tv show spoilers S1E3: A Place of Safety

[SinisterDeath]

For discussing Season 1, Episode 3 titled "A Place of Safety".
Book spoilers are allowed, but please keep them to no later than book 2.

[CaddySedai]

Hot damn this episode crushed it. I really loved all the character interaction. 

 

That which was lacking in one and two shows up here. 

 

[themann1086]

Wasn't paying as close attention due to a wedding planning emergency (my fault, fiancé is justifiably furious) but yeah show seems to really start hitting its stride here.

 

"Hope I don't find you hanging" is an all time great line

[CaddySedai]

20 minutes ago, themann1086 said:

Wasn't paying as close attention due to a wedding planning emergency (my fault, fiancé is justifiably furious) but yeah show seems to really start hitting its stride here.

 

"Hope I don't find you hanging" is an all time great line

 

Thom is legend already. Hehe

[ManetherenTaveren]

That Nynaeve cold open though...excellent braid whip!

[Skipp]

Oh my, everything about this episode is spot freaking on.  The Show is really starting to hit its stride here.  Thom is amazing, I was a little wary at first but his interactions with Mat sold me.

 

It's funny, it was only moments earlier when I thought to myself that it must have been a deliberate choice to cast Dana as looking like Egwene.

 

Also Aiel and Veils, can we now leave this one to rest.

[DaddyFinn]

24 minutes ago, Skipp said:

Also Aiel and Veils, can we now leave this one to rest.

THIS SO BLOODY MUCH. This is why I don't care about jumping to major conclusions based on some stills and tiny clips

[Pandemonium]

not sure I dig Thom's singing. surely I am not the only one 

[CaddySedai]

2 minutes ago, Pandemonium said:

not sure I dig Thom's singing. surely I am not the only one 

I liked it. But i would like a more… gleeful song tyvm. 

 

But I get it, that song was probably about the Dragon. It specifically said something along the lines of “he broke the world”. Rand is in the audience. Nudge nudge wink wink. 

 

 

[Skipp]

4 minutes ago, Pandemonium said:

not sure I dig Thom's singing. surely I am not the only one 

Certainly different than how I imagined.  But he had my by the end of the song.  Looking forward to more Gleeman tunes.

[DaddyFinn]

The aiel burial scene was so good. Had little bits of lore: three-fold-land, water and shade, black veil and hair color

[zacz1987]

1 hour ago, Pandemonium said:

not sure I dig Thom's singing. surely I am not the only one 

Thom's singing was the only thing I actually liked about the character. His personality just seems so far removed from the Thom in the books that I found it hard to enjoy him.

[RandA lThor]

@SinisterDeath Dang when'd you get control of things? This episode is what solidified to me that this could truly be a great franchise

[Starganderfish]

3 hours ago, Pandemonium said:

not sure I dig Thom's singing. surely I am not the only one 

Nope, I'm with you. Thom disappointed all over. Not a fan of his look, the lack of the cloak, the guitar, scratchy singing voice (really a court bard has a voice like that? nope). I didn't get any of the vibe of Thom as a charcter from this guy. Hopefuly the character improves.

The Darkfriend twist was okay but the whole chasing through town with a bared sword just felt ridiculous. And I'm assumig that breaking down the door is Rand's "channelling moment"... they're really going out of their way to make the One Power underwhelming. 
And what the hell was with the Tinkers? Who's bright idea was it to make them creepy blank eyed zombies upon first meeting? I get that its a cheap attempt at a fakeout by the writers but its so completely at odds with the character of the Tuatha'an it just comes accross as weird.

I appreciated them starting to make Matt a little dark as the dagger takes over but it had much less impact thanks to the overall poor acting in the show and the fact that Rand already had a "screaming at Moraine" moment in Ep2 so it just felt like more poor characterisation. They haven't developed their personalities enough for Matt's corruption to be anything more than "oh so he really is just a d*head, like he seemed at the start." We need to see more of Matt's "heart of gold" before his character corruption.
Nynaeve is just as annoying in the show as the books and the acttor still misses the performance by a ot.

Looking like they've ditched Elyas and Perrin will just find the wolves on his own which is disapointing.
It was cool to see Logain earlier in the story 

Struggling to find much redeeming in this 3rd episode. #2 sill stands as the best of the three for me, though its a pretty low bar and even 2 had some major flaws. I'll continue to watch because I enjoy the books but this is generally a disappointment to me. Not a surprise though.

[Apoc81]

I personally think Thom was the best character so far. His voice is incredible, considering the tenor of the tune that went with it. Maybe people who aren't musicians don't hear the pain and beauty in that melody.

 

Anyone who expects a literal one to one translation from book to screen is unreasonable. That would make Thom incredibly cartoonish, and just wouldn't fit well in live action. 

 

The only character I think they've messed up is Mat, and he's been recast. Im just sad we have a whole season with him. Making Mat a degenerative gambler from the outset, raised by terrible parents. Turning him into a malicious grave robber. And the actor just never comes across as Matt to me. Except when he's sick, Mat should be the comic relief. I just can't square away the decisions they've made for him. But the rest of the cast, so far, I think is good.

 

I had hoped we would meet Elyas in episode 3, but meeting the travelers was cool.

[Agitel]

Mat isn't really comic relief in either EotW or TGH.

[MasterAblar]

Yep, he was mainly just imature and reckless. And after the dagger takes hold he just becomes an ass. He doesn't have much comic relief until tDR.

[ellorgast]

Totally understand the mixed Thom reactions, given the departures from the books. While indeed there was no gleeman's cloak, I was totally sold with that little colorful patchwork glimpse as he moved his coat to sit down and play. I am also into the raspy (calls to mind the other T(h)om: Waits) vocals, but think it'll be a divisive choice.

Edited November 21, 2021 by ellorgast

[DojoToad]

I'm glad some of you are liking it.  Overall was extremely disappointed through episode 3.  The stuff they cut, the stuff they added, the stuff they changed.  I liked very little of it.  Don't know if I would have liked it better without the book background.  Will probably watch all 3 episodes again to verify my first impression.  But right now episode 4 may be make or break for me.  ?

[DaddyFinn]

I liked Mat's and Rand's little quips and jokes. Especially the one where Dana mistook them for a couple and Rand just handled it amazingly

[AusLeviathan]

4 minutes ago, DaddyFinn said:

Especially the one where Dana mistook them for a couple and Rand just handled it amazingly

This was kind of weird because she clearly demonstrates later that she knew that wasn't the case and it was kind of contrary to her actual plan.

 

Granted she kind of overthought her plan anyway, she basically wins by doing nothing.

 

Mat mistaking Rand's words as suggesting they take turns with her though takes the cake for randomness.

[DaddyFinn]

11 minutes ago, AusLeviathan said:

Mat mistaking Rand's words as suggesting they take turns with her though takes the cake for randomness.

I think he was 100% joking with that one

[Meskell]

I felt Thom looked fine but the singing was… rough to say the least. I am hoping that is him playing the voice down to the crowd and that it improves as the quality of his audience does. 
 

The Tinkers being immediately threatening and forcing the repeat of their words almost under threat of attack was very odd. 
 

Rand’s channeling being ‘super strength’ was particularly bland. I wonder if they are going to push the sickness angle when he is originally getting closer to touching the source.

 

Mat’s character looks the part but he has been really mishandled in the writing. 
 

Dana looking like a terrible terminator running through the streets was poor but I did like her twist on the Dark One i.e. trying to break the world free because the turning is what causes harm. Gives a bit more weight to why people become Darkfriends beyond ‘more power’. 
 

Rand appears to be too stoic already, he doesn’t really have any of the wide eyed wonder about seeing all this for the first time. 

[Apoc81]

2 hours ago, Agitel said:

Mat isn't really comic relief in either EotW or TGH.

Sure, but he was still friendly and charming, not a hateful jerk with an awful family. I really, really dislike this version of Mat.

[MasterAblar]

I don’t really think he’s hateful. He just seems completely miserable. Which I agree doesn’t fit with his pre dagger personality at all.