Wheel of Time

**BeastieRunner** · 11-16-2021, 01:45 PM

I got an advance screener of the show. Totally out of the blue. I don't recall asking for it? Anyway, busy writing the reviews as we speak (spoiler reviews I think can go out Friday? I didn't read the embargo as my articles won't go out till the following week anyway).

I don't think these are spoilers but just in case:

spoilers:

There are changes! I think they are needed to teach the audience why the characters are how they are. It is also not a direct retelling of the books ... this is new Wheel of Time content. 1-3 have been pretty close to the book, IMHO, with minor differences. Pike killed her performance as did Marcus Rutherford as Perrin. And the actor that plays the Whitecloak is like Joaquin Phoenix's Commodus in Gladiator level of "I hate you so much I hope you die" ... it was just so good! Lan's & Nyneve's performances were really good, too. Trollocs were fucking awesome! The channeling is really well done (more colorful than in any of the trailers) and prepare to freeze frame the channeling for cool Easter eggs. They ditched the saidar/saidin stuff for just the One Power (a good change IMHO) & the Taint is, thankfully, now called the Corruption. Lots to unpack but it was very faithful to the Jordan segments in tone.

My only real complaints are that it did feel a bit rushed but I think once everything gets established that will slow down. They are trying to get A LOT OF STUFF into this first season (like all of Eye of the World). I guess that's more of a pacing issue.

end of spoilers

**Sacred Knight** · 11-16-2021, 02:05 PM

spoilers:

Corrpution does indeed sound cooler than Taint. But I'm wary on the removal of saidin/saidar. That's a pretty massive concept to do away with; it provided the in-world plausibility for how men were corrupted and women were not in that Shai'tan only managed to poison one side before he was sealed. How is it going to be explained now?

end of spoilers

**BeastieRunner** · 11-16-2021, 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by Sacred Knight

spoilers:

Corrpution does indeed sound cooler than Taint. But I'm wary on the removal of saidin/saidar. That's a pretty massive concept to do away with; it provided the in-world plausibility for how men were corrupted and women were not in that Shai'tan only managed to poison one side before he was sealed. How is it going to be explained now?

end of spoilers

spoilers:

They just say the One Power corrupts males when they draw from it. It is still there, just a little cleaner IMHO.

end of spoilers

**Gray Lensman** · 11-18-2021, 09:00 PM

I just watched the first episode, but work calls so I'll be waiting to watch the next two. Apparently they are dropping at midnight, London time.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, but as a fan of the books I'm probably a bit biased.

**Jackalope89** · 11-18-2021, 09:38 PM

Enjoyed it too. A few things I don't know how I feel about, but otherwise I really liked it. On to episode 2 and 3!

**SpiderClops** · 11-19-2021, 05:31 AM

I have only read like the 1/3 of the first book. I was planning to at least finish the first book before the first season dropped. But alas.

Anyway, it was enjoyable. There are changes of course, more than I expected. The prologue is completely missing. Rand is pretty much a blank slate currently. None of the stuff about spoilers:

him being adopted and his father mumbling that in fever dream, his sword

end of spoilers is mentioned. Also, I don't remember spoilers:

Rand and Egwene were already boning

end of spoilers in the books. Merrin spoilers:

being already married and then accidently killing his wife

end of spoilers is one of the most confusing changes for me.

**Gray Lensman** · 11-19-2021, 06:32 AM

Originally Posted by SpiderClops

I have only read like the 1/3 of the first book. I was planning to at least finish the first book before the first season dropped. But alas.

Anyway, it was enjoyable. There are changes of course, more than I expected. The prologue is completely missing. Rand is pretty much a blank slate currently. None of the stuff about spoilers:

him being adopted and his father mumbling that in fever dream, his sword

end of spoilers is mentioned. Also, I don't remember spoilers:

Rand and Egwene were already boning

end of spoilers in the books. Merrin spoilers:

being already married and then accidently killing his wife

end of spoilers is one of the most confusing changes for me.

There are reasons for each of those changes.

spoilers:

Tam's fever dream is a major clue was to the identity of the Dragon, and the show is hoping to keep that under wraps a little longer. In the books it is rather obvious early on.

Rand and Egwene's relationship will be a little more important in the second and third book, having it be more than just a fondness based on an arranged marriage gives it a bit more weight.

Perrin is the change I like the least, but in the books he will struggle with the mentality of being a wolf a lot, but it is all internal, along with his worry about his size and strength being able to easily hurt anyone if he ever loses control of his cursed, mutant, energy blasting eyes. Well, not the eyes but it is a similar concept. And internal monologues don't work in a visual medium, so something external was added.

end of spoilers

That doesn't mean the changes are good one, although I only have issues with one of them as a book reader. It isn't a deal breaker though, at least not for me.

**Hiromi** · 11-19-2021, 08:23 AM

Originally Posted by BeastieRunner

spoilers:

They just say the One Power corrupts males when they draw from it. It is still there, just a little cleaner IMHO.

end of spoilers

honestly I feel completely the opposite about it, especially if they still plan to include the plot point later on spoilers:

where Rand cleanses Saidin

end of spoilers not sure how you make that work in this new lore, just thinking about the number of things they'll have to change to conform to this makes my head hurt, it's a core foundation of the lore of the story and a massive part of the story is built on it. And frankly it's one of the things that made the magic of the world feel unique, without it it just feels so much more generic.

**BeastieRunner** · 11-19-2021, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by Hiromi

honestly I feel completely the opposite about it, especially if they still plan to include the plot point later on spoilers:

where Rand cleanses Saidin

end of spoilers not sure how you make that work in this new lore, just thinking about the number of things they'll have to change to conform to this makes my head hurt, it's a core foundation of the lore of the story and a massive part of the story is built on it. And frankly it's one of the things that made the magic of the world feel unique, without it it just feels so much more generic.

One of my editors pointed out that they could easily introduce the concept later. It just might have more to do with the casual audience being confused.
Which I think you are right, maybe it should not be changed.

**Hiromi** · 11-19-2021, 10:33 AM

I think I could see that, and if they do I'll be pleased, because once I got past the intro I started enjoying it. That said another plot point I'm not enjoying, and one that makes me wonder about the previous one
spoilers:

making Egwene into a fourth Ta'veren, she didn't need it in her story, and if anything not being one made her story more impressive since everything she accomplished came solely from her own drive, cleverness, and power. Also not happy that the Aes Sedai apparently think the Dragon could be female, again suggests that they really have merged Saidin and Saidar into a single power

end of spoilers

**BeastieRunner** · 11-19-2021, 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by Hiromi

I think I could see that, and if they do I'll be pleased, because once I got past the intro I started enjoying it. That said another plot point I'm not enjoying, and one that makes me wonder about the previous one
spoilers:

making Egwene into a fourth Ta'veren, she didn't need it in her story, and if anything not being one made her story more impressive since everything she accomplished came solely from her own drive, cleverness, and power. Also not happy that the Aes Sedai apparently think the Dragon could be female, again suggests that they really have merged Saidin and Saidar into a single power

end of spoilers

Personally I think spoilers:

if you're going to make Egwene one, why not Nyneve while we're at it? That change makes more sense to me because then all 5 of the Edmond's Fielders are one.

end of spoilers

An aside, do we need a season one spoiler thread??

**Hiromi** · 11-19-2021, 12:08 PM

Think I'd still be posting mostly in spoilers because so much of what I take issue with has big repercussions down the road that people not familiar with the book would still be spoiled with

**Jackalope89** · 11-19-2021, 01:01 PM

Oddly enough, they took away Wheel of Time's "unique" swearing, and put in standard ones instead.

**thwhtGuardian** · 11-19-2021, 01:23 PM

I think my big complaint about the book has sadly so far transferred over to the show, and that's the fact that the characters seem really underdeveloped. The world and mythology is really interesting...but there isn't enough time spent with any one character to really provide and "in"

**Panic** · 11-19-2021, 01:50 PM

I've not read the books, but I've enjoyed it so far. It does seem a bit generic LotR influenced fantasy, but that is the genre I guess. I thought all the cast were good, which is why I was surprised to see that Mat Cauthon has been recast for season 2, with Barney Harris departing, to be replaced by Donal Finn. I wonder what the story was there?

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