tv show spoilers S1E8: The Eye of the World

[ManetherenTaveren]

Who would have thought that Padan Fain would be the one to explain ta'veren? Woo hoo!

 

I honestly didn't have a clue for the most part, but I rather enjoyed it.

LTT prologue to the prologue!

Why is Perrin so worthless? 

LOIAL stabbed by the horn-wielding Padan Fain...wtf!!! I screamed!

Ishy fooled them...I think. What exactly did Rand do again? Defy Ishy and blow his virtual self away?

Channelers burning themselves out. Another ramification of the One Power. Tarwin's Gap saved by five non Aes Sedai! They are serious about spreading the wealth of massive one power use!  

Egwene the healer!?!

Moraine cut off from the One Power!?!

Rand off to the Aiel Waste? Mat unleashed in Tar Valon! Oh no!

The Seanchan's damane attacking the child with tidal waves! Oh no! 

 

Crazy episode. Much pondering needed.

Edited December 24, 2021 by ManetherenTaveren

[Blackbyrd]

52 minutes ago, JenniferL said:

Man, I do not know how I feel about this. This is probably one of those cases where not having read the books is an advantage because that was a ton of changes and some of them really took me out of the story. 
 

How about you? 

 

This is deifnitely one case where I wonder how the non-readers will feel about all of it. I suspect it hits enough to not be a dip but as a book reader I agree there were some things that made gave me scatch my head- as I know some important points aren't exactly pronounced. And there were of course a few obligatory tv eye rolls but such is life

31 minutes ago, SinisterDeath said:

I'm mainly disappointed that we didn't get to see Rand unleash some whoop ass on the Trolloc Army, saving the girls for a change of pace.

Agree. I think they somewhat missed the opportunity to display the crazy amount of whoop ass that is the Dragon. Yeah he killed the dark one but I don't think it quite met the moment

 

All in all the spectacle of this episode was really quite good. Agelmar was riveting and I do quite look forward to more Uno in the second season. 

 

I really disliked the cold open- the concept was great and as was some of the symbolism but the execution, dialogue, tension just fell flat. A case where there probably needed a few details in previous episodes to make this shine

 

Ishamael actor was a fantastic choice- loved it, but another place where if the dreams had had more  relevance and dialogue, more tension in the past it could have hit much harder

 

The Amalisa scene is great TV but it is definitely TVish in that it relies on us to not overthink it which means it could be done better

 

Spectacle was great, tension was pretty good, Fain's monologue was good even if it felt like someone should have said it 3 episodes ago. I like the mystery of where Rand is going even if I wish they had discovered that second artifact at the Eye. All in all finale was something of a mirror fo the season- pretty good but some uneven things that could have elevated. Defiintely looking forward to season 2 and for the love of the Ligh Amazon add 2 episodes or add 10-20 minutes to each episode because there were so many instances where those few minutes could have made season 1 shine much brighter

 

edit: oooohhh and one moment where Josha totally nailed itas he first embraced the one power- the way he moved in that one moment was magnificent- was brilliant to watch

Edited December 24, 2021 by Blackbyrd

[AusLeviathan]

8 minutes ago, Arthellion said:

I won't be watching and all I can do is hope we get like an anime or cartoon series one day of Wheel of Time. 

I'm hoping Arcane leads the way in getting more fantasy series adapted with animation, it's a much better medium for it.

Edited December 24, 2021 by AusLeviathan

[CaddySedai]

Honestly I liked it. 
 

It diverged hard from the books so I think this is where some people get off the trolly. 

 

For the rest of us who stay on are going to be in for some interesting stuff. 

 

Yeah Id have loved for the series to hold true to the stories. 

 

But way I see it - I have no idea what will happen now. 
 

To me this is a new story now - one I am walking into blindly like the non readers will. 

 

I have an idea of the forest I am walking into, so at least I have that. But the map is old and hasn’t been updated in years. 

[JimGalaxy]

1 minute ago, AusLeviathan said:

I'm hoping Arcane leads the way in getting more animated fantasy series adapted, it's a much better medium for it.

... neat (for me) that you mention it; my 15-yr-old nephew just introduced me to this series the other day. Seems really well done; and I agree with the general thought

[Finfolfin]

They butchered my bros

Matrim- butchered

Perrin- butchered

Rand- butchered

Its actually crazy

[TheMountain]

Episode 8 has left me feeling depressed.

[Kelin]

Hi all.

I've lurked here for several weeks, but this is my first post.

 

So far I quite liked the TV series, but this last episode was a huge disappointment. No Eye, that's for first. No great battle between the Dragon and Ishamael. The women basically were responsible for saving the day (five random women, none of them a trained Aes Sedai). If I was someone not acquainted with the books, I would've got the impression that the Dragon Reborn was just another random magic user and why all this hullabaloo about him for the previous 7 episodes? The women obviously managed perfectly well on their own (apart from dying, of course). And why all the wailing and chest beating before the battle, if it was this easy to beat the baddies?

 

I just don't get those choices by the creators. At all. Not sure for how long I'm going to continue with this train wreck.

[themann1086]

Well. I did not see a LOT of that coming. Let's dig in.

• Age of Legends! Very interesting stuff in here. Gonna need to rewatch to catch everything they're doing. Love the futuristic sci-fi vibe. Lews Therin was good
• Like what's happening with the Gap and Fal Dara early on.
• I'm glad Perrin and Egwene got to clear the air. Yay for platonic love ? 
• Hey, I predicted Lan would go after Moiraine! And we got the speech! My wife cried
• Oh man. Ba'alzamon is so good. Smart move to just hand wave away the look. Anything to make him on screen more. He absolutely stole the show this episode. Loved it
• Also loved the deja vu with Rand waking up from the dream
• Min seeing all that death around her... oof. Makes me think of her visions before the Tower schism in the books.
• Like the setup for the Gap. Lot of this works.
• The Eye. Hmm. One of the seal locations? In the books the seals themselves are only foci, not the actual thing keeping the prison closed. Maybe they're doing something like that? I'm hoping we get some more explanation next season.
• The Horn! Well spotted by the viewers last week. I like Perrin picking up a pickaxe to help haha
• Love, love love love everything going on with Ba'alzamon and Rand. The actor is absolutely killing it
• RIP Agelmar
• FAIN makes his move. Finally!
• A bunch of poorly trained women channeling in a circle. What could go wrong?
• "What about what she wants" good boy Rand!
• Oh no Loial! Uno! Ahhhh!
• Fain has the dagger and the Horn
• Mat not looking too good
• Gonna want to rewatch Fain's speech but I like a lot of this
• Oh, that's what could go wrong. A weak channeler could become so enticed by that much of the power provided by the nuclear bomb that is nynaeve (and egwene is a major power too) that she draws and burns out the members of the circle. Literally!
• The grin on Ba'alzamon's face... we just got xanatos gambit'd.
• Rand peacing out to protect his loved ones is very in character for him. "Tell them I died" "I can't lie" "youll find a way". You can't outrun fate though
• Egwene managing to heal Nynaeve, whew. I was worried
• Moiraine cut off from the Power. Well now! Is she stilled or is this like what Lanfear did to Asmodean? Or actually maybe it's more like what was done to book!Liandrin. Either way, woah woah woah. Major implications
• SEANCHAN ARE HERE
• RJ: "so they control women that can channel with a collar and leash." Me: "jeez, could you make that more sexualized?" Rafe: "hold my ball gag"

Woo. I think I'll need a 2nd watch of the episode, and a binge watch of the season, before I can organize my thoughts. Be kind folks.

[JimGalaxy]

2 minutes ago, CaddySedai said:

It diverged hard from the books so I think this is where some people get off the trolly. 

Yes ... this is my feeling as well, and I cannot imagine why showrunners would *do* that.

2 minutes ago, CaddySedai said:

For the rest of us who stay on are going to be in for some interesting stuff. 

Yes ... I'm with you.

2 minutes ago, CaddySedai said:

I have an idea of the forest I am walking into, so at least I have that. But the map is old and hasn’t been updated in years. 

*bitter smile* ... like a map of Malkier, from ... say ... forty years ago. ... Well, if Lan lived through it, and prospered ... I suppose I can. ? 

[CaddySedai]

Also definitely shielded. 

 

A really damn good one. 

 

Its not that she is stilled “its there at the end of her fingertips but she cant quite touch it.”

 

During gentling you saw power being ripped out not pushed in. 

[TheMountain]

6 minutes ago, CaddySedai said:

It diverged hard from the books so I think this is where some people get off the trolly. 

I'll stay around for a bit.... to grieve, to mourn, to find solace in shared disappointment. After that... I think I'll get off at this station. 

[JimGalaxy]

Perhaps the best summary I can think of, for the first season of the TV series ...

Moiraine Damodred: "You're coming with me. ... Your life isn't going to be what you thought." 

[Arthellion]

1 minute ago, TheMountain said:

I'll stay around for a bit.... to grieve, to mourn, to find solace in shared disappointment. After that... I think I'll get off at this station. 

 

I hear you. I just...there was no reason for this. There are consistently good shows out there that do cater to the hardcore fans that still do well. I just...Idk. Think I'm going through the stages of grief tonight.

 

I had issues with some of the choices in the series but pushed them away under the auspice of the finale being worth the payoff. Of seeing Rand go wild on trollocs. Etc.

 

Now I'm just kinda left feeling empty and confused. They didn't have to go this direction. There was a way to tell this beautiful story without all these changes. Just...ugh. 

[CaddySedai]

The good thing for me I think is i now get to feel all the surprise and wonder I got during reading  the books. Not knowing what comes next. 

 

I am always gonna take the positive path. Keeps me sane ?

[Chivalry]

I've been very positive thus far, really enjoyed the adaptation, flaws and all...but this one hurts. 

[WOTohnoes]

Is there some reason you guys keep mentioning Ishy other than the books? It seems to me that the only time we might actually see the Foresaken is the Steppin scene where he shows of K's dolls to Lan. I know there have been rumors of castings, but the show has explicitly stated this was the DO, and the EOTW is his prison, along with the seal which is now confirmed to be made of cuendillar. I can see how the Ishy connection continues to be mentioned, but I'm afraid what I described is what we're getting with the show.

 

I know this is my first post here, but I'm a long time fan of the books. 2 rereads on Audible since the show was announced. I still had hopes they were going to put this on track even through the first 30 minutes or so of this episode, but boy did they stir up so much stuff in the last 20 minutes and for the sake of what? I was a big fan of The Walking Dead, which made me read the comics through that time in the show, but I ended up hate watching until the end of one storyline because that's where I stopped reading. I'm starting to think this is going to be a similar experience.

[Chivalry]

1 hour ago, JenniferL said:

Man, I do not know how I feel about this. This is probably one of those cases where not having read the books is an advantage because that was a ton of changes and some of them really took me out of the story. 
 

How about you? 

 

It was weird. 

 

After hearing the spoilers/leaks, my mind was focused on the Tarwin Gap changes. But after viewing the entire episode...that segment seems to be only a small part of the larger problem. It was messy.

Edited December 24, 2021 by Chivalry

[Gothic Flame]

I'm buying a case of beer and some hard liquor and watching the last two episodes as a parody/drinking game. Every time they make a major screw up that reveals they never read the books, take a drink. I expect to finish the case.

---

Acquaintance of mine.

Yeah...he's drunk right now.

[Kelin]

1 minute ago, WOTohnoes said:

Is there some reason you guys keep mentioning Ishy other than the books? It seems to me that the only time we might actually see the Foresaken is the Steppin scene where he shows of K's dolls to Lan.

Rafe mentioned in an interview that there are going to be the Forsaken in the series. But yeah, not sure what this was supposed to be about. 

[Chivalry]

9 minutes ago, CaddySedai said:

The good thing for me I think is i now get to feel all the surprise and wonder I got during reading  the books. Not knowing what comes next. 

 

I am always gonna take the positive path. Keeps me sane ?

 

That's definitely an optimistic way of viewing things. I just wish I didn't have to wait an entire season to see how the WOT team fixes this mess. 

[CaddySedai]

I do like the gruesome burn out one power effects. 

 

Those were wicked. 

[Yojimbo]

I'm starting to wonder if we might find out some day that the actor who played Mat decided to leave after reading the scripts for the last 2 episodes and said "um, no thanks."

[Windigo]

Over all I have been enjoying the season, this is the first episode where I really was underwhelmed. 
The complete lack of cannon had me pulled out of the show too often. For a finale it was a lot of flash and little bang. 
- The cold open was a chance that was missed, he could have been telling her he needed help with the shopping, not a desperate last chance to try and stop the Dark One.  

-A Tell? this is silly, and Moiraine and lan were on their horses before so the tracking would be completely different. They need to get an expert in on tracking and Woodsmanship.  If she could track Moiraine so well then how come she could not find the rest of the EF on her own?
- Good scene with Lan and Nynaeve!   Loved it. 
- Glad the Perrin and Egwene thing is over, that was a dumb thing, I think they were trying to show the stress and wear and tear of the EF's but they missed, would have been better if they had fought over who got to ride Bela or some other dumb thing, that would have felt real. 
-Weak Accepted channeler with some training goes super cell.  I see how this add to the danger and why they need to go to the White Tower to train, but it was just a bit beyond belief.  
---1. Circles do not work that way. 2 Future plot holes with future characters that burned themselves out.

-The end of Agelmar? 

-Moiranne stilled ( or Shielded)  
--- Prediction will Moiraine have the role that Leane Sharif did in the books? Stilled and exiled with Siuan?

Perrin   just a big question there,  I am hoping this was last minute changes with a missing Mat. 





 

Edited December 24, 2021 by Windigo

[WOTohnoes]

2 minutes ago, Kelin said:

Rafe mentioned in an interview that there are going to be the Forsaken in the series. But yeah, not sure what this was supposed to be about. 

He said we were getting Narg too, so I'm not too sure we can trust his comments. Not that I needed Narg, but it would've been funny to see some post credit, comic relief scenes throughout of him randomly making his way through battle fields, looking for Rand al'Thor, a kid he once met in the TR.

 

I think Rafe is just in over his head with this and sad to see. I can already picture where they're going and likely things they're going to omit. Maybe it makes sense to some, but it just didn't have to be this way. I also disagree with the Sanderson take about it being a totally different turning of the Wheel, you know... with all of the same characters with sort of the same storylines. This is clearly a different take on this turning of the Wheel, and I hope it doesn't unravel.