Getting to see a world where male channellers could be accepted, and being regarded with respect is such a powerful moment for the guy.
Bloody got shafted when brando took over lmao. Love brandos handling of the closing but god damn logain should've gotten those ashaman chapters. Can't remember the dude who got them but it was the gateway bloke that brando self inserted
He doesn’t actually have the coat on when he gets back. That scene happens in Tel'aran'rhiod. My interpretation is that angry “Selene” visits his dream and coaxes him into embracing the source. This setup by her is to get him to herself and force the journey that should happen next. They just don’t explain it to the audience yet because they still have things to reveal about “Selene”.
I also thought the coat was a continuity error but by the end of the first 3 seconds of the scene it was quite obvious it was at least a dream if not Tel'aran'rhiod? I don't see how anyone would interpret that in another way
@@battlebanshee8862 Agreed, definitely Tel'aran'rhiod... or just a dream since are we even sure Tel'aran'rhiod will be incorporated into this show? Seeing Elyas with blood on his mouth during the wolves scene made me wonder if they are just not incorporating that.
I absolutely adore how they characterised Elayne in the show. It's a good balance between someone who has always been able to get everything she ever wanted (hence why she initially assumes she can bring servants and all her stuff into the White Tower), but is not fully spoiled and will stick to her principles, taking responsibility for her actions and mistakes, and she also is really glad to have a true friend, a girl the same age as her so they can connect over something other than "I am Daughter-Heir and you are my subject". Plus a friend of mine pointed out that showing Elayne's more STEM side, where she likes to tinker with stuff, is a great setup for something that happens in book 5 or 6.
Elayne spent 6 Summers (as she says) in the tower. Given her history with the tower, she would be well aware that she can't bring any of those. It is just lazy writing.
@clbmurat why would she be aware of that? She was an honored guest there, pampered and a daughter heir. How would she know what can novices do and what they can't? And more, why would she ever assume that she finally wold be treated as everyone else in here (which she would love to happen). That's not her experience, anywhere, ever.
@@csarmii Mostly agreed. A part of me thinks that Morgase and/or Elaida would've told Elayne at least the basics of what to expect as a novice but it looks like neither of them is going to have as much presence in the show as in the books, if they even appear at all.
An issue I have with the Aes Sedai that I've not seen mentioned is just how much they're letting the novices get away with. In the books you wouldn't dare channel at an Aes Sedai the way Egwene does to stop Liandrin from walking away from her. And that is just any old Aes Sedai, can you imagine the actual reaction of book Liandrin to a novice doing that
Yeah this is what I noticed too. Novices waltzing past the Aes Sedai without stopping to curtsey, no waiting to be spoken to first. In the book there is even a moment where Elayne casually but respectfully says hi to Elaida (who she's known since childhood ) and Elaida has the conversation with her but at the end sends her to the Mistress of Novices for addressing her (novices only speak to Aes Sedai when spoken too). The Tower is pretty chilled in this version 😅
With the incompetence of Aes Sedai, the way novice are mostly vibing, and lack of clarity on the efficacy of the towers workings, I find it very difficult to take the (show) Tower seriously as an institute.
@@lizzie7654yes, the mood in the tower feels really frivolous. Basically it's just Hogwarts--like there are 'rules' but they are only enforced now and then, and most of the sisters are 'humanized' to the point that they seem kinda silly. Only Moiraine actually *feels* like an Aes Sedai as I remember from the books (though it's a long time since I read).
I LOVE Donal Fin as Mat. He hits Mat's unapologetic humor better than Harris. The way he joked with Liandrin and Min is way more true to the Mat we read in the books. He deals with all the drama with humor. I like seeing that acted on screen. I think he will be that comedic relief that's so needed later in the series. I think that Moiraine being stilled (?) Or cut off (?) Is going to replace her time with aelfinn. And I think that Nynaeve will heal her instead on Leanna.
I was thinking about that, moraine is supposed to take a long vacations and I was wondering if it would play out like that. Not sure how I feel about that though. I think she was just shielded.
I 100% agree with your opinion that this will replace her time with the aelfin. I think that story is a bit too in the weeds for them to include in the show. Also the broken bond allows Lan to get depressed and eventually bond with N without Moirraine being missing. I also think the "childish" behavior from Moirraine and Lan is a way to get them both to the point they need to be for the Lan and N relationship further in the series.
@@GeekyGayTV while Lan/Moraine behavior is a way to get Lan to where he has to be I think the con outweighs the positives. Moraine and Lan is the first and best example we get of the understanding between Aes Sedai and Warder and that's severely downgraded now.
@@damp2269 I completely agree that the bond is being downplayed. I find that odd since they did a decent job in season 1 of illustrating that bond (one of their better decisions in S1). This shielding or stilling...I'm not sure what they are going with - I think she is shielded since I don't remember hearing the term 'stilled' - will allow her to find Rand and be his Aes Sedai advisor as she was before falling through the door frame.
@@theLadyRiver1I think she is shielded by Ishamael and when she finds Rand he will be able to remove it. Not sure how long that will take and what would happen in the meantime. I could also see Rand using that as a way to get Moiraine in his debt or something. Although that doesn't fit with his current character development.
I think the line about "the more wolf you are the more you belong to me" was mostly mind games in that the forsaken is trying to get Perrin to not trust in the wolf powers. If Perrin believes the wolf powers are linked to the Dark One, and is less inclined to use them, that benefits the forsaken and their goals.
Agreed, it also makes perrins struggle and fear of getting lost as a wolf from the books much more believable than just from killing a couple whitecloaks that were threatening him and Egwene
@@Echidna23Gaming Plus his personal involvement shows that Ishy knows Perrin (and I will guess Mat) are key in the Final Battle. In the books, other than telling Darkfriends that Perrin and Mat must die Ishy totally ignored them. To his detriment. And to the Dark One's plans.
This, my first instict was WTH¿?¿ That's some straight up BS!! But then I was like, well, actually that's a slick lie to keep him from getting deeper imbedded into that protection. But then, book Perrin was informed that the wolf nonsense would be his protection. So it's slightly opposite of what happened. But if they wanna cut out his fear of becoming like the Noam or whatever that chained one was like this does a masterful job to set up some conflict with his wolf powers.
It’s not just the opening scene that’s been cut from Lan and Rand. It’s the entire relationship they have developed through the first book that spills into the 2nd. Lan taking interest in Rand and slowly and harshly treating him as a boy that needs a father figure during the adventure to a mentor and not only teaching him the sword but teaching him small bits about how to be a man. Rand was very much a kid when he leaves and Lan helps shape his path to adulthood. Which starts in book 1 and sets up the opening of book 2.
Show Rand is more mature and no teenage like in the first books, unfortunately. The growing aspect was a thing for me. This series is blurred in scope and aim. Bad use of the time they have to tell the story, even if it doesn't have to be a book clon.
I agree with you. I've never been an advocate for a scene for scene book clone but the writing is dropping a lot of the quality that makes the books great and not fully explaining the rules of this adaptation or the geography.
I'm a little worried how they are going to address Rand's sword skills. In the books, he trained with Lan. In the show, they made a half-hearted mention of the patient he was looking after showing him some sword forms. And I just feel like he's going to suddenly just out of nowhere possess blade-master level skills.
I assume they're just doing away with any sort of talent or power Rand is supposed to accumulate. He'll probably be a pawn bounced around by all of these powerful women and nothing else.
@@Dirty0o0Jester considering how they handled his duel with High Lord Turak and how he gets the never healing wound in his side, I'm guessing they're just going to dismiss his sword skills altogether
It also conveys that a significant amount of time passed. They likely sat there talking etc for a few hours and then finally fell asleep. It was handled much better than having her pop out while they were still arguing. I think season 2 has been pretty good so far, it is no early Game of Thrones but it sure beats things like The Witcher or Rings of Power at this point.
27:26 maybe im dumb but this actually made sense to me. that room/portal probably felt like a gravesite, so i can understand someone being unable to leave their loved one (as she said "i can't leave her") and a good friend deciding to stick it out and spend the night there together to grieve. them sleeping there didn't throw me at all.
Also the fact that you seems to have missed that Elaine literally straight-up said "I'll grab some blankets"... So it was very clear in the show that they were intending to like at least stay down there for a significant amount of time to need some padding via blankets for the stone... but yeah I wasn't surprised that they fell asleep there either.
I see why Perrin's "Wolf powers" are adapted to (visions)rather than sensing others emotions through (smell) as the book series portrays. It is television ........ Not smellivision..... So far......I'm liking season 2! Its hard as a fan of the books to see so much being skipped over. But, I must be realistic to the fact that trying to condense this Massive Novel series into TV is a feat unto itself!! Nevertheless, I'm still super excited to see the Wheel of Time adapted to the screen anyway it can! P.S. I love Verin Sedai character being portrayed by Meera Syal❤
I don't mind the TV show presenting Perrin's powers visually, though I think they missed chances to do it by not having Elyas in season one when Perrin should have been beginning to learn about his abilities. The problem I have with Perrin's "vision" scene in episode three is that it's yet another moment that Rand is supposed to have along his path to accepting he is the Dragon Reborn being given to another character. The change with Rand's story also means any non-book reader will have no idea who Selene is since her entire introduction was cut.
Im assuming it'll be wxplained to him as a form of visual scent, a combination of all his senses meshed together in away for his mind to process. With aspects of Hurins ability to smell violence maybe
It does not work on any level. He could sense people's emotions through smell. Him see the past in acts of violence, like why isn't he seeing it everywhere. He didn't notice any violent areas after a literall trollic attack? I like W.O.T too, you don't have to pretend the show is good cause your a fan, it's a bad show and that's ok,
After the first episode I was so confused at what was happening. Moiraine killing a Fade, what ? Her being a total jerk to Lan, and him getting chastised for it ???? When in the end he still asks her what he's been asking her for days. A bit too much time is spent on Aes Sedai horniness and overall sex life. The fact they did zero prep for the One Power in S1 makes it so the explanations about the power system feel super rushed in S2 I watched it with someone who has never read the books, only saw the show, and she was completely lost. And as a fan of Lan she called Moiraine the b-word. I was lost too, but for different reasons.
Yeah I haven’t read the book and I’ve just watched episode 5 of season 2 and I’m still so lost. The plot is so disjointed and just doesn’t make sense. In season one Ishamal was portrayed to be the dark one. It’s only whilst going through the comments that I’ve been made aware that he’s one of his Lieutenants 😭 a mess
When Rand showed up again with the red coat, I assumed that was all just a.. happy dream of his... The coat continuity, but then also him channeling during the deed, and then immediately cutting to him waking up, still channeling, and alone, in different clothes.
That was my interpretation too lol. I was questioning the coat like Daniel was, but then the fire weaves during that steamy moment continuing while it cuts to Rand waking up... Yes I would agree it was meant to be a "happy dream"
I actually audibly gasped at the Uno and Seanchan scene. I was very sad to watch that :( I loved uno and enjoyed his frequent comings and goings in the book. So I’m sad that they killed him off. I honestly think I like the new Mat even more than the previous mat (I apologize I don’t know his name). But the scene of him mimicking the noises that liandrin made as she walked away was JUST how I pictured mat in my head when I read the book.
I'm still in shock that Uno is dead already, I enjoyed his character through the books too, but it does make the stakes for the characters in general much higher and it is pretty on point with how Uno would have approached that situation
@@Echidna23Gaming I completely agree with that. It really made me realize (just as Daniel says) how brutal they’re going to allow this show to go. Which I am okay with
I personally found Nynaeve's third arch changes to be completely needless. Sure, the arch goes out for a moment in the books and yes, Lan and the kid are there, but the whole point of the test is to face your fears. The fear she faced in arch #3 was giving up Lan and their family to become Aes Sedai and heal people. The show letting her come back only after Lan had died and her trying to bring the child with her completely undermines that. She made no choice at all. Such a little change, but it has massive character implications that I'm not a fan of. The show seems full of these issues. Slightly changing recognizable book scenes and themes in a way that completely misses the point
I agree, I was really upset when in season 1 they changed the story about Egwene surviving the fever to be about how strong Egwene is and not that Nynaeve has always had this power and cannot escape her need to be trained.
I don’t think it undermined it at all. She had to have known the child wouldn’t come with her, she knows it is a test, she knows it isn’t real… in no world would a mother say, oh I need to leave you, I’ll be right back. She chose to go through the door, not grab her child and run into the forest. She gave her child a few last moments of love and made the choice to leave it all behind. Just adding some dramatic effect for the show. But the worst fear of leaving your loved ones happened.
@@polish109I don't think so because when you're in the arches you have to be convinced it's real, or turning your back to go through the arches has no impact at all. She came through Arch 2 screaming about how they have to get to the Teo Rivers to stop the plague. I think she saw the arch and knew she had to go in it but not entirely why, and thought she could bring the baby too.
I was just so relieved that Nynaeve made it out of her third arch by herself, and not due to Egwene’s attempts, that I didn’t care that the rest of the Aes Sedai weren’t there. I was so worried after the teasers that Egwene would “save” her again!
@@brendondavid7349nope. If the director wanted it to be Egwene, he would've done so. After so many changes to the source material why stop there? It was very clear that she was there for dramatic effect and show her distress over losing Nynaeve as well as showing how stubborn Egwene is thinking she can do it all.
I was a bit disappointed that Nynaeve basically has to lose everything in her 'dream' in order to channel and bring back the arch which makes it feel cheap, almost like "well I guess I'll go back because there's nothing left for me here." When, in the book, she remembers it all on her own and CHOOSES to leave - she chooses to channel in order to bring back the arch. I find that much more powerful than the crap they did in the episode. 😣😣
@@valaryayou can't channel inside the arches... Verin explains it when she goes in. Egwene is why she got to leave beyond her missing the one way out arch.... Egwene got her out
Elayne specifically says that she will go get blankets and they can stay the night there since Egwene couldn't leave Nyneave there alone so it made sense to me. Also the thing with Perrin was kind of weird but I don't know how I would have shown visually how he can piece together everything he knows with smell and communication with wolves... I want to say there may be a better way but I don't know what it would be so since I can't give a better option I'm good with it for now.
When he beat the crap out of that guy, if you listen closely, you can hear whispers of "kill him" in the background. It's woven into the music very well and hard to hear, but it also appears more than once as he's channeling.
Possibly, but given all that's been said & done to the show I don't think that's something that's going to happen. They've shown themselves unwilling to accept why there is a problem, much like with what happened with The Witcher.
Maybe. I mean the tarwins gap thing and that whole battle was really annoying to see and no excuse to change it that much other then some sort of agenda.
@@pedanticperson1149 I'm fairly sure there is a group in the production that legit wants to do a faithful adaptation and then there is a another that is taking a piss all over it. Not sure how the split works out between them though.
@@damp2269 Unfortunately the showrunner is one of those not wanting to do a faithful adaptation, he's on record as wanting to update it for modern audiences. Not sure where they're taking season 2, but it seems mostly aimless at the moment & we're almost half way through...
Nah see Matt has the misfortune of being one of the coolest characters from the books. So naturally Rafe is going to completely scrap scenes like that. I bet they'll have Elayne do that though.
When Rand starts to channel, in the books we have episodes of wrecklessness e.g. top of the mast on the Spray, and the face off with the Whitecloak in Whitebridge. Rand jumping the guy sort of felt that way. The intensity and manic expression in the scene kind of fit.
Yeah I thought him losing control on that guy but then you see it was actually a part of his plan to get to logain, I thought it was a great mix of him but understanding his powers, still losing control, but having long term plans we don't suspect. Felt like Rand from the books
Remember in the books Nynaeve channels during two of the three arches, even though she wasn't supposed to be able to according to the Aes Sedai running the test, and also specifically channels to bring back the arch in her third test after missing it the first time. I actually liked the way they handled the tests in the show. Her flashback with her parents gave us much more character insight than her being chased through random hallways by an undead Forsaken rapist. My only issue with it was there wasn't anything compelling her to stay, making the choice to go through the arch easy. For the second test, I think going with a plague that she wasn't there to heal spoke to her character much better than the "So a new Wisdom showed up and now she's poisoning people" plot from the books, and I think her turning her back on a dying Tam, a character the viewers have a much bigger connection to, than a scared Marin, who I think only had a couple lines in S1, E1 was a much stronger choice. With the final test, her "super saiyin explosion" inadvertently re-opening the arch makes just about as much sense as her suddenly figuring out how to channel it back into existence in the books. Whether the show actually does anything with Nynaeve proving the Aes Sedai's understanding of the arches is flawed, I don't know, but the books never did anything with Nynaeve proving the same thing.
Yea her tests are as faithful an adaptation of the books as something can be. Beautifully done. Lots if time spent to it. And followed very closely. Yes scene one is different but it makes much more sense. And the other two are slightly modified versions of what's happened in the books and we even got a cool twist and a nod to the flicker scenes we see in the books. Living off a whole life for a while.
Hehehe …qanon. That’s only slightly less offensive, and just as enlightening, as saying an awake, aware, and rational person must be a fox news viewer 😂
Also as a parent, Zoe's final scene and the weight of the loss of her child... fucking choked me up. Like hats off the show for that scene alone because i was fully invested and was taken out of my own overly-critical book fan mentality. I have a lot of issues with the series as is, but I'm hoping it improves from here.
Agreed! Zoe Robbins is amazing! She one of those people who could just read names out of a phone book and I would love it. There is something about this actress, IMO, that is just amazing!
I didn't like it as much. In the books she gave up the life she dreamed of to return back to reality for her friends. In the show, that sacrifice is eliminated and she returns back only after losing everything. It cheapens the test. Yes, as a parent, it's heartbreaking to watch but stylistically, it's similar to a jump scare in a horror movie. It doesn't hit on any deep level.
Daniel, appreciating so much what you’re doing here. I’ve only read the series once, so it’s hard to remember what I’m misremembering, what’s changing, etc. I really appreciate the amount of work you’re doing here. Thank you
Personally, I think episode 1 was very smart in refocusing on character- each protagonist’s arc for the season is clearly communicated, with a tighter script than S1. As someone who read the books multiple times but doesn’t need the same fidelity of adaptation, I think this is a strong start - the themes are there, characters are well portrayed, and plots are getting where they need to by different routes.
My first thought when I saw the Logain scene was that they were merging Logain & Asmodean so that Logain could have an important role throughout the entire show. And I was totally okay with that. Now I’m not sure what they’re doing…
I definitely also thought this, and still think that it may be the case that Logain will take over Asmodean's job of teaching Rand how to use the One Power.
@@Gee-Sus-Official they don’t care enough about staying true to the books for that to matter. They will treat it like he can reach them even when he’s gentled if that’s the direction they actually go.
Elayne actually proposes that they stay there for the night and says that she will bring blankets so that Egwene could properly mourn her friend. People from some cultures do that, i know at least people from my culture definitely do this. They spend the night in a deceased love one's bedroom or the place where they most associate them with or even the place where they passed away. In this case, it was the latter one.
The first season showed enough potential to make me begin to read the books and I'm now halfway through the shadow rising. But in season 2 I almost whish I could forget the books completely as I think I would enjoy it a lot more. The show begins to feel more like a dream where you recognise the world and events around you but everything is kind of distorted and just seems wrong.
@@khanktingait’s just hard to accept something like that. As a lifelong fan of the books I personally wanted to see the words come to life on screen. I feel like I got a bastardized version of my favorite fantasy series. Didn’t feel that way with LotR or Harry Potter.
@@jonathanhighland4507 I don't think it is fair to compare adapting LotR or Harry Potter to The Wheel of Time. Each LotR book is ~400 pages compared to The Eye of the World being ~700. Each book of Wheel was clocking in at ~1000 pages once it got to Book 4. The Harry Potter books are structured very differently from The Wheel of Time. Each HP book has its own main plot that gets resolved at the same time it is advancing the overall story. Most Wheel books may build up to a main event, but that main event doesn't fully resolve much in those cases. All three LotR movies (theatrical editions) are just a little more screen time than a season of The Wheel. There are also practical considerations that make matching things up more difficult. Could we have had Caemlyn in Season 1? I don't think so. Too many important characters in that city don't show up again for quite some time. How could you cast those roles for the actors to be in one or two scenes and then expect them to commit to being series regulars years later? Casting, building sets, scheduling filming... all of that complicates trying to line things with the books in a TV series they hope to run several seasons vs. 3 books that they filmed simultaneously.
@@khanktingaPeople's complaints are generally not about what was left out, but what was changed for no reason. Such as when Rand was confronting the Forsaken and seeing an image of him and Egwene with a baby. That was supposed to be from her test beyond the arches.
@@TroySavary I get that. But for me, that kind of thing isn't bothersome. For one, it's kind of a sexist cliche for the female character to imagine having babies with male protagonist while the male protagonist is mostly concerned with protecting her. But aside from such 'progressive' viewpoints, it is also fine to me because it seems like minutia rather than essential character development as to which of them gets that vision and when. I am still just having a hard time thinking of how they could stay closer to the books and still fit even one book into one season, let alone deal with the reality that they will need to average around two books per season to keep the whole story at 7-8 seasons. If they try harder to match up that level of detail, they may lose focus on telling a coherent story that works on its own terms for people that didn't read the books.
The point about learning in the kitchen almost tells me that this method of "clean" the dirt would be the key to solve some "question"... later on the books 😮
Weirdly, the questionable changes the show introduces to the base story has had a sorta positive effect on my experience of episode 3. When Nynaeve went out of the third arch and was like "f*ck it, I quit", my brain was so busy computing the implications that I fully fell into the trap. Only when the kiss with Lan happened something stirred inside like "wait a minute..." and the arch in the background confirmed it seconds later. That rollercoaster was quite an enjoyable ride and hooked me to the episode. Nynaeve finally crossing the arch at the end of the episode hooked me to the season.
This show is killing me. Twice they've given me hope of killing Nynaeve off, but then they pull back the wool and the awful shrew returns in full force.
That's exactly how I'm watcching this season, I have no idea what's left of the book so it's like I'm rediscovering the series for the first time again. And yeah, I was wondering how unlikely that both Lan and Nyneave took the same small road and met there. And then, the arch ! I was screaming
little details that made me love S2 so far: fades being inhumanly fast and Lan as one of the best swordsmen in the world not being able to handle two fades without the extra speed from being a warder, the scene with Moiraine and Bayle Domon(great setup for how aes sedai can control people and also a great way of sending the message don't mess with aes sedai), the seanchan not killing most people instead disarming them, having some of their soldiers die in the attempt but simply not caring so they could make them swear the oaths first, Egwene looking at the dress and stole of the amyrlyn seat, the man rand cares for having PTSD from the aiel war(great setup for how deadly the aiel are and how feared)
It's been a while since I've read the books so I might not remember it exactly, but I think Nynaeve's third trial plays out approximately the same. In the books just as in the show, she misses the gateway but manages to channel within the Arches to reopen it, the main change in the show being that she spends a much longer time inside and thus the Aes Sedai think she's gone (which in my opinion was a fine change for the emotional impact and extra characterization of Egwene and Elayne the show gets as a result). The main part I didn't like about this version was that while in the books Nynaeve had a perfect life alongside Lan and had to choose to leave that all behind to return to reality, in the show she'd already lost everything when the portal appeared and didn't have as hard of a choice to make. Either way it's a gut-wrenching emotional scene but I would have liked to see Nynaeve make that choice herself.
Season 2 is on another level. Think I can relax and enjoy the show if they maintain and continue to improve upon this standard. Even with the changes this season gives me the same feelings the books do when I read them
About the sleeping in the room w/ the arches, Elaine said that she'll bring down some blankets so they can spend the night there so it was completely random. I think it was meant to be some sort of closure for Eguane. Idk if any of that made sense
The theme of the dynamic between Eg and Ny is being there for one another / not being there. It makes more sense for me that Eg spends the night there than Eg leaving the room without being forced to.
The flies scene caught me off guard. I honestly don't think I fully understood that it was supposed to be THE fly scene until you said it. They definitely didn't do it justice. I think Uno's death was brutal not only because it's, well, BRUTAL, but you also don't expect Uno to die this early. So you get caught super off guard when it happens.
All other positives and negatives aside, Zoe Robbins is knocking it out of the park on a jaw dropping level in this role and bringing Nynaeve to life straight out of the books.
She's nothing like Nynaeve from the books. She doesn't fight in the books, not because she cant, rather because it goes against everything she believes as a healer. This show is absolutely terrible.
@@user-ti5rb1mx5x The show has plenty of faults to criticize, particularly the first season. Your commentary is ridiculous. Nynaeve doesn't refuse to fight in the books, particularly on the basis of being a healer. She personally fights Moghedien and Rahvin, both with vicious intentions and results, and fights numerous members of the Black Ajah with, if not the intent to kill them, the willingness to. She doesn't sword fight in the books, correct. Pretending she's some peaceful hippie following the Way of the Leaf is ludicrous.
@@bobbyfricke5752 yeah, you're wrong but you're entitled to be a poor reader. She eventually participated in combat much later in the serious, but this version pulls knives on strangers, fights Trollocs, and trains with a sword. Most of what she did in the books was tie people up with weaves of air and when there were times we're she would do something more extreme, it was a big deal because it was against her beliefs. That conflict won't exist in this version. But you are certainly entitled to be completely wrong and have bad taste.
Imagine a simple scene setup with Elyas asking Perrin questions about his surroundings. "What do you smell, what can you see, what does all this tell you" etc. It was have been a simple one off explanation that allowed them to continue doing the "vision" thing, but to have it be explained as Perrin learning the story of what happened through his senses, not just magically seeing it with his glowing eyes.
@@SirSquittles I was about to say: if only there was a mentor figure to walk Perrin through his powers and serve as explanation at the same time..... sadly the isn't someone like that ;)
@@tuomastt Fair, although given the speed at which they're barreling down the rest of the story, I'm unsure why they'd choose to postpone something like perrins eventual acceptance of his abilities.
I think Elayne and Egwene being asleep in the chamber works well because Elayne obviously is given a lot of leeway because of her history, as would Egwene because of her grief. I also think it is to set up Telahanriod earlier, we know season 3 is Shadow Rising, so introducing the dream-world in this season and mysteries with it works for me.
Ishamael talking to Perrin made sense to me. In the books Perrin struggles internally with what being a Wolfbrother means for his humanity and in the show I think it makes sense to have Ishamael plant those thoughts into him, to give him a more easily depicted reason for worrying about what being a Wolfbrother will mean
Elyas...you're not wrong. For someone whose been 'running with the wolves', he's like a stone. We really don't get much vibe from him, at all. Considering that in the book, he was once Warder Trained, he should be more. Even Crocodile Dundee gave a more correct vibe, i think.
I'll just say this: Ceara Coveney is simply PERFECT as Elayne. I wasn't the biggest fan of her in the books, but I can already tell I am going to LOVE her in the show!
I like her casting but I'm on the fence with her script. The Elayne I expected was more assertive, a little more spoiled and royal. This Elaine seems to be a little too submissive. A shepherd girl yelling at the Queen-heir just doesn't work for me.
I have read the Wheel of Time twice. Once years ago and recently again in anticipation of this series. Most of the first three episodes were mostly unrecognizable for me when compared to the books. It is sad but not surprising. I will continue to watch because I love this book series. I have read many fantasy series in my 77 years. Wheel of Time ranks as my favorites along with Lord of Rings (read that 4 times). It will interesting to see how they bring it all together. Hope they can do it without destroying the story. This will be many people only exposure to the Wheel of Time. The shear size of the series and the length of each book will scare away many potential readers. If you re a fantasy lover make the time to read Wheel of Time. You won't regret it.
Seriously, more than 90% of Season One was stuff we never saw in the books - a pretty shocking number considering all the hand-wringing over not having enough episodes to tell the story - so I expected nothing less from Season Two. This is just bad fan fiction that seems like it was written by people who hated the books expressly for people who never read the books.
@@callum7081 When Robert Jordan was dying and basically dictating his books to his wife/editor, things did begin to get a bit sprawling... but when Brandon Sanderson came onboard as the hand-picked successor to finish the series, it fixed everything - those last three books are arguably the best three of the series, especially the finale - talk about satisfying!
Bro what? Do you not use Twitter or something? Or see the barrage of pre-strike recorded interviews? Or the teasers and trailer? Bare in mind Amazon could probably do more, but there's the actor and writer's guild strikes going on so they have no one to do that
I am so happy you acknowledged how critical you are at the end. I am of the more forgiving spectrum of the fandom I think, I very much welcome this as a new and different interpretation, especially since there are some characterizations that work better for me with these actors (Nyneave being less of an annoying know-it-all and Egwane and Rand being less childish being just one of them). I am always glad to watch your take on it, though, especially since you are the reason I fell in love with this series to begin with, so, thanks for your input
Thanks for the first 20 seconds. Told me everything I need to know to never waste any time with this series again. Appreciate you DG, keep up all you do.
I kind of like the Perrin visions, I think it's him smelling it. I LOVED the Accepted Test. I thought that was the best adaptation I've seen on screen yet. Overall, I am loving this turning of the wheel. It is a huge step up for me from S1
I feel alot of book 2 was Rand becoming a man. Lan showing him how to stand tall and be stoic, being given a command and being responsible for getting loial and Hurin Back to safety,and having to stand on his own when the adults (Ingtar) are not what they seem but also masculinity and redemption. It’s truly a book of maturing to me. I feel taking Rand out of the Hunt removes a core of his journey.
I totally agree. Book two is about rand being forced into responsibility. He totally doesn't want it. He would like nothing better than to do what he did in this adaptation: run and hide. It grinds against the core of his journey and his growth as a character.
I feel like they may be saving that for later seasons. They don't want him to mature or become a man too soon, when they are also going to show him completely unraveling and falling apart and going crazy and making very poor or unwise choices like they are doing right now, probably. But maybe that's just me and my own guess. 🤷🤷♀️🤷🏻♂️
One thing i saw and really took to heart is the idea of viewing this as another turning of the wheel. That helps to reconcile many of the differences, because its not the same story, but the core is mostly there. I find that in many cases I'm excited by how the threads of the pattern shift and change to reach a similar picture, versus being upset with them.
there are 2 problems with that line of thought: - expectations: all promotional material we got prior to the show pointed towards a faithful adaptation. if the plan was always "another turn of the wheel" and they would have been upfront about it the criticism would have been less. - "the core is MOSTLY there". even on "another turn of the wheel" the core has to be fully there. Saidin and Saidar have to be separate entities, for example.
@@damp2269 100% agree! When you deliberately go against the lore on something as fundamental as Saidin/Saidar, then the ‘core’ is definitely NOT there.
A friend and I started to meme watch this. Every time we start comparing the show to the book, we go "Hey now. That is unfair to compare this to a book series Rafe never read. What you wanna do is compare it to the synopsis on the back of the book and stfu!" XD
As a non book reader, the acceptance test really worked for me. Actually brought me to tears. They were sleeping there though i think out of grief, the red headed new character suggested that they could sleep there for the night if she didnt want to leave the room. But i do agree it implies a bunch for the test that probably wont be addressed, but not knowing how the books are in reality, i just took this to be more characterization of nyneave being special. As someone more fresh to this world, these first three episodes definitely landed more with me than season 1, and I liked season 1 as well, so that's saying something.
So I had the same thoughts about Rand's outfit and the girls at the arches. But once I watched it again, the show in episode two that Rand changes into his uniform before working with the patients, so that works. And because she was exhausted from trying to open the arches and she was still in the hope phase of grief. She got blankets for them to just sit there and rest. So that checks out also.
I think depicting Perrin’s abilities is quite a challenge. Will he have a voice in this head? Isn’t it supposed to be images? What about T’A’R? He sees visions sometimes while in T’A’R, but we don’t know how the show will address T’A’R yet… will they have Perrin asleep for many action sequences? It works in the book, but maybe it won’t on screen. Perhaps the “visions” are how they will deal with T’A’R… at least for Perrin. Maybe hopper will be more like a “ghost-wolf” who pops in on Perrin from time to time… 🤷
Me and my dad have loved the way they've been portraying his abilities so far, I was worried theyd do a voice, but the visions are close enough to the images and impressions sent by wolves in the books imo
Minor spoilers for book 6 below. Fully agree. It's an impossible decision - if the wolves have voices, then it'll be seen as out of place and not true to RJ's work. However if they don't give the wolves voices, how will they do the "We Come" scene, not to mention it makes Hopper and Perrin's relationship 100x harder to show. It's just a challenge for a book->visual medium. At a guess, they won't have wolves speak but have Perrin speak in response to them, which may get old if it happens too often but could work. IMO they should hold back on the wolves speaking right until "WE COME," and only after Dumai's Wells have Hopper start training Perrin. I know that would be a continuity break but it would be a lot more impactful to me. But then again, I do like Ishy implying using wolf powers will lead to Perrin losing himself to his rage. It gives him a more defined "Heroes Journey Problem" not to embrace his wolf-side. The reasoning in the books never really made sense considering Elyas existed and Perrin knew he was fully in control.
It's not as challenging. It could easily be a collage of flashing images in his head that Perrin puts together. Similar to the books where wolves send him images/scents in a way that doesn't quite make sense to a human but can be deciphered.
@@csarmii My beef with the show has pretty much exclusively been regarding it's writing. I actually have nothing but praise for the actors and actresses who are doing the best that they can with the filth that the writers have been handing to them. Whoever the show has as their casting director is phenomenal.
I took Nynaeve coming out of the arch as she broke it (probably temporarily), and normally this wouldn't happen. In the last sequence when everyone was killed around her, she was so emotionally charged (angry, ect), that she channeled, and remember, she was told that no one can channel in the test. So I think as a testament to how powerful she really is/can be....when she channeled (that "explosion") maybe just temporarily "broke" the Ter'angreal, and allowed the door to appear once more.
@@francois853 omg agreed... I was looking forward to it for so long, but after all these recent 'adaptations' where writers take a name from a better ip to create a totally unrelated story... I'm terrified
@@dbjdi I feel like Wheel of Time if you go into not expecting an adaptation then you might like it. LOTR was pretty faithful in comparison to most though
I have another side to some of your complaints, figured I'd leave them here lol. 1) the Lan and Moiraine drama seems childish. I agree, but it makes sense. This is the first time in 20 years they are having to communicate exclusively with their words, and neither if them are capable of doing so anymore. This is especially poignant given Lan's lack of a purpose outside of Moiraine and Moiraine's determination to go it alone. 2) I like Perrin's visions. In the books, the wolves communicate with pure sensation. Their thoughts were images or feelings that carry meaning in sensation. Perrin sniffing out a scene of violence that reveals itself to him as a strange vision, a moments of distinct sensation I think is a pretty alright way of bringing some of his abilities to the screen.
I appreciate your perspective. Personally, I understood from the beginning when we were told that we would have eight seasons and books were being combined, that the story would chnage significantly. Likewise with the shift of focus to Moiraine. But I think you are letting your negativity make you overlook details you would usually catch. Rand didn't put his cost back on, he was in the world of dreams, sleeping with Selene and losing control. Elayne said she would get blankets so they could wait through the night. You did better reviewing S1, which you liked less.
Thank you for this wonderful review and most of all for the positive way in which you criticize the show and the way it differs from the books. After watching your video, I felt I had learned something new and I was left with a good feeling inside and with the desire to find out more. I was not subscribed to your channel, but after this I felt compelled to do it. :) I love your style and the way you do not demolish everything, but have a positive attitude even though the series does not respect the books to the letter and has made many changes. I have not read the books yet, but I am enjoying the show immensely and watching your review helped me understand the universe of The Wheel of Time better. To be honest I did want to start reading the books after the first season aired because I liked the series a lot, but I watched so many videos on UA-cam and read so many comments by fans of the books who were totally displeased with the way the show was handling the source material, that I decided to postpone reading them because I realized that it would probably take away from the joy of watching the series. Since I hadn't read The Wheel of Time, I came in without any kind of expectations and so I was able to enjoy the show like a child who discoveres something new and beautiful. So, I am along for the ride and I hope that they will see this through to the end and adapt ALL the books so that we can have an end to this wonderful story which I have honestly fallen in love with.
What ultimately frustrates me the most about this show is that it is telling an entirely different story by CHOICE. They didn’t have to tell it this way; they just wanted to. They could have stayed much, much truer to the books in so many ways. Yes, I understand adaptations require changes and for scenes and characters to be condensed or omitted entirely… But that could have been done here while still staying true to the story we all know and love. Three episodes into the second season I’m still baffled as to why a self-proclaimed super fan of the series (or so Rafe has claimed to be) would veer the show so wildly off course when there were so many good ways to tell the story and get it right. It’s just sad to me that after waiting literally decades to see this brought to life on screen, our one shot at it turns out to be a story that bears so little resemblance to the story we grew up reading that it’s practically offensive to Jordan’s legacy. I mean, do we really think Robert Jordan would be giving any of this his tick of approval? I guess a true-to-the-books version of this story is now off the cards in my lifetime because the one guy who had a shot decided to spin it off into his own fanfic interpretation… Oh well.
Telling it exactly as-is would never realistically be feasible with a 14-book series, even if you discount book 10(?) and boil that down to the one critical scene and surrounding miniscenes and make that a single episode. MASSIVE swathes of content would have to be condensed, less story-critical plotlines stripped entirely, to meet even a TEN season timeline for the entire story. That's completely ignoring the massive sabotage done by COVID and being forced to write Mat out of the back end of the season completely, completely throwing him off course and dealing massive rippling damage to the storylines of everyone he would've interacted with. That much at least is NOT their fault, and I think they should be commended for taking that huge setback and rolling with it as well as they've managed.
We just don't know how much the Covid-19 pandemic did to the production. Upto e6 of S1, the story was kinda following the book. But Barney leaving, the rewriting required in such a short time, the pandemic restrictions imposed on filming. Well, we saw the results in E7 and 8. We are seeing a total different production this season. Just imagine what might have been if there was no Covid-19. I'm enjoying this season so far and am looking forward to the remaining episodes
@@carolbriscoe9337What'll be really telling is where everything is by the END of this season. If all the players are more or less where they should be as of the end of The Great Hunt, then I think we're set for a S3 that basically follows the 3rd book's events and then future seasons will condense and make tweaks as needed from there, because at most we're getting 8-10 seasons, certainly not 13. (That one particular book can just be a single episode and we all know it.... you know which one I mean.)
@MastaDRD I think the departure of the Mat actor caused the rewrite for S1 E7 & 8. Mat was supposed to be in Fal Dara with the rest of the group. His remaining behind caused the rewrite. S2 is slowly getting the story back on track
Tbh my biggest issues with S1 - sparse set dressing, CW level dialogue and relationships, plotpoints that only make sense if you've read the book, harsh colour grading - all got fixed. I'm watching it with a non book reader still and we enjoyed it a lot more, I'm genuenly optimistic about the show now! Our fave plot currently is Rand, as it should be imo, a stark contrast to S1 where we didn't care about him at all. (Also no shade to Barney Harris, I hope he's doing well, but I like the new Mat WAY more.)
It's not like they can show Perrin's heightened senses working in a visual medium. I like to think the visions are just a culmination of them all at once.
Imagine a simple scene setup with Elyas asking Perrin questions about his surroundings. "What do you smell, what can you see, what does all this tell you" etc. It was have been a simple one off explanation that allowed them to continue doing the "vision" thing, but to have it be explained as Perrin learning the story of what happened through his senses, not just magically seeing it with his glowing eyes.
Exactly. The way I see it is that it's a sending that's happening from the wolves. And since sending images and smell won't work really to explain what's happening, it's easier to portray it as these scenes
I understand everyone wants this to be good, but I am so close to dropping the series. I know they couldn’t make everything fit, but the changes does to have shock factor are so jarring. I feel like it’s legend of the seeker, and Shanara, all over again.
Daniel & Comment section: “This show is incredible though!!! You just need to get over the fact this actually isn’t the The Wheel of Time at all, but just a different turning of the wheel.” It’s unbelievable how many ppl can’t accept the fact that this show is not good but so unrecognizable that you have to tell yourself that what you are watching is an adaptation of some alternate storyline of a book that doesn’t exist. C’mon. The show runners turned this series into a fantasy teen/young adult romance.
I think your comments on "dont try and link yhid with the books" is pretty spot on. I wish that it wasnt this way as i feel like we, the fabs deserve a true adaptation vs someone's vision of what they want from the stories.
The reason they were sleeping in the Archway room is explained in the episode. It is clear to Elaine that Egwene is reluctant to leave the room, so she comprimes by saying they can bunk out there together. So that is why they are sleeping there, probably after a long vigil that exhausted them.
It explained why they were there, yes. It's ridiculous that they were there in the first place, though. No novice would be allowed in there till she is summoned for her test, and they certainly wouldn't be allowed to channel into the arches -- although I get why they did it, so Elayne could exposit on the dangers of what Egwene was doing. Maybe that's why so many of their novices are dying, poor supervision 😅
@@Jamesmatiseyea I don't know, books 2-3 Elayne and Egwene are absolutely on brand for sneaking into places. And they're not being supervised very well either. They just get away with Liandrin in TGH. Then in TDR they get into storerooms.
I wouldn't mind Liandrin lying, because there are a (very) few Aes Sedai who can lie, and it would make sense for Liandrin to be one of them given her book counterpart.
It would suck if she's Black Ajah and they merge Elaida with her. The interesting thing about Elaida is that she's just incompetent and evil, not Darkfriend Evil. I hope she's introduced in S3 when we meet Morgase
@@csarmiiExcept when she reads the letter to Mat and tells him "over a dozen letters, and not a word about you." That's more than leaving the last couple lines out, it's a plain lie. But yes, the rest is Aes Sedai speak
The lack of respect that Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve show to the sisters is frustrating in my opinion. I feel like in the books Egwene and Nynaeve were punished a ton due to their lack of deference and respect a sister was owed, even one weak in the power.
Another thing that pulled me away from episode three was Egwene and Elayne just knowing where the accepted test takes place and exactly what it is. I feel like it takes away from the secret secretism that was the Aes Sedai and their rituals
But how did he get the ghealdean red for Logain. Or was his visit to Logain a dream. I think he actually did go to the party with Selene Nvm realized we are talking about when he returns to his room lol
I was hoping E1 would begin at Fal Dara and if Nynaeve would attempt the healing. Hope this means the evil effects of the knife don't work on the Ogeir.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Thumbnail is supposed to be a joke of it looking like I’m talking to Rand and Mat. I’m now being told it looks like I’m being a dramatic ass… I think the joke lands!
I hace seen the three already It was a blast in the good sence, and I will enjoy the rest of the season waiting for the Next one 🎉🎉🎉
For the actors they are developing very well
Whoever said that is weird. It looks exactly like you're having a three-way conversation.
Why do people care
I thought you were memeing on Sandersons podcast video thumbnails.
New Mat actor won me over with that little pantomime of Liandrin locking the door and walking away.
Same here
Yup!
It's the first time Mat has actually acted like Mat
Classic Mat!
That was fantastic.
I viewed it as Egwene and Elayne didn't decide to take a nap. Egwene refused to leave, and Elayne, being a new good friend, stayed with her. In fact, Elayne's support in this moment was AMAZING. Instead of continuing to tell Egwene that it wasn't going to work, she went and got a bucket of water to pour over Nynaeve when she reappeared. Then, they stood vigil outside the Arches until they literally passed out from being too tired to stay awake. That's how I interpreted that scene.
I agree with you 100%. This was a great way to build even more characterization for those characters.
My interpretation is almost exactly like yours, but my take away was that they had both, in some form or fashion, kept trying to open it, until they collapsed from exhaustion.
100%
Yeah, I think Daniel just missed a small exchange between Egwene and Elayne. It was clearly explained.
Yeah, Elayne said "I'll get some blankets."
Funny thing about Rand giving the little kid a coin: Josha brought that in, he mentioned that in an interview. He felt that something was needed to show that Rand cares for normal people/the less fortunate in society.
Might want to scrub that last sentence since it spoils stuff for the TV only folks
@@DeathBean89 good call, edit
Nice. 🙂 It's because Josha read the books. Go figure, he gets the character more than the writers.
The casual name drops of Cadsuane and Mazrim Taim got me excited. And also Verin's line in episode 2 about loopholes in oaths. Nice foreshadowing there.
yesssss! I loved that they name dropped them, it means that they exist and will probably appear ^0^
...same here, but why did they invent a best friend for her who doesn't appear in the books, when there are literally hundreds of book Aes Sedai they could have chosen?
@@Deanof316.because people will complain either way. If it was a named book character people would have complained that it wasn’t her best friend in the book
@@tuber7081 ah the human condition
@Deanof316. Whoexactly do you mean as invented?
The scene with Liandrin and her son was something I totally did not see coming and put a really heartwrenching angle on her character. It is one thing to hear of Aes Sedai speaking of living hundreds of years, but yet another altogether to see it in reality as one secretly nurses a child dying of age inflicted ailments. Just was such an unexpected level of depth to her character.
No shit you didn't see it coming because it wasn't in the books.
@@potentpotables5468 But it was good.
@@gnampfff3469 No. The books were good. The show is a vanity project at best.
@@potentpotables5468 w/e
@gnampfff3469 it was s good scene!!
With the Selene scene where Rand changed clothes, the fact that he was still wearing the ornate coat was supposed to be a signal that this was a dream and not a continuation of reality. Then Rand’s passion in the dream led to him unconsciously channeling manifested in reality, and he woke up to find his real self channeling and inadvertently lighting his dwelling on fire. At least that’s how I interpreted that scene.
Makes more sense, especially considering spoilers.
Same
That's what I thought too
Elayne does say that they can spend the night in the accepted test room to Egwene, so them being there asleep did not feel wrong to me
Excactly that.
I feel like D either missed that or feels like it was just a means to have them there, which it is but its justified
Echoing that, I see Elaine offering to sleep in the chamber as a way to give her closure
@@NateSykesProducer Not just that, she also went and got a bucket presumably to pour over Nynaeve when she returns. She showed support for her new friend through action, not just words. She stopped trying to convince her it wouldn't work to actively participating.
Elayne is such an. Elayne.
Zoe's performance coming out of the Arch without her child was sooooo good.
As a mom of a 7 year old, I was bawling by the end even with how WRONG it is to the rules of book Wheel of Time. She did an incredible job of that pain. Ugh.
Yes it was amazing❤👏
She gave Birth to that girl. She nursed and changed her swaddling clothes. That was her child
I really like sly, manipulative Ishamael of the show over literally insane Ishamael of the books; I think it makes him both more engaging and more dangerous.
Yup, Baalzamon works fine on page, but they've essentially skipped straight to Moridin. I think we might see him go wild in the last few seasons as his plans start to unravel and other Chosen come into play.
@@MrBellsa61I cannot wait for all the Forsakens to be introduced 😃
I disagree, I felt zero fear of ish in the show, just a soft spoken old guy... the insane balza chasing them in dreams while running from shadowspawn while awake is actual fear.
@@alistairt7544 I don't know if there will be time to do them all, and there certainly won't be time to do them all justice.
Say you hated the books without saying you hated the books.
I get that you wouldn't realize Rand was dreaming when he has the coat back on, but how did you miss Elayne explicitly state she was going to grab blankets so she and Egwene could spend the night there?
Oh, so Rand was dreaming in that part? I didn't notice.
I only caught for sure it was dream sex the second watch through. I'll need to watch again to decide for sure if he was alone in his dream or not.
@@Horacio_Poggi you can see that he was with the red coat on when he gets there, but when he wakes up whe is back with the clothes he has when he was with logain.
That's when I realised it was a dream. And it makes total sense if you read the books.
Thank you! I was weirded out about it as well, but makes total sense now.
He's Daniel Green. Missing details and completely misinterpreting the story is his thing.
I mean Egwene did literally say she couldn't leave her and Elyane said she would go get things for them to stay the night. So it didnt come out of nowhere
Honestly baffling to miss that
@@meganega123 Agreed.
Before you see Egwene and Elaine sleeping by the arches Egwene tells her she can't leave Nyneave, and Elaine says kindly that she would grab some blankets so they could spend the night there.
She can't leave her!! It has been the theme in their dynamic duo for the 3 episodes!!!!!!!
You audiobook reader?
Was funny when they came across the Fade nailed to the door and were like, "what could do a thing like that to a Fade?" Well, apparently Moiraine without her powers has a good shot at it.
Lol
Women are much stronger and better at fighting than men
😂😂
Lan being told to listen to Moraine.
One of the best lines from Lan.
Breaking the fourth wall.
Lan: “this is the first time anyone has asked Lan to be more silent”.
This is meme worthy.
Yeah, except he didn't refer to himself in the third person.
@@Pingwinhoyeah that would be weird😂
😂😂 true, the fact that he is the most quiet character, so funny😂
Logain's depression, disassociation, and final redemption is one of the most subtle stories in WOT and I love it unconditionally.
(Spoiler ahead)
Logain's last moments brought tears to my eyes. After everything the man suffered, he finds what he always wanted. Getting to see a world where male channellers could be accepted, and being regarded with respect is such a powerful moment for the guy.
Yea they threw that all out the window
@@peopleschampiii584explain
He's good in the books. Turns into a pretty decent character
Bloody got shafted when brando took over lmao. Love brandos handling of the closing but god damn logain should've gotten those ashaman chapters. Can't remember the dude who got them but it was the gateway bloke that brando self inserted
@professorcool2731 the gateway guy is Androl Genhald.
He doesn’t actually have the coat on when he gets back. That scene happens in Tel'aran'rhiod. My interpretation is that angry “Selene” visits his dream and coaxes him into embracing the source. This setup by her is to get him to herself and force the journey that should happen next. They just don’t explain it to the audience yet because they still have things to reveal about “Selene”.
I also thought the coat was a continuity error but by the end of the first 3 seconds of the scene it was quite obvious it was at least a dream if not Tel'aran'rhiod? I don't see how anyone would interpret that in another way
I just typed the same thing. Hard to interpret as anything else.
@@battlebanshee8862 Agreed, definitely Tel'aran'rhiod... or just a dream since are we even sure Tel'aran'rhiod will be incorporated into this show? Seeing Elyas with blood on his mouth during the wolves scene made me wonder if they are just not incorporating that.
Yeh it definitely feels like he's being so overly critical he's missing some very obvious plots/scenes like that :p
Yup this is how i read it as well, i think he is so determined to be hyper critical that he is missing things like this
This season came out of nowhere. I had no idea about it until yesterday (day it came out)
Same. I was thinking it was still months out.
I found out about it day before release
Yeah right? Noticed yesterday night, watched them today. I had looked it up sometime in the past but also felt like it was still some time to go
...not complaining tho!
Strike
I absolutely adore how they characterised Elayne in the show. It's a good balance between someone who has always been able to get everything she ever wanted (hence why she initially assumes she can bring servants and all her stuff into the White Tower), but is not fully spoiled and will stick to her principles, taking responsibility for her actions and mistakes, and she also is really glad to have a true friend, a girl the same age as her so they can connect over something other than "I am Daughter-Heir and you are my subject". Plus a friend of mine pointed out that showing Elayne's more STEM side, where she likes to tinker with stuff, is a great setup for something that happens in book 5 or 6.
Elayne spent 6 Summers (as she says) in the tower. Given her history with the tower, she would be well aware that she can't bring any of those. It is just lazy writing.
@clbmurat why would she be aware of that? She was an honored guest there, pampered and a daughter heir. How would she know what can novices do and what they can't? And more, why would she ever assume that she finally wold be treated as everyone else in here (which she would love to happen). That's not her experience, anywhere, ever.
@@csarmii Mostly agreed. A part of me thinks that Morgase and/or Elaida would've told Elayne at least the basics of what to expect as a novice but it looks like neither of them is going to have as much presence in the show as in the books, if they even appear at all.
@@chillsahoy2640 Imo it also seems like both Morgase and Elaida to think "No, don't tell her. Let Sheriam beat it into her."
@@MrAlehkra "A lesson explained is a lesson forgotten. A lesson experienced is a lesson remembered." - One of Lini's sayings, probably. xD
An issue I have with the Aes Sedai that I've not seen mentioned is just how much they're letting the novices get away with. In the books you wouldn't dare channel at an Aes Sedai the way Egwene does to stop Liandrin from walking away from her. And that is just any old Aes Sedai, can you imagine the actual reaction of book Liandrin to a novice doing that
Yeah this is what I noticed too. Novices waltzing past the Aes Sedai without stopping to curtsey, no waiting to be spoken to first. In the book there is even a moment where Elayne casually but respectfully says hi to Elaida (who she's known since childhood ) and Elaida has the conversation with her but at the end sends her to the Mistress of Novices for addressing her (novices only speak to Aes Sedai when spoken too). The Tower is pretty chilled in this version 😅
With the incompetence of Aes Sedai, the way novice are mostly vibing, and lack of clarity on the efficacy of the towers workings, I find it very difficult to take the (show) Tower seriously as an institute.
@@lizzie7654yes, the mood in the tower feels really frivolous. Basically it's just Hogwarts--like there are 'rules' but they are only enforced now and then, and most of the sisters are 'humanized' to the point that they seem kinda silly. Only Moiraine actually *feels* like an Aes Sedai as I remember from the books (though it's a long time since I read).
I LOVE Donal Fin as Mat. He hits Mat's unapologetic humor better than Harris. The way he joked with Liandrin and Min is way more true to the Mat we read in the books. He deals with all the drama with humor. I like seeing that acted on screen. I think he will be that comedic relief that's so needed later in the series.
I think that Moiraine being stilled (?) Or cut off (?) Is going to replace her time with aelfinn. And I think that Nynaeve will heal her instead on Leanna.
I was thinking about that, moraine is supposed to take a long vacations and I was wondering if it would play out like that. Not sure how I feel about that though.
I think she was just shielded.
I 100% agree with your opinion that this will replace her time with the aelfin. I think that story is a bit too in the weeds for them to include in the show. Also the broken bond allows Lan to get depressed and eventually bond with N without Moirraine being missing. I also think the "childish" behavior from Moirraine and Lan is a way to get them both to the point they need to be for the Lan and N relationship further in the series.
@@GeekyGayTV while Lan/Moraine behavior is a way to get Lan to where he has to be I think the con outweighs the positives. Moraine and Lan is the first and best example we get of the understanding between Aes Sedai and Warder and that's severely downgraded now.
@@damp2269 I completely agree that the bond is being downplayed. I find that odd since they did a decent job in season 1 of illustrating that bond (one of their better decisions in S1). This shielding or stilling...I'm not sure what they are going with - I think she is shielded since I don't remember hearing the term 'stilled' - will allow her to find Rand and be his Aes Sedai advisor as she was before falling through the door frame.
@@theLadyRiver1I think she is shielded by Ishamael and when she finds Rand he will be able to remove it. Not sure how long that will take and what would happen in the meantime. I could also see Rand using that as a way to get Moiraine in his debt or something. Although that doesn't fit with his current character development.
He didn't put the coat back on. It was a dream. He wakes up and is in the clothes he had changed into.
I think the line about "the more wolf you are the more you belong to me" was mostly mind games in that the forsaken is trying to get Perrin to not trust in the wolf powers. If Perrin believes the wolf powers are linked to the Dark One, and is less inclined to use them, that benefits the forsaken and their goals.
Agreed, it also makes perrins struggle and fear of getting lost as a wolf from the books much more believable than just from killing a couple whitecloaks that were threatening him and Egwene
@@Echidna23Gaming Plus his personal involvement shows that Ishy knows Perrin (and I will guess Mat) are key in the Final Battle. In the books, other than telling Darkfriends that Perrin and Mat must die Ishy totally ignored them. To his detriment. And to the Dark One's plans.
That was my read on it too
I also understood it that way.
This, my first instict was WTH¿?¿ That's some straight up BS!! But then I was like, well, actually that's a slick lie to keep him from getting deeper imbedded into that protection. But then, book Perrin was informed that the wolf nonsense would be his protection. So it's slightly opposite of what happened. But if they wanna cut out his fear of becoming like the Noam or whatever that chained one was like this does a masterful job to set up some conflict with his wolf powers.
It’s not just the opening scene that’s been cut from Lan and Rand. It’s the entire relationship they have developed through the first book that spills into the 2nd. Lan taking interest in Rand and slowly and harshly treating him as a boy that needs a father figure during the adventure to a mentor and not only teaching him the sword but teaching him small bits about how to be a man. Rand was very much a kid when he leaves and Lan helps shape his path to adulthood. Which starts in book 1 and sets up the opening of book 2.
In this season we get an expository sentence. That's their relationship..
👍 Lan taught him how to use his heron marked blade, but that seems to have been glossed over in favour of Nynaeve being trained by warders….
Show Rand is more mature and no teenage like in the first books, unfortunately. The growing aspect was a thing for me. This series is blurred in scope and aim. Bad use of the time they have to tell the story, even if it doesn't have to be a book clon.
I agree with you. I've never been an advocate for a scene for scene book clone but the writing is dropping a lot of the quality that makes the books great and not fully explaining the rules of this adaptation or the geography.
I'm a little worried how they are going to address Rand's sword skills. In the books, he trained with Lan. In the show, they made a half-hearted mention of the patient he was looking after showing him some sword forms. And I just feel like he's going to suddenly just out of nowhere possess blade-master level skills.
Nynaeve ‘s had more training than Rand. She’ll be the blade master.
I assume they're just doing away with any sort of talent or power Rand is supposed to accumulate. He'll probably be a pawn bounced around by all of these powerful women and nothing else.
@@Dirty0o0Jester considering how they handled his duel with High Lord Turak and how he gets the never healing wound in his side, I'm guessing they're just going to dismiss his sword skills altogether
I think you missed the bit where Elayne offers to get blankets. I felt it was a vigil
I thought the same, it was just "we are going to sit here until you can accept that she's gone".
true. Im fine with that
It also conveys that a significant amount of time passed. They likely sat there talking etc for a few hours and then finally fell asleep. It was handled much better than having her pop out while they were still arguing. I think season 2 has been pretty good so far, it is no early Game of Thrones but it sure beats things like The Witcher or Rings of Power at this point.
The set and costume design is my favorite thing about the series. So much detail and creativity.
Glad to see someone else notices this. I think the world has grown a lot more dense and now with the budget. The costume design is epescially amazing
I find the wardrobe particularly jarring. Some of the materials look distinctly synthetic.
27:26 maybe im dumb but this actually made sense to me. that room/portal probably felt like a gravesite, so i can understand someone being unable to leave their loved one (as she said "i can't leave her") and a good friend deciding to stick it out and spend the night there together to grieve. them sleeping there didn't throw me at all.
Also the fact that you seems to have missed that Elaine literally straight-up said "I'll grab some blankets"... So it was very clear in the show that they were intending to like at least stay down there for a significant amount of time to need some padding via blankets for the stone... but yeah I wasn't surprised that they fell asleep there either.
I see why Perrin's "Wolf powers" are adapted to (visions)rather than sensing others emotions through (smell) as the book series portrays.
It is television ........
Not smellivision.....
So far......I'm liking season 2!
Its hard as a fan of the books to see so much being skipped over. But, I must be realistic to the fact that trying to condense this Massive Novel series into TV is a feat unto itself!! Nevertheless, I'm still super excited to see the Wheel of Time adapted to the screen anyway it can!
P.S.
I love Verin Sedai character being portrayed by Meera Syal❤
I don't mind the TV show presenting Perrin's powers visually, though I think they missed chances to do it by not having Elyas in season one when Perrin should have been beginning to learn about his abilities.
The problem I have with Perrin's "vision" scene in episode three is that it's yet another moment that Rand is supposed to have along his path to accepting he is the Dragon Reborn being given to another character. The change with Rand's story also means any non-book reader will have no idea who Selene is since her entire introduction was cut.
Im assuming it'll be wxplained to him as a form of visual scent, a combination of all his senses meshed together in away for his mind to process. With aspects of Hurins ability to smell violence maybe
It does not work on any level. He could sense people's emotions through smell. Him see the past in acts of violence, like why isn't he seeing it everywhere. He didn't notice any violent areas after a literall trollic attack? I like W.O.T too, you don't have to pretend the show is good cause your a fan, it's a bad show and that's ok,
@@hastur_kinginyellow5310it's not a bad show, say you're not ok or you don't like what you see but it's not a "bad" show
@@akinwaleseun4205 nah, I'm also of the opinion that it's a bad show.
"A new story inspired by Robert Jordan's The wheel of Time". Daniel couldn't get through the statement without laughing 😂
Prime should call it The Ring of Time, and market it as a package with The Ring of Power, a new story based on Tolkien's books.
After the first episode I was so confused at what was happening.
Moiraine killing a Fade, what ?
Her being a total jerk to Lan, and him getting chastised for it ???? When in the end he still asks her what he's been asking her for days.
A bit too much time is spent on Aes Sedai horniness and overall sex life.
The fact they did zero prep for the One Power in S1 makes it so the explanations about the power system feel super rushed in S2
I watched it with someone who has never read the books, only saw the show, and she was completely lost. And as a fan of Lan she called Moiraine the b-word.
I was lost too, but for different reasons.
Moiraine moved past the "b-word" into a solid "c-word"
Yeah I haven’t read the book and I’ve just watched episode 5 of season 2 and I’m still so lost. The plot is so disjointed and just doesn’t make sense. In season one Ishamal was portrayed to be the dark one. It’s only whilst going through the comments that I’ve been made aware that he’s one of his Lieutenants 😭 a mess
@@Ras137Yes, show Moraine makes zero sense. Book Moraine could sometimes be a bitch, but always for a good reason.
When Rand showed up again with the red coat, I assumed that was all just a.. happy dream of his... The coat continuity, but then also him channeling during the deed, and then immediately cutting to him waking up, still channeling, and alone, in different clothes.
That was my interpretation too lol. I was questioning the coat like Daniel was, but then the fire weaves during that steamy moment continuing while it cuts to Rand waking up... Yes I would agree it was meant to be a "happy dream"
It's absolutely a dream! If you watch carefully, it's the only real explanation
Wait people thought it wasn’t a dream? LMAO.
You can see his red coat on the chair beside his bed when he’s setting fire to the ceiling before he runs out. So yeah “sexy time” dream
Not only was it a dream, but might it have been the world of dreams with Saline actually there manipulating him?
I actually audibly gasped at the Uno and Seanchan scene. I was very sad to watch that :( I loved uno and enjoyed his frequent comings and goings in the book. So I’m sad that they killed him off.
I honestly think I like the new Mat even more than the previous mat (I apologize I don’t know his name). But the scene of him mimicking the noises that liandrin made as she walked away was JUST how I pictured mat in my head when I read the book.
The mimic scene sold me as well, very much moment of "YES that's spot on Mat!" Him and Min sassing each other was pure gold.
Very much same in that scene
I'm still in shock that Uno is dead already, I enjoyed his character through the books too, but it does make the stakes for the characters in general much higher and it is pretty on point with how Uno would have approached that situation
@@Echidna23Gaming I completely agree with that. It really made me realize (just as Daniel says) how brutal they’re going to allow this show to go. Which I am okay with
I was so mad when Uno was killed, I started yelling at the t.v.
I personally found Nynaeve's third arch changes to be completely needless. Sure, the arch goes out for a moment in the books and yes, Lan and the kid are there, but the whole point of the test is to face your fears. The fear she faced in arch #3 was giving up Lan and their family to become Aes Sedai and heal people. The show letting her come back only after Lan had died and her trying to bring the child with her completely undermines that. She made no choice at all. Such a little change, but it has massive character implications that I'm not a fan of.
The show seems full of these issues. Slightly changing recognizable book scenes and themes in a way that completely misses the point
I agree, I was really upset when in season 1 they changed the story about Egwene surviving the fever to be about how strong Egwene is and not that Nynaeve has always had this power and cannot escape her need to be trained.
Or the scene showed her that without training she’d lose all she cared for.
I don’t think it undermined it at all. She had to have known the child wouldn’t come with her, she knows it is a test, she knows it isn’t real… in no world would a mother say, oh I need to leave you, I’ll be right back. She chose to go through the door, not grab her child and run into the forest. She gave her child a few last moments of love and made the choice to leave it all behind. Just adding some dramatic effect for the show. But the worst fear of leaving your loved ones happened.
@@polish109I don't think so because when you're in the arches you have to be convinced it's real, or turning your back to go through the arches has no impact at all. She came through Arch 2 screaming about how they have to get to the Teo Rivers to stop the plague. I think she saw the arch and knew she had to go in it but not entirely why, and thought she could bring the baby too.
@@larryjones558 but that is a problem. that is a reason to walk through the door, the test is meant to entice you to stay.
I was just so relieved that Nynaeve made it out of her third arch by herself, and not due to Egwene’s attempts, that I didn’t care that the rest of the Aes Sedai weren’t there. I was so worried after the teasers that Egwene would “save” her again!
Honestly, I read that a while ago and didn't remember, if it happened that way in the book.
and you know the director 100% wanted it to be Egwene
@@brendondavid7349nope. If the director wanted it to be Egwene, he would've done so. After so many changes to the source material why stop there? It was very clear that she was there for dramatic effect and show her distress over losing Nynaeve as well as showing how stubborn Egwene is thinking she can do it all.
I was a bit disappointed that Nynaeve basically has to lose everything in her 'dream' in order to channel and bring back the arch which makes it feel cheap, almost like "well I guess I'll go back because there's nothing left for me here." When, in the book, she remembers it all on her own and CHOOSES to leave - she chooses to channel in order to bring back the arch. I find that much more powerful than the crap they did in the episode. 😣😣
@@valaryayou can't channel inside the arches... Verin explains it when she goes in.
Egwene is why she got to leave beyond her missing the one way out arch.... Egwene got her out
Elayne specifically says that she will go get blankets and they can stay the night there since Egwene couldn't leave Nyneave there alone so it made sense to me. Also the thing with Perrin was kind of weird but I don't know how I would have shown visually how he can piece together everything he knows with smell and communication with wolves... I want to say there may be a better way but I don't know what it would be so since I can't give a better option I'm good with it for now.
When he beat the crap out of that guy, if you listen closely, you can hear whispers of "kill him" in the background. It's woven into the music very well and hard to hear, but it also appears more than once as he's channeling.
😮😮😮😮😮
I never would have caught this. AMAZING find. Actually breathes a bit of hope into me for this show
Daniel , Rands clothes are different in that scene because it’s a dream btw.
Alanna said "things get messy before they become perfect." That felt like the writers imploring the audience to have faith in them.
Possibly, but given all that's been said & done to the show I don't think that's something that's going to happen. They've shown themselves unwilling to accept why there is a problem, much like with what happened with The Witcher.
Maybe. I mean the tarwins gap thing and that whole battle was really annoying to see and no excuse to change it that much other then some sort of agenda.
I kinda hope so? But considering the writing is the weakest part of this show, I don't have much faith.
@@pedanticperson1149 I'm fairly sure there is a group in the production that legit wants to do a faithful adaptation and then there is a another that is taking a piss all over it. Not sure how the split works out between them though.
@@damp2269 Unfortunately the showrunner is one of those not wanting to do a faithful adaptation, he's on record as wanting to update it for modern audiences. Not sure where they're taking season 2, but it seems mostly aimless at the moment & we're almost half way through...
If we don't get Matt's quarter staff fight against the brothers... imma boycot. Great review! Well done D.
Prob next season
@@jeffbrownme2 RAAAAAGGGGGEEEEE! :)
Nah see Matt has the misfortune of being one of the coolest characters from the books. So naturally Rafe is going to completely scrap scenes like that. I bet they'll have Elayne do that though.
When Rand starts to channel, in the books we have episodes of wrecklessness e.g. top of the mast on the Spray, and the face off with the Whitecloak in Whitebridge. Rand jumping the guy sort of felt that way. The intensity and manic expression in the scene kind of fit.
Yea that was TDR!Rand.
Yeah I thought him losing control on that guy but then you see it was actually a part of his plan to get to logain, I thought it was a great mix of him but understanding his powers, still losing control, but having long term plans we don't suspect. Felt like Rand from the books
Remember in the books Nynaeve channels during two of the three arches, even though she wasn't supposed to be able to according to the Aes Sedai running the test, and also specifically channels to bring back the arch in her third test after missing it the first time.
I actually liked the way they handled the tests in the show. Her flashback with her parents gave us much more character insight than her being chased through random hallways by an undead Forsaken rapist. My only issue with it was there wasn't anything compelling her to stay, making the choice to go through the arch easy. For the second test, I think going with a plague that she wasn't there to heal spoke to her character much better than the "So a new Wisdom showed up and now she's poisoning people" plot from the books, and I think her turning her back on a dying Tam, a character the viewers have a much bigger connection to, than a scared Marin, who I think only had a couple lines in S1, E1 was a much stronger choice. With the final test, her "super saiyin explosion" inadvertently re-opening the arch makes just about as much sense as her suddenly figuring out how to channel it back into existence in the books.
Whether the show actually does anything with Nynaeve proving the Aes Sedai's understanding of the arches is flawed, I don't know, but the books never did anything with Nynaeve proving the same thing.
Yea her tests are as faithful an adaptation of the books as something can be. Beautifully done. Lots if time spent to it. And followed very closely. Yes scene one is different but it makes much more sense. And the other two are slightly modified versions of what's happened in the books and we even got a cool twist and a nod to the flicker scenes we see in the books. Living off a whole life for a while.
Very good point.
I didn't connect the explosion to reopening the arch, but it makes sense.
Rafe judkins is a darkfriend. Bezos most likely one of the forsaken
I can’t help but wonder if these comments are from amazon bots. Bizarre
@@theabhorrentchef7226 thank you for your observation, but this isn't a qanon discussion
Hehehe …qanon.
That’s only slightly less offensive, and just as enlightening, as saying an awake, aware, and rational person must be a fox news viewer 😂
Also as a parent, Zoe's final scene and the weight of the loss of her child... fucking choked me up. Like hats off the show for that scene alone because i was fully invested and was taken out of my own overly-critical book fan mentality.
I have a lot of issues with the series as is, but I'm hoping it improves from here.
What choked me up bad was Liandrin's scene with her child. Devastating.
Agreed! Zoe Robbins is amazing! She one of those people who could just read names out of a phone book and I would love it. There is something about this actress, IMO, that is just amazing!
I burst into tears. It was so gut wrenching. Yes, as a parent, my worst nightmare.
It made me choke up a bit too - excellent acting!
I didn't like it as much. In the books she gave up the life she dreamed of to return back to reality for her friends. In the show, that sacrifice is eliminated and she returns back only after losing everything. It cheapens the test.
Yes, as a parent, it's heartbreaking to watch but stylistically, it's similar to a jump scare in a horror movie. It doesn't hit on any deep level.
You need only remember 2 points if you want to enjoy this season.
1)Women are Girl Bosses
2) They don't need No Man
Daniel, appreciating so much what you’re doing here. I’ve only read the series once, so it’s hard to remember what I’m misremembering, what’s changing, etc. I really appreciate the amount of work you’re doing here. Thank you
Personally, I think episode 1 was very smart in refocusing on character- each protagonist’s arc for the season is clearly communicated, with a tighter script than S1. As someone who read the books multiple times but doesn’t need the same fidelity of adaptation, I think this is a strong start - the themes are there, characters are well portrayed, and plots are getting where they need to by different routes.
Best keep hoping. When the series finally ends and you don't get your waited payoff, then you'll feel the full frustration.
My first thought when I saw the Logain scene was that they were merging Logain & Asmodean so that Logain could have an important role throughout the entire show. And I was totally okay with that. Now I’m not sure what they’re doing…
I definitely also thought this, and still think that it may be the case that Logain will take over Asmodean's job of teaching Rand how to use the One Power.
@@angellixhe is stilled. How?
@@Gee-Sus-Official - I figure he'll be healed of it eventually.
@angellix we know who heals him. It'll take at least 2 more seasons in my opinion for them to reach that far. Rand kinda needs a teacher sooner imo
@@Gee-Sus-Official they don’t care enough about staying true to the books for that to matter. They will treat it like he can reach them even when he’s gentled if that’s the direction they actually go.
Elayne actually proposes that they stay there for the night and says that she will bring blankets so that Egwene could properly mourn her friend. People from some cultures do that, i know at least people from my culture definitely do this. They spend the night in a deceased love one's bedroom or the place where they most associate them with or even the place where they passed away. In this case, it was the latter one.
i’m so into the new Mat, he’s so good and exactly how i imagine Mat after the dragon reborn
The first season showed enough potential to make me begin to read the books and I'm now halfway through the shadow rising.
But in season 2 I almost whish I could forget the books completely as I think I would enjoy it a lot more.
The show begins to feel more like a dream where you recognise the world and events around you but everything is kind of distorted and just seems wrong.
It's a different turning of the Wheel. Accept that it won't be the same story and I think you'll enjoy it quite a bit.
@@khanktingait’s just hard to accept something like that. As a lifelong fan of the books I personally wanted to see the words come to life on screen. I feel like I got a bastardized version of my favorite fantasy series. Didn’t feel that way with LotR or Harry Potter.
@@jonathanhighland4507 I don't think it is fair to compare adapting LotR or Harry Potter to The Wheel of Time. Each LotR book is ~400 pages compared to The Eye of the World being ~700. Each book of Wheel was clocking in at ~1000 pages once it got to Book 4. The Harry Potter books are structured very differently from The Wheel of Time. Each HP book has its own main plot that gets resolved at the same time it is advancing the overall story. Most Wheel books may build up to a main event, but that main event doesn't fully resolve much in those cases.
All three LotR movies (theatrical editions) are just a little more screen time than a season of The Wheel.
There are also practical considerations that make matching things up more difficult. Could we have had Caemlyn in Season 1? I don't think so. Too many important characters in that city don't show up again for quite some time. How could you cast those roles for the actors to be in one or two scenes and then expect them to commit to being series regulars years later? Casting, building sets, scheduling filming... all of that complicates trying to line things with the books in a TV series they hope to run several seasons vs. 3 books that they filmed simultaneously.
@@khanktingaPeople's complaints are generally not about what was left out, but what was changed for no reason. Such as when Rand was confronting the Forsaken and seeing an image of him and Egwene with a baby. That was supposed to be from her test beyond the arches.
@@TroySavary I get that. But for me, that kind of thing isn't bothersome. For one, it's kind of a sexist cliche for the female character to imagine having babies with male protagonist while the male protagonist is mostly concerned with protecting her. But aside from such 'progressive' viewpoints, it is also fine to me because it seems like minutia rather than essential character development as to which of them gets that vision and when.
I am still just having a hard time thinking of how they could stay closer to the books and still fit even one book into one season, let alone deal with the reality that they will need to average around two books per season to keep the whole story at 7-8 seasons. If they try harder to match up that level of detail, they may lose focus on telling a coherent story that works on its own terms for people that didn't read the books.
The point about learning in the kitchen almost tells me that this method of "clean" the dirt would be the key to solve some "question"... later on the books 😮
I hadn't made that connection. Nice thought.
And it's a nod to the kitchen scenes with the supergirls, Siuan, and Verin in book three.
i do appreciate how you don't get too hung up on how different it is from the books and you're still able to judge it on the merit of its own story.
Weirdly, the questionable changes the show introduces to the base story has had a sorta positive effect on my experience of episode 3. When Nynaeve went out of the third arch and was like "f*ck it, I quit", my brain was so busy computing the implications that I fully fell into the trap. Only when the kiss with Lan happened something stirred inside like "wait a minute..." and the arch in the background confirmed it seconds later. That rollercoaster was quite an enjoyable ride and hooked me to the episode. Nynaeve finally crossing the arch at the end of the episode hooked me to the season.
This show is killing me. Twice they've given me hope of killing Nynaeve off, but then they pull back the wool and the awful shrew returns in full force.
That's exactly how I'm watcching this season, I have no idea what's left of the book so it's like I'm rediscovering the series for the first time again.
And yeah, I was wondering how unlikely that both Lan and Nyneave took the same small road and met there. And then, the arch ! I was screaming
The show is written so badly that when that happened, I couldn't tell if it was just that badly written/shot or a twist...
I cant believe they didn't give her the most iconic line ever after she comes out of the test " I Hate..Aes Sedai.." and then end the episode.
little details that made me love S2 so far: fades being inhumanly fast and Lan as one of the best swordsmen in the world not being able to handle two fades without the extra speed from being a warder, the scene with Moiraine and Bayle Domon(great setup for how aes sedai can control people and also a great way of sending the message don't mess with aes sedai), the seanchan not killing most people instead disarming them, having some of their soldiers die in the attempt but simply not caring so they could make them swear the oaths first, Egwene looking at the dress and stole of the amyrlyn seat, the man rand cares for having PTSD from the aiel war(great setup for how deadly the aiel are and how feared)
I did appreciate the hint(?) that Rand had been learning sword forms from him
@@block4562So much "Tell don't Show" makes this show worse every episode.
It's been a while since I've read the books so I might not remember it exactly, but I think Nynaeve's third trial plays out approximately the same. In the books just as in the show, she misses the gateway but manages to channel within the Arches to reopen it, the main change in the show being that she spends a much longer time inside and thus the Aes Sedai think she's gone (which in my opinion was a fine change for the emotional impact and extra characterization of Egwene and Elayne the show gets as a result).
The main part I didn't like about this version was that while in the books Nynaeve had a perfect life alongside Lan and had to choose to leave that all behind to return to reality, in the show she'd already lost everything when the portal appeared and didn't have as hard of a choice to make. Either way it's a gut-wrenching emotional scene but I would have liked to see Nynaeve make that choice herself.
Season 2 is on another level. Think I can relax and enjoy the show if they maintain and continue to improve upon this standard. Even with the changes this season gives me the same feelings the books do when I read them
About the sleeping in the room w/ the arches, Elaine said that she'll bring down some blankets so they can spend the night there so it was completely random. I think it was meant to be some sort of closure for Eguane. Idk if any of that made sense
The theme of the dynamic between Eg and Ny is being there for one another / not being there. It makes more sense for me that Eg spends the night there than Eg leaving the room without being forced to.
The flies scene caught me off guard. I honestly don't think I fully understood that it was supposed to be THE fly scene until you said it. They definitely didn't do it justice. I think Uno's death was brutal not only because it's, well, BRUTAL, but you also don't expect Uno to die this early. So you get caught super off guard when it happens.
Also I think it was too brutal for this series😭 it didn't really fit with the rest of the mild violence
All other positives and negatives aside, Zoe Robbins is knocking it out of the park on a jaw dropping level in this role and bringing Nynaeve to life straight out of the books.
Hell yeah . She's Nynaeve-ing the fuck out of her role
She's nothing like Nynaeve from the books. She doesn't fight in the books, not because she cant, rather because it goes against everything she believes as a healer. This show is absolutely terrible.
Have you read the series? Not being weird, but Zoe's portrayal is very on brand for Nyneave @@user-ti5rb1mx5x
@@user-ti5rb1mx5x The show has plenty of faults to criticize, particularly the first season. Your commentary is ridiculous. Nynaeve doesn't refuse to fight in the books, particularly on the basis of being a healer. She personally fights Moghedien and Rahvin, both with vicious intentions and results, and fights numerous members of the Black Ajah with, if not the intent to kill them, the willingness to. She doesn't sword fight in the books, correct. Pretending she's some peaceful hippie following the Way of the Leaf is ludicrous.
@@bobbyfricke5752 yeah, you're wrong but you're entitled to be a poor reader. She eventually participated in combat much later in the serious, but this version pulls knives on strangers, fights Trollocs, and trains with a sword. Most of what she did in the books was tie people up with weaves of air and when there were times we're she would do something more extreme, it was a big deal because it was against her beliefs. That conflict won't exist in this version. But you are certainly entitled to be completely wrong and have bad taste.
So, you want Perrin to narrate what he smells instead of letting the viewer see it? That won't get tedious at all.
Yeah...how many times has the criticism been made of "show dont tell"...
Imagine a simple scene setup with Elyas asking Perrin questions about his surroundings.
"What do you smell, what can you see, what does all this tell you" etc. It was have been a simple one off explanation that allowed them to continue doing the "vision" thing, but to have it be explained as Perrin learning the story of what happened through his senses, not just magically seeing it with his glowing eyes.
@@SirSquittlesSomething like that might still be coming. At this point Perrin still wants nothing to do with his powers and Elyas
@@SirSquittles I was about to say: if only there was a mentor figure to walk Perrin through his powers and serve as explanation at the same time..... sadly the isn't someone like that ;)
@@tuomastt Fair, although given the speed at which they're barreling down the rest of the story, I'm unsure why they'd choose to postpone something like perrins eventual acceptance of his abilities.
I think Elayne and Egwene being asleep in the chamber works well because Elayne obviously is given a lot of leeway because of her history, as would Egwene because of her grief. I also think it is to set up Telahanriod earlier, we know season 3 is Shadow Rising, so introducing the dream-world in this season and mysteries with it works for me.
Ishamael talking to Perrin made sense to me. In the books Perrin struggles internally with what being a Wolfbrother means for his humanity and in the show I think it makes sense to have Ishamael plant those thoughts into him, to give him a more easily depicted reason for worrying about what being a Wolfbrother will mean
100%, I think Ishamael recognizes the potential power in Perrin and wants to sow seeds of doubt to slow him or even stop him reaching full power.
@@MrBellsa61 Father of Lies people! Father of Lies...
Yeah why do that when. They could instead have voice overs of people's thoughts all the time, a la dune... that'd be great...
I didn't mind that as much but I didn't like that they made the Seanchan-Forsaken link that quickly.
Elyas...you're not wrong. For someone whose been 'running with the wolves', he's like a stone. We really don't get much vibe from him, at all. Considering that in the book, he was once Warder Trained, he should be more. Even Crocodile Dundee gave a more correct vibe, i think.
Thanks!
I'll just say this: Ceara Coveney is simply PERFECT as Elayne. I wasn't the biggest fan of her in the books, but I can already tell I am going to LOVE her in the show!
I couldn’t agree more. She was fantastic - the highlight of these episodes for me.
@@dreamer2260 Absolutely, she's the biggest bright spot for me so far!
Easily the best cast and writing after mat for the whole show.
I like her casting but I'm on the fence with her script. The Elayne I expected was more assertive, a little more spoiled and royal. This Elaine seems to be a little too submissive. A shepherd girl yelling at the Queen-heir just doesn't work for me.
I have read the Wheel of Time twice. Once years ago and recently again in anticipation of this series. Most of the first three episodes were mostly unrecognizable for me when compared to the books. It is sad but not surprising. I will continue to watch because I love this book series. I have read many fantasy series in my 77 years. Wheel of Time ranks as my favorites along with Lord of Rings (read that 4 times). It will interesting to see how they bring it all together. Hope they can do it without destroying the story. This will be many people only exposure to the Wheel of Time. The shear size of the series and the length of each book will scare away many potential readers. If you re a fantasy lover make the time to read Wheel of Time. You won't regret it.
Seriously, more than 90% of Season One was stuff we never saw in the books - a pretty shocking number considering all the hand-wringing over not having enough episodes to tell the story - so I expected nothing less from Season Two. This is just bad fan fiction that seems like it was written by people who hated the books expressly for people who never read the books.
@@Ellis_Hugh Agreed. Gives me "Witcher" vibes where the writers title the story after a popular series and write their own (second rate) plot.
I read up to 11 but it was just too slow and the character bickering was too annoying for me to get into it.
@@callum7081 Hang in there. Robert Jordan for all his world building expertise does drone on but Brandon Sanderson ties it up nicely.
@@callum7081 When Robert Jordan was dying and basically dictating his books to his wife/editor, things did begin to get a bit sprawling... but when Brandon Sanderson came onboard as the hand-picked successor to finish the series, it fixed everything - those last three books are arguably the best three of the series, especially the finale - talk about satisfying!
Amazon did not advertise this season enough, there was barely any promotion at all.
Bro what? Do you not use Twitter or something? Or see the barrage of pre-strike recorded interviews? Or the teasers and trailer? Bare in mind Amazon could probably do more, but there's the actor and writer's guild strikes going on so they have no one to do that
@TheOnlyWay2Go There was nothing on Amazon, it just dropped. So, no real promotion in the end and who cares about Amazon stuff on Twitter.
@@TheOnlyWay2Go. it’s apparent that many people had no idea about this season
@@TheOnlyWay2Go.I think Amazon is relying too hard on viral (free) marketing with social media influencers
There’s also the strike which has prevented the actors from doing any promotion
I am so happy you acknowledged how critical you are at the end. I am of the more forgiving spectrum of the fandom I think, I very much welcome this as a new and different interpretation, especially since there are some characterizations that work better for me with these actors (Nyneave being less of an annoying know-it-all and Egwane and Rand being less childish being just one of them). I am always glad to watch your take on it, though, especially since you are the reason I fell in love with this series to begin with, so, thanks for your input
Thanks for the first 20 seconds. Told me everything I need to know to never waste any time with this series again. Appreciate you DG, keep up all you do.
I kind of like the Perrin visions, I think it's him smelling it. I LOVED the Accepted Test. I thought that was the best adaptation I've seen on screen yet. Overall, I am loving this turning of the wheel. It is a huge step up for me from S1
I feel alot of book 2 was Rand becoming a man. Lan showing him how to stand tall and be stoic, being given a command and being responsible for getting loial and Hurin Back to safety,and having to stand on his own when the adults (Ingtar) are not what they seem but also masculinity and redemption. It’s truly a book of maturing to me. I feel taking Rand out of the Hunt removes a core of his journey.
Book 2 is one of the best books in the series imo
Yep, but they don't want it to be about rand, its obvious they centering the story around morraine egwene and nynaeve aka the girls
I totally agree. Book two is about rand being forced into responsibility. He totally doesn't want it. He would like nothing better than to do what he did in this adaptation: run and hide. It grinds against the core of his journey and his growth as a character.
I feel like they may be saving that for later seasons. They don't want him to mature or become a man too soon, when they are also going to show him completely unraveling and falling apart and going crazy and making very poor or unwise choices like they are doing right now, probably. But maybe that's just me and my own guess. 🤷🤷♀️🤷🏻♂️
Exactly. Book 2 is when I actually started liking the series
One thing i saw and really took to heart is the idea of viewing this as another turning of the wheel.
That helps to reconcile many of the differences, because its not the same story, but the core is mostly there.
I find that in many cases I'm excited by how the threads of the pattern shift and change to reach a similar picture, versus being upset with them.
I would agree with you if the writers were actually telling a GOOD story. They are not.
I would agree with you if the writers were telling a BALANCED story. They are not.
there are 2 problems with that line of thought:
- expectations: all promotional material we got prior to the show pointed towards a faithful adaptation. if the plan was always "another turn of the wheel" and they would have been upfront about it the criticism would have been less.
- "the core is MOSTLY there". even on "another turn of the wheel" the core has to be fully there. Saidin and Saidar have to be separate entities, for example.
@@damp2269 100% agree! When you deliberately go against the lore on something as fundamental as Saidin/Saidar, then the ‘core’ is definitely NOT there.
A friend and I started to meme watch this. Every time we start comparing the show to the book, we go "Hey now. That is unfair to compare this to a book series Rafe never read. What you wanna do is compare it to the synopsis on the back of the book and stfu!" XD
As a non book reader, the acceptance test really worked for me. Actually brought me to tears. They were sleeping there though i think out of grief, the red headed new character suggested that they could sleep there for the night if she didnt want to leave the room. But i do agree it implies a bunch for the test that probably wont be addressed, but not knowing how the books are in reality, i just took this to be more characterization of nyneave being special. As someone more fresh to this world, these first three episodes definitely landed more with me than season 1, and I liked season 1 as well, so that's saying something.
So it's good as long as you pretend that it is something that it isn't.
So I had the same thoughts about Rand's outfit and the girls at the arches. But once I watched it again, the show in episode two that Rand changes into his uniform before working with the patients, so that works. And because she was exhausted from trying to open the arches and she was still in the hope phase of grief. She got blankets for them to just sit there and rest. So that checks out also.
I think depicting Perrin’s abilities is quite a challenge. Will he have a voice in this head? Isn’t it supposed to be images? What about T’A’R? He sees visions sometimes while in T’A’R, but we don’t know how the show will address T’A’R yet… will they have Perrin asleep for many action sequences? It works in the book, but maybe it won’t on screen. Perhaps the “visions” are how they will deal with T’A’R… at least for Perrin. Maybe hopper will be more like a “ghost-wolf” who pops in on Perrin from time to time… 🤷
I agree about Perrin's wolf abilities. I'll cut them some slack on that just because I don't know how you do that properly without it being a mess.
Me and my dad have loved the way they've been portraying his abilities so far, I was worried theyd do a voice, but the visions are close enough to the images and impressions sent by wolves in the books imo
Minor spoilers for book 6 below.
Fully agree. It's an impossible decision - if the wolves have voices, then it'll be seen as out of place and not true to RJ's work. However if they don't give the wolves voices, how will they do the "We Come" scene, not to mention it makes Hopper and Perrin's relationship 100x harder to show. It's just a challenge for a book->visual medium. At a guess, they won't have wolves speak but have Perrin speak in response to them, which may get old if it happens too often but could work.
IMO they should hold back on the wolves speaking right until "WE COME," and only after Dumai's Wells have Hopper start training Perrin. I know that would be a continuity break but it would be a lot more impactful to me.
But then again, I do like Ishy implying using wolf powers will lead to Perrin losing himself to his rage. It gives him a more defined "Heroes Journey Problem" not to embrace his wolf-side. The reasoning in the books never really made sense considering Elyas existed and Perrin knew he was fully in control.
It's not as challenging. It could easily be a collage of flashing images in his head that Perrin puts together. Similar to the books where wolves send him images/scents in a way that doesn't quite make sense to a human but can be deciphered.
Elayne’s introduction made us love her in two seconds what took Jordan 2 books to do.
I wasn't sure in her initial scene but loved her by the end of her introductory episode
She's so likeable and stands apart from the rest of the ladies
Not true -- I liked Elayne as soon as she was introduced in the Eye of the World.
@@gilian2587me too. But this Elayne portrayal is just phenomenal. She's just. Elayne. Which they did tell us. I just assumed they were speaking tall.
@@csarmii My beef with the show has pretty much exclusively been regarding it's writing. I actually have nothing but praise for the actors and actresses who are doing the best that they can with the filth that the writers have been handing to them. Whoever the show has as their casting director is phenomenal.
I took Nynaeve coming out of the arch as she broke it (probably temporarily), and normally this wouldn't happen. In the last sequence when everyone was killed around her, she was so emotionally charged (angry, ect), that she channeled, and remember, she was told that no one can channel in the test. So I think as a testament to how powerful she really is/can be....when she channeled (that "explosion") maybe just temporarily "broke" the Ter'angreal, and allowed the door to appear once more.
Is it bad that this series is making me feel like I don’t want my other fandoms to be created for the screen.
I'm dreading the coming Riftwar adaptation...
I think Lord of the Rings gave us unrealistic expectations.
@@francois853 omg agreed... I was looking forward to it for so long, but after all these recent 'adaptations' where writers take a name from a better ip to create a totally unrelated story... I'm terrified
@@dbjdi I feel like Wheel of Time if you go into not expecting an adaptation then you might like it. LOTR was pretty faithful in comparison to most though
Same here! Between this and Rings of Power, I don't want to see any of my favorite books put on screen
I have another side to some of your complaints, figured I'd leave them here lol.
1) the Lan and Moiraine drama seems childish. I agree, but it makes sense. This is the first time in 20 years they are having to communicate exclusively with their words, and neither if them are capable of doing so anymore. This is especially poignant given Lan's lack of a purpose outside of Moiraine and Moiraine's determination to go it alone.
2) I like Perrin's visions. In the books, the wolves communicate with pure sensation. Their thoughts were images or feelings that carry meaning in sensation. Perrin sniffing out a scene of violence that reveals itself to him as a strange vision, a moments of distinct sensation I think is a pretty alright way of bringing some of his abilities to the screen.
I appreciate your perspective.
Personally, I understood from the beginning when we were told that we would have eight seasons and books were being combined, that the story would chnage significantly.
Likewise with the shift of focus to Moiraine.
But I think you are letting your negativity make you overlook details you would usually catch.
Rand didn't put his cost back on, he was in the world of dreams, sleeping with Selene and losing control.
Elayne said she would get blankets so they could wait through the night.
You did better reviewing S1, which you liked less.
Thank you for this wonderful review and most of all for the positive way in which you criticize the show and the way it differs from the books. After watching your video, I felt I had learned something new and I was left with a good feeling inside and with the desire to find out more. I was not subscribed to your channel, but after this I felt compelled to do it. :) I love your style and the way you do not demolish everything, but have a positive attitude even though the series does not respect the books to the letter and has made many changes.
I have not read the books yet, but I am enjoying the show immensely and watching your review helped me understand the universe of The Wheel of Time better. To be honest I did want to start reading the books after the first season aired because I liked the series a lot, but I watched so many videos on UA-cam and read so many comments by fans of the books who were totally displeased with the way the show was handling the source material, that I decided to postpone reading them because I realized that it would probably take away from the joy of watching the series. Since I hadn't read The Wheel of Time, I came in without any kind of expectations and so I was able to enjoy the show like a child who discoveres something new and beautiful. So, I am along for the ride and I hope that they will see this through to the end and adapt ALL the books so that we can have an end to this wonderful story which I have honestly fallen in love with.
What ultimately frustrates me the most about this show is that it is telling an entirely different story by CHOICE. They didn’t have to tell it this way; they just wanted to. They could have stayed much, much truer to the books in so many ways. Yes, I understand adaptations require changes and for scenes and characters to be condensed or omitted entirely… But that could have been done here while still staying true to the story we all know and love. Three episodes into the second season I’m still baffled as to why a self-proclaimed super fan of the series (or so Rafe has claimed to be) would veer the show so wildly off course when there were so many good ways to tell the story and get it right.
It’s just sad to me that after waiting literally decades to see this brought to life on screen, our one shot at it turns out to be a story that bears so little resemblance to the story we grew up reading that it’s practically offensive to Jordan’s legacy. I mean, do we really think Robert Jordan would be giving any of this his tick of approval? I guess a true-to-the-books version of this story is now off the cards in my lifetime because the one guy who had a shot decided to spin it off into his own fanfic interpretation…
Oh well.
Telling it exactly as-is would never realistically be feasible with a 14-book series, even if you discount book 10(?) and boil that down to the one critical scene and surrounding miniscenes and make that a single episode. MASSIVE swathes of content would have to be condensed, less story-critical plotlines stripped entirely, to meet even a TEN season timeline for the entire story.
That's completely ignoring the massive sabotage done by COVID and being forced to write Mat out of the back end of the season completely, completely throwing him off course and dealing massive rippling damage to the storylines of everyone he would've interacted with. That much at least is NOT their fault, and I think they should be commended for taking that huge setback and rolling with it as well as they've managed.
We just don't know how much the Covid-19 pandemic did to the production. Upto e6 of S1, the story was kinda following the book. But Barney leaving, the rewriting required in such a short time, the pandemic restrictions imposed on filming. Well, we saw the results in E7 and 8. We are seeing a total different production this season. Just imagine what might have been if there was no Covid-19. I'm enjoying this season so far and am looking forward to the remaining episodes
@@carolbriscoe9337What'll be really telling is where everything is by the END of this season. If all the players are more or less where they should be as of the end of The Great Hunt, then I think we're set for a S3 that basically follows the 3rd book's events and then future seasons will condense and make tweaks as needed from there, because at most we're getting 8-10 seasons, certainly not 13. (That one particular book can just be a single episode and we all know it.... you know which one I mean.)
@MastaDRD I think the departure of the Mat actor caused the rewrite for S1 E7 & 8. Mat was supposed to be in Fal Dara with the rest of the group. His remaining behind caused the rewrite. S2 is slowly getting the story back on track
@@carolbriscoe9337 Oh we know that for a fact. They've talked about how it did exactly that.
I just can't help but being disappointed. It was such a solid and well crafted book series...
Same I couldn’t even watch more than 10 minutes of the first episode of the second season
Tbh my biggest issues with S1 - sparse set dressing, CW level dialogue and relationships, plotpoints that only make sense if you've read the book, harsh colour grading - all got fixed. I'm watching it with a non book reader still and we enjoyed it a lot more, I'm genuenly optimistic about the show now! Our fave plot currently is Rand, as it should be imo, a stark contrast to S1 where we didn't care about him at all. (Also no shade to Barney Harris, I hope he's doing well, but I like the new Mat WAY more.)
Daniel thx for all the content.
Love your channel keep it up.
It's not like they can show Perrin's heightened senses working in a visual medium. I like to think the visions are just a culmination of them all at once.
Imagine a simple scene setup with Elyas asking Perrin questions about his surroundings.
"What do you smell, what can you see, what does all this tell you" etc. It was have been a simple one off explanation that allowed them to continue doing the "vision" thing, but to have it be explained as Perrin learning the story of what happened through his senses, not just magically seeing it with his glowing eyes.
Agreed! Its Television not........Smellivision
Exactly. The way I see it is that it's a sending that's happening from the wolves. And since sending images and smell won't work really to explain what's happening, it's easier to portray it as these scenes
I interpreted it more as the wolves sending him visions of what happened
Yeah, without Perrin's internal dialogue it would be really hard to understand his powers without some kind of visual medium.
I understand everyone wants this to be good, but I am so close to dropping the series. I know they couldn’t make everything fit, but the changes does to have shock factor are so jarring.
I feel like it’s legend of the seeker, and Shanara, all over again.
Daniel & Comment section: “This show is incredible though!!! You just need to get over the fact this actually isn’t the The Wheel of Time at all, but just a different turning of the wheel.”
It’s unbelievable how many ppl can’t accept the fact that this show is not good but so unrecognizable that you have to tell yourself that what you are watching is an adaptation of some alternate storyline of a book that doesn’t exist.
C’mon. The show runners turned this series into a fantasy teen/young adult romance.
I think your comments on "dont try and link yhid with the books" is pretty spot on. I wish that it wasnt this way as i feel like we, the fabs deserve a true adaptation vs someone's vision of what they want from the stories.
The reason they were sleeping in the Archway room is explained in the episode. It is clear to Elaine that Egwene is reluctant to leave the room, so she comprimes by saying they can bunk out there together. So that is why they are sleeping there, probably after a long vigil that exhausted them.
You are absolutely right.
It explained why they were there, yes. It's ridiculous that they were there in the first place, though. No novice would be allowed in there till she is summoned for her test, and they certainly wouldn't be allowed to channel into the arches -- although I get why they did it, so Elayne could exposit on the dangers of what Egwene was doing. Maybe that's why so many of their novices are dying, poor supervision 😅
@@Jamesmatiseyea I don't know, books 2-3 Elayne and Egwene are absolutely on brand for sneaking into places. And they're not being supervised very well either. They just get away with Liandrin in TGH. Then in TDR they get into storerooms.
Elayne and Egwenne were spending the night there in hope that she would come out. They were like a deathwatch. Elayne knew Egwenne wouldnt leave
I wouldn't mind Liandrin lying, because there are a (very) few Aes Sedai who can lie, and it would make sense for Liandrin to be one of them given her book counterpart.
It would suck if she's Black Ajah and they merge Elaida with her.
The interesting thing about Elaida is that she's just incompetent and evil, not Darkfriend Evil. I hope she's introduced in S3 when we meet Morgase
@@Kizaru182 It's been confirmed that Elaida and Liandrin won't be merged, and that Elaida will show up later in the show.
Technically, everything Liandrin says in the episodes is something she can say without lying.
@@csarmiiExcept when she reads the letter to Mat and tells him "over a dozen letters, and not a word about you." That's more than leaving the last couple lines out, it's a plain lie. But yes, the rest is Aes Sedai speak
@@fardareismai4495 If you want to be technical about it, there's not a single word about Mat Cauthon. There are many.
The lack of respect that Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve show to the sisters is frustrating in my opinion. I feel like in the books Egwene and Nynaeve were punished a ton due to their lack of deference and respect a sister was owed, even one weak in the power.
Another thing that pulled me away from episode three was Egwene and Elayne just knowing where the accepted test takes place and exactly what it is. I feel like it takes away from the secret secretism that was the Aes Sedai and their rituals
That’s a good point, but Elayne has had so much time in the Tower that I’d believe she overheard something about it
@@alisaurus4224 Fair point, but it also seems they just let the Novices chill down there which takes me out of the show a little bit😂
Thank you!! I thought I was the only one I was bothered by that. The whole institute of the tower feels weirdly amatueristic and unserious
I love how they managed to fit in an Uno curse before he goes haha
The reason Rand was in his red coat again is because that part was in a dream
But how did he get the ghealdean red for Logain. Or was his visit to Logain a dream. I think he actually did go to the party with Selene
Nvm realized we are talking about when he returns to his room lol
How did Loial survive stabbing by that nasty knife!!!
I was hoping E1 would begin at Fal Dara and if Nynaeve would attempt the healing. Hope this means the evil effects of the knife don't work on the Ogeir.
Well, it was super easy. They did it off screen
Love new Mat. He really is embodiment of Mat I imagined. Hate the Moiraine and Lan conflict 😢
Perrin's "wolf powers" seemed like they added Huron's violence sniffing abilities to Perrin's wolf communication abilities from the book.