Why I think we should stop attacking the parts before we have experienced the whole.

[Scarloc99]

So like many Wheel of Time obsessive readers my initial reaction to the series was poor, however this was not for the same reason as many others. My main concern was the very very rushed storytelling and the poor feel to the Special Effects. I also was disappointed with some of the Dialogue. 

 

Now I have not yet seen episode 4 (Stupid parents wanting to visit for the first time since lockdown lifted). But I have been looking online, reading the Q and A that Rafe gave, Brandons comments and taking a measure of non book readers opinions and I am starting to appreciate this for what it is. 

 

The Wheel of Time is too big to tell as it is written, that is a fact, on Audible it is 461+ hours of listening, and yes there are large chunks of description that would be absorbed by panoramic shots, or a look on a characters face. But there are also fights and battles described in a few pages that would require 30 mins + of screen time to do justice to so realistically I think you are looking at 200 hours + to tell the story of the books as written. 

 

Now back in the day that would be ok, a 20 episode season was pretty much standard for TV, but modern viewing habits mean that people want punchy, bingeable TV that can be devoured in a day or 2 easily. This is why TV series on Netflix, Amazon, Disney Plus, Hulu etc generally come in at 8 hours. per season. 

 

So given that it was clear that Rafe was going to be forced to make significant changes and try and rush some key storylines. It is also clear he decided (rightly or wrongly) that the Wheel of time really doesn't get going until the group are split up. He himself stated in his Q and A that he wanted to get through the stuff that is generic fantasy to the stuff that makes WoT unique, to my mind that is really the end of book 2. Books 1 and 2 could be any generic fantasy series with a Hero character and their friends hunting for a mcguffin to do a thing, yes people will disagree and there is a-lot of world setting but for a TV series you need to keep the eyes on the screen 

 

Are there issues, yes undoubtably, but, I am finding I am feeling a little more forgiving and have decided to simply take part in the ride. I think Rafe had a difficult job, and, while I don't agree with some of the decisions he has made or the way he has executed them, I am going to wait until the series is complete. For instance a-lot of people are seemingly really upset that the Dragon could be a women. But, is that what the show has actually said? It is what the characters believe, but, for a second maybe just consider that maybe the Characters don't know everything. Maybe, ignorance is being used as a way to tell a story, instead of assuming the viewer knows the Dragon must be male assume a viewer knows nothing about the books. Now you either have long exposition explaining all the intricate rules of the wheel of time, or, you don't bother explaining why and Morraine simply says to the boys, one of you must be the dragon, or, maybe, you have the characters start from a point of ignorance and then educate them through the plot while at the same time Showing the audience the rules. How much more interesting now when 2 forsaken have their Genders swapped, how much of an Oh that's how it works moment when the 2 still wield the Source in the same way despite being in the opposite genders body. OR Bridgette explaining that she is always reincarnated as a women, and her lover as a man. There are plenty of moments for the characters to learn this fact without it being Exposited to them by Morraine.

 

So this post is not to challenge or question, I will be doing that throughout the forum where I feel a mistake has been made, but it is a reminder. Don't judge a painting based on the first sketch made by a painter, don't read the first draft of a story and assume it will be rubbish because the spelling and grammer is rubbish and, don't go telling us this is not Your world of time without finding out what the journey is that we are being taken on and how, those moments you hated at the start, are resolved by the end. 

 

As for the timing, editing and Special Effects issues, I am going to wait and see how a post covid produced version of this TV series looks, because I have no doubt (and rafe has confirmed) that the emergence of Covid  undoubtably impacted elements of filming and post production. 

Edited November 27, 2021 by Sir_Charrid

[JenniferL]

Feel free to repost this in one of the many other threads we have for reactions.