WoT Season 2 - I WATCHED ALL THE EPISODES TOPIC

[Skipp]

19 minutes ago, DaddyFinn said:

-Min and her wish to get rid of her powers. The tel'aran'rhiod scene with Ishy was exceptional. The lighting, eery vibe, Ishy "glitching"/skipping some frames. Chef's kiss.

 

 

I oddly didn't notice the glitching on my first watch.  When I watched it again this evening I noticed it part way through.  It was a solid way of representing Tel-aran'rhiod.  Next time I watch I will have to see if anything moves around or if candles flicker off or not.

[A Memory Of Why]

49 minutes ago, Skipp said:

oddly didn't notice the glitching on my first watch.  When I watched it again this evening I noticed it part way through.  It was a solid way of representing Tel-aran'rhiod.  Next time I watch I will have to see if anything moves around or if candles flicker off or not.

 

There's also a weird daja vu glitch when Eggy catches up with Nyn.

 

Eggy notices her new ring and leans in..

 

Nyn backs off..

 

Eggy leans in.. in the exact same manner, like it appears to be exactly the same.

 

It's.. weird, I can't tell if its an editing issue or intentional..? or maybe I'm just stupid..

[Maximillion]

I think it is pretty clear that the books are only a guide and Jordan's story is not being told here, but having said that, Season 2 is many times better than Season 1 in my opinion.

The acting, effects, sense of scale and character development is in a different league.

I watched the 4 episodes over the last couple of days and unlike last season I felt like I could get into the story being told.  Yes, it's not Jordans story, but there is a link to the characters and places nonetheless.

I'd love one day for the Wheel ofTime to be put on screen as Jordans story, but what this is will do as a view into the WoT world.

Of course, the last 4 episodes in the series still have to be good.

 

There were some very odd elements though, for example all the characters who looked dead at the end of season 1 (like Loial) just appearing in episode 1 with no explanation (unless I missed it) and Morraine taking on Fades and even Lanfear with no ability to channel.  The end of episode 4 was a bit weird to say the least.

Lan remains a sorry excuse for a man and it's clear his character is going to be stripped of what he was in the books and turned into a bit of a weakling.  

 

Nyneave  is being portrayed much better in this season - as opposed to the all powerful Mary Sue she was in Season 1. 

 

Elyas' character is well done, even with the changes and Ishmael really is the star of the show.  Extremely well acted and portrayed.

 

Overall, little relation to the story in the books, but good nonetheless.  For the first time I can see how this could develop into the kind of show that grabs the attention and imagination of a large audience as GoT did.

 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2023 by Maximillion

[Pandemonium]

Let's just hope this show is getting enough viewership.  Between the writer's strike and the lack of marketing  WOT didn't make the top 10 streaming list in its first couple days.  Will have to see again next week when it gets a full week.

 

Edited September 9, 2023 by Pandemonium

[DigificWriter]

6 hours ago, Maximillion said:

I think it is pretty clear that the books are only a guide and Jordan's story is not being told here

 

So many people who are hardcore fans of the books have so thoroughly disproven and debunked this claim that it's starting to become the literary equivalent of the "Big Lie".

[BookMattBetterThanShow]

Has anyone watch the preview for 205, very beginning with  Morraine riding the horse. 

[Samt]

7 hours ago, DigificWriter said:

 

So many people who are hardcore fans of the books have so thoroughly disproven and debunked this claim that it's starting to become the literary equivalent of the "Big Lie".

Proven?  There may be people who like both the books and the show. That doesn’t constitute evidence that they are the same thing.

 

You yourself have stated you don’t like the books, but like the show. If they are the same, could you explain that?

Edited September 9, 2023 by Samt

[DigificWriter]

23 minutes ago, Samt said:

Proven?  There may be people who like both the books and the show. That doesn’t constitute evidence that they are the same thing.

 

You yourself have stated you don’t like the books, but like the show. If they are the same, could you explain that?

 

Multiple WoTTubers - including the staff of this site - and podcasters who are intimately familiar with the novels are citing amd have cited in the past numerous book-specific examples of how Rafe and his team are remixing the story, taking things that exist in the novels - from The Eye of the World all the way to A Memory of Light - and either repurposing or recreating them onscreen. If there were even a shred of truth to the notion that the TV adaptation is not telling the story of the novels, references to the novels themselves in public online discourse and discussion about the television series from hardcore book fans would be isolated rather than prevalent and pervasive.

 

As far as my own personal dislike of the novels goes, I dislike the ones that I've read because I did not connect with the writing style and hated the ponderous and repetitive nature of Robert Jordan's storytelling.

Edited September 9, 2023 by DigificWriter

[ForsakenPotato]

I'll be honest, I kept myself off this forum for the last few weeks because I wanted to give Season 2 a shot on its own before diving into the opinions of a lot of book fans. I have also enjoyed this season a lot more than season 1 (with the exception of the episode that centered on Moiraine and Siuan, which I thought was outstanding) and I was expecting to dive into this topic and just read a lot of hate since the show is quite different from the books. I'm pleasantly surprised to not be the only person enjoying myself around here!!

 

I think the writing is way stronger than last season, although I think it can still be improved (maybe 20-25% of the dialogue still feels too cheesy to me). What has impressed me the most is that despite all the changes from the books, the world still feels really lived in and real. I don't recognize a lot of what is going on plot-wise, but the characters and settings are so right to me that I don't mind.

 

Happy surprises:

- Alanna. I couldn't care less about her in the books, she just annoyed me. I find the actress who plays her in the show honestly delightful and I like seeing her given a bigger role, which I think will make her eventual arc hit a lot harder for me than it did in the books.

- Perrin and Rand. A lot of folks are saying they aren't getting enough screentime or action but I love how both of these characters are being developed. They are both still way too innocent and easily manipulated by the adults around them (Lanfear, Moiraine, Ishamael), but you can see them observing and starting to learn how the wider world works. Seeing their rise to power is going to be fun.

- The Seanchan are AWESOME. I found them mostly an annoying distraction from characters I actually cared about in the books. I find them suitably terrifying in the show. Egwene is going to have some major PTSD.

- Hopper!

- Egwene and Elayne's dorm room jungle juice gossip sessions are just great. These two are so close to how I read their characters in the books.

- The settings and costumes feel like they've gotten a step up since last season. Love the novice dresses, basically everything Moiraine wears, Rand's work jacket, and Perrin's woven vest.

- VERIN! The mistress of novices is also very good I think.

 

Feeling meh about:

- They are theoretically having lessons at the White Tower? But we only saw one? I feel like we need some reinforcement that they are actually learning something other than how to scrub floors, otherwise it's not going to be realistic when they know how to channel later on.

- Mat could use less moping and more action. Similarly, Lan is getting a LOT of screentime for someone who is mostly just being a grouch. Unlike a lot of folks, I don't mind a more sensitive Lan than the early books, but I still want him to do stuff! If he's not teaching some sheepherders how to fight or reuniting with Nyneave by the end of the season, I'll be the grumpy one.

- I miss book-Nyneave's temper and sass. I like the actress for the show, and her acceptance test was totally heart-wrenching. But I want to see a bit more of the overconfident, take-no-bs, unhinged Nyneave from the books. It made her interesting because she was so powerful but also a loose cannon. TV-Nyneave only gets mad about reasonable things like people trying to kill her and her loved ones and is otherwise extremely gentle and reasonable. Where's the fun in that?

- I feel like I'm supposed to believe Liandrin is some kind of master manipulator but she's so obviously bad, if Mat or Min or Nyneave took 30 seconds to think about some of the things she did or said, the jig would be up. Use your noggins! Is she trying to get caught or what?

[EmreY]

11 hours ago, Samt said:

Proven?  There may be people who like both the books and the show. That doesn’t constitute evidence that they are the same thing.

 

They're not, and it's a loose adaptation.  Having said that, without 12 x 2-hour episodes of which half would go into mind-numbing detail, I can't see how the books could be adapted reasonably faithfully.  So far in season two, I'm mostly a mixture of "hold on, that looks familiar if out of place" and "I could see that happening even if it didn't in the books".

[DaddyFinn]

8 hours ago, ForsakenPotato said:

I feel like I'm supposed to believe Liandrin is some kind of master manipulator but she's so obviously bad, if Mat or Min or Nyneave took 30 seconds to think about some of the things she did or said, the jig would be up. Use your noggins! Is she trying to get caught or what?

Do our country pumpkin heroes know the existence of Black Ajah? If not, how should they be able to figure it out? Only after E4 do our Wonder Girls know that Liandrin is evil

[Maximillion]

19 hours ago, DigificWriter said:

 

So many people who are hardcore fans of the books have so thoroughly disproven and debunked this claim that it's starting to become the literary equivalent of the "Big Lie".

 

The TV series and the books are very different.

I don't mind that as long the story telling is good and season 2 is actually decent.

 

I don't care if another 'hardcore' fan of the books tells me they are the same.

I have read the series more than once and I know for a fact they are different without checking in with an 'expert'

 

[Lightfriendsocialmistress]

On 9/8/2023 at 11:38 PM, A Memory Of Why said:

Balsy

Thank you for this, ishy will now be forever “ballsy” in my own personal head canon. Much more fun 😂

 

On 9/9/2023 at 9:41 PM, ForsakenPotato said:

I feel like I'm supposed to believe Liandrin is some kind of master manipulator

I love your post and insights! For some reason I felt the need to nitpick just for the eff of it….liandrin in the books did manage to get the girls to follow her through the ways and then be delivered to the seanchan. In addition to some other more subtle orchestrating of events. Just sayin

 

i most wholeheartedly can relate with your reluctance to dive into the forums after watching the new episodes. I have from the start loved the books and I also love the show. Blasphemy!! Good thing no one knows who I am or where I live 😬

 

 

[nsmallw]

Another fight scene at night. Apparently even theAvienda-whitecloak battle teased in the season 5 trailer at night!. 

What s the deal with that ? Is every battle scene in the show going to be at night.

So looking forward to more light.  I mean is there some filmmaking reason why they all are in darkness. Just not a fan. 

[DigificWriter]

I briefly mentioned earlier somewhere that some people seem to be letting their book knowledge color the show's use of Liandrin, and I think Episode 4 only reinforced that opinion for me.

 

We can't know what her original plan would've been if Elayne hadn't followed Nynaeve and Egwene, but it's pretty clear that she only used the One Power to knock them unconscious as a desperate measure, so that in and of itself isn't really the huge indicator of her being a baddie that I think some people think it is, at least for me.

 

I knew because of general spoilers that Liandrin was bad news bears, but that knowledge hasn't stopped me from being fascinated by her characterization, but I suspect that others who are truly unspoiled also find her fascinating and will continue to do so even after this episode and the next one (which I already know is going to hurt me emotionally even though I'm not generally a very emotional person).

Edited September 10, 2023 by DigificWriter

[VirusKiller]

Apologies if I missed this elsewhere, but I was wondering what's up with the CGI OP/TP(?) weave colour?  S1 was white (with some black for the male channellers).  Now we have everyone spinning gold? 🫤 

[DaddyFinn]

58 minutes ago, nsmallw said:

Another fight scene at night. Apparently even theAvienda-whitecloak battle teased in the season 5 trailer at night!. 

What s the deal with that ? Is every battle scene in the show going to be at night.

So looking forward to more light.  I mean is there some filmmaking reason why they all are in darkness. Just not a fan. 

Please use spoilers on unreleased episode stuff. Not all of us watch the previews.

 

Fades obviously want to attack at night.

 

Seanchan raiding the village at night is basic military tactics.

 

I do want daylight fights, don't get me wrong. I've been happy with what we've got so far. Based on trailers 

Spoiler

the E8 climax battle might happen at daylight.

 

 

[Ralph]

On 9/4/2023 at 8:36 PM, DaddyFinn said:

Found this on WoTSeries discord. There's a leash in some shots at least. Interesting. It connects to the upper back 

 

"Then there are the damane — the female channelers the Seanchan keep on leashes (costume designer Sharon Gilham confirms this detail will show up in certain scenes) and deploy as heavy artillery on the battlefield."
https://www.polygon.com/23860119/wheel-time-season-2-preview-tease-new-episodes#:~:text=Then there are the damane — the female channelers the Seanchan keep on leashes (costume designer Sharon Gilham confirms this detail will show up in certain scenes) and deploy as heavy artillery on the battlefield.

 

Just noticed this

[Scarloc99]

On 9/9/2023 at 10:39 AM, Pandemonium said:

Let's just hope this show is getting enough viewership.  Between the writer's strike and the lack of marketing  WOT didn't make the top 10 streaming list in its first couple days.  Will have to see again next week when it gets a full week.

 

I don’t know how much to read into this as part of this is dependent on how much info the streamers make available. Netflix and Disney are becoming much more transparent because they are introducing free ad powered versions of there services, and advertisers need to know how many people there ads will be seen by meaning they have to publish accurate figures. 

 

On 9/10/2023 at 12:45 PM, DigificWriter said:

I briefly mentioned earlier somewhere that some people seem to be letting their book knowledge color the show's use of Liandrin, and I think Episode 4 only reinforced that opinion for me.

 

We can't know what her original plan would've been if Elayne hadn't followed Nynaeve and Egwene, but it's pretty clear that she only used the One Power to knock them unconscious as a desperate measure, so that in and of itself isn't really the huge indicator of her being a baddie that I think some people think it is, at least for me.

 

I knew because of general spoilers that Liandrin was bad news bears, but that knowledge hasn't stopped me from being fascinated by her characterization, but I suspect that others who are truly unspoiled also find her fascinating and will continue to do so even after this episode and the next one (which I already know is going to hurt me emotionally even though I'm not generally a very emotional person).

This scene is almost word for word from the book so I think we can safely say her motivations and plans are the same as the book. 

[DigificWriter]

1 hour ago, Scarloc99 said:

This scene is almost word for word from the book so I think we can safely say her motivations and plans are the same as the book. 

 

I'm not disputing that she's a baddie in the show; my point is that I'm not sure it's obvious to non-readers/unspoiled viewers that she's a baddie based just on her actions in this episode.

[Ralph]

3 minutes ago, DigificWriter said:

 

I'm not disputing that she's a baddie in the show; my point is that I'm not sure it's obvious to non-readers/unspoiled viewers that she's a baddie based just on her actions in this episode.

There is also the Min/Liandrin/Ishamael nexus.  You don't think that makes it clear? 

[Elendir]

When I think about first 4 episodes, I am hit by revelation...

Season 2 did not introduce any of my favorite scenes in book 2 so far.

😟

 

[DigificWriter]

2 minutes ago, Ralph said:

There is also the Min/Liandrin/Ishamael nexus.  You don't think that makes it clear? 

 

There's been nothing in the show that links Ishy to Liandrin directly other than the meeting between Ishy and Min, so I'd say, no, it might not be as glaringly obvious just yet that Liandrin's bad as some people might think.

[Ralph]

2 minutes ago, Elendir said:

When I think about first 4 episodes, I am hit by revelation...

Season 2 did not introduce any of my favorite scenes in book 2 so far.

😟

 

 

Which of your favourite scenes are in the first half of the book? 

 

[Elendir]

47 minutes ago, Ralph said:

 

Which of your favourite scenes are in the first half of the book? 

 

 

They are mostly minor scenes, like when Mat and Perrin find Rand is dragon and Perrin defuse it by jokes.

When Lan made Rand stand before aes sedai proudly.

Or when Perrin speak with wolves about Rand and his night heist.

How Rand made "Selene" pout, because he change direction in last second despite compulsion.

 

Character building (Rand and Perrin), which earn them respect of shienars and build their characters for finale of book.

Edited September 10, 2023 by Elendir