[Avatar]

QuickTidal, on 24 November 2021 - 06:54 PM, said:

Avatar, on 24 November 2021 - 06:37 PM, said:

I was wondering, did anyone watch Goodkind's Legend of the Seeker, from 2008? I remember that I thought it was terrible. But on imdb, the rating is even higher than WoT, 7,6 vs 7,4. Was it not so bad?

I watched it. It was bad, but it also was absolutely leaning into the Xena/Hercules vibe (made by the very same people in fact, including the composer from those shows Joseph LoDuca), and had scantily clad women in it to lure young people to watch. It wasn't a prestige show trying to be a serious fantasy adaptation. It knew it was a bad show and rolled about in the muck as a result.

Like watch this scene, both women have their cleavage out for titilation reasons.

So yeah, I can see why it has a higher rating simply because it was not trying to be more than the fantasy beef/cheesecake it was.

Hell yeah, that scene is exactly as bad as I remember this series was 😄


There must be an audience for it, enough to vote it upwards on imdb though... there are other reviews of LotS that are not so positive.

Well, I'm glad WoT is better than this, so far.

[Macros]

My god LotS is so bad 😂😂

Let's not confuse up votes with quality, that's the rabid fanbase, who want to watch some Lorno

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

It certainly won't change the mind of anyone who is already "out", but those on the fence I definitely recommend to give it until episode 4.

I'm ten minutes out from watching it and I'm still a bit dumbstruck by it. CGI again not perfect, but some beautiful character work throughout and the build up of the last fifteen minutes of the episode really left me quite breathless.

They are also riding HARD on keeping up the misdirection of who the Dragon Reborn is. They are I think dropping enough subtle hints in amongst the deliberate red herrings that I think once revealed, the jigsaw pieces will be apparent. It obviously isn't working on me because I've read the books, but I'm looking forward to Mr Not a Blacksmith watching it as I would love to hear a non-book reader take on that episode particularly.

I'm very impressed!

[EmperorMagus]

I whole-heartedly second TRB's opinion. I knew I would look at the show with rose-tinted glassed because of how much I love WOT but episode 4 was impressive in both its character work and its world-building. It had almost no scene from the books but reflected the series perfectly.

Also Nynaeve is perfect.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

EmperorMagus, on 26 November 2021 - 07:55 AM, said:

Also Nynaeve is perfect.

Isn't she just?

[Werthead]

Agreed, the fourth episode was easily the best yet. Reminded me of GAME OF THRONES's first season when the first three episodes were promising but inconsistent and then the fourth blew it up with a lot of well-handled exposition culminating in a major, dramatically intense cliffhanger.

Spoiler

They found a great way of doing "show, not tell" to show that Nynaeve could channel but something was wrong with her ability, and by spending a whole episode on Logain and his powers they showed the dangers of men who can channel, along with a ton of foreshadowing. They also showed how shielding and linking work, which are hard concepts to get across visually. The companion minisode also confirms how saidin and saidar work, stopping the weird speculation that the distinction had been eliminated in the show.

Nynaeve drinking with the Warders was also a fun scene and Peter Frantzen has a great "grizzled fantasy voice," and they found a good way of humanising Lan without weakening him. Also, Show Aram is waaaaaaaay less annoying and punchable than in the book, and Alanna is far more fun and likeable. I also liked how she was chill and fun-loving for most of the episode and the second she needed to go full Battle Ajah, she just unleashed.

This post has been edited by Werthead: 26 November 2021 - 10:39 AM

[Tiste Simeon]

You guys have me sold tbh I think I'll start this soon. I trust TRB's judgement on most things (#HildandBeocca4lyfe) so I'm willing to keep going even if I find it poor.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Tiste Simeon, on 26 November 2021 - 12:05 PM, said:

I trust TRB's judgement on most things (#HildandBeocca4lyfe) so I'm willing to keep going even if I find it poor.

I feel like imparting the joys of Hild and Beocca are my chief contribution to bettering the world. Probably not doing much more worthwhile

[HoosierDaddy]

1.75 episodes in...

I'm entertained. What will really be the point of no return for me, is in a hard and heavy usage of the one power battle scene. It MUST look decent or else the whole show just won't work.

[Macros]

I'm enjoying the wife's speculation on who the dragon is, looking forward to ep 4 tonight after TRB's hype.
no pressure!

[QuickTidal]

Macros, on 26 November 2021 - 05:35 PM, said:

I'm enjoying the wife's speculation on who the dragon is, looking forward to ep 4 tonight after TRB's hype.
no pressure!

Huh, this is totally an added feature I hadn't thought about when my wife and I eventually watch. She'll be guessing as well.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Macros, on 26 November 2021 - 05:35 PM, said:

I'm enjoying the wife's speculation on who the dragon is, looking forward to ep 4 tonight after TRB's hype.
no pressure!

If you hate it I will definitely hide, then return only when armed with distracting book recommendations

[Macros]

Where are these minisodes? Are they the delve deeper things?

[Werthead]

Macros, on 26 November 2021 - 10:21 PM, said:

Where are these minisodes? Are they the delve deeper things?

Yup. They're on the special features, but accessing them is weird. You have to start the episode, pause it, select X-Ray and that takes you to the special features. What's a bit odd is that only certain features are available for certain episodes. Episodes 1, 2 and 3 have a map (but not 4), and all four have a special animated "Wheel of Time Origins" episode. The ones so far have been about the Breaking of the World, the Fall of Manetheren, the Legend of Jerome (the best Warder ever) and Saidin & Saidar.

There's also a number of "legacy" episodes about Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson and a whole bunch of behind-the-scenes stuff, concept art and so on.

I've found accessing them relatively easy on Firestick, but hit and miss on PC and mobile. And through some set-top box and Smart TV versions of the Amazon app, it apparently doesn't work at all.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

<_>, on 27 November 2021 - 01:36 AM, said:

Ep 4

Not sitting well for me even if I'm going with this being a portal world to Jordan Prime.

Spoiler

No Else Grinwell.

And fuck that shitty whose the Dragon misdirection nonsense that allows Logain to see Nynaeve channeling. That was annoying.

Spoiler

Someone involved in the show has answered this - he can't see the weaves, he can only see the effect (everybody in the vicinity being suddenly healed) - admittedly I don't think it was super clear, but he can't see the actual light/weaves.

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 27 November 2021 - 09:59 AM

[Avatar]

I came back here, to see if other people were as enthusiastic as I am, having just watched ep 4, agree with TRB and EM, I just decided I'm in for this season and will definitely watch all of them.

[Dadding]

My girlfriend has twigged pretty quickly who the Dragon Reborn is, I'm not confirming her guess until the show does. She's terrible with names though and has started calling them: Moody (Perrin), Ginger (Rand), Evil (Mat), the one who gets shit done (Nynaeve), and the other one (Egwene).

I thought the deviation from the books in episode 4 was really well done, but I'm not a die-hard fan and didn't even really like the books so that was never going to bother me. Seeing some of the comments on Dragonmount in reply to Wert's review was really eye-opening in terms of rabid super-critical fan base, but everyone I've talked to IRL has been enjoying it.

[Tiste Simeon]

Mrs Tiste has said she wants to give it a go so we're starting tonight. I agree with Macros that it's basically TRB'S fault if we don't like it...

[Tiste Simeon]

Further updates: we really enjoyed it! Gripping enough to keep us going at any rate. Already discussing who the dragon reborn could be (I read book one about 20 years ago or so and I don't remember anything haha)

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Aww, my Mum read up to Winter's Heart about a decade ago and asked to watch the first episode today. She loved it.

The pure kid-at-Christmas grin on her face when Moiraine started giving the voice over at the end of the episode and she realised what the speech was is going to stay with me a long time. Genuinely so lovely.