Interviews and News Articles

[Borderlander]

8 hours ago, TheMountain said:

I always joke with my wife that she reminds me of Nynaeve, and after the screening she was like, "Really? I don't get that at all." Lol

 

So far, the problem is less her acting, and more the lines she was given.

 

8 hours ago, Guire said:

Maybe writers just don't get Nyn then.  Kind of Sanderson with Mat deal.  Not bad just not quit getting the reason Mat was so good.  This almost falls into the representation argument.  Sometimes you really don't know what you don't know.  

 

I have been wondering all along (and having not seen the show yet) whether the writers (and to a lesser extent the actors, who have to deliver the lines that are written for them) will fall into the trap of not wanting any of their future Hollywood stars to be unlikeable, steer away from any potentially unlikeable or unmarketable character faults, and end up making them too bland. (What some might call the Harry Potter syndrome... Ron is funny, Hermione is brilliant, but Harry, the star of the show, is just... (in his own words) just Harry.)

 

So, for instance, did they lean away from making Nynaeve temperamental and bossy in Season 1 because nobody wants to root for a bossy girl who frequently flies off the handle? (Even if that is a drastic oversimplification and Nynaeve has great internal motivations for everything she does; not to mention the fact that some people very well may want to root for such a girl!) What you end up with is... just Nynaeve. Just a friendly, milquetoast, everyday village wisdom who cares for her friends and can kick butt when she needs to? 

 

What about Perrin? I am loving Rutherford's whole presence and personality, and in an interview recently he said Perrin does not have a whole ton of lines... which sounds true to Perrin. For now. Will the writers and Marcus himself be satisfied with that, moving forward? Or will they want everyone in the E5 to basically have the same amount of speaking lines, not to mention screen time, hero-shots, and applause-worthy moments? 

 

And will aging Lan and Thom down and aging the E5 up also play into the trap, where everyone's personality and characterization just kind of blend together into 'generic fantasy protagonist'?

 

[Orel P]

3 minutes ago, DaddyFinn said:

That leaves a lot of room for growth in future episodes/seasons. 

 

Part of what is keeping me optimistic despite what seems to be some lukewarm reactions is that it leaves a lot of room for improvement. Hopefully the creative team is willing to take some constructive criticism and adjust some things on the fly for season 2. Most of the issues I'm reading in the reviews are certainly correctable. And it's really not uncommon for shows to have first seasons that are, you know, pretty decent, but don't really hit their stride until the second season or so. Would I prefer for this show to come out and instantly be 10/10, blowing everyone's socks off? Of course.

 

But this is a MASSIVE undertaking, and expectations for this kind of series are different now in a post-GoT world. There is an entire universe and lore to establish and I think I can forgive the show if it a little awkward in laying that foundation, so long as it improves on the things that work as the story progresses. Sometimes things that seem good on paper during production don't quite translate, it is what it is and it's on the production team to learn and improve. I think a lot is going to ride on episodes 7 and 8 and how the season climaxes.

 

And as we know, EotW is really among the weakest entries in the series. The best material is yet to come and that is where the show can really make itself stand out ?

 

 

[TheDreadReader]

44 minutes ago, AusLeviathan said:

Not just them playing it up but the scenes and moments that they would've needed to move to ensure the mystery could be maintained is probably part of the issue too.

 

Even so it seems so bizarre. That almost all of the critics even after six episodes couldn't tell the difference between five of the main characters. That they had almost no characterization and were almost completely bland.

 

That would suggest serious writing issues for the entire writing team, it's not like they had to create the characters themselves, they were already fully fleshed out on the page and ready to be adapted.

 

Some of it may be the loss of having something to focus on and ease you into the world/story.  Genre conventions are a shortcut to getting the reader/viewer's engagement. 

 

 I think part of RJ's brilliance was the way that he centered the story on Rand early, allowed Rand's story to carry the reader along, and then expanded the perspectives once the hook had been set.   Early on it is very much Rand's story and that sets up how it becomes everyone's story later.  You might lose something if you lose that focus and don't replace it with something equally compelling. 

 

OTOH, they may be trying use a little 'sizzle' in season one to sell the heart of the story later.  That might work but you gots to deliver the meal eventually.

 

[SinisterDeath]

 

[JaimAybara]

I’m waiting for more fan reviews on the 19th. I’ll be one of them to review too. If this is great I will know it was likely some media blitz from competing services or conglomerates that are involved with each other in an increasingly cutthroat market. Word of mouth will solve the bad reviews quickly if it is good. Going back to it again, what do “professional” critics know? They can unanimously say “it’s breathtaking!”, “Amazing!”, and “Wonderful!” And then I go see it and it’s a dumpster fire. Just wait for the 19th and pray to the creator they are wrong like they usually are.

[Pandemonium]

rolling stone gave a 2 star review ouch!  

 

hopefully enough people give this a chance.  also interesting that shadow and bone ranked so high because I thought was pretty bland too

[JaimAybara]

4 minutes ago, Pandemonium said:

rolling stone gave a 2 star review ouch!  

 

hopefully enough people give this a chance.  also interesting that shadow and bone ranked so high because I thought was pretty bland too

Yeah, I’ll be honest I’m pretty in between hype camps and skepticism. I will do my best to give an objective review. But I thought Shadow and Bone was kinda Garbo and they loved it so who knows? 

[Arthellion]

On a humorous note...

 

Some of these reviews have no clue. 

 

https://ew.com/tv/tv-reviews/amazon-the-wheel-of-time/

 

 

Tell me you don't know the source material without telling me you don't know the source material

 

 

Edited November 17, 2021 by Arthellion

[Joe B]

7 minutes ago, Arthellion said:

On a humorous note...

 

Some of these reviews have no clue. 

 

https://ew.com/tv/tv-reviews/amazon-the-wheel-of-time/

 

 

Tell you don't know the source material without telling me you don't know the source material

 

 

I actually prefer to read reviews from non-readers. I'm going to watch regardless. However, my spouse is going to try watching with me and doesn't like fantasy.

Also, The show will need a book-naive audience to succeed. If the show doesn't draw them in, I am afraid the plug will be pulled.

[DaddyFinn]

One of the negative reviews said something like this: "Rosamund doesn't care about the role and it shows." I stopped reading at that point.

[JaimAybara]

4 minutes ago, Joe B said:

I actually prefer to read reviews from non-readers. I'm going to watch regardless. However, my spouse is going to try watching with me and doesn't like fantasy.

Also, The show will need a book-naive audience to succeed. If the show doesn't draw them in, I am afraid the plug will be pulled.

Agreed, we really need to know if they are going to hook new viewers, but I want an audience score/review. 

[DaddyFinn]

IMDb has 94 reviews and is 9,4/10. I hope it balances out to 8,x/10 when hundreds and thousands review it

[notpropaganda73]

To be honest I don't mind most of the review content, even when they're way off on something that we know as book lovers. But something that is grating at me is the "This isn't Game of Thrones" narrative. I mean... no duh

 

I understand Amazon want a GoT style phenomenon but most reviews that say that just come off as lazy to me. 

[Katherine]

3 hours ago, TheDreadReader said:

 

I wonder how much of this might be the result of them playing up the "mystery" aspect of who is the DR?  

 

I definitely see what you're saying from the early reviews.   

 

 

 

I have never understood why they wanted to make this such a mystery. Never really thought Jordan wanted to make it a mystery. Even Moraine figured it out pretty quickly (or had STRONG  suspicions after the first night they ran from EF). Honestly it feels like they did it just so that Egwene could be included. 

Edited November 17, 2021 by Katherine

[Calembel]

7 minutes ago, Katherine said:

 

Honestly it feels like they did it just so that Egwene could be included. 

Exactly... This is 100% why.

[Katherine]

 

3 minutes ago, Calembel said:

Exactly... This is 100% why.

 

 

I am afraid you are right, and I am afraid a lot of writing decisions are made like this. Because if they continue to write with an agenda outside of telling the story, the overall show will suffer and we won't see a season 3. 

[TheMountain]

I think it's possible that the writers fully realize how obvious the answer is, but are using this manufactured "mystery" as a deflection to potential criticism, perhaps so they can keep the DR the same as in the book.

[Elder_Haman]

17 minutes ago, Katherine said:

Never really thought Jordan wanted to make it a mystery.

Of course he didn't. EotW is written almost entirely from Rand's perspective.

That doesn't mean that playing up the mystery won't be an effective tool for hooking a new audience who is not familiar with the books. 

[CaddySedai]

Look - the biggest metric is audience.

 

Reviews no longer have the power they did because we as viewers have been burned so many times.

 

Some reviewers liked Gigli. Just...let that process a moment.

[DaddyFinn]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.indiewire.com/2021/11/wheel-of-time-review-amazon-tv-series-fantasy-1234679296/amp/

 

Quote

Except the actual “Wheel of Time” logo isn’t a dragon eating its own tail. It’s a dragon weaving forward, toward the screen, with its mouth open but the tail far in the distance. If you squint, you can actually see the dragon’s rear end in the middle of the circle, way behind its head. So… what does this symbol mean? Is it still designed to evoke ouroboros, even though the beast’s definitive beginning and ending contradict the symbol’s intent? Does that very contradiction speak to the power the dragon wields in the show, which centers around a search for “the Dragon Reborn,” who can save or destroy humanity? Or is it just… meaningless? Is the logo just gold and shimmery and cool, there to remind viewers of another fantasy show about dragons that they really enjoyed?

 

 

I'm at a loss of words right now..

[CaddySedai]

1 minute ago, DaddyFinn said:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.indiewire.com/2021/11/wheel-of-time-review-amazon-tv-series-fantasy-1234679296/amp/

 

 

 

I'm at a loss of words right now..

 

I mean it's clever. And does show some respect for the source material. 

 

But at the same time its - I feel - hunting for meaning where meaning isn't.

[Elder_Haman]

4 minutes ago, CaddySedai said:

Look - the biggest metric is audience.

 

Reviews no longer have the power they did because we as viewers have been burned so many times.

 

Some reviewers liked Gigli. Just...let that process a moment.

Also remember that we are in the midst of a major battle between powerful media conglomerates. One review was a very thinly concealed attack piece on Bezos. And I don't doubt there are other motives at play - on both sides.

 

At this point it's the general audience that matters. Critics are simply not a representative sample of public opinion.

[TheMountain]

Hating on Bezos is quite in fashion right now. 

 

It's also important to remember that these critics are always in search of something witty to say to be memorable. 

[themann1086]

4 minutes ago, DaddyFinn said:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.indiewire.com/2021/11/wheel-of-time-review-amazon-tv-series-fantasy-1234679296/amp/

 

 

 

I'm at a loss of words right now..

..... IT'S A SNAKE YOU HACKS. I'm sorry this actually makes me angry more than anything else

[Elder_Haman]

3 minutes ago, themann1086 said:

..... IT'S A SNAKE YOU HACKS. I'm sorry this actually makes me angry more than anything else

Also "well ackshually it's supposed to be biting it's tail" is an absurdly pedantic take. It's obvious what the graphic is meant to evoke.