Best one for emotions, best fight scene. Don't know if its that how i saw the Blight. You can't travel more then a mile or 2 a day in it... Loved it. Still feels rushed (the story, not the quality of the show)
@@claudemartin7785 Agree with the rushed feeling: they need 10 episodes. I do think they should have included more of the 5 in episode 5 & 6. That said, I loved episode 7. Best for me at the moment: 7, 3/4, 1 (come on, Winternight was awesome!), 2, 6 & 5.
Euh... Daniel? I think this show is quite bad, there were a LOT of cringy moments in this episode. Why are you so positive? I can't believe you are genuinly liking most of it. The Dusty Wheel, too. They are delusional.
10/10, loved the characters getting laid, loved the aiel fight, loved the Dragon reveal. The look of Fal Dara and all the extra characters. Was wondering about Agelmar and his hostility and he might be a darkfriend. (I don't remember if he was in the books). Maybe one complaint is that Min is aged up and probably won't get with Rand.
Also Loial's Machin Shin whispers definitely would have been: "Your mother was always right, you weren't ready to leave the Stedding... She is going to find you a wife and force you to settle down."
Loial: "I'll ask for your patience". Rand (whispers to Perrin): "If *HE'S* asking for patience, we're all gonna die". 🤣 _ My favourite lines in the whole episode.
Except that, like so much in this show, it's TELLING rather than showing. They keep talking about how slow that Loial is, yet we've never seen any sign of him actually being slow.
That line Rand said when Egwene found him was freaking gold. Something like "I've learned through painfully hard won experience that when you are ready to talk, you'll find me". That's such a great callback to their relationship in the book, where she was much more obnoxious.
Loial's only purpose going with them in the show was to guide them through the Ways (theoretically). Moiraine didn't need Min to view him so she didn't bring him to see her and he isn't a "potential" Dragon so she didn't need him there for the discussion on going to the Eye of the World.
Just a thought: Min never said that Siuan Sanche was to going to be Moiraine’s downfall, she said the Amyrlin Seat (I actually think Mom’s line ‘and she’s wearing full regalia” is another sign that we’re talking about the position and not the person).
This just calls out moraines change in the previous episode to the oath she swore. Makes me think maybe Elaida won’t be a part of the show and perhaps Liandrin will become Amyrlin afte Suian is deposed
I totally agree. Initially I thought it may have meant that when Suan is diposed, stilled, and word of her “execution” reaches Moraine, that is what will motivate her to go beserk and attack Lanfear, in addition to the Finn’s saying she will.
@@sgettys I am thinking the same thing. I think they are going to combine Liandrin and Elaida. Which is pretty gross as they both serve very different functions in the narrative.
Yes, it was terrible. Made Perrin look like a skeevy friend to Rand too, and a horrible person for (potentially) marrying someone he didn't even love then killing her. I don't believe any of that but the thought itself is awful enough for me to greatly dislike it
Well, Egwene did seem flirty, but that's probably down to the actress. She seems pretty close to Perrin's actor on all their IG posts... It's like, we're supposed to buy the whole platonic warder/Aes Sedai between Moiraine and Lan, but because actors are human beings still, you can literally feel the sexual tension in every shot between them two in the show...
Yeah shfbs, I'm not gonna lie it was cooler in my head, mostly because they whole ways weren't very creepy, or not as creepy as I expected. Didn't care _that_ much though
My mom, non-reader: "I told you it was gonna be him!" Me: "You also told me it was going to be Nynaeve, Egwene and Perrin." Mom: "Yeah, but I said it was going to be him first."
15:50 I loved and hated that line from Lan, because it was half perfect, and half garbage. It's true that he had nothing to live for before meeting Moiraine, but he DID have something to die for: Malkier. The entire essence of Lan's character, until meeting Nynaeve, is that the only thing keeping him from immediately going off to the Blight to die for Malkier is his bond to Moiraine and his commitment to her quest. Honestly that line was kind of a great embodiment of this first season overall. So close to perfect, but also so frustratingly far away at the same time.
Did anyone else see the absolute bind the writers put themselves into with the Ways? 1) Now channeling is required to enter the Ways. 2) Cannot use channeling within the Ways unless you want to call the Black Wind. 3) Must channel to exit the Ways. Soooo basically the black wind in always unavoidable, and when you exit the Ways EVERYONE best be leaving unless you want to die. And then Padan Fain strolls out of the gate by himself..... So can he channel now!? Or did someone channel to let him out but stayed in the Ways to face certain death? The only reasonable solution is the Black Wind is now controllable by the Dark Ones forces, but I'm just not feeling it at all. But maybe I'm missing something.
I was instinctively like "why did they pick the character all the way in the back of the group to be the one to point out what's ahead? Oh wait. Nevermind."
That did show his emerging abilities very well. I am disappointed though that... [book spoiler] ... his eyes aren't yellow all the time. Part of his book character is him being super self conscious about his eyes. Hopefully they will will evolve that way over time on the show.
I didn't like the Stark contrast between the landscape of the blight. In the books the blight was a poisoning of the land so the land transitioned into the blight. This just left me a question of how did the narled trees grow. Also another aspect that is a lot more horrifying in the book. Some trees look as normal as other trees and yet will grab you and eat you.
I agree that I think I liked the book version better, but I'm not entirely sure how it would have ended up looking on screen, especially if they didn't have time to get into the land like, attacking them and such etc
@@nyxicide but instead we have a landscape that is impossible not to touch and a line that says don't touch anything. We could have spaced the trees out a little more and had a few of them quiver and shake would have increased the ominous feel to the blight. It shouldn't have been much to add a few more insects and other creepy crawly things that would have made the blight even more blight like.
@@Gammagreen yeah that's also true. The don't touch anything/how can you even do that incongruity is what took away from it the most in my opinion. She could have told him not to touch specific things, or just to not get like _scratched_ or something. Or even nothing would have been better than the direct difference between telling us one thing and showing another
I think upon re-watch now its been revealed, some of those character development moments for Rand I think were hidden by the fact we didn't get to see it cause of the mystery. For exampled, I started reading the books because I am inpatient, googled the answer and read some of Rands arch, was hooked and had to get the books. I now own all 14 and have read up to 5 lol. However, once I knew who the dragon was, I started paying more attention to him and there are little hints throughout the season other than what we get in the flash back that I picked up on that hint at his internal struggle and acceptance. so for example his outburst in episode 2 makes more sense and that's what made me feel like he knew. His little moment when he was watching Egwene being woken up by Moraine, his expression when he was watching them leave the cave. Him going to sleep away from the others, his outburst and then being distant from them a little, like he walked away from them in Logoth. Obviously him Channelling the door and then he jumped on the idea it was Matt, didn't question it because I think he kinda hoped it WAS matt, the pact they made and the actor kinda played that amazingly. His expressions when they were making the pact and then his... not disappointment exactly but something felt off about how he reacted when it was revealed that matt was only sick because of the Dagger. I also think there's more there with the Egwene and Perrin and Rand stuff, Rand, especially in book 2 and beyond has a bad habit of pushing people away that he thinks he is trying to protect. If you re-look at the scene as Rand knowing who he is especially after the way situation, you can kind of see that here. he is being a jerk to them on purpose, trying to push them away. At least that how I took it and it fits with Rands characters in the book. I think Perrin has feelings for her, but I dont know if they are love love feelings... idk, I do think this was more of a Rand kinda lashing out at people and using that as a trigger.
Great interpretation! I read the books a long time ago so I have forgotten a lot of things but you are right. If you know from the start who is the Dragon, you start noticing all the little hints around Rand. The poor guy was like, pushing all those hints to the back of his mind, trying not to think about them. Even denying strongly that he was not Aiel when Loial pointed out his red hair. He seemed very upset there and together with everything, it makes a lot of sense because he already knew that he was adopted, he was not who he thought he was. You can see, like you said, that he was even hopping that Mat was the channeler and not him (even though he kind of knew he was the one who had channeled). But he still promised to not leave him to his fate (which was precious and sad because is like, secretly, he was asking Mat for a merciful death too if it was him).
@@maxdelpo5578 And honestly it's too little even for book readers. I've read the first several books 2-3 times (multiple reattempts to get through the series at various points leading up to and during college..... and never quite making it, LoL). And I've read them very recently to my wife. She and I both lamented just how LAME the show adaptation of him was, all in the name of the mystery. He has been woefully underdeveloped and deemphasized into oblivion, to the point that it's hard to even care about him as a show character. Again, this is coming from readers who know just how important he is and know what hints to look for. He was just.... empty. I'm hoping that after this episode his development really starts to catch up.
I had the same initial reaction to Moiraine sending the message to the Red Ajah, but the more I thought about it the more I think they might turn it into a calculated decision: 1. If Mat can't channel because she has the Dragon Reborn with her, then the Red Ajah wouldn't be able to still him anyway 2. If Mat can channel and is succumbing to the Darkness, then him being away from Moiraine and in Tarvalan is incredibly dangerous and needs to be dealt with right away, and surely after the Reds were just chastised for Logain they wouldn't push things too far and would take him to Siuan right away since they're so close this time, right? 3. Which of her sisters would be the most motivated to find this random person she's managed to lose when in the show she is a newly outcast exile from the tower? All the others would have their own priorities and would have far more questions about why they should do it, so the simplest and most efficient answer is to go with the Reds who are already motivated on this task. I think it's naive given the black spoilers we know from the books, but so far show-Moiraine has shown no knowledge of that undercurrent in the White Tower. But perhaps I'm not familiar enough with the totality if the series.
I'm still absolutely gutted Barney had to leave. Mat quickly became my favourite character because if his acting and I really hope he's ok and everything is going well in his life.
Really? I thought the opposite. I always pictured Mat being a lot more.... upbeat? Barney's portrayal is just so dour all the time. I know a lot of that was the dagger at work, but still. Even before that point I thought he was just off on his interpretation.
@@marksaunders7920 But he wears them for certain scenes so why not others? Man they wanted perrin to talk to bears instead of wolves before brandon sanderson interjected. It's just badly done and they are messing up the characters
my favorite part of the episode was when Loial asked for patience in reading the damaged guiding stone and Rand whispers, “if he’s asking for patience that means we’re gonna die” 😭😭 literally busted out laughing when I heard that
one of the little details in the cold open I loved was the fact that the armor of the soldiers the aiel fought had the Golden Bees of Illian on them to signify they were The Companions.
I really love that scene. I was watching with my friends. When saw Golden Bees of Illian, I almost shouted that the Aiel is Rand's mother. Fortunately I was able to hold back and not spoil the whole episode.
Regarding the Fan Theory about Trollocs in the Ways: This is exactly when we find out about it in the books. They don't encounter a Trolloc, but Loial and Moiraine discover Trolloc script on several of the guidings, Moiraine realizes that's how they got Trollocs to Duopotamia, and in the book they do, indeed, insist that Lord Agelmar guard the Mafal Dadaranelle Waygate before they head off to the Eye. So, for all the gloating, I'm not sure it's a particularly surprising twist to discover Trollocs in the Ways at exactly the same point in the plot.
I was thinking this too, like I just reread it and while they don’t fight a Trolloc in there, they absolutely do state that’s how they made it to the two rivers etc without being detected.
@@linusohlsson7914 Yeah they found petrified Trollocs with pitted marks just like the stone of the ways.. pretty sure at least. Unless that was in a later book.
Moiraine just needs Mat contained, and the reds are the ones most used to finding men who don't want to be found. Also, she needs them to beat him within an inch of his life so that even after he's healed he'll have a new face for season 2...
I don't know the book politics, but would the red act in a contrary way because a blue is pointing them at Matt? A red would've just hunted him and then gentled him. But now maybe they'd follow him, to see why Moraine was interested in him?
@@monicaenns9967 I was thinking something along those lines as well. A blue WOULD NEVER trust a red with some man that couldn't channel, but why would they trust a red with any man at all? Whichever red gets this "request" from Moraine is gonna be wondering what the hell is going on, and the mind games will ensue. [or they should, at least] So i agree, they'd probably follow him and try to figure out why a blue would ask a red to find someone for her. I'm very interested to see how that will play out.
This is just another stupid change. They have set the Reds up as an ajah that hates men. Moraine used that change to blackmail Liandrin an episode or 2 ago. In this series, those Reds would probably murder Mat, honestly. It's an unnecessary change that is going to cause a massive problem later in the story.
@@cmike123 Or maybe she's just pissed at Liandrin and figures making her have to deal with Matt is a fitting punishment! J/K but we're already off the beaten path so why not?
Knowing that Rand had learned that he was adopted and knowing all the things he was wrestling with during this journey, it explains why he was so adamant with Loial that he was not an Aielman.
When he said "yeet the Dragon at the Dark One", I just thought of Moiraine going up to the Dark One, yeeting a pokeball at him and going " Rand! I choose you!"
The Aiel's veil was up at the beginning of the scene--she only took it down when she thought she was alone and safe to give birth. Then she got surprised and didn't have a chance to replace it. She wasn't intending to kill them, but they got between her and her baby. (edit) Thank you to everyone who has replied. It is always interesting to open a conversation! I do want to add--the creators of the show clearly kept the bit of Aiel culture in the show by 1) having Thom explain the veil and 2) Having the Aiel have her mask up at the beginning of the scene. However, they chose to have the actress leave it down for the rest of the scene, most likely so we could enjoy her wonderful acting. How could we have gotten the heart stopping look on her face when she is stabbed in the side without that note? And they provided us with a perfectly good head-cannon excuse: She's in labor, experiencing the most painful and emotional experience of her life and is surprised. She doesn't take the second to replace the veil because she wants to get the hell on with birthing her child and these annoying bees won't stop hassling her. She's probably also having a hell of a time breathing. Think of all the folks complaining about wearing masks nowadays and add in GIVING BIRTH. Those who read the books also know more reasons why she might not be as quick with a veil as normal, and can make the choice to head-cannon those in. Those who remain unhappy with this--hey, that is your choice too. With every aspect of the show, every change, and every nod, we watchers have the choice weather to accept the reasons the show gives us, come up with our own head-cannon explanations for this Turning of the Wheel, or to stay staunchly by the books and be unhappy with the show. That is art. We get to appreciate and dislike what we appreciate and dislike according to our own personal preferences and differences. Personally, I choose to put explanations that will allow me to continue to enjoy the show in my head cannon. I shared my thoughts just in case others are looking for that too. But regardless of your opinion on this point or others, I respect and appreciate all of your opinions and thank you for sharing them. I know that all of your happiness and all of your anger comes from a genuine love for this story, whatever medium it is in, and I am so happy to be part of a community that holds the Wheel of Time close to its heart. Cheers, all!
Thing is, even this would be unacceptable to an Aiel, they would die trying to veil rather than killing unveiled. There were also quite a few moments, even between kills, where she could have veiled
There are also spoilers for much later in the series that might answer why this particular Maiden might not have perfect discipline on every aspect of their culture
@@trevvonhiggle1980 the thing is, Rand's mom wasn't a traditional Aiel, and even without that piece of info... think about it, in that specific situation makes way more sense she'd care more about protecting her baby than covering herself for religious/cultural reasons.
I was honestly really impressed with how much this episode was able to make Mats decision and absence natural and integrate reasons why Mat didn't come through the way gate with the difficulties with Barney Harris departing. I though we would just have a throwaway scene at the beginning of the episode but no we felt his lost presence throughout the whole episode, even contributing to the conflicts of conversations and tensions between our Edmond's fielders.. This helped this feel all the more natural. Kudos to the writers on that.
Please, that argument is completely illogical. Why did she bring Mat to the gate if she thinked that he was not the Dragon or she wanted to keep him away from the dark one?
Yeah I don't understand why they did what they did. Could have just had him stay at the tower because he was to sick and moved on. That said I did like that they didn't just gloss over that he left them and stayed behind.
@@Sam-jx8tv MY guess is because they shot the sixth episode already and probably he went with them into the ways in the first cut. (probably moved the entire production already to the new locations, The ways is obviously a sound stage, but the borderlands are a completely different set location and they most likely were on the mnove between locatons already) Then the actor disappereard, and they could not reshoot scenes with him deciding that in the city. (or they would have done so by other chars talking) They obviously used stock footage from the outside shooting where mat looked concerned and inserted it the wqy they did in the end of EP 6
@@cdsmithus I was referring to the transition, i.e. the blight has a clear border here, where it should not. Ashenvale is green, Felwood is brown, and there is no transition between them. As for "no MMORPG", clearly you are blessed to play only modern MMOs :D Shimmering Flats, anyone?
My best theory for why they added the Perrin/Egwene subplot is that they're either going to remove or dramatically reduce Berelain's presence but they didn't want to remove the jealousy aspect of Faile entirely.
I like this a lot, I never really felt Faile had strong enough reason to be jealous over Berelain and that always kinda annoyed me. Being jealous of the childhood crush your husband has makes more sense
There’s zero reason to have Berelain in the show to be honest. I love her but she’s definitely getting cut. Same could be done with, or at least dramatically cut down on, Gawyn, Bayle, Morgase, Masema, Elyas, half the Forsaken.
As a non-reader, this episode was a banger. The opening fight sequence was head and shoulders above the earlier ones imo. Rand having his realization along with us, the audience, that he's definitely the dragon was exciting. And the blight they're heading towards looks menacing af. Solid penta-ultimate episode that pulled up the series as a whole. 9/10
Yes was the best action so far, except when she jumped past and grabbed the cape, that looked a bit clumsy. I have to admit having just had a baby I was laughing my ass off at how movies treat labour, it rode the line very closely as coming off comical. I guess they don't make women like they used to ;p
Perhaps it was autocorrect but just so you know penta means five, as someone pointed out pen is the proper prefix, meaning something like "the thing just before"
Can we just say that, the first time we see Rand shooting the bow, he is giving Two Rivers a bad name? At that range, he should be making Robin Hood look like a chump.
@@keaavilez932 Would have been a good flashback to Tam helping him practice for Bel Tine archery competition and mentioning the Void and the Flame. Sadly this show doesn't care about these kind of details.
I didn't think of it as Moiraine being overwhelmed, I thought she was trying to open the Waygate, which meant she couldn't channel to protect everyone. But I'd need to rewatch to be sure.
Yes, this was how I read the scene. She was focused on opening the waygate and was pretty stoic even as we heard the whispers in her mind. Nynaeve merely helped push it back to protect everyone a little longer while Moiraine finished opening the gate.
@@kyleellis9177 At no point does it show Moiraine stop channeling to open the gate. If anything the rest of them were nearly overwhelmed, but not Moiraine. She just kind of glances back and acknowledges what's happening. Or are you trying to say she should be opening the Waygate and simultaneously holding back Machin Shin?
I don’t really get that line. It was meant to be comical I guess, but it doesn’t make sense. If it were reversed, one of them saying to Loial that they wanted him to be patient, it would work with the known character traits. Loial is always patient, and always wishes others were as well. So him asking them all to be patient is just him being him. Maybe I’m reading it wrong, but when I heard the line it didn’t even make me think at all. It was just a character saying something totally in line with their character.
@@snerdterguson the joke is that normally Loial will go into a long explanation and never ask for anyone’s patience because he thinks he’s speaking the proper amount in both length and volume. If he’s asking for patience, that means it’ll be a long time even for ogiers. Rand is joking that if it’s a long time for even ogiers, then they’ll be dead of old age by the time he finishes
@@yonatanyonatano1192 ok, hadn’t thought of that. Makes sense. Thank you for the explanation. Been about 10 years or so since I read them so my memories of it aren’t necessarily correct.
When I heard from Min the whole 'Amyrlin will be your downfall' I just immediately assumed for some reason that she's not talking about the CURRENT Amyrlin, if you know what I mean (trying to keep this spoiler free). But your theory makes a lot of sense too, I was kinda 'huh it didn't even occur to me'. Look forward to see what they actually do plot-wise with this.
First! Yesssss my husband at the end of the episode with Rands scenes he’s like “yup called it” 😂 missed Barney and I could tell they did their best writing around it
Moiraine siccing the Red on Mat--I think as of her healing him, she's pretty sure he can't channel. So in her mind, she's both securing Mat somewhere safe (if somewhere he'll be annoyed and talked down to, win/win), and also sending the Reds on a wild goose chase. Remember Elyas talking about them trying to gentle him when he first showed signs of the Wolfbrother thing? "Yeah, they kept trying and trying, and it didn't do anything but annoy me."
I think that the show has also not been able to establish a motivation for Mat's extreme mistrust of Aes Sedai as he had in the books. Clearly, the show's version of this world is significantly less fearful of Aes Sedai than in the books. But almost everything Mat does from the end of book 1 onward is mainly motivated by not trusting Aes Sedai/ the One Power. Siccing the Red Ajah on him is a good way from a writer's perspective to break any trust he had in Aes Sedai and Moiraine specifically.
I'm hoping that the reason getting the reds involved is because they will grab him and hold him at Tar Valon. She's hoping Siuan will be able to protect him and likely will bring him with her when she goes to Fal Dara Liandrin in tow as well as the dagger.
the wild goose chase angle doesn't work. too much risk of Mat yelling out "I'm not the dragon reborn" and just like that Liandrin and the rest of the red ajah would be hunting moraine to the ends of the earth.
I think you’re bang on point. They are practiced at finding men, this is their purpose and Matt needs finding. You don’t call an ambulance if you car breaks down ya know!? The blues may not like the reds too much but they’re all on the same side (well most of them)
As a non-reader of the books. I knew that Rand was the dragon reborn. He just have this air about him. But the writers of this show really made me doubt it especially when the rest of the group started having powers. When Nynaeve use her powers I was like "Please don't make her the dragon reborn or Egwene". Don't get me wrong I like them but I also love to see how a Male Dragon reborn's gonna ve accepted in this world. So happy for this episode.
Rand is the Dragon as far as powers and channeling, but the Dragon really should have 5 heads!! If you take away any of the Emond's 5(including Egwene even though she sucks so bad) from the equation they have no shot and would fail vs Shai'tan.
@@jaryd123456 don't look at online discussions of a completed book series that has a massive fan base with no moderators if you don't want spoilers. I should say you need to common sense. There's a reason I avoided the internet with Spider-Man info until I actually watched the movie.
Fun Fact: The ways kinda look exactly like the hall of echoes in divinity 2. Except the lighting. Gave me the impression that someone on the visuals team probably played that game and that's cool
I do feel like Amazon and Netflix have been doing their own shows a HUGE disservice with the low episode count per season. A show as vast as WoT NEEDS at least 15 episodes per season, otherwise it's going to be rushed and unnecessary sacrifices in plot have to be made. It's the reason SO many new fantasy shows don't do as well as some older ones (GoT, Outlander, Vikings etc). Because they aren't given the run time to really allow the audience to get invested in the characters and plot. Everything is rushed and it's honestly such a shame. The knowledge of what could have been if only Amazon had been more realistic and willing to take a chance on a larger ep count haunts me, truly.
Honestly, even as a newbie (halfway through book 2) I totally agree. There's so much they trying to stuff in such a small amount of time. Maybe I'm just in a bad mood today but especially this episode felt SO rushed, and really made everything they could have spent more time on in previous episodes stand out.
I would have agreed with you at the onset. At this point the show is so full of woke messaging, and development that undercuts the setting that I'm grateful Amazon didn't give them any more time to screw up the story.
To be fair, the whole burial and warder bit and wailing while somewhat useful in understanding how the bond works was something that could have been compressed significantly. Some of the Amyrlin stuff could have also been squished down to make a bit more time for the main cast. The whole reunification in Tar Valon of the EF5 was incredibly ham fisted and poorly written.
On reflection, I was thinking that maybe Rand's lashing out over the group abandoning Mat was really anticipation of them rejecting him once they discover that *he* is the Dragon Reborn. If they can just let Mat go like that when he is troubled and needs them the most, will Rand be abandoned too?
That would have worked if the hatred and fright for men that channel, and the cultural impact of the DR, had been better developed. As it is, the E5 take so much in stride that it lacks gravitas.
Rand is my favourite character after moiraine and this episode is really great. Joshua is such a great actor and perfectly portrayed rand which makes sense as he is the fastest among the cast to read the books.
A change I liked: Rand and Moiraine going solo to the Blight. Wanting to protect his friends is a straight-up Rand move. A change I disliked: Replacing the book-Min's Perky Spice vibe with the bitter cynic. Show is supposed to be "true to the heart and soul" of books, so they can get away with a lot, but changing character personalities is really bumping up against that promise.
@@classicdad2.063 My guess is that Rafe doesn’t even write her as a romantic interest. It’ll be a love triangle and he’ll make Rand choose one in the end.
Not a book reader (am in the beginning of book 1 at the moment) but I think the veil-down situation actually flows well with what was established as dialogue-mentioned lore in the TV show - when the veil is down the Aiel is not a threat. I actually though it was a good call-back to the lore in previous episodes (with the dead guy in the cage) and where she maybe was trying to signal - I am not a threat, and still got attacked? Even more heartbreaking due to this. This was my take away from it anyway.
Without spoiling anything, In the books, the veils have almost religious significance to the Aiel so it still feels a bit awkward seeing her kill without one but I definitely don’t think it’s the end of the world and It worked better for the scene.
Aiel culture spoiler. I actually watched it as a book reader and the veil down didn't bother me. Too much else going on that was interesting. Also just thinking from a pure physics standpoint all the fighting Aiel do keeping that veil up 100% in battle isn't realistic. Nor is letting yourself die because it fell down. However most of the Aiel of the books would rather die than kill with their face uncovered, however she was pregnant and probably would to defend her unborn child. However she may seek penance for doing so had she survived. Any time they've violated their honor they seek penance. Aiel are hard to understand does protecting the child wash away the "sin" of killing maskless? I have no idea how they would react. (it has it's own name, not sin but this is easier to understand) And finally, It's not so much a religion as a system based on their honor that's a core aspect of their culture. No gods involved at all.
@@TheHomicidalTendency If it's a strong enough belief system then religion could still apply. "The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods" Is only one of the dictionary definitions of religion. In fact, I think you're disqualifying some of the bigger eastern religions if you use that one. That being said, I haven't read the books so I couldn't tell you if what the Aiel practice is a strong enough belief system to apply.
23:45 My read on Moiraine setting the Red on Mat is that she's hedging her bets. If Mat is the Dragon Reborn, then all of them, Moiraine included, are probably about to die. In which case, a Dark-aligned (from Moiraine's perspective) Dragon Reborn loose in the world, with no one else really knowing about the danger until it's too late... that absolutely makes sense that Moiraine would give a heads up to the Red. Plus, if it turns out he's not the Dragon Reborn, and thus not able to channel, the Red aren't going to kill a man like that. It won't be pleasant for him, and he might get roughed up a bit, but once they verify he can't channel, they'd turn him loose.
Additionally it makes the Red spend a lot of resources dealing with a man she thinks cannot channel. Hedging her bets and wasting the time of the reds? Pure Moiraine.
Meh, Matt should have been here, so this shouldn't have even happened, but maybe it's because the actor bolted, so I guess they had to come up with something.
@@jacobyrassilon It really is likely due to the unfortunate timing of Barney Harris' unexpected departure. Given that he has deleted all his social media and doesn't have any acting projects elsewhere and just seems to have disappeared off the face of the Earth, I would wish him well and hope for the best for him.
I'm still not sure that Liandrin is the one helping with the ways, if the mechanic is that you need to open it by channelling, then yes I can see this being an intro for Black Ajah or Foresaken as the ones to enable the shadowspawn to access them. However, there was that scene in episode 7 where Padan Fain exited the ways and was holding a leaf like item, which is more in line with how it was shown to activate the waygates in the books. I can't explain why our heroes or Loial didn't just do that, but I did question during the episode "how did he get out?". It might be been something that they will explain as "lost knowledge" or something later on? My best guess.
In both the books and the series a waygate can be opened by moving a key shaped like an avendesora leaf or by channeling. The key may have been missing at the Tar Valon waygate or Moirane may not have wanted Mat to know how to use the ways. SeriesMat, at least at this stage, is darker than BookMat.
In terms of the veil being down, I've seen the suggestion that she did it intentionally - signalling that she doesn't *want* to fight and her enemies are just not taking the hint. I also really liked the in-universe explanation Moiraine gave for why she was willing to leave him behind; that she believes if he is the Dragon and was offered power by the Dark One, he would take it.
Yes that makes sense because it was up when the scene opens. And I agree about the comment re Mat, but I don't remember now if that was in the books or not. She implied that Mat was corrupted, and we can believe it had something to do with the dagger, or that it was something already inside him before his picking it up.
about the veil being down....those who read the books and know her identitiy know she wasnt born an Aile, and had only lived with them for a few years (not sure about the book timeline, but it cant be more then 5 considering the Aiel war lasted 3 and her disapperance what the cause of the Daes Deamar stunt that was the cause of the Aiel war
I just don't see why she writes him off just seems like poor writing trying to bandaid some problem. What darkness in him? I guess we will have to find out but I am willing to bet that its nothing and we never hear of it again. Same with Egwene writing Matt off why? What makes her the dragon expert. Everyones reactions don't make logical sense to me.
@@JoshTruff Genuinely curious, what in-universe plot would've worked to cover for the actor leaving as unexpectedly as he did? Also, I don't think Egwene was judging from a "Dragon Expert" perspective so much as a "Mat Expert" one -- which, as someone who has been around Mat for such a long time she can certainly qualify for. It may not fair to Mat, obviously, as Rand says; but, Egwene doesn't know Mat like Rand does -- which Rand does bring up as a counter-argument.
You talked about Fain's whistle in the ways, let me add that there also was a frame where you can see Fain himself in the ways - right after the trolloc attack and group's flight to Fal Dara gate. It's very subtle, it's only a second if not less and I wouldn't even notice him if my wife didn't point it out to me.
Lan's arc in "New Spring" was the exact opposite of what Daniel says! He has never lacked for a purpose, his problem is that his purpose was determined for him as a child, and he has always been used by others as a tool (including, I should add, Moiraine). This is why it's so important that Lan suddenly speaks up unprompted in WH during the debate about what to do with the captured damane. This is why he helps Rand prepare for his audience with Siuan in tGH or why he defends Rand from Moiraine's rebuke or refrains from reprimanding him for being rude to her in tGS. Lan's whole life has been to be treated as a tool to be used by others, like a sul'dam and as is happening to Rand. Lan has nothing BUT purpose, and not one of his choice. He does not see that he has any choices of his own, and that is a change that Nynaeve begins to work in him. Through her he begins to see himself as a person in his own right, who deserves choices and agency. That's why she reacts so strongly when he insists that the sisters & Kinswomen free the damane who want to be released - because he is giving voice to a principle that he has never recognized as applying to himself. He is finally caring about the idea of choice and agency, which means he will be less likely to see his own life as a coin to be spent for someone else's goals. Lan did not bond with Moiraine to get a purpose, but as a way out of all the purposes chosen for him. Before they met, his intention was to commit suicide by Blight in order to prevent any more ideas of a crusade to recover Malkier or setting up a Malkieri kingdom in exile, because those ideas would only get people killed, and weaken the Borderlands, which violated his sworn duty to fight the Shadow. Moiraine offered him a way to fight the Shadow without dragging anyone else into his war, and at the same time, removing him from the political scene in the Borderlands. People understand that the Tower is supreme and Lan can't do anything if an Aes Sedai has bound him to her service and that no matter what kind of coalition they assemble, they cannot act in his name, because it will be intruding into an affair where the White Tower has put in a claim and no one from the Borderlands will risk the wrath the Tower, which they need desperately against the Blight. That, by the way, is why Agelmar's behavior is so uncharacteristic and wrong on the show, and incidentally, why Moiraine's response to him was stupid as well. Agelmar would gratefully accept any help given by the Tower, even if it came with strings. Moiraine or any other minimally competent sister would not tell an important lord and leader "Hey you handle your problems, we're not going to tell you how to do it" with the implication that he sucks if he needs their help. Instead, an Aes Sedai would reassure Agelmar that he has the Tower's full confidence and she is not here to judge or punish him, nor take control of his command. Because doing that implies that the White Tower or an Aes Sedai COULD do those things if they wanted to, because the Tower and the Aes Sedai are supreme.
When Moiraine bonded him he was about to go into the blight to kill himself so I would say Show Lan is not too out of character at all. This is too nit picky imo
he said too sentences about it that are in line with the whole thing, but you filled in things to be mad about for no reason actually. He didn't want Malkier in New Spring and his pseudo family just died so he didn't have anything. She gave him the mission and a new purpose. All in line of the show @@Gunleaver
@@herz5159 He DID want Malkier, he loved Malkier, and his life was governed by his duty to Malkier. But he wanted what was BEST for Malkier, which was for her people to go on with their lives and to help their new homelands fight the Shadow. Malkier's people were in danger of being consumed by revenge and plots to try to restore their old kingdom and as long as Lan lived, his duty would force him to be used in these plans. He was NOT planning to die because he lost his pseudo family, he was planning to die from the moment he returned to the Borderlands, when they were still alive. He was going to die in the Blight as an example to the other Malkieri to keep up the struggle and never turn their back on the Blight, while at the same time, removing himself from the gameboard, so that no one else like Edeyn Arrel could use him in their schemes to gain power, so that one else could call a crusade to retake the Seven Towers in his name. Lan believes that Malkier is an idea, a mindset to fight the Shadow no matter what, to never give up. He tells Nynaeve that Malkier lives as long as one man wears the headband or one woman wears the dot on her forehead, both of which are pledges to that commitment. But for most people, a nation is a place and a bunch of symbols, and a government. And as long as they had Lan, way too many people were going to be all about getting back that place, and putting that king back on his throne in the royal palace, with the Golden Crane flying overhead. And he knows that any effort to retake Malkier is doomed to fail, and will cost the lives of many soldiers, who are needed to guard the Blightborder, not be wasted in a futile effort. THAT is why Lan is going to die! It is a MAJOR difference. It's the difference between a whiny selfish loser, and a man dedicated to his duty at the cost of his own glory, power or life. The show gives us the former (and they gave him a family, too, so he's a piece of shit who thinks he had nothing without Moiraine, totally discounting the people who raised and loved him) despite the books giving us the latter.
Everyone brought their A game to this episode. The two rivers gang argument could have devolved into like CW levels of angst if they weren’t careful but each of them brought such nuance to their anger and fear to the scene that you felt for them. You understood the pain they are in after losing a friend and still not knowing what is ahead of them except for more pain and loss.
My viewing group and I felt like it did go into CW levels of angst including a random love triangle that's pointless. (I've read the books, they haven't) lol they were like why is this here? Literal quote from my friend, "Does every show have to have a love triangle? More witches less teenagers!" haha
I also wonder if Rand was acting a bit over the top and jealous because he had just channeled earlier in the day, and so the madness had time to catch up with him for a bit like it does in Baerlon in the book. And Machin Chin certainly didn't help.
Also you know, the fact that they had just been assaulted by an evil wind that emotionally scarred them all. I mean, did you see their faces when they're just out of the ways? They look awful lol
@@KalCraig It's not so much madness from the taint though as it is the natural channeling sickness that happens with all channelers, male or female, when they channel unaided for the first time.
Man, as someone who is currently eight months pregnant and has been through labor three times before, that opener really stabbed me in the feels. I actually got pretty emotional, but that could have been the hormones talking.
@@whitney2548 My daughter is 8 mo pregnant as well. I told her to prepare herself for the cold open on episode 7. We are both really enjoying the show - neither of us had read the books, but I am reading book 1 at the moment.
Oooh, yeah. I accidentally watched an episode of House that had sick babies in it when I had a newborn. You gotta avoid watching maternity/baby peril in media when you're living it 😂
I wasn't a book reader, but even during the first episode I had pinned rand as the dragon; all the intrigue around it felt a bit over done for me. Hell, the first book in this series came out in the 90s, and Rand is a conventionally handsome straight white dude that uses a sword. It was never going to be anyone different.
Having never read the books, Rand just seemed like the only character that the show wasn’t actively “hyping up” to potentially be the Dragon Reborn. When he broke down the door notwithstanding, it seemed like the show was trying much harder to keep our focus on the other four characters and their newfound abilities. Nynaeve’s unparalleled healing abilities, Eqwene’s seemingly natural ability to channel, Mat with the dagger, and Perrin with his yellow eyes and the wolves, were all explicitly shown or spoken about several times to heavily imply he/she might be the Dragon. While Rand had one, blink and you miss it, moment that gave us any explicit evidence. So it just seemed like the show was misleading us and keeping Rand a secret. Just my 2 cents.
As a new reader that hasn't finished the series, I felt they tried way too hard to make it a "ha, gotcha!" moment when they revealed it, but spending so little time with him in earlier episodes
There are subtle hints to Rand in the previous episodes, but honestly some of them are hard to pick up on I think if you arent a book reader, though I think loail telling he's aiel was the most obvious 'he's not what he appears' moment.
@@tom4115 no, they made moraine the main charachter for the first season and this is a natural consequence of that. It's totally fine to complain that they did that, but once that's what was done having who the dragon is be a mystery makes sense.
With regard to Moiraine siccing the Red Ajah on Mat... I don't think she was actually betraying Mat, she was just manipulating the Red Ajah. Think about it. What will the red ajah do when they catch Mat? They'll try to gentle him, which will do nothing since he cannot channel. But Moiraine knows that she needs Mat found, and the Red Ajah is the most experienced group at tracking down individuals in Tar Valon. Looked at in that light, I don't think that it was out of character for Moiraine to do at all, just Aes Sedai manipulation and White Tower politics, which she is quite adept at
The problem is Liandrin. She has beef with moiraine personally, so she'll try to get at her through Mat. Otherwise, I'd agree, the red would be the obvious choice.
At that point in the story, Moiraine didn't know who the DR was, so I believe it was the safest move to sic the Red on Mat (who she admitted she'd rather see dead than aligned with the DO).
Not a book reader. I found the love triangle odd. If Perrin was written all the way thru season 1 as being interested in Egwene, they'd have had him react to Aram's advances toward her. Hopefully they never touch on it again. It feels like they scrambled to write something after the actor that played Mat bounced. Came off has pretty amateurish. I'm interested in where the show goes though. You can't do a series like this in 8 episode chunks though. Just not tenable.
Reading the first book, you can tell that the author played with the idea, decided it wouldn't work, and just never wrote another draft of that portion of the book. He does a lot of this same heavy implication that Perrin loved Egwene and then did absolutely nothing with it and tried to play it off as brotherly love in later books.
They did touch on it in ep 1 like his wife is jealous of Egwene for some reason. I guess they'll explain it in later seasons but I don't think it's just "Perrin has romantic feelings for Egwene".
Yeah, her stabbing wound in the side is an allusion within an allusion. Not only was Rand as the savior of the Pattern stabbed in the side, but RJ probably also meant to allude Rand's wound to the spear stab that the Roman soldiers did to the crucified Christ savior figure...
@@psionic111 within yet another allusion. Rand is written as part allegory to the Fisher King, (though the Fisher King had an eternal wound in the leg or groin) The Fisher King has many re-iterations but his health and well being are always tied to the well being of the land. As the Fisher King suffers and degrades so does the land. In the books he is later identified as the Fisher piece in either the game Stones or sha’ra (forget which) Edit: It’s Sha’ra.
I didn't find the Blight believable unless Moiraine deliberately picked a "jungle" part to trek through as a more direct route to EotW. How the hell do Trollocs do their thousands-strong raids if they have to pick through that tangle. Trollocs are known to be dumb and easily distracted in the books. Them using the ways is established as a new thing. I think a better aesthetic would be a less dense version of what was shown, with other hazards thrown in like pools of bubbling sludge and scary looking jagged rock formations.
@@spankotheclow Was about to say that lol. Only one type of Darkspawn can go through Gateways, and even the Forsaken fear that one type. And that one type most certainly isn't a Trolloc.
Each episode leaves me feeling exactly the same: Generally pleased with the acting, neither too upset or ecstatic about plot/storyline changes, and highly displeased with the rushed pacing. Given that there’s so much extra material, and whole books in the middle of the series that would make much more sense to condense it just really bothers me that they can’t take the time at the beginning here to allow characters and directions to develop.
I feel theres a pressure to "sell" the show, thus all the love triangle and romance stuff. Theyre trying to hook an audience and not trusting completely the source material and it shows.
EXACTLY yet shows like the big band theory and the walking dead can have 20 episodes a season and have 10+ seasons... all we are asking is for some proper pacing.. i mean ffs the sopranos and Dexter had a lot of down time for dialog and plot pacing.. this whole atrocious act amazon is pulling with its untaxed billions is the act of the dark one himself..
@@makemeajmod Sopranos. Dexter. GOT. They were all cable shows. Not streaming services like Netflix or Amazon. Different animal altogether. Netflix or Amazon tend to be more data driven, stingier with episodes, and more willing to end shows prematurely. Imagine trying to write with an axe over your head.
The reveal of Rand as the dragon reborn was done so well. From him struggling with his emotions, unable to find the void at target practice, then to taking on the burden of his immense responsibility head on. I can imagine him picturing driving those arrows into the dark one's proverbial heart as they all hit the target later in the episode, and I teared up a bit. Highlighting his heron marked sword reminded me of the bond he has with his father - wish the show had made some more time for that, but recalling memories from the book made it really powerful.
Dude youre killin it with these videos , thank you. i always watch the previous weeks video the day i watch the next episode to get pumped for the ep . Thanks for taking the time to create the content.
The cold open alone made this the best episode. The amount of emotion, desperation, ominous sounds from dragonmount and the sheer bada$$ness of not only one person without armor against many armored up folks but the one person was a woman moments from giving birth yet still handled business! Then the blade master depiction of Tam in that he respected the wielder and not the weapon so he held his blade against her until he knew she would not fight him. I had chills each of the three times I watched the cold open.
Yeah, that broke verisimilitude for me and took me out of the story. I don't care if you're 5 Aiel all in one body, a 9 month pregnant woman is not taking on fully armored, experienced veteran soldiers, some of them blademasters. Hells bells even Lan can't do that even without the pregnancy complication. There are ways to show her being badass without making it cartoonish.
^^This! My boyfriend has never read the books. He looked at me and said "wait, she's doing all this while she's in labor?" Yep. That's why the Aiel are the undisputed badasses of the WOT.
@@nathanmorgan3647 She took off her veil to stop fighting and give birth; she never had a chance to put it back on. I can live with this. And that fight scene was ridiculous for all the right reasons. And the same reason I hope the Fedaykin are cartoonishly over the top fighters in Dune Part II. They need to convey just how powerful the Aiel are as fighters.
@@jeleeson Yup. They need to establish how incredible Aiel soldiers are, so "I'm in labor and still taking out half a dozen soldiers" is ridiculous in the al the right ways.
In the books I was a fan of Min from the first time she appears. It took her second scene alone with Rand for me in the series. There are things that Min knows that she isn't telling any of them, and in that second scene especially, there is a hint of that in her face. So for the ones who don't want spoilers, wait a few seasons and go back and watch the scenes with Min here and maybe you'll see what I and probably/hopefully other book readers picked up on
I think they had her veil down so we can get a flashback with the actress later. That and I think it shows that she was trained to be a maiden more than born one.
I haven’t rewatched but didn’t she have her veil up for the beginning of it? When I watched it I thought she did then put it down because she was going into labor and fending off attackers.
I thought it was a nice touch that everytime Rand channeled there was a flame in frame with him. Subtle hint at how Rand visualizes touching the True Source which is most likely subconscious at this point.
Prediction time: I think Min lied to Moraine about what she saw for Rand(the whole baby thing). Possibly because of what she really did see, being her ties to him and all that as well, she felt the need to protect him in some capacity.
I'm a bit surprised this was cause for controversy. I thought they telegraphed pretty heavily that Perrin had feelings for Egwene. Don't people watch teenage soaps anymore?
D. seems to really enjoy portraying unhinged and violent, threatening ... characters...? Seems to me, between the cross eyes becoming more proeminent, and the choice for the weirdest haircut, he's now relishing in it as a default mode?🤔 Not sure I like it.
Pros to this episode: OPENING SCENE AND THAT FINAL REVEAL 😱 Lan/Nyn adorableness, Rand reveal Cons to this episode: Perrin keeps getting the shaft eh? All of the writers’ character choices with him have been blah so far, including this quasi-love triangle with Egwene. Also, the hyper-focus on relationships delved into CW territory for me. Also, I miss Barney Harris already.
Omg until you mentioned it I absolutely assumed the Rand recognising Dragonmount thing was just a dumb baby memory thing as an excuse to drop a hint that Rand was more than he seems - but the other thing makes much more sense!
What am I missing? How could Rand remember it? It can’t be a LTT memory…it was created as a result of an event that would cease his memory-making ability, and wasn’t even done forming until after his complete destruction. So, ruling out baby memory and LTT memory, what is left? Did I miss a dream sequence?
Almost as ridiculous as the acrobatic fighting display put on by a pregnant woman in the middle of child birth. I mean, come on, that was the jump the shark moment.
I think Moiraine was actually being clever with sicing the Red Ajah on Matt, because they would be the fastest to find him and once they realized he couldn't channel they would just let him go in Tar Valon so he would be safe. Also it would distract the Reds with some pointless chase. Who knows, maybe Moiraine is just being super smart. It could also just be bad character writing. :P
I agree. I just tossed it up to her not wanting to give away who her closest allies in Tar Valon are on a meaningless capture and return task. Also it doesn't highlight the importance of Mat as anything special if she can rely on the Reds.
I'm not sure why the reds would be fastest to find him. They look for signs of channeling, of which there would not be any. It's the blues who are supposed to have the widest and best-trained intelligence apparatus in the world. But maybe you're right. After her own eyes and ears failed so abysmally finding Matt and Rand in their own freaking city, maybe Moiraine gave up in disgust and now outsources everything.
@@nathanmorgan3647 the red Ajah specializes in finding people period. Women can’t sense Saidin and if they hear reports of strange things happening around men, they find the man. Also, eyes and ears are not hands to grab someone. If it’s known that the person is involved with Aes Sedai, that contact is not going to be useful anymore since people will be on their guard around them.
Yaaaaaaas Daniel! This episode was absolutely the best yet! Rand's mom's battle scene was AMAZING! Also, she did have her veil on, but took it off because, ya know, giving birth while climbing a mountain. She also thought she was in the clear maybe? I don't think she had time to put it back on. Anyways, I love it! I do agree though, Moraine pointing the red at Matt was a big WTF moment for me too. I can't wait to see how they do next episode!
I think this is the best episode. I love how they portrayed mins visions and it was really interesting to see Rand with a baby. The one thing this series has done really well is foreshadowing, so I wonder what this means. Can’t wait to see Rand unleashing the power of the Dragon. Season finale is gonna be awesome
@@justin-md4xm I think they will keep Min with the show. When she said the three women there seemed a little hesitation as maybe she saw herself as one of them. I could be overanalyzing it though due to the books. I just wonder how the show will progress her story to have her get with Rand
Re: Liandrin opening the ways: episode stills for episode seven show Fain holding a little trefoil leaf. We also get a flash of Fain in the ways when the trollocs and Machin Shin show up. The implication seems to fairly clearly be that Fain has a trefoil leaf shaped ter'angreal that opens the ways and is using it to move trollocs around. Also closes the whole "if a black ajah member were escorting trollocs through the ways, everyone would have died/been captured in episode one" issue.
My little author's mind is going "You know, they could be setting up Padan Fain as a potential Forsaken... only to reveal the real masters behind him, being Aginor and the other fellow."
I definitely prefer that the Ways can be opened by anyone and not someone who can channel, because even a ter'angreal in the hands of someone who can't channel is just an inanimate object, right? Maybe not on the show, though, and maybe the show will reveal how Padan Fain has changed or who he really is such that he can make a ter'angreal "work". At any rate, the ways requiring channeling has book implications that of course may be glossed over in the TV show.
Machin Shin was, regardless of the main story, the most mysterious and terifying entity in all of books for me. I hoped they will do a bit more with such a great source material. Shame how it turned out. But I guess, in the books by that time we already know a great deal of lore. Lore being the biggest drive for me in the books, is painfully missing for me in the show. I thought they gonna do at least a small info dump when the women reached Tar Valon but alas, no. It's a pitty. Also, they were hearing "one of you is the Dragon Reborn" but none was interested in what does it mean.
I agree. Machin Shin was really disappointing, I felt. In the books, Machin Shin literally consumes/eats people alive after driving them completely insane. In the movies...it says mean things to you... (shrug) Not that scary.
They turned the black wind into a therapist that tells you vague mean truths. Was really disappointed. Even tho she told them before going in, don't believe what the wind says.
I haven't read the books yet but I thought it was interesting that Moraine tells them the Manchin Shin will lie to them... and then the show immediately follows that with the wind effectively being a mean girl while saying objectively true things that feeds into each characters insecurities. They even suggest it helped convince Rand he was the Dragon Reborn.
I was hoping for more of the Rand + Tam flashback. They could have shown more there, but it felt a little rushed. The fire and the void has been hinted at but not fully mentioned and I really want to see Tam give the sword to Rand. These scenes probably got cut from the 1st episode though.
While I agree, I just don't know how they could squeeze everything we "readers" want from Eye of the World into 8 hours of TV. I am so torn about this show, I love it and hate it all at the same time.
@@jonathanswinsburg7716 Yeah... the audiobook is like 30 hours long. Even taking into account descriptions are much shorter when seen visually, there's just no way to put it all into just 8 hours. 15 or 20 episodes would have been ideal obviously for the first book since it has all the setup and worldbuilding (not a standard they could keep up for the rest of the books) but even 10 would have allowed a lot more breathing room.
@@jonathanswinsburg7716 I find the downfall of most book readers is wanting the books out of the show Instead of leering the show be it's own thing. Too many book readers are busy comparing every scene and word spoken to the books which Is making them all hate it and making them miserable. I absolutely adore this book series but am letting the show be its own thing and I'm loving it.
Always love your reviews Daniel! Rand's protection of Egwene is also right from the books. Rand refreshes Bela's energy as they are fleeing from the trollocs in the Two Rivers. (Moiraine confirms later).
Can't blame the soldier for not knowing pregnant women in the middle of crippling pains of labor can do Neo Matrix moves and flip a guy on his back with his cape.
So we just gonna over look the fact that in "this turning of the wheel" Moraine knew about Min, where she was, and that she might be able to have a vision that could indicate who the dragon is.....but the plan was to head straight to the Eye of the World and just roll the dice?! Smh
Yikes. . . Sloppy Also, why are they changing what the eye of the world is anyways? They already have a second season and it feels like they are playing it safe and trying to wrap things up here. Is that stupid or am I stupid? What?
just a reminder on the trollocs in the ways thing, it is discovered later in the books that they came through the manetheren waygate on winter night, even if it isnt explained in TEOTW
Well they did find evidence of Trollocs using the ways in TEOTW, Moraine warns Agalmar to at least set a guard on their waygate. The fact that shadow spawn are regularly using them is built upon in the next book as well.
For anyone who didn't see the bonus content, it's been confirmed Padan Fain has a trefoil leaf which is how he's following them. And moving the trollocs around already.
Having Nynaeve hold back Machin Shin seemed like foreshadowing to me. Nynaeve using saidar to push back the influence of the dark one on the ways bears a certain resemblance to things to come.
Having an inesperienced nobody with 0 training in channeling holding back Machin Shin makes Machin Shin a lot less treathening, and is aslo VERY bad storytelling. We've repeatedly been shown that Nynaeve can do everything, defeat every foe and basically solo every threat WITHOUT training... This destroys any tension in the scenes she's in and basically kill her character development.
@@francescosirotti8178 Was that Nyneave using the power, or was it her about to get her soul sucked with Rand actually being at the center of the sphere? if you look back it doesn't look like the power comes out from her
@@Echidna23Gaming There is an issue with this reasoning too - and potentially with the previous "non-channeling" of Egwayne. Moraine would have not seen the weaves, so she would know at that instant it is a man channeling.
@@francescosirotti8178 Arya Stark warning sound coming on. I agree. I am not optimistic for the series based upon what i have seen so far. It looks like they are rushing it along too quickly. Never ever write for the characters (leave that approach to soap operas) you write and the characters get pulled along.
Really curious how they'll later turn this Min into Elmindreda. I always imagined her more tomboyish. The ring doesn't mean Agelmar's sister (lady Amalisa, presumably) was an Accepted, the ring is given to all tower-trained women, Morgase had one despite barely being able to channel. Siccing the Red Ajah on Mat certainly felt weird, but I hope we get an explanation later. Perhaps Moiraine was beginning to suspect something and it was a move to keep the Red Ajah busy Fain seems to be able to open the Ways, he exited it completely alone. The love triangle, I assume, sets up character motivation for future seasons. Otherwise it was completely pointless, and this show doesn't strike me as one that would waste time like that. The Tigraine fight in the beginning was top-notch stuff, if all the show was of the same quality, it would easily be the top amongst currently running shows.
No, you normally only get the ring upon being raised to the Accepted. An exception is made for Daughter-Heirs of Andor who train in the Tower, as a show of the good relationship between that nation and the Tower.
Also curious about Min. She is basically a teenager in the book, and the actress playing her is a 40 year old woman? That certainly doesn’t jive with her future in the books.
SPOILERS--- I think the "Amyrlin will be your downfall" might be referring to Elaida (assuming she hasn't been cut from the story) taking over as Amyrlin later in the series and doing something directly related to causing Moiraine's death. I really hope they don't kill Moiraine off this early. That would be a travesty. Rosamund Pike has been nailing this role.
Since they cut out Caemlyn and by extension our introduction to Elaida, I too was wondering if they were going to cut her from the show as well. However, that would mean they'd need another Red to step up as Amyrlin abd the only one we've spent any kind of time on is Liandrin...and she won't work because she's the impetus to get Egwene & Elayne out hunting the Black. So I think they'll still have Elaida introduced in S2; when Siuan returned to Tar Valon in the show, the comment was made that she had returned from Caemlyn -- so maybe she brought Elaida and Elayne in tow.
Killing her so early would be such a big change, I can't even comprehend them taking that path. I could see it working but the show would very much be its own thing at that point.
I have to post. I realize as avid book readers we are passionate about the books, and our minds have a way of world building that no show, or movie could possibly contend with! Not to mention with just eight episodes, this is a massive undertaking. I know they will not keep it 100% with the books, it’s impossible to do so. What I hope this community doesn’t do is shun it completely. Everyone is a critic it seems. What I would challenge people with is the following. We are finally getting a chance for fantasy to become mainstream. We as viewers have the power to build this up or piss it away. I for one will support it. Because if Hollywood is good for one thing it is looking at money rolling in. If we falter support for the genres we love then it will end before it has a chance to get better! When GOT got super popular it was when viewership was out the roof. They started throwing more money at it. That is what I want for this. Try to keep this in mind when you are tearing each piece apart. If you take a look at how movies were made 20 years ago or more till today you will see a direct correlation between character building previously and this has been replaced with constant action. It is sad that everyone’s attention span is less than a gnats. I think it is exactly why people doesn’t read anymore, it requires you to critically think and comprehend. Whatever happened to a slow burn? They have far better pay offs. So is it perfect? No, but what is in life?! Daniel, keep it up, I love to see someone else just as passionate about books and fantasy as I am!
I am like 95% certain we will meet Mat again in Tar Valon and we begin with him meeting Padan Fain and the stealing of Horn + dagger. Which will lead to the chase to Falme and our encounters with Seanchan. Will that be full season 2 don't know, will depend is it again 8 episode season or if we get more we might do book 3 to end in Tear.
I'm hoping they bring Mat and Thom back together. it would fit with Thom's dislike of the red ajah after what happened to his nephew, and would establish the close friendship that Mat and Thom had in the books. Its a solid way to start that plot thread.
But... they deliberately avoided that trope. The Aiel pointedly kills three people by stabbing them in the neck, and one by aiming at the gap where the armor segments join in the front. As far as armor-realism goes, a more egregious (but understandable, as far as costuming is concerned) affront is that their "loricae" are made of leather. Soft leather, mind you, not boiled. Which is just... clothing.
This is a problem with nearly all shows that use armor. Game of Thrones was worse at it. May as well have been wearing papier-mâché for all the good it did.
Armour is also not an imprenetable force-field and has weaknesses that can be exploited. Spears are supposedly fairly decent weapons for that sort of thing. And against nearly superhuman badasses that can comfortably fight three against one while in labour, armour might as well be a wet t-shirt.
"nearly superhuman"? While going through labor pains she leapt several feet into the air and yanked a much larger and armored man airborne with her, without losing momentum, turning in mid air and sticking the landing with cat like grace. If you think that's at all within the realm of reality you watch WAY too many action movies.
I'm not a creator. I don't have a TH-cam channel. But this is my genuine humble plee. Interview me for your channel. It'll be a respectful even headed debate. My stance being that this show is more harm than good. That this is disrespectful and pointless and reasons why. I'm articulate and not an asshole. I promise.
I have a theory about the "amerylin seat being moiraines downfall" being related to her oath she swears in ep 6. She swears a personal oath to Siuan but the hall either doesn't hear, or doesn't understand they were played since Siuan asked her to swear an oath to the Amerylin Seat -- and technically Moiraine did swear an oath to the Amerylin. They could be angling for what happens down the road with the tower.
Why is Min basically a 40 year old in this show? I know the show doesn’t need to be exactly like the books, but her being basically an older teen in the books is pretty central to her character?
I don’t think I’ve been more polarized on an episode. I loved a lot of it (the feel of the ways, the relationship building between Nynaeve and Lan, Min). However, I hated the EF4 fireplace scene, the focus on the love story between Rand and Egwene, and Perrin’s character being relegated to a lovesick puppy for Egwene (while also not being far removed from what happened to his other love interest). I wish they spent more time developing the world and these characters, and not some weird love triangle/love lost scenario that we’ve been getting.
I agree about the love triangle, disagree about the love lost thing. I think the closer they show Rand and Egwene being early on, the more powerful their paths through the series will be.
Sorry. Have to disagree. Perrin is absolutely a lovesick puppy through all 14 of the books. Even though he does become a badass. He is so whipped and confused by women that his chapters were increasingly difficult to read. Especially after his wife was kidnapped.
@Nathan Hall I understand that point about diverging paths, just to me I just wish there was more development outside of that for the characters that was needed. Maybe I’m just reacting to not getting character and world building notes that I wanted to see that we may eventually get.
@David H oh I agree that Perrin takes his loves seriously and can be a love sick puppy. But having that be placed on Egwene this season just felt like drama for dramas sake. It could’ve been a panic move due to the Barney situation, but it just felt incredibly forced in this instance. As I said in my other reply, I could also feel more annoyed because I was just hoping for more development outside of some weird love triangle for Perrin and the other characters.
Having never read the books, I "knew" Rand was going to be the dragon from episode 1, based purely on how often the show cut to his story. Ep 1 and 2 focused a lot on Rand compared to the other 3/4.
@@leonel91 because some I would day don't read or look too deeply, and so to everyone else it was a mystery which is intriguing and makes people come back.
@@leonel91 So it seems 10 years ago I had either a really bad English or an attention disorder or both. I spent the entire book thinking that the Dragon was just some scary lore behind men who could channel, not realizing Moraine was actively searching for him. The ending of EoTW hit me as the biggest surprise in life, even bigger than "Luke, I'm your father".
I thought this was a really good episode, cold opening was brilliant. Wasnt a fan of the egwene/perrin stuff but loved the rest. I didnt mind nynaeve channelling, protectiveness drives the character
Maybe it’s just me , but I wasn’t surprised that Perrin may have had feelings for Egwene. When I read the books I thought that he seemed overly jealous of Aram of the Tinkers, maybe more so than one would for a friend’s girlfriend!
Yeah, it's pretty clear to me that Robert Jordan thought he was going to pair them together, realized he wanted them to do different things, and straight up just didn't edit that bit of the story.
I don't feel that Perrin had feelings like that for Egwene in the book. She was someone he grew up with and his friends girl. Of course he would be protective of her against Aram or any other potential threat.
@@williammullinax6130 I look at it as Perrin's instincts saying something is off with Rand. "Are you still part of our pack or do I need to save her from you."
Hello Daniel - Greetings from India - I am a big fan of your channel and WoT books. In fact - it is your top ten lists which are my usual source to pick up fantasy and sci-fi books. I for one have huge likeness for slow moving fantasy stories and WoT is one of those which stands out for this characteristic. I have been watching the TV Series and just wanted to add my opinion to the thread of great feedbacks you get from all over the world - from the fans who are I should say totally awesome. To be honest - I was very excited at first but it takes a tumble every time a new episode releases. I don't see patience and courage at all in the way the series was directed and the whole thing seems to be commercial rather than sincere to the gradual and soulful motion of the story. I would have been ok if there were not much special effects, dynamic colors and exotic locatoins- but what I miss is the "depth". This according to me is a total misrepresentation of what I perceived WoT to be. Though - I will admit that the cast and acting is great and kudos to the artists. I imagine it better when I read the books and I am not very imaginative. Only because Robert's writing is so grasping. I am very sad. I appreciate you for your enterprise and dedication towards this series and look forward to more and more content. Thank you and please keep going on. I still want to watch your videos when both of us old and have lost our teeth. Wish you success, merry Christmas and a happy new year!!!
Overall I really enjoyed this episode, except for two issues: 1. Machin Shin was nerfed. In the book it's truly terrifying ("tear the flesh, so sweet the screams"), but here it's just "creepy voice tells you bad things and it's windy". 2. Min in no way looks like a lamp. 😂
I read somewhere that the writers likely used Machin Shin as an opportunity to add more character building. I don't think this is a bad thing. You can lose your sanity with either version of the Black Wind.
What’s your episode ranking??
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Best one for emotions, best fight scene. Don't know if its that how i saw the Blight. You can't travel more then a mile or 2 a day in it... Loved it. Still feels rushed (the story, not the quality of the show)
@@claudemartin7785 Agree with the rushed feeling: they need 10 episodes. I do think they should have included more of the 5 in episode 5 & 6. That said, I loved episode 7. Best for me at the moment: 7, 3/4, 1 (come on, Winternight was awesome!), 2, 6 & 5.
Euh... Daniel? I think this show is quite bad, there were a LOT of cringy moments in this episode. Why are you so positive? I can't believe you are genuinly liking most of it. The Dusty Wheel, too. They are delusional.
9/10
10/10, loved the characters getting laid, loved the aiel fight, loved the Dragon reveal. The look of Fal Dara and all the extra characters. Was wondering about Agelmar and his hostility and he might be a darkfriend. (I don't remember if he was in the books). Maybe one complaint is that Min is aged up and probably won't get with Rand.
Also Loial's Machin Shin whispers definitely would have been:
"Your mother was always right, you weren't ready to leave the Stedding... She is going to find you a wife and force you to settle down."
"You're too young to have a beard! Haman would be very disappointed in you!"
More like "People love your hair Loial."
"You've put a long handle on your axe, Loial. Always so hasty, too hasty."
"The world is no place for an Ogier. Also books are lame, nerd."
@@t20sgrunt36 hahah "the jheri curl was the right choice, Loial."
Loial: "I'll ask for your patience".
Rand (whispers to Perrin): "If *HE'S* asking for patience, we're all gonna die". 🤣
_ My favourite lines in the whole episode.
Lol! Is that what he said? I just heard "hes asking for patience" still got a laugh from me
You know that would have been a Mat line originally lol
I completely missed this!
Except that, like so much in this show, it's TELLING rather than showing. They keep talking about how slow that Loial is, yet we've never seen any sign of him actually being slow.
That line Rand said when Egwene found him was freaking gold.
Something like "I've learned through painfully hard won experience that when you are ready to talk, you'll find me".
That's such a great callback to their relationship in the book, where she was much more obnoxious.
i've got one big problem with this whole episode : Loial seems to have disappeared entirely in Fal Dara and nobody cares ?!
I assume the guy is out observing the people.
I was wondering that the entire time! HAHA Where did he go?!?!?!
@@DanielGreeneReviews or The library 📚 🤓
@@yomvanhaver i was thinking the actor might have done a Mat.. but it was jarring...its basic story telling mess up
Loial's only purpose going with them in the show was to guide them through the Ways (theoretically). Moiraine didn't need Min to view him so she didn't bring him to see her and he isn't a "potential" Dragon so she didn't need him there for the discussion on going to the Eye of the World.
Just a thought: Min never said that Siuan Sanche was to going to be Moiraine’s downfall, she said the Amyrlin Seat (I actually think Mom’s line ‘and she’s wearing full regalia” is another sign that we’re talking about the position and not the person).
Great point. I didn't catch that!
This just calls out moraines change in the previous episode to the oath she swore. Makes me think maybe Elaida won’t be a part of the show and perhaps Liandrin will become Amyrlin afte Suian is deposed
I totally agree. Initially I thought it may have meant that when Suan is diposed, stilled, and word of her “execution” reaches Moraine, that is what will motivate her to go beserk and attack Lanfear, in addition to the Finn’s saying she will.
@@Magnums_Chronicles I hope this is not a spoiler.. Brain, remove this please 😭 (stupid me reading comments even if I haven't yet read the books).
@@sgettys I am thinking the same thing. I think they are going to combine Liandrin and Elaida. Which is pretty gross as they both serve very different functions in the narrative.
Having a Platonic caring relationship between Perrin and Egwene was great to see for the first few episodes... Why would they ruin that
It ain't ruined. People get crushes constantly, especially with people they care about.
Yes, it was terrible. Made Perrin look like a skeevy friend to Rand too, and a horrible person for (potentially) marrying someone he didn't even love then killing her. I don't believe any of that but the thought itself is awful enough for me to greatly dislike it
Well, Egwene did seem flirty, but that's probably down to the actress.
She seems pretty close to Perrin's actor on all their IG posts...
It's like, we're supposed to buy the whole platonic warder/Aes Sedai between Moiraine and Lan, but because actors are human beings still, you can literally feel the sexual tension in every shot between them two in the show...
@@ChristmasLore I for one completely get a platonic vibe between Moraine and Lan. Not sure where you get tension from.
@@20storiesunder He literally just murdered someone he was supposed to be in love with. Wtf is wrong with you
Machin Shin, The Moderately Insulting Wind.
Fear the mild self doubt!
🤣
It was pretty much the same thing in the books. Except it was literally wind, not a swarm.
Yeah shfbs, I'm not gonna lie it was cooler in my head, mostly because they whole ways weren't very creepy, or not as creepy as I expected. Didn't care _that_ much though
Machin Shin is basically a 12 year old internet troll.
My mom, non-reader: "I told you it was gonna be him!"
Me: "You also told me it was going to be Nynaeve, Egwene and Perrin."
Mom: "Yeah, but I said it was going to be him first."
My daughter, non-reader, when they mentioned Rand... "Who's Rand?"
@@RRSmurf 'the other guy'
your moms awesome :P
My mom tooooo! hahahaha
15:50 I loved and hated that line from Lan, because it was half perfect, and half garbage. It's true that he had nothing to live for before meeting Moiraine, but he DID have something to die for: Malkier. The entire essence of Lan's character, until meeting Nynaeve, is that the only thing keeping him from immediately going off to the Blight to die for Malkier is his bond to Moiraine and his commitment to her quest.
Honestly that line was kind of a great embodiment of this first season overall. So close to perfect, but also so frustratingly far away at the same time.
Agreed. All Lan has is a sword that cannot not break and war he cannot win ..... until Rafe comes along and rewrites him. 🙄
Did anyone else see the absolute bind the writers put themselves into with the Ways? 1) Now channeling is required to enter the Ways. 2) Cannot use channeling within the Ways unless you want to call the Black Wind. 3) Must channel to exit the Ways.
Soooo basically the black wind in always unavoidable, and when you exit the Ways EVERYONE best be leaving unless you want to die.
And then Padan Fain strolls out of the gate by himself..... So can he channel now!? Or did someone channel to let him out but stayed in the Ways to face certain death? The only reasonable solution is the Black Wind is now controllable by the Dark Ones forces, but I'm just not feeling it at all. But maybe I'm missing something.
Mhm. The Avendesorah leaf in the Prime Trivia material.
Still doesn't add up, anyway.
I feel like they’re mixing it with the portal stones that require channeling
I loved that Perrin was the one to notice the guiding stone first in the Ways, establishing his improving senses.
Perrin was also the one to recognize paden Fein when no one else did
I was instinctively like "why did they pick the character all the way in the back of the group to be the one to point out what's ahead? Oh wait. Nevermind."
@@ToxDrawace My husband did the same. He’s about 2/3 of the way through the first book. He was like, “How did…ohhhhh.”
@@aggietrombonist That's one thing I love about the way they write the scenes. They have a knack for intuitive signifiers of meaning.
That did show his emerging abilities very well. I am disappointed though that... [book spoiler]
...
his eyes aren't yellow all the time. Part of his book character is him being super self conscious about his eyes. Hopefully they will will evolve that way over time on the show.
I didn't like the Stark contrast between the landscape of the blight. In the books the blight was a poisoning of the land so the land transitioned into the blight. This just left me a question of how did the narled trees grow. Also another aspect that is a lot more horrifying in the book. Some trees look as normal as other trees and yet will grab you and eat you.
Agreed, and I really wanted to see the worms.
I agree that I think I liked the book version better, but I'm not entirely sure how it would have ended up looking on screen, especially if they didn't have time to get into the land like, attacking them and such etc
@@nyxicide but instead we have a landscape that is impossible not to touch and a line that says don't touch anything.
We could have spaced the trees out a little more and had a few of them quiver and shake would have increased the ominous feel to the blight. It shouldn't have been much to add a few more insects and other creepy crawly things that would have made the blight even more blight like.
@@Gammagreen yeah that's also true. The don't touch anything/how can you even do that incongruity is what took away from it the most in my opinion. She could have told him not to touch specific things, or just to not get like _scratched_ or something. Or even nothing would have been better than the direct difference between telling us one thing and showing another
I think upon re-watch now its been revealed, some of those character development moments for Rand I think were hidden by the fact we didn't get to see it cause of the mystery.
For exampled, I started reading the books because I am inpatient, googled the answer and read some of Rands arch, was hooked and had to get the books. I now own all 14 and have read up to 5 lol.
However, once I knew who the dragon was, I started paying more attention to him and there are little hints throughout the season other than what we get in the flash back that I picked up on that hint at his internal struggle and acceptance.
so for example his outburst in episode 2 makes more sense and that's what made me feel like he knew.
His little moment when he was watching Egwene being woken up by Moraine, his expression when he was watching them leave the cave.
Him going to sleep away from the others, his outburst and then being distant from them a little, like he walked away from them in Logoth.
Obviously him Channelling the door and then he jumped on the idea it was Matt, didn't question it because I think he kinda hoped it WAS matt, the pact they made and the actor kinda played that amazingly. His expressions when they were making the pact and then his... not disappointment exactly but something felt off about how he reacted when it was revealed that matt was only sick because of the Dagger.
I also think there's more there with the Egwene and Perrin and Rand stuff,
Rand, especially in book 2 and beyond has a bad habit of pushing people away that he thinks he is trying to protect. If you re-look at the scene as Rand knowing who he is especially after the way situation, you can kind of see that here. he is being a jerk to them on purpose, trying to push them away. At least that how I took it and it fits with Rands characters in the book.
I think Perrin has feelings for her, but I dont know if they are love love feelings... idk, I do think this was more of a Rand kinda lashing out at people and using that as a trigger.
Great interpretation! I read the books a long time ago so I have forgotten a lot of things but you are right. If you know from the start who is the Dragon, you start noticing all the little hints around Rand. The poor guy was like, pushing all those hints to the back of his mind, trying not to think about them. Even denying strongly that he was not Aiel when Loial pointed out his red hair. He seemed very upset there and together with everything, it makes a lot of sense because he already knew that he was adopted, he was not who he thought he was. You can see, like you said, that he was even hopping that Mat was the channeler and not him (even though he kind of knew he was the one who had channeled). But he still promised to not leave him to his fate (which was precious and sad because is like, secretly, he was asking Mat for a merciful death too if it was him).
good call indeed. Unfortunatelly all this are too subtle for non book readers
@@maxdelpo5578 Perhaps, but I hope they notice all of this after re-watching the show. The screenwriters did a good job in this particular aspect.
@@maxdelpo5578 And honestly it's too little even for book readers. I've read the first several books 2-3 times (multiple reattempts to get through the series at various points leading up to and during college..... and never quite making it, LoL). And I've read them very recently to my wife. She and I both lamented just how LAME the show adaptation of him was, all in the name of the mystery. He has been woefully underdeveloped and deemphasized into oblivion, to the point that it's hard to even care about him as a show character. Again, this is coming from readers who know just how important he is and know what hints to look for. He was just.... empty. I'm hoping that after this episode his development really starts to catch up.
Given that they already have an actor for LTT I'm guessing the next cold open will be the Eye of the World prologue. I really hope it is.
That would be a very good idea!
I kinda still really wish that the cold opening for the show was EotW prologue. I found it to be a really interesting start, after all.
Fuck man that would be amazing
Great idea, lets see.
No, it's going to be about the Aes Sedai during the War Of The Shadow.
I had the same initial reaction to Moiraine sending the message to the Red Ajah, but the more I thought about it the more I think they might turn it into a calculated decision:
1. If Mat can't channel because she has the Dragon Reborn with her, then the Red Ajah wouldn't be able to still him anyway
2. If Mat can channel and is succumbing to the Darkness, then him being away from Moiraine and in Tarvalan is incredibly dangerous and needs to be dealt with right away, and surely after the Reds were just chastised for Logain they wouldn't push things too far and would take him to Siuan right away since they're so close this time, right?
3. Which of her sisters would be the most motivated to find this random person she's managed to lose when in the show she is a newly outcast exile from the tower? All the others would have their own priorities and would have far more questions about why they should do it, so the simplest and most efficient answer is to go with the Reds who are already motivated on this task.
I think it's naive given the black spoilers we know from the books, but so far show-Moiraine has shown no knowledge of that undercurrent in the White Tower. But perhaps I'm not familiar enough with the totality if the series.
I'm still absolutely gutted Barney had to leave. Mat quickly became my favourite character because if his acting and I really hope he's ok and everything is going well in his life.
i agree he fit the role too well imo sad he wont be returning.
What happened to Barney?
My only issue with his work (versatile, and difficult to navigate) is he always sounded like he had a stuffed nose from the flu.🤧
@@black_sheep_nation Did he even before he took the dagger? I thought of that as a sign of the dagger infestation.
Really? I thought the opposite. I always pictured Mat being a lot more.... upbeat? Barney's portrayal is just so dour all the time. I know a lot of that was the dagger at work, but still. Even before that point I thought he was just off on his interpretation.
I really liked the slight nod to Perrin's eyesight when he spots the guiding stone from far away. Felt like a hint taken right out of the books.
why is it only a hint though? he should have yellow eyes all the time. Contacts are not that expensive xD
why are they hinting? is he perrin goldeneyes or not?
@@jordanmurphy4156 Probably the same reason GOT didn't give Daenaerys purple eyes: she couldn't wear contacts. Most likely the actor can't wear them.
@@marksaunders7920 But he wears them for certain scenes so why not others? Man they wanted perrin to talk to bears instead of wolves before brandon sanderson interjected. It's just badly done and they are messing up the characters
@@jordanmurphy4156 where did you get that from? I think he was joking about it in podcast with Dan Wells
my favorite part of the episode was when Loial asked for patience in reading the damaged guiding stone and Rand whispers, “if he’s asking for patience that means we’re gonna die” 😭😭 literally busted out laughing when I heard that
one of the little details in the cold open I loved was the fact that the armor of the soldiers the aiel fought had the Golden Bees of Illian on them to signify they were The Companions.
LOVE!!!
I really love that scene. I was watching with my friends. When saw Golden Bees of Illian, I almost shouted that the Aiel is Rand's mother. Fortunately I was able to hold back and not spoil the whole episode.
It did? Was it part of the cape? I noticed the capes…
@@OtherTheDave on the breast plate 9 bees of illian
@@tomhadow Thanks, I’ll keep an eye out for that when I watch it again with my GF.
Regarding the Fan Theory about Trollocs in the Ways: This is exactly when we find out about it in the books. They don't encounter a Trolloc, but Loial and Moiraine discover Trolloc script on several of the guidings, Moiraine realizes that's how they got Trollocs to Duopotamia, and in the book they do, indeed, insist that Lord Agelmar guard the Mafal Dadaranelle Waygate before they head off to the Eye. So, for all the gloating, I'm not sure it's a particularly surprising twist to discover Trollocs in the Ways at exactly the same point in the plot.
I was thinking this too, like I just reread it and while they don’t fight a Trolloc in there, they absolutely do state that’s how they made it to the two rivers etc without being detected.
Didn't they find dead trollocs? Like turned to stone?
@@linusohlsson7914 Yeah they found petrified Trollocs with pitted marks just like the stone of the ways.. pretty sure at least. Unless that was in a later book.
Moiraine just needs Mat contained, and the reds are the ones most used to finding men who don't want to be found.
Also, she needs them to beat him within an inch of his life so that even after he's healed he'll have a new face for season 2...
I don't know the book politics, but would the red act in a contrary way because a blue is pointing them at Matt?
A red would've just hunted him and then gentled him. But now maybe they'd follow him, to see why Moraine was interested in him?
@@monicaenns9967 I was thinking something along those lines as well. A blue WOULD NEVER trust a red with some man that couldn't channel, but why would they trust a red with any man at all?
Whichever red gets this "request" from Moraine is gonna be wondering what the hell is going on, and the mind games will ensue. [or they should, at least]
So i agree, they'd probably follow him and try to figure out why a blue would ask a red to find someone for her.
I'm very interested to see how that will play out.
This is just another stupid change. They have set the Reds up as an ajah that hates men. Moraine used that change to blackmail Liandrin an episode or 2 ago. In this series, those Reds would probably murder Mat, honestly. It's an unnecessary change that is going to cause a massive problem later in the story.
@@cmike123 Or maybe she's just pissed at Liandrin and figures making her have to deal with Matt is a fitting punishment! J/K but we're already off the beaten path so why not?
@@ericmm996 yep. Fuck it.
Knowing that Rand had learned that he was adopted and knowing all the things he was wrestling with during this journey, it explains why he was so adamant with Loial that he was not an Aielman.
When he said "yeet the Dragon at the Dark One", I just thought of Moiraine going up to the Dark One, yeeting a pokeball at him and going " Rand! I choose you!"
"Rand is confused!"
"Rand hurt itself in its confusion!"
IM WHEEZING
@@mancingtom most accurate description of Rand books 1-5
The Aiel's veil was up at the beginning of the scene--she only took it down when she thought she was alone and safe to give birth. Then she got surprised and didn't have a chance to replace it. She wasn't intending to kill them, but they got between her and her baby.
(edit) Thank you to everyone who has replied. It is always interesting to open a conversation!
I do want to add--the creators of the show clearly kept the bit of Aiel culture in the show by 1) having Thom explain the veil and 2) Having the Aiel have her mask up at the beginning of the scene.
However, they chose to have the actress leave it down for the rest of the scene, most likely so we could enjoy her wonderful acting. How could we have gotten the heart stopping look on her face when she is stabbed in the side without that note? And they provided us with a perfectly good head-cannon excuse: She's in labor, experiencing the most painful and emotional experience of her life and is surprised. She doesn't take the second to replace the veil because she wants to get the hell on with birthing her child and these annoying bees won't stop hassling her. She's probably also having a hell of a time breathing. Think of all the folks complaining about wearing masks nowadays and add in GIVING BIRTH.
Those who read the books also know more reasons why she might not be as quick with a veil as normal, and can make the choice to head-cannon those in.
Those who remain unhappy with this--hey, that is your choice too. With every aspect of the show, every change, and every nod, we watchers have the choice weather to accept the reasons the show gives us, come up with our own head-cannon explanations for this Turning of the Wheel, or to stay staunchly by the books and be unhappy with the show. That is art. We get to appreciate and dislike what we appreciate and dislike according to our own personal preferences and differences.
Personally, I choose to put explanations that will allow me to continue to enjoy the show in my head cannon. I shared my thoughts just in case others are looking for that too. But regardless of your opinion on this point or others, I respect and appreciate all of your opinions and thank you for sharing them. I know that all of your happiness and all of your anger comes from a genuine love for this story, whatever medium it is in, and I am so happy to be part of a community that holds the Wheel of Time close to its heart. Cheers, all!
Thing is, even this would be unacceptable to an Aiel, they would die trying to veil rather than killing unveiled.
There were also quite a few moments, even between kills, where she could have veiled
Trev but she was still giving birth 😆
@@PBOD but this is fantasy not reality bro. We don't expect it to be realistic.
There are also spoilers for much later in the series that might answer why this particular Maiden might not have perfect discipline on every aspect of their culture
@@trevvonhiggle1980 the thing is, Rand's mom wasn't a traditional Aiel, and even without that piece of info... think about it, in that specific situation makes way more sense she'd care more about protecting her baby than covering herself for religious/cultural reasons.
I was honestly really impressed with how much this episode was able to make Mats decision and absence natural and integrate reasons why Mat didn't come through the way gate with the difficulties with Barney Harris departing. I though we would just have a throwaway scene at the beginning of the episode but no we felt his lost presence throughout the whole episode, even contributing to the conflicts of conversations and tensions between our Edmond's fielders.. This helped this feel all the more natural. Kudos to the writers on that.
They seriously rewrote large swathes of this episode, and I respect that.
Please, that argument is completely illogical. Why did she bring Mat to the gate if she thinked that he was not the Dragon or she wanted to keep him away from the dark one?
Yeah I don't understand why they did what they did. Could have just had him stay at the tower because he was to sick and moved on. That said I did like that they didn't just gloss over that he left them and stayed behind.
@@Sam-jx8tv MY guess is because they shot the sixth episode already and probably he went with them into the ways in the first cut. (probably moved the entire production already to the new locations, The ways is obviously a sound stage, but the borderlands are a completely different set location and they most likely were on the mnove between locatons already)
Then the actor disappereard, and they could not reshoot scenes with him deciding that in the city. (or they would have done so by other chars talking)
They obviously used stock footage from the outside shooting where mat looked concerned and inserted it the wqy they did in the end of EP 6
I'm confused. Did the actor just leave? What happened?
The Blight is too sudden, though, it was supposed to be a gradual transition. Here it looks like a zone in an MMO, not a real landscape.
Not even that. It looks like tens of thousands of copies of the exact same tree. No MMORPG would contain a zone that's so boring as that.
@@cdsmithus I was referring to the transition, i.e. the blight has a clear border here, where it should not. Ashenvale is green, Felwood is brown, and there is no transition between them.
As for "no MMORPG", clearly you are blessed to play only modern MMOs :D
Shimmering Flats, anyone?
A zone in an MMO 😭
My best theory for why they added the Perrin/Egwene subplot is that they're either going to remove or dramatically reduce Berelain's presence but they didn't want to remove the jealousy aspect of Faile entirely.
or they'll remove the 2 most hated loveinterest's and get them together
i hope that is really not the case. Berelain is a great character.
I like this a lot, I never really felt Faile had strong enough reason to be jealous over Berelain and that always kinda annoyed me. Being jealous of the childhood crush your husband has makes more sense
There’s zero reason to have Berelain in the show to be honest. I love her but she’s definitely getting cut. Same could be done with, or at least dramatically cut down on, Gawyn, Bayle, Morgase, Masema, Elyas, half the Forsaken.
@@chrisdalby I completely agree, 2k characters is impossible to fit into 8 seasons, there needs to be some fat trimming
As a non-reader, this episode was a banger. The opening fight sequence was head and shoulders above the earlier ones imo. Rand having his realization along with us, the audience, that he's definitely the dragon was exciting. And the blight they're heading towards looks menacing af. Solid penta-ultimate episode that pulled up the series as a whole. 9/10
Penultimate*
Yes was the best action so far, except when she jumped past and grabbed the cape, that looked a bit clumsy. I have to admit having just had a baby I was laughing my ass off at how movies treat labour, it rode the line very closely as coming off comical. I guess they don't make women like they used to ;p
@@ozmanoshe have you read the books?
The blight was well off its meant to be rotting with plants bulging and bursting with pus
Perhaps it was autocorrect but just so you know penta means five, as someone pointed out pen is the proper prefix, meaning something like "the thing just before"
Can we just say that, the first time we see Rand shooting the bow, he is giving Two Rivers a bad name? At that range, he should be making Robin Hood look like a chump.
The Flame and the Void eluded him.
You could see the strain on his face. Machin Shin clearly got to him. 😅
He was struggling emotionally, which affected his performance.
@@keaavilez932 Would have been a good flashback to Tam helping him practice for Bel Tine archery competition and mentioning the Void and the Flame. Sadly this show doesn't care about these kind of details.
I didn't think of it as Moiraine being overwhelmed, I thought she was trying to open the Waygate, which meant she couldn't channel to protect everyone. But I'd need to rewatch to be sure.
Yes, this was how I read the scene. She was focused on opening the waygate and was pretty stoic even as we heard the whispers in her mind. Nynaeve merely helped push it back to protect everyone a little longer while Moiraine finished opening the gate.
That is how I saw the scene, after watching it few times.
that's what overwhelmed means. All 3 of you are just artfully describing overwhelmed.
@@kyleellis9177 Book essay's amiright?
@@kyleellis9177 At no point does it show Moiraine stop channeling to open the gate. If anything the rest of them were nearly overwhelmed, but not Moiraine. She just kind of glances back and acknowledges what's happening.
Or are you trying to say she should be opening the Waygate and simultaneously holding back Machin Shin?
"If he's asking for our patience, then we are truly dead." said Rand in The Ways about Loial.
I don’t really get that line. It was meant to be comical I guess, but it doesn’t make sense. If it were reversed, one of them saying to Loial that they wanted him to be patient, it would work with the known character traits. Loial is always patient, and always wishes others were as well. So him asking them all to be patient is just him being him.
Maybe I’m reading it wrong, but when I heard the line it didn’t even make me think at all. It was just a character saying something totally in line with their character.
@@snerdterguson the joke is that normally Loial will go into a long explanation and never ask for anyone’s patience because he thinks he’s speaking the proper amount in both length and volume.
If he’s asking for patience, that means it’ll be a long time even for ogiers. Rand is joking that if it’s a long time for even ogiers, then they’ll be dead of old age by the time he finishes
@@yonatanyonatano1192 ok, hadn’t thought of that. Makes sense. Thank you for the explanation.
Been about 10 years or so since I read them so my memories of it aren’t necessarily correct.
When I heard from Min the whole 'Amyrlin will be your downfall' I just immediately assumed for some reason that she's not talking about the CURRENT Amyrlin, if you know what I mean (trying to keep this spoiler free). But your theory makes a lot of sense too, I was kinda 'huh it didn't even occur to me'. Look forward to see what they actually do plot-wise with this.
I didn’t get what he was saying about that theory? Didn’t understand? Could you explain it for me please 😅 might just be how it was phrased
My first thought was Elaida
That’s why the oath was you will be banished until the Amyrlin calls you back. Not the current one, just the one that’s currently in power.
Same.
Yes I also assumed Elaida
First! Yesssss my husband at the end of the episode with Rands scenes he’s like “yup called it” 😂 missed Barney and I could tell they did their best writing around it
Also adding this series has only added to the pride my son is a ginger lol
Moiraine siccing the Red on Mat--I think as of her healing him, she's pretty sure he can't channel. So in her mind, she's both securing Mat somewhere safe (if somewhere he'll be annoyed and talked down to, win/win), and also sending the Reds on a wild goose chase.
Remember Elyas talking about them trying to gentle him when he first showed signs of the Wolfbrother thing? "Yeah, they kept trying and trying, and it didn't do anything but annoy me."
I think that the show has also not been able to establish a motivation for Mat's extreme mistrust of Aes Sedai as he had in the books. Clearly, the show's version of this world is significantly less fearful of Aes Sedai than in the books. But almost everything Mat does from the end of book 1 onward is mainly motivated by not trusting Aes Sedai/ the One Power. Siccing the Red Ajah on him is a good way from a writer's perspective to break any trust he had in Aes Sedai and Moiraine specifically.
I'm hoping that the reason getting the reds involved is because they will grab him and hold him at Tar Valon. She's hoping Siuan will be able to protect him and likely will bring him with her when she goes to Fal Dara Liandrin in tow as well as the dagger.
Nice theory!
the wild goose chase angle doesn't work. too much risk of Mat yelling out "I'm not the dragon reborn" and just like that Liandrin and the rest of the red ajah would be hunting moraine to the ends of the earth.
I think you’re bang on point. They are practiced at finding men, this is their purpose and Matt needs finding. You don’t call an ambulance if you car breaks down ya know!? The blues may not like the reds too much but they’re all on the same side (well most of them)
As a non-reader of the books. I knew that Rand was the dragon reborn. He just have this air about him. But the writers of this show really made me doubt it especially when the rest of the group started having powers. When Nynaeve use her powers I was like "Please don't make her the dragon reborn or Egwene". Don't get me wrong I like them but I also love to see how a Male Dragon reborn's gonna ve accepted in this world. So happy for this episode.
Rand is the Dragon as far as powers and channeling, but the Dragon really should have 5 heads!! If you take away any of the Emond's 5(including Egwene even though she sucks so bad) from the equation they have no shot and would fail vs Shai'tan.
@@brianjacobs1283 🙄
@@brianjacobs1283 jesus spoilers.
@@jaryd123456 don't look at online discussions of a completed book series that has a massive fan base with no moderators if you don't want spoilers. I should say you need to common sense. There's a reason I avoided the internet with Spider-Man info until I actually watched the movie.
@@brianjacobs1283 you need to flag it. Just because there's no moderators does not mean you can't show any decency.
Fun Fact: The ways kinda look exactly like the hall of echoes in divinity 2. Except the lighting. Gave me the impression that someone on the visuals team probably played that game and that's cool
I thought the same thing! I didn’t love it for the ways but that game is one of the best ever
Yes I knew I had seen this somewhere!
Such an underrated game!!
wow I thought the same thing aswell
THAT'S where i saw that before!
thank you!
that was killing me
I do feel like Amazon and Netflix have been doing their own shows a HUGE disservice with the low episode count per season. A show as vast as WoT NEEDS at least 15 episodes per season, otherwise it's going to be rushed and unnecessary sacrifices in plot have to be made. It's the reason SO many new fantasy shows don't do as well as some older ones (GoT, Outlander, Vikings etc). Because they aren't given the run time to really allow the audience to get invested in the characters and plot. Everything is rushed and it's honestly such a shame. The knowledge of what could have been if only Amazon had been more realistic and willing to take a chance on a larger ep count haunts me, truly.
Honestly, even as a newbie (halfway through book 2) I totally agree. There's so much they trying to stuff in such a small amount of time. Maybe I'm just in a bad mood today but especially this episode felt SO rushed, and really made everything they could have spent more time on in previous episodes stand out.
I would have agreed with you at the onset. At this point the show is so full of woke messaging, and development that undercuts the setting that I'm grateful Amazon didn't give them any more time to screw up the story.
@@jasonwrathorn9281 Woke messaging???
@@emilyk244 Ignore him.
To be fair, the whole burial and warder bit and wailing while somewhat useful in understanding how the bond works was something that could have been compressed significantly. Some of the Amyrlin stuff could have also been squished down to make a bit more time for the main cast. The whole reunification in Tar Valon of the EF5 was incredibly ham fisted and poorly written.
After listening through the audiobooks it'd be amazing to hear Michael Kramer reading the excerpt of the karethon cycle leading into the credits.
On reflection, I was thinking that maybe Rand's lashing out over the group abandoning Mat was really anticipation of them rejecting him once they discover that *he* is the Dragon Reborn. If they can just let Mat go like that when he is troubled and needs them the most, will Rand be abandoned too?
That would have worked if the hatred and fright for men that channel, and the cultural impact of the DR, had been better developed. As it is, the E5 take so much in stride that it lacks gravitas.
@@bidossessi Episode 1 cold open, episode 4 in general.
Rand is my favourite character after moiraine and this episode is really great. Joshua is such a great actor and perfectly portrayed rand which makes sense as he is the fastest among the cast to read the books.
agree, just want you to know it's "Josha" pronounced "Yosha"
:)
Joshua is an incredible actor, I agree
@@KillerOfWhales If you don't say so yourself 🤣
What about Josha, though?
@@RRSmurf He’s great, but comparatively I’d just say he’s okay
@@KillerOfWhales 🤣👍🏼
A change I liked: Rand and Moiraine going solo to the Blight. Wanting to protect his friends is a straight-up Rand move.
A change I disliked: Replacing the book-Min's Perky Spice vibe with the bitter cynic. Show is supposed to be "true to the heart and soul" of books, so they can get away with a lot, but changing character personalities is really bumping up against that promise.
Most people I've talked to thought Min was perfect for the aged up version of her, she's not 19/20 anymore
I agree, I honestly didn’t like Min at all, really disappointed.
Min was way too old. Her and Rand hooking up seems kinda creepy with the age difference.
Aye everyone is a bit more bitter.
@@classicdad2.063 My guess is that Rafe doesn’t even write her as a romantic interest. It’ll be a love triangle and he’ll make Rand choose one in the end.
Not a book reader (am in the beginning of book 1 at the moment) but I think the veil-down situation actually flows well with what was established as dialogue-mentioned lore in the TV show - when the veil is down the Aiel is not a threat. I actually though it was a good call-back to the lore in previous episodes (with the dead guy in the cage) and where she maybe was trying to signal - I am not a threat, and still got attacked? Even more heartbreaking due to this. This was my take away from it anyway.
Without spoiling anything, In the books, the veils have almost religious significance to the Aiel so it still feels a bit awkward seeing her kill without one but I definitely don’t think it’s the end of the world and It worked better for the scene.
@@mycenaeangal9312 Given that specific Aiel's situation...I can forgive it
Aiel culture spoiler.
I actually watched it as a book reader and the veil down didn't bother me. Too much else going on that was interesting. Also just thinking from a pure physics standpoint all the fighting Aiel do keeping that veil up 100% in battle isn't realistic. Nor is letting yourself die because it fell down. However most of the Aiel of the books would rather die than kill with their face uncovered, however she was pregnant and probably would to defend her unborn child. However she may seek penance for doing so had she survived. Any time they've violated their honor they seek penance.
Aiel are hard to understand does protecting the child wash away the "sin" of killing maskless? I have no idea how they would react. (it has it's own name, not sin but this is easier to understand)
And finally, It's not so much a religion as a system based on their honor that's a core aspect of their culture. No gods involved at all.
@@TheHomicidalTendency If it's a strong enough belief system then religion could still apply. "The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods" Is only one of the dictionary definitions of religion. In fact, I think you're disqualifying some of the bigger eastern religions if you use that one. That being said, I haven't read the books so I couldn't tell you if what the Aiel practice is a strong enough belief system to apply.
Brilliant
23:45 My read on Moiraine setting the Red on Mat is that she's hedging her bets. If Mat is the Dragon Reborn, then all of them, Moiraine included, are probably about to die. In which case, a Dark-aligned (from Moiraine's perspective) Dragon Reborn loose in the world, with no one else really knowing about the danger until it's too late... that absolutely makes sense that Moiraine would give a heads up to the Red. Plus, if it turns out he's not the Dragon Reborn, and thus not able to channel, the Red aren't going to kill a man like that. It won't be pleasant for him, and he might get roughed up a bit, but once they verify he can't channel, they'd turn him loose.
Excellent catch.
Additionally it makes the Red spend a lot of resources dealing with a man she thinks cannot channel. Hedging her bets and wasting the time of the reds? Pure Moiraine.
Meh, Matt should have been here, so this shouldn't have even happened, but maybe it's because the actor bolted, so I guess they had to come up with something.
@@jacobyrassilon It really is likely due to the unfortunate timing of Barney Harris' unexpected departure. Given that he has deleted all his social media and doesn't have any acting projects elsewhere and just seems to have disappeared off the face of the Earth, I would wish him well and hope for the best for him.
Or rather, hold him until Moiraine comes to get him. From which Mat could probably escape.
I'm still not sure that Liandrin is the one helping with the ways, if the mechanic is that you need to open it by channelling, then yes I can see this being an intro for Black Ajah or Foresaken as the ones to enable the shadowspawn to access them. However, there was that scene in episode 7 where Padan Fain exited the ways and was holding a leaf like item, which is more in line with how it was shown to activate the waygates in the books. I can't explain why our heroes or Loial didn't just do that, but I did question during the episode "how did he get out?". It might be been something that they will explain as "lost knowledge" or something later on? My best guess.
In both the books and the series a waygate can be opened by moving a key shaped like an avendesora leaf or by channeling. The key may have been missing at the Tar Valon waygate or Moirane may not have wanted Mat to know how to use the ways. SeriesMat, at least at this stage, is darker than BookMat.
@@Xunre this is what I was thinking, perhaps some of they keys had been stolen and channeling needed to be used
In terms of the veil being down, I've seen the suggestion that she did it intentionally - signalling that she doesn't *want* to fight and her enemies are just not taking the hint. I also really liked the in-universe explanation Moiraine gave for why she was willing to leave him behind; that she believes if he is the Dragon and was offered power by the Dark One, he would take it.
Yes that makes sense because it was up when the scene opens. And I agree about the comment re Mat, but I don't remember now if that was in the books or not. She implied that Mat was corrupted, and we can believe it had something to do with the dagger, or that it was something already inside him before his picking it up.
about the veil being down....those who read the books and know her identitiy know she wasnt born an Aile, and had only lived with them for a few years (not sure about the book timeline, but it cant be more then 5 considering the Aiel war lasted 3 and her disapperance what the cause of the Daes Deamar stunt that was the cause of the Aiel war
I just don't see why she writes him off just seems like poor writing trying to bandaid some problem. What darkness in him? I guess we will have to find out but I am willing to bet that its nothing and we never hear of it again. Same with Egwene writing Matt off why? What makes her the dragon expert. Everyones reactions don't make logical sense to me.
That's some medical grade copium
@@JoshTruff Genuinely curious, what in-universe plot would've worked to cover for the actor leaving as unexpectedly as he did? Also, I don't think Egwene was judging from a "Dragon Expert" perspective so much as a "Mat Expert" one -- which, as someone who has been around Mat for such a long time she can certainly qualify for. It may not fair to Mat, obviously, as Rand says; but, Egwene doesn't know Mat like Rand does -- which Rand does bring up as a counter-argument.
You talked about Fain's whistle in the ways, let me add that there also was a frame where you can see Fain himself in the ways - right after the trolloc attack and group's flight to Fal Dara gate. It's very subtle, it's only a second if not less and I wouldn't even notice him if my wife didn't point it out to me.
Yeah I wasn't sure who it was at first. I thought it was a Fade until you see him walking out.
I saw that too. I said: how did Mat get in there? Rewind-rewatch. Hmmm that’s not Mat…
Lan's arc in "New Spring" was the exact opposite of what Daniel says! He has never lacked for a purpose, his problem is that his purpose was determined for him as a child, and he has always been used by others as a tool (including, I should add, Moiraine). This is why it's so important that Lan suddenly speaks up unprompted in WH during the debate about what to do with the captured damane. This is why he helps Rand prepare for his audience with Siuan in tGH or why he defends Rand from Moiraine's rebuke or refrains from reprimanding him for being rude to her in tGS. Lan's whole life has been to be treated as a tool to be used by others, like a sul'dam and as is happening to Rand. Lan has nothing BUT purpose, and not one of his choice. He does not see that he has any choices of his own, and that is a change that Nynaeve begins to work in him. Through her he begins to see himself as a person in his own right, who deserves choices and agency. That's why she reacts so strongly when he insists that the sisters & Kinswomen free the damane who want to be released - because he is giving voice to a principle that he has never recognized as applying to himself. He is finally caring about the idea of choice and agency, which means he will be less likely to see his own life as a coin to be spent for someone else's goals.
Lan did not bond with Moiraine to get a purpose, but as a way out of all the purposes chosen for him. Before they met, his intention was to commit suicide by Blight in order to prevent any more ideas of a crusade to recover Malkier or setting up a Malkieri kingdom in exile, because those ideas would only get people killed, and weaken the Borderlands, which violated his sworn duty to fight the Shadow. Moiraine offered him a way to fight the Shadow without dragging anyone else into his war, and at the same time, removing him from the political scene in the Borderlands. People understand that the Tower is supreme and Lan can't do anything if an Aes Sedai has bound him to her service and that no matter what kind of coalition they assemble, they cannot act in his name, because it will be intruding into an affair where the White Tower has put in a claim and no one from the Borderlands will risk the wrath the Tower, which they need desperately against the Blight.
That, by the way, is why Agelmar's behavior is so uncharacteristic and wrong on the show, and incidentally, why Moiraine's response to him was stupid as well. Agelmar would gratefully accept any help given by the Tower, even if it came with strings. Moiraine or any other minimally competent sister would not tell an important lord and leader "Hey you handle your problems, we're not going to tell you how to do it" with the implication that he sucks if he needs their help. Instead, an Aes Sedai would reassure Agelmar that he has the Tower's full confidence and she is not here to judge or punish him, nor take control of his command. Because doing that implies that the White Tower or an Aes Sedai COULD do those things if they wanted to, because the Tower and the Aes Sedai are supreme.
When Moiraine bonded him he was about to go into the blight to kill himself so I would say Show Lan is not too out of character at all. This is too nit picky imo
@@herz5159 Oh, sure, just the exact opposite reason, motivation and backstory, but the action is the same, who cares, what's the big deal?
he said too sentences about it that are in line with the whole thing, but you filled in things to be mad about for no reason actually. He didn't want Malkier in New Spring and his pseudo family just died so he didn't have anything. She gave him the mission and a new purpose. All in line of the show @@Gunleaver
@@herz5159 He DID want Malkier, he loved Malkier, and his life was governed by his duty to Malkier. But he wanted what was BEST for Malkier, which was for her people to go on with their lives and to help their new homelands fight the Shadow. Malkier's people were in danger of being consumed by revenge and plots to try to restore their old kingdom and as long as Lan lived, his duty would force him to be used in these plans. He was NOT planning to die because he lost his pseudo family, he was planning to die from the moment he returned to the Borderlands, when they were still alive. He was going to die in the Blight as an example to the other Malkieri to keep up the struggle and never turn their back on the Blight, while at the same time, removing himself from the gameboard, so that no one else like Edeyn Arrel could use him in their schemes to gain power, so that one else could call a crusade to retake the Seven Towers in his name.
Lan believes that Malkier is an idea, a mindset to fight the Shadow no matter what, to never give up. He tells Nynaeve that Malkier lives as long as one man wears the headband or one woman wears the dot on her forehead, both of which are pledges to that commitment. But for most people, a nation is a place and a bunch of symbols, and a government. And as long as they had Lan, way too many people were going to be all about getting back that place, and putting that king back on his throne in the royal palace, with the Golden Crane flying overhead. And he knows that any effort to retake Malkier is doomed to fail, and will cost the lives of many soldiers, who are needed to guard the Blightborder, not be wasted in a futile effort.
THAT is why Lan is going to die! It is a MAJOR difference. It's the difference between a whiny selfish loser, and a man dedicated to his duty at the cost of his own glory, power or life. The show gives us the former (and they gave him a family, too, so he's a piece of shit who thinks he had nothing without Moiraine, totally discounting the people who raised and loved him) despite the books giving us the latter.
Everyone brought their A game to this episode. The two rivers gang argument could have devolved into like CW levels of angst if they weren’t careful but each of them brought such nuance to their anger and fear to the scene that you felt for them. You understood the pain they are in after losing a friend and still not knowing what is ahead of them except for more pain and loss.
The delivery of “I’ve only ever loved my wife” hurt on a few levels.
My viewing group and I felt like it did go into CW levels of angst including a random love triangle that's pointless. (I've read the books, they haven't) lol they were like why is this here? Literal quote from my friend, "Does every show have to have a love triangle? More witches less teenagers!" haha
I also wonder if Rand was acting a bit over the top and jealous because he had just channeled earlier in the day, and so the madness had time to catch up with him for a bit like it does in Baerlon in the book. And Machin Chin certainly didn't help.
Also you know, the fact that they had just been assaulted by an evil wind that emotionally scarred them all. I mean, did you see their faces when they're just out of the ways? They look awful lol
@@KalCraig It's not so much madness from the taint though as it is the natural channeling sickness that happens with all channelers, male or female, when they channel unaided for the first time.
Man, as someone who is currently eight months pregnant and has been through labor three times before, that opener really stabbed me in the feels. I actually got pretty emotional, but that could have been the hormones talking.
I heard it's just s clump of cells...Like everyone
8th month? So how is your combat training going?
@@andreasvox8068 sub par
@@whitney2548 My daughter is 8 mo pregnant as well. I told her to prepare herself for the cold open on episode 7. We are both really enjoying the show - neither of us had read the books, but I am reading book 1 at the moment.
Oooh, yeah. I accidentally watched an episode of House that had sick babies in it when I had a newborn. You gotta avoid watching maternity/baby peril in media when you're living it 😂
I wasn't a book reader, but even during the first episode I had pinned rand as the dragon; all the intrigue around it felt a bit over done for me. Hell, the first book in this series came out in the 90s, and Rand is a conventionally handsome straight white dude that uses a sword. It was never going to be anyone different.
Plus the red hair ^^
Having never read the books, Rand just seemed like the only character that the show wasn’t actively “hyping up” to potentially be the Dragon Reborn. When he broke down the door notwithstanding, it seemed like the show was trying much harder to keep our focus on the other four characters and their newfound abilities. Nynaeve’s unparalleled healing abilities, Eqwene’s seemingly natural ability to channel, Mat with the dagger, and Perrin with his yellow eyes and the wolves, were all explicitly shown or spoken about several times to heavily imply he/she might be the Dragon. While Rand had one, blink and you miss it, moment that gave us any explicit evidence. So it just seemed like the show was misleading us and keeping Rand a secret. Just my 2 cents.
The show completely ignored the main character because hurr durr you'll never expect him to be the dragon now.
As a new reader that hasn't finished the series, I felt they tried way too hard to make it a "ha, gotcha!" moment when they revealed it, but spending so little time with him in earlier episodes
There are subtle hints to Rand in the previous episodes, but honestly some of them are hard to pick up on I think if you arent a book reader, though I think loail telling he's aiel was the most obvious 'he's not what he appears' moment.
@@tom4115 no, they made moraine the main charachter for the first season and this is a natural consequence of that.
It's totally fine to complain that they did that, but once that's what was done having who the dragon is be a mystery makes sense.
I can confirm. There was other hints, but only a book reader was aware
With regard to Moiraine siccing the Red Ajah on Mat... I don't think she was actually betraying Mat, she was just manipulating the Red Ajah. Think about it. What will the red ajah do when they catch Mat? They'll try to gentle him, which will do nothing since he cannot channel. But Moiraine knows that she needs Mat found, and the Red Ajah is the most experienced group at tracking down individuals in Tar Valon.
Looked at in that light, I don't think that it was out of character for Moiraine to do at all, just Aes Sedai manipulation and White Tower politics, which she is quite adept at
My thoughts exactly. What better way to ensure Mat is taken somewhere he can be watched carefully than to make him a target of the Red Ajah?
The problem is Liandrin. She has beef with moiraine personally, so she'll try to get at her through Mat. Otherwise, I'd agree, the red would be the obvious choice.
I just posted nearly the exact same comment 😊. Great Minds!
That was my thought exactly! Just using them to get Mat found and secured.
At that point in the story, Moiraine didn't know who the DR was, so I believe it was the safest move to sic the Red on Mat (who she admitted she'd rather see dead than aligned with the DO).
I feel like loial and Rand are not done to much justice this season.
Not a book reader. I found the love triangle odd. If Perrin was written all the way thru season 1 as being interested in Egwene, they'd have had him react to Aram's advances toward her. Hopefully they never touch on it again. It feels like they scrambled to write something after the actor that played Mat bounced. Came off has pretty amateurish. I'm interested in where the show goes though. You can't do a series like this in 8 episode chunks though. Just not tenable.
Reading the first book, you can tell that the author played with the idea, decided it wouldn't work, and just never wrote another draft of that portion of the book. He does a lot of this same heavy implication that Perrin loved Egwene and then did absolutely nothing with it and tried to play it off as brotherly love in later books.
They did touch on it in ep 1 like his wife is jealous of Egwene for some reason. I guess they'll explain it in later seasons but I don't think it's just "Perrin has romantic feelings for Egwene".
I liked how Shaiel was stabbed in her side foreshadowing a certain **cough** eternal wound in someone's side.
Yes! Noticed that also. Such great details in the show.
Yeah, her stabbing wound in the side is an allusion within an allusion. Not only was Rand as the savior of the Pattern stabbed in the side, but RJ probably also meant to allude Rand's wound to the spear stab that the Roman soldiers did to the crucified Christ savior figure...
Oh shit. I always pictured that still on the side but being more frontal but I guess that would also work.
@@psionic111 within yet another allusion. Rand is written as part allegory to the Fisher King, (though the Fisher King had an eternal wound in the leg or groin) The Fisher King has many re-iterations but his health and well being are always tied to the well being of the land. As the Fisher King suffers and degrades so does the land. In the books he is later identified as the Fisher piece in either the game Stones or sha’ra (forget which)
Edit: It’s Sha’ra.
I didn't find the Blight believable unless Moiraine deliberately picked a "jungle" part to trek through as a more direct route to EotW. How the hell do Trollocs do their thousands-strong raids if they have to pick through that tangle. Trollocs are known to be dumb and easily distracted in the books. Them using the ways is established as a new thing.
I think a better aesthetic would be a less dense version of what was shown, with other hazards thrown in like pools of bubbling sludge and scary looking jagged rock formations.
Watch put when you say "jungle" otherwise you might get The Rock appearing through the trees 😂
True but you forget they can open gateways something that's been lost to the White Tower for hundreds or thousands of years.
@@connordutton674 Shadow spawn can't survive gateways. Its well established canon.
@@spankotheclow Was about to say that lol. Only one type of Darkspawn can go through Gateways, and even the Forsaken fear that one type. And that one type most certainly isn't a Trolloc.
Each episode leaves me feeling exactly the same: Generally pleased with the acting, neither too upset or ecstatic about plot/storyline changes, and highly displeased with the rushed pacing. Given that there’s so much extra material, and whole books in the middle of the series that would make much more sense to condense it just really bothers me that they can’t take the time at the beginning here to allow characters and directions to develop.
I feel theres a pressure to "sell" the show, thus all the love triangle and romance stuff. Theyre trying to hook an audience and not trusting completely the source material and it shows.
EXACTLY yet shows like the big band theory and the walking dead can have 20 episodes a season and have 10+ seasons... all we are asking is for some proper pacing.. i mean ffs the sopranos and Dexter had a lot of down time for dialog and plot pacing.. this whole atrocious act amazon is pulling with its untaxed billions is the act of the dark one himself..
Amazon's fault; Rafe wanted 10 episodes including a 2 hour pilot, which would probably have solved the pacing issues for me.
@@makemeajmod Sopranos. Dexter. GOT. They were all cable shows. Not streaming services like Netflix or Amazon. Different animal altogether. Netflix or Amazon tend to be more data driven, stingier with episodes, and more willing to end shows prematurely. Imagine trying to write with an axe over your head.
@@free22 You mean, "with a Trolloc behind you."
The reveal of Rand as the dragon reborn was done so well. From him struggling with his emotions, unable to find the void at target practice, then to taking on the burden of his immense responsibility head on. I can imagine him picturing driving those arrows into the dark one's proverbial heart as they all hit the target later in the episode, and I teared up a bit. Highlighting his heron marked sword reminded me of the bond he has with his father - wish the show had made some more time for that, but recalling memories from the book made it really powerful.
Dude youre killin it with these videos , thank you. i always watch the previous weeks video the day i watch the next episode to get pumped for the ep . Thanks for taking the time to create the content.
The cold open alone made this the best episode. The amount of emotion, desperation, ominous sounds from dragonmount and the sheer bada$$ness of not only one person without armor against many armored up folks but the one person was a woman moments from giving birth yet still handled business! Then the blade master depiction of Tam in that he respected the wielder and not the weapon so he held his blade against her until he knew she would not fight him. I had chills each of the three times I watched the cold open.
Yeah, that broke verisimilitude for me and took me out of the story. I don't care if you're 5 Aiel all in one body, a 9 month pregnant woman is not taking on fully armored, experienced veteran soldiers, some of them blademasters. Hells bells even Lan can't do that even without the pregnancy complication. There are ways to show her being badass without making it cartoonish.
@@nathanmorgan3647 technically true but still it was cool
^^This! My boyfriend has never read the books. He looked at me and said "wait, she's doing all this while she's in labor?" Yep. That's why the Aiel are the undisputed badasses of the WOT.
@@nathanmorgan3647 She took off her veil to stop fighting and give birth; she never had a chance to put it back on. I can live with this.
And that fight scene was ridiculous for all the right reasons. And the same reason I hope the Fedaykin are cartoonishly over the top fighters in Dune Part II. They need to convey just how powerful the Aiel are as fighters.
@@jeleeson Yup. They need to establish how incredible Aiel soldiers are, so "I'm in labor and still taking out half a dozen soldiers" is ridiculous in the al the right ways.
The Loial's-worst-fears section was hilarious. Well done! I absolutely loved this episode. It wasn't perfect, but it was very good.
In the books I was a fan of Min from the first time she appears. It took her second scene alone with Rand for me in the series. There are things that Min knows that she isn't telling any of them, and in that second scene especially, there is a hint of that in her face. So for the ones who don't want spoilers, wait a few seasons and go back and watch the scenes with Min here and maybe you'll see what I and probably/hopefully other book readers picked up on
I think they had her veil down so we can get a flashback with the actress later. That and I think it shows that she was trained to be a maiden more than born one.
The thing I didn't get was the hair color. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be red.
I haven’t rewatched but didn’t she have her veil up for the beginning of it? When I watched it I thought she did then put it down because she was going into labor and fending off attackers.
@@fy4b230 that’s right, she pulled it down when she thought she was safe
Which matches the books since Rand's mother was actually a noblewomen who ran away to join the Aiel.
@@RichFreeman i think the red hair is just to drive home that it is Rand's mom
I thought it was a nice touch that everytime Rand channeled there was a flame in frame with him. Subtle hint at how Rand visualizes touching the True Source which is most likely subconscious at this point.
Didn't even notice this! Good eye
Prediction time: I think Min lied to Moraine about what she saw for Rand(the whole baby thing). Possibly because of what she really did see, being her ties to him and all that as well, she felt the need to protect him in some capacity.
The show isn't that clever.
The maniacal "I was right" laughter with the heavy guitar over it was absolutely amazing. I wish I could like this twice.
I'm a bit surprised this was cause for controversy. I thought they telegraphed pretty heavily that Perrin had feelings for Egwene. Don't people watch teenage soaps anymore?
D. seems to really enjoy portraying unhinged and violent, threatening ... characters...?
Seems to me, between the cross eyes becoming more proeminent, and the choice for the weirdest haircut, he's now relishing in it as a default mode?🤔
Not sure I like it.
Pros to this episode: OPENING SCENE AND THAT FINAL REVEAL 😱 Lan/Nyn adorableness, Rand reveal
Cons to this episode: Perrin keeps getting the shaft eh? All of the writers’ character choices with him have been blah so far, including this quasi-love triangle with Egwene. Also, the hyper-focus on relationships delved into CW territory for me.
Also, I miss Barney Harris already.
Perrin getting the shaft is sort of a theme..... Grabbed her takes a lot of that onto himself
Omg until you mentioned it I absolutely assumed the Rand recognising Dragonmount thing was just a dumb baby memory thing as an excuse to drop a hint that Rand was more than he seems - but the other thing makes much more sense!
What am I missing? How could Rand remember it? It can’t be a LTT memory…it was created as a result of an event that would cease his memory-making ability, and wasn’t even done forming until after his complete destruction. So, ruling out baby memory and LTT memory, what is left? Did I miss a dream sequence?
Can we all just agree the most ridiculous thing is how somehow Lan teleports behind Nyaneave while she was watching him through a window?
RIGHT
Yeah that was weirdly done.
Almost as ridiculous as the acrobatic fighting display put on by a pregnant woman in the middle of child birth. I mean, come on, that was the jump the shark moment.
@@matthewparsons6496 What?! That was the best scene so far I'm the show. Fantastic fight.
@@matthewparsons6496 you mean one of the best scenes of the series? Come on guy
I think Moiraine was actually being clever with sicing the Red Ajah on Matt, because they would be the fastest to find him and once they realized he couldn't channel they would just let him go in Tar Valon so he would be safe. Also it would distract the Reds with some pointless chase. Who knows, maybe Moiraine is just being super smart. It could also just be bad character writing. :P
I think that Matt and Moraine planned it especially when he said is it too late to change my mind
I agree. I just tossed it up to her not wanting to give away who her closest allies in Tar Valon are on a meaningless capture and return task.
Also it doesn't highlight the importance of Mat as anything special if she can rely on the Reds.
I'm not sure why the reds would be fastest to find him. They look for signs of channeling, of which there would not be any. It's the blues who are supposed to have the widest and best-trained intelligence apparatus in the world.
But maybe you're right. After her own eyes and ears failed so abysmally finding Matt and Rand in their own freaking city, maybe Moiraine gave up in disgust and now outsources everything.
It also deflected Min's question as it would suggest that she tracks male channelers as well.
@@nathanmorgan3647 the red Ajah specializes in finding people period. Women can’t sense Saidin and if they hear reports of strange things happening around men, they find the man. Also, eyes and ears are not hands to grab someone. If it’s known that the person is involved with Aes Sedai, that contact is not going to be useful anymore since people will be on their guard around them.
Yaaaaaaas Daniel! This episode was absolutely the best yet! Rand's mom's battle scene was AMAZING! Also, she did have her veil on, but took it off because, ya know, giving birth while climbing a mountain. She also thought she was in the clear maybe? I don't think she had time to put it back on. Anyways, I love it! I do agree though, Moraine pointing the red at Matt was a big WTF moment for me too. I can't wait to see how they do next episode!
I think this is the best episode. I love how they portrayed mins visions and it was really interesting to see Rand with a baby. The one thing this series has done really well is foreshadowing, so I wonder what this means. Can’t wait to see Rand unleashing the power of the Dragon. Season finale is gonna be awesome
Do you think Min will be a part of the story going forward? Doesnt seem like Rand and Min will be a thing.
Min gave it away with a lie about the babby Maury would have rolled his eyes
@@justin-md4xm Min did say she saw Rand with 3 ladies, so it looks like they'll be keeping that part of the story.
@@justin-md4xm I think they will keep Min with the show. When she said the three women there seemed a little hesitation as maybe she saw herself as one of them. I could be overanalyzing it though due to the books. I just wonder how the show will progress her story to have her get with Rand
@@philip7922 but Min is 36 and Rand is what 20 older women don't usually get with young men.
Re: Liandrin opening the ways: episode stills for episode seven show Fain holding a little trefoil leaf. We also get a flash of Fain in the ways when the trollocs and Machin Shin show up. The implication seems to fairly clearly be that Fain has a trefoil leaf shaped ter'angreal that opens the ways and is using it to move trollocs around. Also closes the whole "if a black ajah member were escorting trollocs through the ways, everyone would have died/been captured in episode one" issue.
My little author's mind is going "You know, they could be setting up Padan Fain as a potential Forsaken... only to reveal the real masters behind him, being Aginor and the other fellow."
I definitely prefer that the Ways can be opened by anyone and not someone who can channel, because even a ter'angreal in the hands of someone who can't channel is just an inanimate object, right? Maybe not on the show, though, and maybe the show will reveal how Padan Fain has changed or who he really is such that he can make a ter'angreal "work". At any rate, the ways requiring channeling has book implications that of course may be glossed over in the TV show.
@@anson42 I don't think every Ter'angreal requires someone who can channel to wield it, does it?
@@damionwhitehead1165 That's my question! If the books had such a scenario then I'm completely blanking on it.
@@anson42 Mat's amulet is probably the best known/most plot centric. Ter'angreal do not, in general, require channeling to use.
Machin Shin was, regardless of the main story, the most mysterious and terifying entity in all of books for me.
I hoped they will do a bit more with such a great source material. Shame how it turned out.
But I guess, in the books by that time we already know a great deal of lore. Lore being the biggest drive for me in the books, is painfully missing for me in the show.
I thought they gonna do at least a small info dump when the women reached Tar Valon but alas, no. It's a pitty.
Also, they were hearing "one of you is the Dragon Reborn" but none was interested in what does it mean.
I agree. Machin Shin was really disappointing, I felt. In the books, Machin Shin literally consumes/eats people alive after driving them completely insane. In the movies...it says mean things to you... (shrug) Not that scary.
They turned the black wind into a therapist that tells you vague mean truths. Was really disappointed. Even tho she told them before going in, don't believe what the wind says.
I haven't read the books yet but I thought it was interesting that Moraine tells them the Manchin Shin will lie to them... and then the show immediately follows that with the wind effectively being a mean girl while saying objectively true things that feeds into each characters insecurities. They even suggest it helped convince Rand he was the Dragon Reborn.
I was hoping for more of the Rand + Tam flashback. They could have shown more there, but it felt a little rushed. The fire and the void has been hinted at but not fully mentioned and I really want to see Tam give the sword to Rand. These scenes probably got cut from the 1st episode though.
i agree
While I agree, I just don't know how they could squeeze everything we "readers" want from Eye of the World into 8 hours of TV. I am so torn about this show, I love it and hate it all at the same time.
@@jonathanswinsburg7716 Yeah... the audiobook is like 30 hours long. Even taking into account descriptions are much shorter when seen visually, there's just no way to put it all into just 8 hours. 15 or 20 episodes would have been ideal obviously for the first book since it has all the setup and worldbuilding (not a standard they could keep up for the rest of the books) but even 10 would have allowed a lot more breathing room.
@@jonathanswinsburg7716 I find the downfall of most book readers is wanting the books out of the show Instead of leering the show be it's own thing. Too many book readers are busy comparing every scene and word spoken to the books which Is making them all hate it and making them miserable. I absolutely adore this book series but am letting the show be its own thing and I'm loving it.
@@robbybevard8034 non-book readers wouldn't have watched a 15 episode season, that's the problem
Rand's Aiel mom scene was epic. I've read the whole series years ago, and I'm really enjoying the show so far.
I'm not a book reader, so I don't know if it happened that way in the books, but I thought it was really dumb.
@@mikezr1000 yep
Always love your reviews Daniel! Rand's protection of Egwene is also right from the books. Rand refreshes Bela's energy as they are fleeing from the trollocs in the Two Rivers. (Moiraine confirms later).
That actual cold opening. "No cape!"
Yep. My wife and I called that out to the screen.
Thats why Edna hates them lol. "No Capes!"
Can't blame the soldier for not knowing pregnant women in the middle of crippling pains of labor can do Neo Matrix moves and flip a guy on his back with his cape.
So we just gonna over look the fact that in "this turning of the wheel" Moraine knew about Min, where she was, and that she might be able to have a vision that could indicate who the dragon is.....but the plan was to head straight to the Eye of the World and just roll the dice?! Smh
No? Thats why she stopped by Min, to see if they could avoid "rolling the dice". Min failed to give any conclusive information.
@@JP-zb3yb False, Machin Shin forced her hand to take a pit stop in Fal Dara.
@@CyberXShinobi oh true. Didnt think of that
@@JP-zb3yb sadly neither did the writers.
Yikes. . . Sloppy
Also, why are they changing what the eye of the world is anyways? They already have a second season and it feels like they are playing it safe and trying to wrap things up here. Is that stupid or am I stupid? What?
awesome review! love your take, and so glad to find a community that's excited about this like I am!
just a reminder on the trollocs in the ways thing, it is discovered later in the books that they came through the manetheren waygate on winter night, even if it isnt explained in TEOTW
I think that conclusion was reached in Shadow Rising.
Well they did find evidence of Trollocs using the ways in TEOTW, Moraine warns Agalmar to at least set a guard on their waygate. The fact that shadow spawn are regularly using them is built upon in the next book as well.
For anyone who didn't see the bonus content, it's been confirmed Padan Fain has a trefoil leaf which is how he's following them. And moving the trollocs around already.
Right but this reveal didn’t happen till later.
@@DanielGreeneReviews the revelation, no, on that you are correct :)
Having Nynaeve hold back Machin Shin seemed like foreshadowing to me. Nynaeve using saidar to push back the influence of the dark one on the ways bears a certain resemblance to things to come.
Having an inesperienced nobody with 0 training in channeling holding back Machin Shin makes Machin Shin a lot less treathening, and is aslo VERY bad storytelling. We've repeatedly been shown that Nynaeve can do everything, defeat every foe and basically solo every threat WITHOUT training... This destroys any tension in the scenes she's in and basically kill her character development.
OILSPRAY!
Also agree with above commenter, they needed to show Nynaeve incapable by now. They haven't, and when they do it's not going to make sense.
@@francescosirotti8178 Was that Nyneave using the power, or was it her about to get her soul sucked with Rand actually being at the center of the sphere? if you look back it doesn't look like the power comes out from her
@@Echidna23Gaming There is an issue with this reasoning too - and potentially with the previous "non-channeling" of Egwayne. Moraine would have not seen the weaves, so she would know at that instant it is a man channeling.
@@francescosirotti8178 Arya Stark warning sound coming on. I agree. I am not optimistic for the series based upon what i have seen so far. It looks like they are rushing it along too quickly. Never ever write for the characters (leave that approach to soap operas) you write and the characters get pulled along.
Moiraine doesn't die in the books, what? She's never dead at any point during the books, just gone.
Really curious how they'll later turn this Min into Elmindreda. I always imagined her more tomboyish.
The ring doesn't mean Agelmar's sister (lady Amalisa, presumably) was an Accepted, the ring is given to all tower-trained women, Morgase had one despite barely being able to channel.
Siccing the Red Ajah on Mat certainly felt weird, but I hope we get an explanation later. Perhaps Moiraine was beginning to suspect something and it was a move to keep the Red Ajah busy
Fain seems to be able to open the Ways, he exited it completely alone.
The love triangle, I assume, sets up character motivation for future seasons. Otherwise it was completely pointless, and this show doesn't strike me as one that would waste time like that.
The Tigraine fight in the beginning was top-notch stuff, if all the show was of the same quality, it would easily be the top amongst currently running shows.
Fain has a trefoil leaf to access the ways, it's hidden in the bonus content for episode 7
No, you normally only get the ring upon being raised to the Accepted. An exception is made for Daughter-Heirs of Andor who train in the Tower, as a show of the good relationship between that nation and the Tower.
Since theyve skipped like half the book and several major characters, I doubt they'll ever shoot this part of the story
Also curious about Min. She is basically a teenager in the book, and the actress playing her is a 40 year old woman? That certainly doesn’t jive with her future in the books.
SPOILERS---
I think the "Amyrlin will be your downfall" might be referring to Elaida (assuming she hasn't been cut from the story) taking over as Amyrlin later in the series and doing something directly related to causing Moiraine's death. I really hope they don't kill Moiraine off this early. That would be a travesty. Rosamund Pike has been nailing this role.
Since they cut out Caemlyn and by extension our introduction to Elaida, I too was wondering if they were going to cut her from the show as well. However, that would mean they'd need another Red to step up as Amyrlin abd the only one we've spent any kind of time on is Liandrin...and she won't work because she's the impetus to get Egwene & Elayne out hunting the Black. So I think they'll still have Elaida introduced in S2; when Siuan returned to Tar Valon in the show, the comment was made that she had returned from Caemlyn -- so maybe she brought Elaida and Elayne in tow.
Killing her so early would be such a big change, I can't even comprehend them taking that path. I could see it working but the show would very much be its own thing at that point.
@@matthewbeale5083
Caemlyn has not been cut out but been delayed. Elaida has been cast.
@@Carabas72 Caemlyn has been confirmed for season 2, true. Elaida hasn't been officially confirmed, though.
I have to post. I realize as avid book readers we are passionate about the books, and our minds have a way of world building that no show, or movie could possibly contend with! Not to mention with just eight episodes, this is a massive undertaking. I know they will not keep it 100% with the books, it’s impossible to do so. What I hope this community doesn’t do is shun it completely. Everyone is a critic it seems. What I would challenge people with is the following. We are finally getting a chance for fantasy to become mainstream. We as viewers have the power to build this up or piss it away. I for one will support it. Because if Hollywood is good for one thing it is looking at money rolling in. If we falter support for the genres we love then it will end before it has a chance to get better! When GOT got super popular it was when viewership was out the roof. They started throwing more money at it. That is what I want for this. Try to keep this in mind when you are tearing each piece apart. If you take a look at how movies were made 20 years ago or more till today you will see a direct correlation between character building previously and this has been replaced with constant action. It is sad that everyone’s attention span is less than a gnats. I think it is exactly why people doesn’t read anymore, it requires you to critically think and comprehend. Whatever happened to a slow burn? They have far better pay offs. So is it perfect? No, but what is in life?! Daniel, keep it up, I love to see someone else just as passionate about books and fantasy as I am!
I’m really curious to see how they re-introduce Matt later on
In tar valon sick from the blade, ready to be permantly healed... Or they will cross path on the "hunt"
@@claudemartin7785 they might just forget all about the hunt, or only make it a few episodes
in season 2
I am like 95% certain we will meet Mat again in Tar Valon and we begin with him meeting Padan Fain and the stealing of Horn + dagger. Which will lead to the chase to Falme and our encounters with Seanchan. Will that be full season 2 don't know, will depend is it again 8 episode season or if we get more we might do book 3 to end in Tear.
I'm hoping they bring Mat and Thom back together. it would fit with Thom's dislike of the red ajah after what happened to his nephew, and would establish the close friendship that Mat and Thom had in the books. Its a solid way to start that plot thread.
It's fantasy I get it, but for the millionth time, Armor is not made of butter, that's not how armor works.
😂maybe the kind of forgot that fact
But... they deliberately avoided that trope. The Aiel pointedly kills three people by stabbing them in the neck, and one by aiming at the gap where the armor segments join in the front. As far as armor-realism goes, a more egregious (but understandable, as far as costuming is concerned) affront is that their "loricae" are made of leather. Soft leather, mind you, not boiled. Which is just... clothing.
This is a problem with nearly all shows that use armor. Game of Thrones was worse at it. May as well have been wearing papier-mâché for all the good it did.
Armour is also not an imprenetable force-field and has weaknesses that can be exploited. Spears are supposedly fairly decent weapons for that sort of thing.
And against nearly superhuman badasses that can comfortably fight three against one while in labour, armour might as well be a wet t-shirt.
"nearly superhuman"? While going through labor pains she leapt several feet into the air and yanked a much larger and armored man airborne with her, without losing momentum, turning in mid air and sticking the landing with cat like grace. If you think that's at all within the realm of reality you watch WAY too many action movies.
I'm not a creator. I don't have a TH-cam channel. But this is my genuine humble plee. Interview me for your channel. It'll be a respectful even headed debate. My stance being that this show is more harm than good. That this is disrespectful and pointless and reasons why. I'm articulate and not an asshole. I promise.
I have a theory about the "amerylin seat being moiraines downfall" being related to her oath she swears in ep 6. She swears a personal oath to Siuan but the hall either doesn't hear, or doesn't understand they were played since Siuan asked her to swear an oath to the Amerylin Seat -- and technically Moiraine did swear an oath to the Amerylin. They could be angling for what happens down the road with the tower.
Min said "the Amyrlin Seat" not "Siuan" so this may be foreshadowing of further steps to come.
Exactly. This theory hinges on whether or not the hall heard moiraines exact words or not.
Making Lord Agelmar an a-hole was unecessary.
Why is Min basically a 40 year old in this show? I know the show doesn’t need to be exactly like the books, but her being basically an older teen in the books is pretty central to her character?
I don’t think I’ve been more polarized on an episode. I loved a lot of it (the feel of the ways, the relationship building between Nynaeve and Lan, Min). However, I hated the EF4 fireplace scene, the focus on the love story between Rand and Egwene, and Perrin’s character being relegated to a lovesick puppy for Egwene (while also not being far removed from what happened to his other love interest). I wish they spent more time developing the world and these characters, and not some weird love triangle/love lost scenario that we’ve been getting.
I agree about the love triangle, disagree about the love lost thing. I think the closer they show Rand and Egwene being early on, the more powerful their paths through the series will be.
Sorry. Have to disagree. Perrin is absolutely a lovesick puppy through all 14 of the books. Even though he does become a badass. He is so whipped and confused by women that his chapters were increasingly difficult to read. Especially after his wife was kidnapped.
@Nathan Hall I understand that point about diverging paths, just to me I just wish there was more development outside of that for the characters that was needed. Maybe I’m just reacting to not getting character and world building notes that I wanted to see that we may eventually get.
@David H oh I agree that Perrin takes his loves seriously and can be a love sick puppy. But having that be placed on Egwene this season just felt like drama for dramas sake. It could’ve been a panic move due to the Barney situation, but it just felt incredibly forced in this instance. As I said in my other reply, I could also feel more annoyed because I was just hoping for more development outside of some weird love triangle for Perrin and the other characters.
They have done a great job with Nynaeve and Lan, the show doesn't need a lot of romance other than that, gotta build the characters first.
They completely ruined my boy Perrin. :'(
Having never read the books, I "knew" Rand was going to be the dragon from episode 1, based purely on how often the show cut to his story. Ep 1 and 2 focused a lot on Rand compared to the other 3/4.
That is one reason this show is all-around nice but by no means groundbreaking or genius. It’s for the most part easily digestible YA generic stuff
in the books it's pretty obvious too that Rand is the protagonist, I don't know why the show tried to make such a big mystery out of it
@@leonel91 because some I would day don't read or look too deeply, and so to everyone else it was a mystery which is intriguing and makes people come back.
@@leonel91 So it seems 10 years ago I had either a really bad English or an attention disorder or both. I spent the entire book thinking that the Dragon was just some scary lore behind men who could channel, not realizing Moraine was actively searching for him.
The ending of EoTW hit me as the biggest surprise in life, even bigger than "Luke, I'm your father".
Ya it was pretty obvious at episode one
I thought this was a really good episode, cold opening was brilliant. Wasnt a fan of the egwene/perrin stuff but loved the rest. I didnt mind nynaeve channelling, protectiveness drives the character
Maybe it’s just me , but I wasn’t surprised that Perrin may have had feelings for Egwene.
When I read the books I thought that he seemed overly jealous of Aram of the Tinkers, maybe more so than one would for a friend’s girlfriend!
Yeah, it's pretty clear to me that Robert Jordan thought he was going to pair them together, realized he wanted them to do different things, and straight up just didn't edit that bit of the story.
I don't feel that Perrin had feelings like that for Egwene in the book. She was someone he grew up with and his friends girl. Of course he would be protective of her against Aram or any other potential threat.
@@williammullinax6130 I look at it as Perrin's instincts saying something is off with Rand. "Are you still part of our pack or do I need to save her from you."
Hello Daniel - Greetings from India - I am a big fan of your channel and WoT books. In fact - it is your top ten lists which are my usual source to pick up fantasy and sci-fi books. I for one have huge likeness for slow moving fantasy stories and WoT is one of those which stands out for this characteristic. I have been watching the TV Series and just wanted to add my opinion to the thread of great feedbacks you get from all over the world - from the fans who are I should say totally awesome. To be honest - I was very excited at first but it takes a tumble every time a new episode releases. I don't see patience and courage at all in the way the series was directed and the whole thing seems to be commercial rather than sincere to the gradual and soulful motion of the story. I would have been ok if there were not much special effects, dynamic colors and exotic locatoins- but what I miss is the "depth". This according to me is a total misrepresentation of what I perceived WoT to be. Though - I will admit that the cast and acting is great and kudos to the artists.
I imagine it better when I read the books and I am not very imaginative. Only because Robert's writing is so grasping. I am very sad.
I appreciate you for your enterprise and dedication towards this series and look forward to more and more content.
Thank you and please keep going on. I still want to watch your videos when both of us old and have lost our teeth. Wish you success, merry Christmas and a happy new year!!!
Overall I really enjoyed this episode, except for two issues:
1. Machin Shin was nerfed. In the book it's truly terrifying ("tear the flesh, so sweet the screams"), but here it's just "creepy voice tells you bad things and it's windy".
2. Min in no way looks like a lamp. 😂
lamp?
I read somewhere that the writers likely used Machin Shin as an opportunity to add more character building. I don't think this is a bad thing. You can lose your sanity with either version of the Black Wind.