Lets talk about the reviews - Are they wrong?

[grayavatar]

If you currently google the reviews for the show the below is what you get. I don't believe these people have any agenda. They are simply people who have watched each episode once (I think first 6 episodes) and then moved on to another TV show to review.

 

I feel that this is an honest representation of audiences that are being introduced to the wheeloftime for the first time via the show. I am really worried that they are getting a bad impression.

 

 

Now I haven't read the books in a few years, but I was excited and hopeful that the show would be great. I knew about the casting choices and was willing to overlook them even when I first started watching and the two rivers looked like it was populated by sea folk. I understood that this is a tv show and some changes needed to be made. So I sat and watched and I twisted and turned in my seat in frustration at each story change.

 

Beyond all this however was the issue that I wasn't entertained. Here I am a huge fan of the series who has read the books many times. I have signed copies of the books and I still remember sitting at a table with Robert Jordan and Ben Bova eagerly talking about wheeloftime to the point where I think Ben felt like a third wheel. I have been looking forward to a tv show. But there I was feeling detached and bored.

 

I came to this forum to see if others felt the same and I have been made to feel like I am crazy for suggesting the show isn't all it could be. I posted a link to reviews and was given a warning for trolling. Fair enough I was going off topic in that post. So here is a new post where we can discuss the reviews. I have been told by a moderator that this place isn't as bad as I think so I hope this post can stay open for discussion. There is already a post for interviews and articles but that is mostly advertising telling us to like the show rather than unbiased reviews.

 

I feel though that while I have been away from this site, regular members of this forum have gone through a hype campaign preparing them for whatever comes from the show even if the show doesn't contain a single scene from the books. I also have the suspicion that many people who post here are somehow affiliated with the show (cast/crew/family members) and are highly defensive of any criticism, working hard to make us like the show after the fact.. I want to like this show without any need to be told I should like it.

 

But why are the ratings so high!?

 

Here's a 5star review by someone with a very distinctive name

 

 

Coincidence? Maybe it's just a common named I have never heard of before. Another 5star review is by someone name Jack Reacher, a movie Rosamund Pike starred in. About 60% of 2914 ratings are 5star and a huge amount of that is likely people related to the show. It makes sense that those invested in the show are most likely to post a rating.

 

I want people to watch the show and love it so much that they want to read the books and join our community. If the show is bad we should not sweep the flaws under the rug and make excuses "oh the budget!" I am sure many other shows have done much better with less funding. We especially should not encourage and celebrate a poor effort.

 

Do you feel this show has the same buzz and hype as similar shows have? I really don't think so. People were talking about and making memes for GoT before even the first episode came out. The memes for WoT are few and feel forced. I had to hunt to find any, yet GoT memes were almost impossible to avoid. You would have to get off the internet until you watched the latest episode in order to avoid spoilers. I remember having to avoid the lunchroom at work on certain days because I knew everyone would be talking about it.

 

Am I going crazy or am I and all these reviewers completely wrong?

 

Reminds me of this meme. Depending on your position I can see it going both ways.

 

Edited December 8, 2021 by grayavatar

[JenniferL]

I’m not exactly sure what you think this thread will accomplish. It is not the job of this forum to convince you to like the show. If you aren’t enjoying it, stop watching. If the discussions here don’t bring you joy, stop coming. You don’t have to spend your energy on things you don’t like.