That's network TV, though. Streaming is different, because it's much easier to rewatch. WOt is one of the most expensive TV shows ever made, it's not on a Xena budget.
Sometimes I think these series are cursed with a high budget, Xena and "older" fantasy/scfi series where cheap and they knew it, they used those small budgets very well. Just look at what battlestar galactica, babylon 5 or firefly accomplished with comparably tiny budgets. Recent expensive series like Wheel of Time and Rings of Power but also lots of marvel and star wars content kind of get lost in huge budgets when what they really need is some extra time in the writing room and planning stage which is basically free compared to CGI fights few people find very exciting anyway.
I wish they would be less afraid of CG. You can see the marketing being all 'practical effects', and so Tar Valon becomes a series of small rooms with no windows
Episode 6 - I truly cannot get over the difference in this show this season.
Spoiler
I don't know if it was common knowledge and I managed to miss it but I DID NOT KNOW THOM WAS BACK THIS SEASON!! What an awesome surprise. And THAT SONG. Ceara Coveney has a lovely voice and she nailed it, that scene was great. I'm enjoying the slow build of canon folk songs too - I truly hope we get enough seasons to hear Donal Finn sing Jak o' the Shadows. Just once! (He can sing too - he was Orpheus in Hadestown in the West End last year)
We're spending a lot of time with Liandrin (not a complaint, Kate Fleetwood is wonderful) - I wonder if she is going to become a Dread Lord and maybe take the place of one of the missing Forsaken (Mesaana perhpas?) It always felt a little odd that for a lot of talking about Dread Lords we only actually gone one (Taim), and that was only because he had to suddenly stop being Demandred. Maybe they're running with the idea in the show.
Moghedien continues to be brilliant and boy does that woman not know what she's set in motion with Nynaeve. I truly cannot wait to see Zoe Robins harness post-block Nynaeve - but for now, I really enjoyed her scene with Min in the tavern getting drunk ("was that a joke?" HA)
Perrin and Faile feels very fast but then I'm sort of accepting some things have to be fast. It's dangerous, granted, but I like show Faile so far. Please do not make her book Faile, Rafe Judkins. I am BEGGING you. I enjoy any scene with Alanna and Maksim and it was nice to tie in the Cauthon girls channeling.
Rand having the AUDACITY to call Egwene out when he's sleeping with Lanfear. It's peak teenage boy and Josha sold it. Following it up with Sammael's appearance and the little girl's death was an unlooked for gut punch (could be me mis-remembering the books, I don't actually remember what Sammael did if I'm honest). It is so good to see Josha have more to do and the whole "Breathe!" sequence really let him show off and was very emotional.
I'm calling it - I'll be genuinely furious if this doesn't get renewed after how strong this season has been.
This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 03 April 2025 - 06:37 PM
Some off choices. The Rand and Egwene breakup mirrors the books but now it’s happening after their personal relationship is much higher than it was in the books. Doesn’t quite fit. Also it’s Rand saying she is always interested in something else more than him, not Egwene herself so it just seems petty. Further we learn that Lanfesr and Moraine both manipulated this outcome. Lanfear makes sense but it still doesn’t make sense that Moraine would cooperate.
I like the scene of Rand attempting to save the child. It’s from the books, I think Carrie’s the same purpose but also perhaps can be the new seed for Rands inability to hurt women which I think is one way his madness manifests. It was always cultural but he does decapitate one female darkfriend and then he goes nuts about it.
After 3 seasons of making Rand take second fiddle to all the other characters making him seem weak this episode perhaps made him look to strong. Moraine asking how he can handle so much power, he can’t. He is not even close to equal what she should be doing with the sangreal. At this point in his power he should be no match for a forsaken fighting him directly. He brushed Sammael off like a bug though; but I’m gonna assume he escaped offscreen.
I guess it’s just a matter of taste but it seems criminal to end the episode with 30 extra seconds of Bain and chair looking at tropics coming to the two rivers instead of ending the episode on a broken Rand holding a child he killed.
Tanchicho storlyline is killing me. I’m the horn blower, my best friends the dragon reborn and this is the daughter heir. Thom is a cool guy but seriously?
Perrin also just going yeah I have gold eyes because I’m a wolf brother. failes mother being a darkfriend and a general. Why?
The thing about Egwene's reaction is, it's a 'you cheated on me so I am angry at you' reaction that the audience is having.' The reaction she should be having is 'oh no, you are being stalked by a serial killer, you need help stat'. It's not the reaction a sane person in universe would have. When she started out by going to Wise Ones for help I was happy they were going that direction, but the confrontation is 'you betrayed me', not ' you need help'.
Perrin needs to eventually get over his wife, and they don't have much time, but... not the same scene, writers. Don't finish mourning and begin a new relationship in the same scene.
Must have been an interesting scene for the director -'ok, female extras, start stroking your boobs, it's plot relevant, I swear'
Excellent way to bring Thom back, of course he will get on board with the eternal struggle of keeping Elayne from dying.
Saidin and Saidir FINALLY explained. Seems like they might subvert it in the finale, though.
Aviendha can indeed channel. Which means the Seanchan should have collared her in the cage in Season 2, but oh well.
Two choices with Sammael, he escaped or is now captive a la Asmodean
Started this last night. Not going to read through this thread but that was quite the beginning with the revealing of the black Ajah and their escape. I know they're not strictly following the books and I only made it to book 4 before bailing but from what I remember the Rhuidean and the sword of Tear are in separate books? Seems like they're mashing it together.
Which can only be a good thing because it cuts out the soggy whiny dross. Which is 80% of those books anyway.
Please can someone remind me why Lanfear is (sort of) helping Moiraine? I've forgotten and the recap didn't quite explain it.
A Haunting Poem
I Scream
You Scream
We all Scream
For I Scream.
Episode 7. A Perrin bottle episode feels like a great move as the character has been neglected by the show a bit. Overall, really enjoyed it aside from the odd beat not landing for me.
Spoiler
The Battle of the Two Rivers is definitely the best of the major battles the series has shown - Fal Dara and Falme felt rather empty, Emond's Field and the mountain pass being much more claustrophobic really helped with that issue.
Things I loved:
1. Perrin forgoing a speech to sing the song about Manetheren from series 1 and the chorus of the villagers joining in. YES. I love the use of song and music in this show.
2. Maksim's not-really-a-pep-talk come I-hate-these-mouthy-farmers-and-their-fancy-longbows pep talk speech. Made me smile.
3. The exchange between Perrin and Faile - "What would you give for the Two Rivers?" "Everything" "SHOW THEM". (Damnit if Isabella Bucceri isn't making me like Faile. The cognitive dissonance borders on painful).
4. Bain and Chiad being so offended when Perrin claims nobody runs faster than the Tuatha'an. Excuse you, Lord Goldeneyes.
5. Make that every time Bain and Chiad are on screen. They're a joy. The "fucking wetlanders, even their Shadowsouled are soft" hand talk bit made me laugh.
6. The combination of shot construction, soundtrack and reaction acting from Marcus Rutherford when Padan Fain came into view through the gate. Viscerally felt that.
Things that didn't quite land for me:
1. The Cauthon girls burning Valda. Sure, that weasel could not go down screaming hard enough for me, but the moment had no weight and was over and done too quickly.
2. Alanna's almost dead but not again. Did we really need to do that twice in the space of a handful of episodes? I get that losing their Aes Sedai paved the way for the Two Rivers folk to stand by themselves and for the focus to be on them, but I would have liked Alanna being sidelined to have been achieved in a different way.
3. Padan Fain generally. The actor is doing great work with the little he gets given, but he's definitely an antagonist that has really suffered from the way the story has had to be cut down. Did any show only people really have any reaction to him being back?
Things that are just OH NO YOU DID NOT:
1. LOIAL.
I totally understand the show in its truncated form does not need him - he has no real bearing on anything major plot-wise for the rest fo the books that I can remember, and is really a fan favouirte because he's just a lovely character. I listened to WOT Up's review of the episode and he made reference to there being behind the scenes reasons for dropping Loial, maybe the actor couldn't commit further or something. It's a shame because he's done a wonderful job nailing the Loial of the audiobooks to perfection. If he had to go, I'm glad he got to go out in a heroic moment saving his friends.
However, I am pretty sure the music playing as he dropped the last hammer blow and fell was the Horn of Valere theme from series 2. It would be a little cheesy, but I would genuinely love (should the rest of the series get made) if we get a climactic moment of the Horn being blown at the Last Battle and all the characters lost return as Heroes of the Horn.
Also, his narration at the end as Perrin reads the end of his book "Perrin Aybara, my friend." STOP CHOPPING ONIONS IN MY LIVING ROOM.
I'd have been disappointed if there'd been no renewal after the first couple of series, but I'm going to be genuinely sad if there's no renewal after this series really coming good.
My understanding is that things are up in the air because of negotiations between Sony and Amazon, but I'm cautiously hopeful they'll get to make more.
This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 11 April 2025 - 07:30 AM
TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 11 April 2025 - 07:24 AM, said:
Episode 7. A Perrin bottle episode feels like a great move as the character has been neglected by the show a bit. Overall, really enjoyed it aside from the odd beat not landing for me.
Spoiler
The Battle of the Two Rivers is definitely the best of the major battles the series has shown - Fal Dara and Falme felt rather empty, Emond's Field and the mountain pass being much more claustrophobic really helped with that issue.
Things I loved:
1. Perrin forgoing a speech to sing the song about Manetheren from series 1 and the chorus of the villagers joining in. YES. I love the use of song and music in this show.
2. Maksim's not-really-a-pep-talk come I-hate-these-mouthy-farmers-and-their-fancy-longbows pep talk speech. Made me smile.
3. The exchange between Perrin and Faile - "What would you give for the Two Rivers?" "Everything" "SHOW THEM". (Damnit if Isabella Bucceri isn't making me like Faile. The cognitive dissonance borders on painful).
4. Bain and Chiad being so offended when Perrin claims nobody runs faster than the Tuatha'an. Excuse you, Lord Goldeneyes.
5. Make that every time Bain and Chiad are on screen. They're a joy. The "fucking wetlanders, even their Shadowsouled are soft" hand talk bit made me laugh.
6. The combination of shot construction, soundtrack and reaction acting from Marcus Rutherford when Padan Fain came into view through the gate. Viscerally felt that.
Things that didn't quite land for me:
1. The Cauthon girls burning Valda. Sure, that weasel could not go down screaming hard enough for me, but the moment had no weight and was over and done too quickly.
2. Alanna's almost dead but not again. Did we really need to do that twice in the space of a handful of episodes? I get that losing their Aes Sedai paved the way for the Two Rivers folk to stand by themselves and for the focus to be on them, but I would have liked Alanna being sidelined to have been achieved in a different way.
3. Padan Fain generally. The actor is doing great work with the little he gets given, but he's definitely an antagonist that has really suffered from the way the story has had to be cut down. Did any show only people really have any reaction to him being back?
Things that are just OH NO YOU DID NOT:
1. LOIAL.
I totally understand the show in its truncated form does not need him - he has no real bearing on anything major plot-wise for the rest fo the books that I can remember, and is really a fan favouirte because he's just a lovely character. I listened to WOT Up's review of the episode and he made reference to there being behind the scenes reasons for dropping Loial, maybe the actor couldn't commit further or something. It's a shame because he's done a wonderful job nailing the Loial of the audiobooks to perfection. If he had to go, I'm glad he got to go out in a heroic moment saving his friends.
However, I am pretty sure the music playing as he dropped the last hammer blow and fell was the Horn of Valere theme from series 2. It would be a little cheesy, but I would genuinely love (should the rest of the series get made) if we get a climactic moment of the Horn being blown at the Last Battle and all the characters lost return as Heroes of the Horn.
Also, his narration at the end as Perrin reads the end of his book "Perrin Aybara, my friend." STOP CHOPPING ONIONS IN MY LIVING ROOM.
I'd have been disappointed if there'd been no renewal after the first couple of series, but I'm going to be genuinely sad if there's no renewal after this series really coming good.
My understanding is that things are up in the air because of negotiations between Sony and Amazon, but I'm cautiously hopeful they'll get to make more.
I agree on all points!
One thing:
Spoiler
Loial. I don't think he's dead. I know we already did the fakeout death with him from S1 to 2....but the Waygates are stacked on top of one another aren't they? I could see him falling to another exit, and we see it next season. But I dunno.
"When the last tree has fallen, and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money, oh no." ~Aurora
"Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone." ~Ursula Vernon
Somewhat of an aside, but if anyone follows WOTUp on Youtube, he has an interview with Priyanka Bose (Alanna) and Taylor Napier (Maksim) and they are an absolute scream together, it's a lot of fun to listen to.
This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 16 April 2025 - 08:41 AM
Not a bad episode but for me so many of the storybeats are wrong. It has changed so much from the original that I feel freed from comparing it to the books but it’s when they try to mimic the books story books and they do it in a way that misses the point that I get annoyed.
WOT Continues to be brilliant and awful at the same time.
Spoiler
"You're the only one who stood by me"
...Um, yes, because she actively ensured this was the case by making everyone else leave him against their will. They were going to stay together in Episode 1, until Moiraine made it otherwise. That's so bizarre, it feels like gaslighting.
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