WoT Season 2 Episode 1: A Taste of Solitude

[SinisterDeath]

This is the topic for Season 2, Episode 1: A Taste of Solitude.
Director: Thomas Napper

Writers: Amanda Kate Shuman / Rafe Judkins

 

This topic is for discussing Episode 1 only. You should expect to encounter Full Spoilers Up To Episode 1, and full book spoilers on this topic.

 

 

[SinisterDeath]

Sorry about the late unlock. It was supposed to auto unlock an hour and 16 minutes ago...

 

On first watch, my gut says.. give the episode a 7 out of 10. (That's basically average.)

 

It was a pretty slow start, as were getting to know what everyone's up to. (Sorta no Rand)

 

Since we already got a few of the scenes spoiled to us weeks ahead of time, it actually detracted from the episodes "rating" for me as... I've already seen that content.

 

One gripe.

 

The mydraal should have wriggled around after being killed.

 

And I don't know that Lan should have picked up, let alone touched its blade. That felt wrong. Very wrong. 

 

[A Memory Of Why]

Yeah, I have mixed feelings for this episode..

 

Pacing is good and liking Perins arc so far, but..

 

My poor loins 😢

 

Was totally expecting giant bat sirens at the end, that would have been super cool..

 

Need to take a breather.

[Humbugged2]

Hello to Captain Doman and the not Sniffer Elyas

[DaddyFinn]

Good episode, nice and slow. Ingtar already being build up. Perrin's visions is an interesting take on wolf senses

[VooDooNut]

Good episode, but I'd rank it lowest of the 3. It definitely sets up the next two episodes nicely though. I really enjoyed the fight scene at the end.

[Kaleb]

Major disappointment to me was the ATROCITY of Bayle Domon's MOUSTACHE!!! I wore my facial hair "Illianer style" for years of my life, only to have Rafe and company SPIT IN MY FACE with this GARBAGE!

 

Other than that, yeah, it was a little on the slow side.

[Seaine's eyebrows]

Verin 🤎🤎🤎

[Jsbrads2]

Nynaeve is ten times stronger than Egwene???

[Dagon Thyne]

I seemed to notice that Hurin had yellow eyes and that Perrin was seeing the same things he saw.  Sodoes this mean that they are merging him with Elias and having sniffer abilities be part of being a wolfbrother, or did I miss something.

[Pandemonium]

The quality of the show has majorly improved.  Yes it was a little slow, but that is a very good thing.  This show finally slowed down to develop the characters and the actors are finally allowed to let their talents shine.  I don't like seeing Lan take such a beating in a fight, and I felt like the lighting of that scene was too dark.  I would have also loved to have seen the dragkhar.  Otherwise very solid episode.  

 

I think the IGN review misses the mark

 

Edited September 1, 2023 by Pandemonium

[Dagon Thyne]

I don't really have an issue with them dropping Hurin's character and merging his role with Elyas.   

[Mailman]

Absolutely terrible episode. 

Acting and direction worse than b level.

So we needed an episode to show the warder bond but in this epsiode we get a terrible exposition info dump about Aes Sedai being severed delivered to a group of people who would have knowledge of it. Garbage.

Needless changes again.

Nynaeve spending 5 months training with warders, alongside terrible training with the Aes Sedai. Strange meeting in the garden.

Conducting Novice training in the kitchens.

Fades having the ability to disappear mid fight is going to be problematic.

Uno's acting is embarrassing.

Perrin writing letters that could be intercepted telling people that the horn has been stolen by darkfriends. WTF

Embarrassing scene between Allanna and Egwene with an Aes Sedai having a BFFs chat with a Novice about sex.

Having to make trollocs misunderstood rather than evil?

Theres so much that was terrible its hard to get all down.

Truly feels like generic slop.

Edited September 1, 2023 by Mailman

[DojoToad]

23 minutes ago, Pandemonium said:

 I don't like seeing Lan take such a beating in a fight, and I felt like the lighting of that scene was too dark.

 

Did he take a beating because he is no longer linked to Moiraine?  His fighting ability diminished because he's dealing with the severed link?

[DreadLord31]

Hmmmm… very mixed feelings for me. 
My loins were fully girded, and overall, it felt like better Tv than S1. I’d give this episode a 7 out of 10. I do think the fact that they dropped full scenes ahead of time hurt the rating for me. I’d already seen or heard about that content. 

 

Edited September 1, 2023 by DreadLord31
moved to different thread

[DaddyFinn]

@DreadLord31 don't post E2&3 spoilers in E1 thread

[SinisterDeath]

50 minutes ago, DaddyFinn said:

@DreadLord31 don't post E2&3 spoilers in E1 thread

@DreadLord31

Yeah, Mind moving some of that to that new topic I made?
I'd do it but because you made your post first, it would make your post the first comment. lol.

[SinisterDeath]

3 hours ago, DojoToad said:

Did he take a beating because he is no longer linked to Moiraine?  His fighting ability diminished because he's dealing with the severed link?

I'm sure being unable to sense them didn't help anything.

I feel like taking on two fades at Night, is a LOT, even for Lan.

 

If I'm going to nitpick.

I'm going to nitpick about Lan picking up a blade forged in Thakan'dar and attempting to fight off two Fades with two blades.
I dunno if it's deadly for a human to wield one... but it feels wrong for Lan to pick one up.

Getting hit by so many of those blades. That just feels wrong. Wrong enough that they had to have changed the lore of how deadly those blades were. Or at least, they're not being consistent on when it's deadly and when it's not.
(Or... Verin just really wanted Moiraine to move out of her house and that's some next level Passive Aggressive tactics there...)

Speaking of Verin.. Did we catch her fibbin' to Lan? In Regards "of course Moiraine's coming down for Dinnner!"

[DojoToad]

18 minutes ago, SinisterDeath said:

I'm sure being unable to sense them didn't help anything.

I feel like taking on two fades at Night, is a LOT, even for Lan.

 

If I'm going to nitpick.

I'm going to nitpick about Lan picking up a blade forged in Thakan'dar and attempting to fight off two Fades with two blades.
I dunno if it's deadly for a human to wield one... but it feels wrong for Lan to pick one up.

Getting hit by so many of those blades. That just feels wrong. Wrong enough that they had to have changed the lore of how deadly those blades were. Or at least, they're not being consistent on when it's deadly and when it's not.
(Or... Verin just really wanted Moiraine to move out of her house and that's some next level Passive Aggressive tactics there...)

Speaking of Verin.. Did we catch her fibbin' to Lan? In Regards "of course Moiraine's coming down for Dinnner!"

LOL.  Guess I should hold my questions until I watch the show (tonight).  Didn't realize two fades had at him.

 

They changed the deadliness of Mat's dagger.  Can't say I'm surprised if they did the same to the Fade weapons.

[A Memory Of Why]

So I've rewatched the fade fight and it still bugs me..

 

For starters; loved the shadow jumping, always thought that was under utilised in the books so that was super cool. Liked their weird movement and how they were like a viper..

 

But!! It bothered me that..

 

They no longer have the "I'm not quite dead sir" death throws..

 

Lans super kick wasn't as cool as they thought it was..

 

The menacing looming instead of killing..

 

And.. who here believes Lan can't kill two fades? This bugs me, and what's stupid, like really stupid.. and I mean this may just be me but hear me out..

 

Three fades!! 

 

P.s. I also think Dragkah would have been cool here and that's bugs me too 😔

Edited September 1, 2023 by A Memory Of Why

[SinisterDeath]

30 minutes ago, A Memory Of Why said:

P.s. I also think Dragkah would have been cool here and that's bugs me too 😔

They totally gave us a fake out with the "wing flaps" in the subtitles...

[DreadLord31]

@SinisterDeath I don’t know how to move a post to a different thread… 

I could copy it and edit it down, is that the only way to “move it”?? 

[SinisterDeath]

1 hour ago, DreadLord31 said:

@SinisterDeath I don’t know how to move a post to a different thread… 

I could copy it and edit it down, is that the only way to “move it”?? 

yeah that's what I meant.

[Elder_Haman]

8 hours ago, Mailman said:

 

Having to make trollocs misunderstood rather than evil?

 

Did you entirely miss the point of that scene? The trollocs are undeniably evil. Ishamael is convincing the little girl to ignore what she intuitively knows to be true about the nature of evil.

Which is, in and of itself, evil. 

[DreadLord31]

4 minutes ago, Elder_Haman said:

Did you entirely miss the point of that scene? The trollocs are undeniably evil. Ishamael is convincing the little girl to ignore what she intuitively knows to be true about the nature of evil.

Which is, in and of itself, evil. 

Yeah, I agree. Isha'mael has been brilliant - perfect "father of lies, destroyer of hope" - I do hope we get a flashback and we do eventually get to see the actual book prologue - but maybe it's a pipe-dream!