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I think knowing the source material is a big detriment to watching this show. I thought EP4 was dross, just all wrong, everything all over the place. 
Robert Jordan’s fantasy epic The Wheel of Time coming to TV
- Thread starter opethdisciple
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Soldato
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I need to know what non-book readers think of this because I’m tending to agree with @chroniclard.
Episode four was pretty good TV, there's no arguing that, but in terms of stacking up to the books, unfortunately it's falling way short. The story is all over the place with some incredibly questionable changes. And oh my god, Nynaeve was so damn annoying in the books, yet they've somehow managed to make her so much more annoying that it's actually cringe worthy. Every time she's on the screen I just want her to fall into a river and be swept away never to be seen again!
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I enjoyed the Aes Sedai going ham with gratuitous use of the one power. Logain is also pretty good. 
Unless it goes way off the rails I am still here till the end. 
Unless it goes way off the rails I am still here till the end. In my imagination the Warders are "better" fighters, Lan has a Heron marked blade/supposed to be a blade master, I expected him to be more ninjary/deadly. Also he is too happy.
Not sure what to think about episode 4, need to rewatch it I think when less tired. My partner thought it was boring (she hasn't read the books) except for the last 10 minutes and the final scene we saw Mat/Rand/Thom.
One thing I really hope we see this season is:
One thing I really hope we see this season is:
Lan going mano-a-mano with a fade, ending with him decapitating it before calming wiping his sword and sheathing it as the camera pans out to dozens of trollocs dying from the link being broken. Feel like it's needed for people to realise what a badass he is.
Just watched the first two episodes, better than I'd thought it would be. Has been years since I read the books, so my recollection is a bit hazy, but I'm not too offended by any of the casting so far. In my mind Lan was a bit more grizzled and grey and Rand has a touch of the Anakin Skywalker about him which is worrying, but overall not too bad.
Are we going to have three seasons in the middle that deal with tedious geopolitics?
Are we going to have three seasons in the middle that deal with tedious geopolitics?
Soldato
Hated episode 4; with fourteen books of story, they invented an entire episode of story.
Interesting point about Lan being too happy. I always imagined Lan as basically Joe Dredd (not Stallone!). Practically zero sense of humour, emotionless, utter badass. This Lan is not Old Stoneyface.
Interesting point about Lan being too happy. I always imagined Lan as basically Joe Dredd (not Stallone!). Practically zero sense of humour, emotionless, utter badass. This Lan is not Old Stoneyface.
Soldato
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Logains "Army" just out for a LARP in the woods, that entire scene just looked like someones YouTube video, with their budget how can they not do better?
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So far so good is my opinion. I really didn’t like episode one but things are galloping along now and I’m very much enjoying it.
Yes, I’ve read the books too and given how dire the middle seven are, it’s no bad thing that the TV series is mixing things up a bit.
Yes, I’ve read the books too and given how dire the middle seven are, it’s no bad thing that the TV series is mixing things up a bit.
Yeah but thats the middle books, we havent even got there yet. I am about 80% through book 1 again and that romps along at a very brisk pace with lots and lots happening.
Not sure they needed to "mix up" book one but would be happy if later seasons they miss out about 3 books.
That's what I thought. At the begining in the show they say how a single Aes Sedai can change the tide of a battle, yet they had a few Aes Sedai and warders in what looked like a minor skirmish and most of them died. Utterly pathetic tbh. I'm not sure I've got much more in me to watch the rest. I've waited years for a TV adaptation but I never thought it would be like this.
And what's with mopey dopey Perrin? Honestly, all he ever seems to do is speak like he's been sedated, and spend his time staring blankly into the distance. He was one of my favourite characters in the books. In the show he's utterly meaningless.
Yeah reading the book last night I laughing at all the references by Rand and Mat about how jovial Perrin always is and wishing they had his way with the ladies as he always said the right things.
And that was the problem with ep 4. They added something which was never in the books and broke some fo the fundamentals they had set up.
In the books, it was mentioned a few Aes Sedai had died capturing Logain but that was against his whole army, not an ambush by a few of his followers after he was captured. If a dozen aes sedai and their warders could defeat a whole army, it goes to show just how powerful they are.
And Lan isnt coming across as the one man killing machine he is in the books either. He is meant to be almost without equal with the sword or unarmed combat or ninja like abilities.
They just arent getting that across.
In the books Lan would have been able to take down what was left of Logain's army by himself and with Morraine.
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I didn't think any of them died except Kerene? One got shot but there was a scene just after where she was healed. It seems to be implied that the battle ended with Alana just going ham and wiping them out while the others went to the cave.
I do agree though that the 'battle' scene was a bit low budget in general.
Perrin and Mat both are lacking in the first books to be honest, that's why they've given them 'edgy' backstories in the show I suppose. I think people mostly remember the middle/end rather than the beginning of their arcs. I doubt anyone was particularly impressed with them as characters (especially Mat) after the eotw!
Up to episode 4 now and I think I'm going to leave it there. The show is relatively watchable when it's on form but utter nonsense when it's not. It's a shame as you can see the seeds of a few brilliant ideas in there that I'm sure the book runs away with, but it all feels very tepid and under developed in the show so far.
It feels a lot like The Witcher but without the charm that helps to wash away the weak story structure of both programs.
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Associate
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I’ve picked this up again and I just can’t take it seriously.
Everything looks so clean and unused.
In my first viewing I was watching it and I literally couldn’t suspend my disbelief to enjoy the story. Costumes and fake magic or fights etc are all part and parcel of this genre, but TWOT makes no effort to appear lived in. When I watch it I don’t see the characters, I see actors in costumes. I don’t see a village, I see a set.
Contrast this with something like GOT, LOTR, or TWD even, and they all make efforts to make the world look as if it is being lived in. All decent shows do. It looks like the clothes and props have been used and not just been put on after being dry cleaned. I can believe that the story I am seeing could be real, I can suspend my disbelief because I know that realistically, in the situations shown there would be muck and grime and creases and tears in clothing.
When the world and the props and the clothes look like they are being used by the characters, then it is much easier to sit back and immerse myself and fully enjoy (or not) the story.
I cannot do this with TWOT because I just don’t believe what I am seeing. It looks fake and so everything that comes after, the performances, the story, is all tainted by that fakeness being front and centre in nearly every scene.
That’s why this doesn’t work for me.
And I cannot understand how this wasn’t addressed.
I should also say that I cannot pinpoint one specific thing that makes me feel this way. It is more a combination of all the issues.
All these issues also have the side effect of making this show look like there wasn’t any money spent on it. It just looks low budget. This is absolutely not the case, so I cannot fathom how it has been made to look this way and no one thought to question it.
Everything looks so clean and unused.
In my first viewing I was watching it and I literally couldn’t suspend my disbelief to enjoy the story. Costumes and fake magic or fights etc are all part and parcel of this genre, but TWOT makes no effort to appear lived in. When I watch it I don’t see the characters, I see actors in costumes. I don’t see a village, I see a set.
Contrast this with something like GOT, LOTR, or TWD even, and they all make efforts to make the world look as if it is being lived in. All decent shows do. It looks like the clothes and props have been used and not just been put on after being dry cleaned. I can believe that the story I am seeing could be real, I can suspend my disbelief because I know that realistically, in the situations shown there would be muck and grime and creases and tears in clothing.
When the world and the props and the clothes look like they are being used by the characters, then it is much easier to sit back and immerse myself and fully enjoy (or not) the story.
I cannot do this with TWOT because I just don’t believe what I am seeing. It looks fake and so everything that comes after, the performances, the story, is all tainted by that fakeness being front and centre in nearly every scene.
That’s why this doesn’t work for me.
And I cannot understand how this wasn’t addressed.
I should also say that I cannot pinpoint one specific thing that makes me feel this way. It is more a combination of all the issues.
All these issues also have the side effect of making this show look like there wasn’t any money spent on it. It just looks low budget. This is absolutely not the case, so I cannot fathom how it has been made to look this way and no one thought to question it.
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Spot on. It gnaws at the edge of my brain when watching it and seeing not a single smudge on their clothes. Breaks the illusion.
Caporegime
Yep, said the same earlier in the thread.
It's a watchable TV show, but it's not remotely close to how good it could have been.
It's a watchable TV show, but it's not remotely close to how good it could have been.