tv show spoilers S1E5: Blood Calls Blood

[Harad the White]

8 minutes ago, Katherine said:

However, I also thought it was a lovely metaphor for the pattern and the re-birth of souls. When an AS dies, their ring (like their soul) disintegrates

Right. To get that across that metaphor, there were many choices to show on screen. But, the way the director and cinematographer chose to display it, was an overhead view of the ring floating on the "lava" only to see it dissolve moments later. An unnecessary copy of the PJs' One Ring in the Cracks of Doom. That image is unforgettable in cinema history, and now every time WoTs1e5 is re-watched...groans.

[WheelofJuke]

31 minutes ago, AdamA said:

I was actually relieved at the funeral scene. It felt kind of pointless because the season is almost over and I didn't care about this character since I knew he was a redshirt as soon as he showed up, but people were really up in arms in the trailer at Lan showing grief. The explanation that it isn't actually his grief, but part of a ceremony where he is supposed to show grief on behalf of everyone else works fine for me. You don't get an exemption to sit on the sideline just because you're some super special snowflake borderlander who doesn't experience pain. This actually felt like less of a betrayal of Lan as a character. Lan does his duty, even when that duty is to cry in public.

 

That doesn't seem like a universal interpretation, though. A lot of people here seem to have taken the chest beating as Lan showing his own emotions. I took it as a ceremony where whoever was placed in that position would have had to do the same thing. It even seemed like the room might have been a ter'angreal to channel everyone else's feelings into him. As long as they're aping other IP casting Kerene's ring into the fiery chasm of Fount Doom, it was uncomfortably close to Holy Wayne's "let me take it from you" magic hugs from The Leftovers, though.

It wasn't the writing here, but rather the acting, or maybe it was the directing, I took issue with. Difficult scene to pull of, and I feel the actor portraying Lan did a pretty okay job. It just seemed unnecessarily forced out of that actor by the director. 

 

Edit: Otherwise, I think you nail it on the head.

Edited December 3, 2021 by WheelofJuke

[Harad the White]

25 minutes ago, Meskell said:

They could’ve just any other Warder if they wanted a designated screamer.

Lan is the star.

[Elder_Haman]

4 minutes ago, Harad the White said:

An unnecessary copy of the PJs' One Ring in the Cracks of Doom.

Meh. It was an homage. Bothered me not at all.

[Blackbyrd]

6 hours ago, pyrusmole said:

I'll defend this.

Let's assume for a moment that Loial knows a bit about Two Rivers dress and cultural practices (like the braid). I know that's a big assumption but just grant it to me, okay? So he runs into Nynaeve in the Tar Valon library and it passes his mind "She's dressed like a Two Rivers person." I'm pretty sure the first thing book or show Loial is going to say is something along the lines of

"Hello there, I'm Loial son of Arent son of Haren. You have dress like a friend of mine. Are you from the Two Rivers as well? Oh you are, and you're a wisdom? So you're a healer? Fascinating. This reminds me of ... Oh yes my friend. Would you happen to know a Rand al'Thor, he's an Aielm... {Interrupted by Nynaeve}

Just like leaving Edmond's Field in ep 1 I'll grant it as it is a TV show with a lot of ground to cover but the abruptness of it is something any book fan would note and most any casual critic would note. They could have taken a single extra minute or two to set this up & instead we get the 'I have tower access' after the fact. The Rand-Lolial intro almost certainly warranted a minute or two or even just a few words more

 

Sidenote- also I seem to remember that the cosmopolitan people of Tar Valon welcomed Ogier while it was the more country city of Caemlyn that were frightened. No big deal but I would have liked to keep that detail 

 

Also, now knowing about the whole lead mourner idea in the final scene is about I'm willing to upgrade the shirt tear from terrible to just too much. I enjoy that they are leaning into ceremony and ritual in this series but those things of themselves already have a strong gravity. The shirt tear moment is the moment the hand starts to feel heavy in a episode where half the cast already shed tears. Contrast this to the way the funeral procession was handled at the start where they let the implication, the atmosphere itself speak rather than seeing the almsot certainly inevitable blaze that was too come. Ending on a shot of Lan screaming in rage/sorrow seems like it would have been a noteably stronger choice. Also, why is Lan leading this? Were he and Stepinn very close at one point? Is it because Lan is the oldest warder? Not a big deal but these  details would have been nice to have and not taken but a few seconds

 

[Harad the White]

1 minute ago, Elder_Haman said:

Meh. It was an homage. Bothered me not at all.

Honestly, didn't you think of LoTR viewing it? Granted it didn't bother you.

[Elder_Haman]

1 minute ago, Harad the White said:

Honestly, didn't you think of LoTR viewing it? Granted it didn't bother you.

Of course. I think I was meant to. It was an intentional tip of the hat.

[Beidomon]

So if you watch the "making of Epi 5" feature, the whole warder funeral thing was just totally made up. Doesn't sound like they even really tried to borrow from the books. The writer just looked for cool funeral rituals to cobble something together, and that's how we got this whole designated mourner bit. I don't really care about little changes like Lan showing emotion, but just FYI.

[Harad the White]

Just now, Elder_Haman said:

Of course. I think I was meant to. It was an intentional tip of the hat.

That's okay, too. But the hat has been tipped a bit too often for my tastes. There's the Intro speech in which Moiraine tips her hat to Galadriel's intro, the Tam speech to Rand, that tips his hat to Gandalf's speech to Pippin, and a few other cinematographic choices. I can't recall as many "tips" in other franchises. 

[Reader]

35 minutes ago, Dead Warder said:

I suppose then (as opinion) that this adaptation is just another medium (unintentional or not) to divide the fanbase deeper into their home camps. I don't predict this episode or any subsequent ones in this season will bring the tents closer together.

Wise ones can continue to wander between camps though? With popcorn ? ?

[DaddyFinn]

17 minutes ago, DojoToad said:

Careful what you wish for - you may not get the payoff you expect.

I'm confident Rafe&Co know their job way better than me. They have not given me any reason to doubt them.

[Reader]

1 minute ago, Harad the White said:

I can't recall as many "tips" in other franchises. 

 

Thom "you can never have too many knives" Merrilin

[FanofKnotai]

19 hours ago, Pandemonium said:

Semen Valda, pretty sure he didn't die.  Still not sure if Galad will be in this show later to take care of the honors.  ?

 

Also wonder why Valda is so certain Egwene can channel, but that he let Moiraine off so easily 

Quote

This bothered me as well. He let Moiraine (who was clearly  a woman of import based on her attire and her “retinue”) run free and two obvious village youths he decides to not only detain but torture?! Please! 

[Elder_Haman]

5 minutes ago, Harad the White said:

That's okay, too. But the hat has been tipped a bit too often for my tastes. There's the Intro speech in which Moiraine tips her hat to Galadriel's intro, the Tam speech to Rand, that tips his hat to Gandalf's speech to Pippin, and a few other cinematographic choices. I can't recall as many "tips" in other franchises. 

I'm inclined to allow latitude since the entirety of EotW was basically a hat tip to Tolkien.

 

[DaddyFinn]

7 minutes ago, FanofKnotai said:

This bothered me as well. He let Moiraine (who was clearly  a woman of import based on her attire and her “retinue”) run free and two obvious village youths he decides to not only detain but torture?! Please! 

As we saw in the scene after Perrin got free: Valda is a bully and a coward. Moiraine would not have been so easy to detain and he must have known it.

Edited December 3, 2021 by DaddyFinn
Typo

[Harad the White]

12 minutes ago, Reader said:

 

Thom "you can never have too many knives" Merrilin

Do you mean he has tips on all his knives?

[LordyLord]

I have a question.

 

Since Perrin didnt kill the Whitecloaks, what do you think will be the effect on the Larger story?

 

Also when do you think Perrin will pick up the Axe back again as well?

[Arie]

I realize that the one thing that -actually- bothered me in the Whitecloak scene

 

... How in the world would those ropes keep someone in place? They were so loose and just barely there. Clearly they did not take any boyscout lessons in tying knots. 

 

#imdone

[Arie]

Just now, LordyLord said:

I have a question.

 

Since Perrin didnt kill the Whitecloaks, what do you think will be the effect on the Larger story?

 

Also when do you think Perrin will pick up the Axe back again as well?

WAFO. ?

 

Spoiler

(watch and find out.)

 

[caemlyncal]

12 minutes ago, FanofKnotai said:

This bothered me as well. He let Moiraine (who was clearly  a woman of import based on her attire and her “retinue”) run free and two obvious village youths he decides to not only detain but torture?! Please! 

he clearly said though that he would remember their faces and then upon seeing them after heading out to do the questioning he mentioned he knows they must be more than they originally appeared.

[FanofKnotai]

18 hours ago, AusLeviathan said:

I think I hated this episode more than even episode 1 which is saying something.

 

The near refusal to actually follow the source material, to the point where actual good things like the Rand and Loial scenes are given less focus in favor of stupid and rather boring stuff like waiting for Stepin to off himself is bizarre.

 

I don't understand why they just didn't make their own original series, they clearly have no interest in telling the Wheel of Time story and just want to make up their own story instead.

I agree. I think I would have liked it better if they would have changed the name completely. And maybe hinted at some of RJ’s plot points.  Because this is definitely not the WOT story. 

[Agitel]

25 minutes ago, Beidomon said:

So if you watch the "making of Epi 5" feature, the whole warder funeral thing was just totally made up. 

 

Well... yeah. There's not exactly an encyclopedia of funeral customs for all the Westland cultures.

[FanofKnotai]

3 minutes ago, caemlyncal said:

he clearly said though that he would remember their faces and then upon seeing them after heading out to do the questioning he mentioned he knows they must be more than they originally appeared.

BS. They had done nothing to deserve torture even by WC very low standards. This was simply a poor means of setting up the escape and the future conflict. It would have even been acceptable if they had hurt one of his men when they were running away with Aram. Then he could use the “only a witch of the dark can best a child of the light” mentally that a lot of WC have in the series. That would explain his insistence that Egwene can channel. This is just poor storytelling. 

[Agitel]

1 minute ago, FanofKnotai said:

BS. They had done nothing to deserve torture even by WC very low standards. This was simply a poor means of setting up the escape and the future conflict. It would have even been acceptable if they had hurt one of his men when they were running away with Aram. Then he could use the “only a witch of the dark can best a child of the light” mentally that a lot of WC have in the series. That would explain his insistence that Egwene can channel. This is just poor storytelling. 

 

Truly, Questioners are known for their balanced, measured, and fair judgment in the books.

 

They traveled with a likely Aes Sedai. They fled from Children of the Light. Who would flee if they had nothing to fear under the Light but darkfriends?

[Maximillion]

3 hours ago, caemlyncal said:

anybody else start humming the tune from wolf of wall street when the chest thumping started?

yes... and I am sure everyone who has seen it was reminded.

 Such a strange and unnecessary scene.