Wheel of Time (Amazon)

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121557811#Comment_121557811

I dunno. I'd agree but say that I think it looks expensive - but filmed cheap. The sets, costumes and locations have looked fantastic, but almost never shot with any panache. Bland "cinematography"; little in the way of dramatic lighting, blocking or use of the camera in such a way that might heighten the feel of the thing. It's all very point and shoot. And the end result being<, as you say, making it all look at little cheap.

Comic Book Guy

S2 was definitely a step up on the first season but despite the big budget it still looks very cheap. The major disappointment for me is that almost every scene it's obvious a set rather than a real world setting.

Glebee

Stuck with it just for the sake of getting it watched. Did not think much of it to be far, last episode then felt rushed. I’ve read some of the book years ago but have no recollection of the story line even after watching S1 and S2 of the show.

Difference between aging slower and being ageless. Hard to visualise it on TV though.

On that topic, the events of Rand being born when Gitara Sedai had her vision was only 20 years before the events being shown and moraine and siuan were still only novices at the time. That's hard to square with moraine having a younger sister who is in her 70's or so.

Moraine in the books didn't have a sister portrayed I believe (I could be mistaken though) so the TV use of it was purely to show the slowing of aging.

Even in the books, the gap between the vision and siuan becoming amyrlin seemed unrealistic to me given the way it's portrayed.

I guess in the TV show the difference between Moraine and her sister is how the agelessness is visualized. Also Liandrin and her son. Not that obvious perhaps .

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121310310#Comment_121310310

I don't think it was as dramatic with the gestures in the books either. As above women could see women's weaves, men could see men's ones, but men also had a separate way to tell when a woman was channeling (goosebumps or similar) that didn't work the other way around. Also, the way or reaching the source, controlling it and channelling was vastly different for both. I don't know if it is obvious that everyone can see the weaves in the show, it hasn't been said specifically, has it, although it does seem that at least any channeler can see any other.

On a similar, but totally dissimilar note, there was another thing in the books that aes sedai had an 'ageless' look about them, which obviously would be difficult to pull off in the show without everyone being 25, and when a woman was stilled her appearance almost totally changed. She lost the ageless look and just became young again. This is important in the books for a couple of the plotlines, but I'm fairly sure they won't be using this in the tv show at all given how they (very badly imo, this was a real weak point) had Moraine think she had been stilled, which is why I mentioned it. There are various other bits around this that I won't go into either.

If you )or anyone else) are into reading though, I would recommend that you do start the books. They are similar enough yet different enough to be worthwhile. The book scope is so much wider really (albeit with some reeeeeeaaaaalllllyyyyy dragged out parts in books 7-10 mostly) but it's worth it imo, and there will be plenty of time in the next 18-24 months before season 3 comes out.

I think if an obvious wizard or witch is waving their hands or chanting, you kinda know it's probably not interpretative dance..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121302956#Comment_121302956

Ah, so to everyone else it's tai chi. Fair enough, thanks; that kinda adds a surreal humour to all those dramatic scenes of channelling. Everyone's standing around watching these women wave their hands about; "Is something meant to happen by now?"

In the books only women who can channel can see women's weaves. Likewise for the men.

"Book brain trust" lol.

Finally finished this up: the "curse" of these shows having feature length episodes at times and not enough free time anymore, lol. The finale moved like a freight train and in some cases - oh we got the horn back - a little TOO fast. Perrin's sudden .. shall we say rash decision making another. Still, if you'd have told me this would become a new favourite after the porridge of season 1, I'd laugh; possibly collapsing in laughter if you said I'd also be a big fan of Foundation too. I'm keen to see where these guys end up next, with a classic case of a tease where

if you thought Ishmael was bad, here comes Bjork the spider lady?

Something said in the finale that has bothered me: can non magic users see the weaves, or is it just that the audience are allowed see them? I need the book braintrust to weigh in for this Google averse boardsie.

When Egwene put the ring on yer one's neck, claiming she twigged her captor could "see the weaves" being a clue that she could also channel. But if that's true then that means all the hand waving and wooshing must look like tai chi to everyone else?

I'm just a bit grumpy that some of the most spectacular and pivotal scenes have been replaced with meh alternatives.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121258706#Comment_121258706

Not far off! A bit less camp and 80's classic movieish though.

It was a joke? It was just how it was described & the fighting across the sky 😂

That's nothing like a flaming sword. Theres a flaming sword in GOT and a light sabre basically the same thing.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121257702#Comment_121257702

he had a big flame sword duel with Ishamael that was projected in the sky and he killed him that way ...

You said this and I immediately thought of Big Trouble in Little China where a similar "shadow" battle ensued; so not sure I'd have taken a true adaptation seriously, as I'd just have thought of James Wong wiggling his fingers like he was holding a video-game controller 🤣

https://youtu.be/dME9-07ZvJI?t=82

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121257702#Comment_121257702

Tbh they chopped so much of the main character I thought they were going to make one of women the main character, even the dragon..

Markitron

Yea I think he only really embraces/accepts it at the end of book 3, which it seems they are pretty much skipping in the show. We already know where he is going in season 3 so the show and books are essentially aligned in having him become the Dragon before he goes there.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121255410#Comment_121255410

It was similar in some ways to the tv show, but at the end of book 2 he had a much better reveal (not a spoiler to say how it happened in the books when it has happened on TV already imo) where he had a big flame sword duel with Ishamael that was projected in the sky and he killed him that way, rather than walking up to him and sticking him in the belly like the TV show and then Moraine using magic to fashion a dragon. Much better in the books imo. Not everything will be and the show has done a couple of things better already, but the fight with Ishamael and the dragon reveal, plus the heroes of the horn of valere bits were much better in the books.

It took Rand longer in the books I think though to accept himself as the dragon.

https://www.polygon.com/23852538/wheel-of-time-map-randland-westlands

There's a map here.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121255497#Comment_121255497

Meh: I can't say I've found anything that leaves me confused that I'd say it's not coherent TBH. Everything has been clear enough, even if as I said, I find High Fantasy names a mouthful to remember. Unless there's something you feel would confuse non book readers?

I will say one big problem that hasn't been addressed is how large this world is meant to be - a world map or some proper sense of distance might help get the sense how close those Fingernail Enthusiasts are to the White Tower (which I presume to be the world's centre?). The dialogue seems to imply they're just rumours on the far edge of the world?

I think you'd struggle to discuss the TV plot without referring to the books for context. I don't think the TV show makes enough coherent sense on its own. Perhaps others feel differently about it.

I think you could chop about 50% of the books and be better for it. More concise and clarity. It certainly didn't any more fluff added, as they did.

Brief_Lives

long.... very very long....

utterly different to the tv series.. and the book readers realise that.