The Wheel Of Time (Amazon Prime) TV Show • Page 13

Just watched episode 1. I dug it

 

I think I'm gonna wait a while before I plow through the other two episodes (as in not binge all 3 right now tonight), but this was absolutely fantastic. Any of the little nagging doubts I still had were quelled by this first episode and I was fully engulfed and immersed in the world of the show.

The plot kicks into gear really quickly, but this being a TV show as opposed to a series of 14 absolute door-stopper novels it felt perfectly natural to me.

 

Just finished 3. My girlfriend keeps calling them trollops

 

A few thoughts but overall; I really enjoyed this. I can see why some changes were made such as:

Mat: He always wanted to get away from the Two Rivers but never really had a reason, giving him sulky parents does that so I can see why that change was made but they still did the Cauthons dirty. Barney actually plays him really well so if it continues like this I'm going to hope the next actor really steps it up.

For Perrin, giving him a wife and then killing her in a fit of uncontrollable rage gives a meaning to his story arc about him not trusting his power. The fact is wasn't a Whitecloak he killed was actually pretty good because we are supposed to hate them so I don't think we would have gotten the same emotional response from the audience and Perrin. Not liking the absence of Elyas though.

I really enjoyed Moiraine, Egwene and Nynaeve's characters. Little unsure of where they are going with Nynaeve's origins but it doesn't seem like it will make that big an impact. The actors for the Moiraine, Lan and Egwene really done well. I don't have much more to say than that on them right now but Nynaeve is probably my favourite so far.

I won't mention Rand yet because as my display pic states; he's just my favourite. I feel Josha has started portraying him well but felt he didn't really get much to do. I also expected our gleemans songs to be more folk-y but I'll take what we got.

And DAMN those Trollocs were scary! Padan Fain was so creepy and the Fade/Eyeless looking intense. The twist in episode 3 about the Darkfriend was done well, I actually forgot about all the betrayals we are going to get.

I can see why most of the changes were made. We are still left to guess who the Dragon Reborn is and this has to appeal to new audiences so I can see why things aren't as obvious. A few things that didn't really stick were missing Tam's fever dreams and I felt the gang leaving the Two Rivers was rushed. There were far less changes than I thought they would do but I'm invested so far.

I also watched the Wheel of Time Origins on X-Ray and those were done really well. I'd take a full series of those!!

I've likely missed a few things but I'm sure we will get to discussing it. I can see why people don't like the changes in a series they've waited 30 years to see adapted but I also believe that some criticisms are more of a "oh, I've read the book and I need to tell you that" instead of watching it for what it is.

 

Do you have to have an Amazon device to watch the x ray stuff? Roku household here.

 

I came here just now to ask the same thing...

My largest critique so far would be that I wish the show spent a few more minutes introducing the Emond's Field crew before the plot kicks into motion, and I really wanted to soak in some of the additional bonus material this morning, but I can't find it on my phone, computer or TV.

I fully understand why shows and movies do this, but sometimes I feel like too much is sacrificed at the altar of pacing. It is important, but it isn't the only consideration. The example that always sticks out to me is that, in the Lord of the Rings films, Frodo & Sam literally just bump into Merry & Pippin in the woods somewhere and then Merry & Pippin proceed to just tag along on the rest of the grand, epic journey and go through all sorts of hell.

I'm sure there is an overwhelming amount of market research and data out there that shows that quick pacing is a huge factor in winning over casual television / movie fans who aren't already fans of the material, and when you are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on something and it needs to connect, I get it. But I do think there is something to be said for allowing a story to breathe and play out naturally and having the audience come to you.

I do see how the way the plotlines and timelines are sort of being remixed can lead to us getting moments later on that feel like we maybe missed them so-to-speak at this point, but I think a few more minutes with the main kids at the outset would have been nice.

 

While those of us that already love the series I'm sure agree with you that some more set up would have been nice, in this day and age of a zillion streaming platforms and great tv shows, I can certainly understand why they chose to jump straight into some action.

 

The more I thought about it, the more I do agree with you. If you don't hook enough people in at the start you won't ever get to finish telling the story you've started. There is so much content out there now, and it does seem like a lot of good stuff gets the axe and gets canceled before even having a chance to find an audience. Netflix especially I think is guilty of this.

 

How good was Jaichim Carridin though? Maybe too overtly evil but I really enjoyed his performance

I suppose you could say the same about Liandrin. Dana is maybe the only one so far where anybody is surprised at the turn

 

Maybe I'm wrong about who that first guy is, I assumed

 

Watching these episodes has shown me that I am slightly more attached to this story and these books than I originally thought, even though I have never finished the series, and really never made it even halfway. So far I would say the casting for all of the main parts is absolutely phenomenal though.

As far as the how the characters themselves are being portrayed, my favorites so far are Nynaeve and Lan. Just due to how the plot and storylines are being laid out, we haven't gotten to see much from Perrin or Moraine yet. Moraine got the cool fight scene on Winternight, but I mean more from her character. Moraine has now spent a lot of the runtime so far injured and unconscious, and I feel like Perrin is still (understandably) in shock from the events of the first episode and now they've just taken off and have been pursued the whole time. The actor who plays Mat is absolutely phenomenal and really brings a lot to the role and steals many of the scenes he is in, which is a bummer given what has transpired since in the real world. Certainly some big shoes to fill for the next actor.

I realize the whole concept of Gleemen in general was always going to be a huge hurdle to figure out how to adapt it for modern audiences and make it fit with the whole aesthetic of the show and not seem completely cheesy and out of place. That being said, I absolutely hated when Thom Merrilin finally showed up on screen without his long exaggerated mustache and brightly colored patchwork cloak. They did immediately win me over though. The actor playing Thom is great and as soon as the next few scenes with him played out I was fully on board with what they were doing.

 

Moiraine has a great monologue in episode 2. I think Rosamund Pike is pretty amazing in the role. Her voice is so regal. It's really only episode 3 where she's underused

 

I'm really struggling with the Perrin storyline from the first few episodes. It's not explicitly stated, but did anyone else feel or get the impression that his wife is pregnant, or is that just me...?!?? There is a scene where he hugs her and it looks like he kinda hugs her belly in a way that is always movie/TV shorthand for the woman being pregnant. But this makes what happens all the more brutal and completely fucked up, and I do think I'm imagining it or reading into scenes something that's not supposed to be there.

 

Just now starting but omg the actor for Mat is perfect I hope he’s okay

 

Just saw this scene and I got this impression.

 

I feel crazy because I haven't heard this mentioned at all literally anywhere, and it seemed super obvious to me.

You gotta post your thoughts when you're done - I'm dying to talk about the show but the thread is kinda quiet and I don't wanna just keep bombing it with posts.

 

I didn't even realize they were married! Haha

 

I’m on episode three, but will also be running a marathon in the morning, so my detailed thoughts will be delayed.

tldr version though is I have been waiting for eighteen years and I am so happy

 

Good luck tomorrow!

 

Watching the first episode now. So far, I’m not too pleased.

 

First ep is a little slow until it's not

 

Finished episode 1. Sadly, I didn’t enjoy it, which sucks for something that i love so dearly. I’ll keep watching because it’s better than nothing. But it wasn’t what I’d hoped in almost any way.

Mat is probably the only part that I’d rate as worthy of the books so far (and they recast him so that’s a bummer). The trollocs were probably the next closest thing.

 

I’ve never been a critic when it comes to TV/movies so this was perfectly fine for me, and it was fun to see the differences for the most part, and I don’t think the Perrin thing was as big of a deal as everyone’s making it out to be either. my wife loved all of it and has no WoT experience, so mission accomplished for them so far.

The only thing that felt noticeably rushed was them leaving with Moiraine after the Trolloc attack, and I wish we got more with Rand/Tam/Trollocs before they show up in town. I felt the fight was done really well, and the way it started so fast and out of nowhere felt very in line with how those scenes start in the book. It conveyed the chaotic nature of it all very well. I thought Moiraine channeling looked simultaneously pretty awesome and cheesy at times, but Lan slaying all the Trollocs around her was awesome.

only one episode down, and the wife wants to watch together, so it’ll probably be a “one episode per night” kind of deal, but that’ll probably be good for me anyway.

 

WoT Eps 1-3


As I’ve been saying, eighteen years ago I picked up these books as a middle school kid obsessed with Tolkien. “Eye of the World” is absolutely the Tolkien-influenced jump off point you need in this situation. The Wheel of Time is far, far more than EotW; but no TV show or movie was ever going to get to that point without a very heavy studio push and audience buy in. Thankfully, with Amazon’s almost unlimited pockets, we’re halfway there.


I’m going to start with my Big Misses:


Book Spoiler: I think not having Tam’s fever dream is a mistake. The sudden swordsmanship and then the revelation of Aiel hair color on episode 3 isn’t enough. I know they’re going for more mystery for the tv audience, but a big part of Rand’s early arc is influenced by the fever dream. And I think it would’ve made Mat calling him a bastard in ep 3 hit a little harder if he’d begun doubting his parentage already.

Nynaeve being drug away by the trolloc when everyone else is being murdered. We eventually get the context for why, ie “I see all five of you in my dreams,” but it doesn’t feel right considering literal entrails being ripped out of other Emond’s Fielders.


Things that made me absurdly gleeful:


The fat man angreal. Hopper. Nynaeve getting to keep her “What’s this? A ranger caught off his guard?” moment. Every line of Mat Cauthen. Moraine’s diadem.


The explanation of Manetheren and Aridhol were really well done and I loved getting those glimpses into the world I’ve loved through fifteen books multiple times, haha. Also the glimpses of the shattered causeways and ruins throughout the landscapes. The dragon broke the world, indeed.


Showing the madness of a male channeler in that opening sequence with Liandrin and the reds was great.


Dana the darkfriend was a brilliant turn. So excited they’re showing how perilous this is so early. And not just from the trollocs.


I actually really love angsty, dark Thom. It fits better in this iteration of the story.


Things I’m not sure about:


What was the crystal on the Aiel man?


I didn’t love the visible portrayal of Mashadar, but watching Mashadar obliterate the horse was sublime.


Also, what’s the vibe they’re going for with the Tinkers? Because the one they landed on is more… not it.


Things that landed better than expected:


Perrin’s bloodlust and accidental killing of his wife, who did appear pregnant to me. I don’t think the storyline is necessary, really, to establish that he’s afraid of his own strength (and will be for a loooooong time), but this isn’t the same turning of the wheel it’s a new turning.


Baalzamon and the dreams could’ve been way worse. Perfect amount of creepy and Rand choking on the bat was brilliant for the representation of the power of dreams in the series, I think.


The cast:


Excellent. I think the EF quintuplet all embody the young, naive characters they start as perfectly. Nynaeve is spot on. Rand has more of a personality. Perrin carries that quiet heaviness so well.


Rosamund Pike plays an Aes Sedai brilliantly. But I don’t know that she’s playing Moiraine as I’ve always known her quite yet. Lan is excellent.


Some of the EF parents and periphery don’t quite match up with what I had in my head, but that’s okay. Sets up Abel for a redemption arc if they so choose. Did we see an unnamed Cenn Buie die?


Up next:


I am very curious where Moiraine’s set up with Logain is going (we know Alanna is with Liandrin because her warders were there).



I’m sure there’s more, but I have to go run now. Couldn’t sleep so I started typing this at like 4:30am.

 

I've rewatched the first three episodes a few times now. For me, with each rewatch Episode 1 has gotten weaker and weaker while Episodes 2 & 3 have gotten better and better. There are a lot of really great things about Episode 1, but I do think the rushed pacing really kills it and prevents it from being a very good pilot episode of TV.

It is evident throughout the episode, but most apparent when it ends with Moraine just telling the Two Rivers kids that they have to come with her, and they just do, all within 30 seconds. It plays like a scene from old style network TV shows where they simply ran out of time and had to end the story because the next episode has to pick up somewhere else. I don't understand why the mandate would be so strong to get the episode down under a certain runtime when a few extra minutes - especially at the end of the episode - would have set such a good foundation for the show. I am almost 100% sure that Amazon has the ability to make the episode whatever length they choose as well, which makes the decision doubly baffling.

The episode does it's job of getting the plot started and getting the characters moving I suppose, and the next two episodes each get better and better as they go along, but I can think of probably dozens of pilot episodes that absolutely set their hooks in you and you just need to keep watching the show, and Episode 1 of this is absolutely nowhere close to that for me. I don't think I would have wanted to keep watching if I hadn't read the books.