Wheel of Time (Amazon)

Enjoy!

Best episode of the 4.

Having read the book I have serious questions on some of the choices they have made and might be making.... But was easily the best episode.

Best episode was the one that deviates the most from the book.

enjoyed that. We’re started to get some of the lore and one of my fave characters had a powerful moment there.

shadowman lurking was good too

I was taking the piss but had a feeling someone would bring it up at some stage

https://twitter.com/martinbeanz/status/1464375343326937094?s=20

I'm my head they were like a Romani Greenpeace except passive and playing flamenco music.

From a writing point of view. To be honest wagon train of normal traders would have served the same purpose in the books and not needed another sidetrack story arc. With a backstory that then may have to be made relevant.

Any similarities to any group in real life is superficial. But it would have been better to make then more different to anything. It's a good example of where the books had bells and whistles added where none were needed.

Alright, lemme see. One episode in and overall two first-impressions:

• This show reminds me of other fantasy/magic shows that got cancelled/not renewed. Something like it not being the gritty/grounded level needed to keep an audience.
• Looks like a pretty cool universe with a feel of it's own that looks like it'll be cool to explore. The magic effects and the mountain scenery were cool. The backstory sounds like it's in-depth and has been thought-through. Having Rosamund Pike is a huge win too.

1: Alright, good intro to the characters and what's going on.

I agree that was the best episode so far. Better character and story development. A small criticism would be the special effects, which looked a bit ropey at times.

Is this ok for a 13 year to watch?

I thought they had got matt wrong by having him be mean and a thief, so paranoia would not be out of character when the dagger got hold. But they have changed the impact of the dagger so it makes a bit more sense now.

The actor has already been recast for season 2 so don't get attached!

3: Felt grittier in this one. Story also got a bit more absorbing.

Which is a real pity, because Barney Harris has not only nailed this Mat, but he's been the best performance thus far in the series. Of all those cast, I think Daniel Henney and Zoe Robbins are the next best two (in terms of attitude, not physical attributes in terms of Lan - height/stony facedness etc) but it's not particularly close. Harris has been exceptional.

Episode one was a real let down - it needed to be at least two episodes. The season should probably be ten episodes, not eight. First episode was rushed, skipped too much, showed too little and went far too fast. It also had ropey (at times) cgi/effects, and overly dramatic scenes - and that cold intro was genuinely terrible.

However, the following episodes have been much better. Actual character interactions, development, atmosphere, world building, all much better than the first episode. Episode four continues that upward scale.

As a hardcore book reader, I've definitely got my gripes with some of the show decisions (potential female Dragon Reborn - even if they won't change the actual DR, it's got lore implications, Logain being able to see weaves, men destroyed the world IN THEIR ARROGANCE, "rumours of four Ta'veren", doing the Cauthon's dirty, Perrin and his wife, bigging up Egwene/Nyn in terms of power and ability, the shielding scene etc) but overall it's been pretty good. I really like the casting, the Ep4 Warder campfire scene, Lan and Nynaeve's interactions are excellently done, better than the book, the Tuatha'an are spot on, little moments like the Birgitte doll, the Fade being terrified of the Mashadar/dagger - and the Fade sliding back across the floor not staggering, Shadar Logoth scenes, Thom and Owen story, the dreams.

I really want to spoiler the above, but I can't figure out how on this new poxy site. Mods, feel free to edit.

4: Alright, that was pretty cool! Bit of a 😲 moment

The Rand character in the book had no charm either so that actor is pretty bang on so far.

I’ve just watched the first episode.

I know nothing about the books except that they exist so curious as to how close the series is to them so far.

I can’t quite explain it but I felt that maybe they needed much younger actors to play the four - can’t help but feel they needed to be teenagers. Mat (one the few names I can remember) was good though - is the guy who gets recast for season two? Why did he leave? I’m guessing that the two lovers (ginger guy and the girl who dumped him) are going to be main focus and one of them is the Dragon Reborn. Im guessing this because they are dull as dishwater :p

I didn’t like the contemporary language like Mum, dad and kids.

It is a pity they didn’t make this more family friendly - which it could easily be as the the naked arses, profanity, etc. just seem to be shoved in there for the sake of it.

I like that they aren’t slowing the story done to explain the culture and the Wheel of Time but rather letting things get explained naturally.

The attack on the village was great stuff and I like that we can see the magic - as Pike was facing off against the final assault I thought if she is powerful enough to defeat a group that size it lessens the danger of the villains. However, the destruction she caused no doubt means her kind don’t unleash that power often.

Nice to see McElhatton as hero for a change. :) There really should have been some explanation as to his past as he is clearly a warrior.

The ending was very rushed and the four young people just seem to accept it and go with Pike. I think she should have been shown to confront them earlier.

The fight in the blacksmith forge was also good and I most certainly didn’t expect that outcome. It always annoys me in a show or movie when two characters on the same side almost kill each other and then stand there looking acknowledging “that was close one”. So what happened here was definitely not that old cliché.

Somethings that does need an explanation (and it should be in the first episode) is why the Aes Sedai and the Dark took 20 years to go looking for the Dragon Reborn. And when exactly was the world torn apart - was this thousands of years ago?

The creatures were very impressive. I had expected the show to be all humans so looking forward to more magic and monster mayhem.

I don't like quoting an entire post to reply to a single point, but this website after the update is awful.

Yes, the Breaking was thousands of years ago. How many is never clarified.