I'm confused, please help :)

[EmreY]

Help me?

 

But first, hear me out.  I really enjoyed S2.  There were a few episodes where I think things went off the rails - eg any time spent with Lan peeing -  but overall I thought it was solid, and I enjoyed it on my binge rewatch.  However, there are a few things that I just can't get my head round, and so I don't know whether it's a 6/10 or a 9/10.

 

I'm not a huge fan of RJ's writing either, and believe that the books would have benefited tremendously from a much less complaisant editor, so it's not as though I'm in any shape or form a die-hard fan of the books.  I'm approaching this whole thing from a mixture of the logic of the TV series and the books combined, which may be one of the reasons why I'm confused.  One thing I can say is that - sometimes - I preferred S2 to the books.  And sometimes I felt completely adrift.

 

The TV series suffers from an imposed length, during which we sometimes barely have to breathe, and when we do, it's to digress - interestingly, admittedly - into eg Barthanes's backstory.  RJ too had far too many things up in the air at the same time, so in that at least the series does the books justice.

 

OK, enough intro.  Now onto why I'm not sure whether this is a 6/10 or a 9/10.  Let me give some examples just from the end of E8.

 

In the first Rand versus Ishy face-off, is "I will never serve him...  I know that.. I'm sure of it" braggadocio or is there someone else to it?

 

Moiraine ends her impossible stunt and decides to weave a sky banner for Rand.  She starts channelling fire - and then fire comes from a completely different direction to turn into an (IMO) excessively detailed dragon curling around the Tower.  Is this intentional?  What does it mean?  Asmodean being artistic?

 

When the Seanchan decide to shield Rand, there's a group of them that does so, versus just the Amyrlin in E7.  Now, Siuan is probably far better trained and nuanced than any damane, but these are eight of the most powerful damane the Seanchan have.  Is this a very broad hint that it has become more difficult to constrain Rand, or that Ishy&Co are just being very careful?  (I get why Rand seems less distraught, because he's experienced this before.)

 

Likewise, in the E5+E versus Ishy standoff - which I find a little dubious overall, whatever training Egwene might have recently got - Rand, after the shield has dropped off, emerges from behind the shield and skewers Ishy.  Is there any indication he is shielding (I think there might be, at least at the beginning when he gets up) or any indication that he is prepared to defend against Ishy, or does this mean that Rand is already supremely unconcerned about people attacking him with channelling?  (Much as he is for some time after the Dragonmount conversation?) I think there is more to this than just sloppy writing.  In both S1E8 and S2E8, Rand does amazing things, breaking cuendillar in his third? channelling attempt (aided by an angreal), and then disposing of Ishy as easy as anything.  People talk about Nynaeve and Egwene doing incredible things, but this Rand almost seems to be beyond the one in the cave towards the end of the last book.

 

If this is a very, very slow, infuriatingly teasing reveal, then I'm all for it, and this season gets a 9/10 - as great as we're going to get with the time constraints.  If it's a disjointed thing just because it's cool or whatever, I'm at a 6/10.  Fun, but that's it.  (If it is a very, very slow reveal, then actually I prefer it to the books.)

 

I dunno, really.  Your thoughts?

[DaddyFinn]

On 10/8/2023 at 6:41 PM, EmreY said:

In the first Rand versus Ishy face-off, is "I will never serve him...  I know that.. I'm sure of it" braggadocio or is there someone else to it?

Might be old memories seeping through and he feels like it's true. Hard to say. In S2E7 when Siuan&Rand talk, Rand says "I won't live in your cage" there's a funny distortion/echo in his voice. LTT already?

 

On 10/8/2023 at 6:41 PM, EmreY said:

Moiraine ends her impossible stunt and decides to weave a sky banner for Rand.  She starts channelling fire - and then fire comes from a completely different direction to turn into an (IMO) excessively detailed dragon curling around the Tower.  Is this intentional?  What does it mean?  Asmodean being artistic?

I noticed it too. Maybe Lanfear did that? I doubt it was all Moiraine.

 

On 10/8/2023 at 6:41 PM, EmreY said:

When the Seanchan decide to shield Rand, there's a group of them that does so, versus just the Amyrlin in E7.  Now, Siuan is probably far better trained and nuanced than any damane, but these are eight of the most powerful damane the Seanchan have.  Is this a very broad hint that it has become more difficult to constrain Rand, or that Ishy&Co are just being very careful?  (I get why Rand seems less distraught, because he's experienced this before.)

Lan has said in S2E7 it takes 8 Aes Sedai to gentle/still a channeler and not even a Forsaken can do it alone. While that may not be 100% true, it seems that 8 is the magic number in the show instead of 13. Ishy asked Suroth if her sul'dam&damane knew how to gentle a man. It seems plausible they were prepared to do it if ordered to. 8 for sure can hold Rand at this state. Maybe not in the future when he's stronger and experienced.

 

On 10/8/2023 at 6:41 PM, EmreY said:

Likewise, in the E5+E versus Ishy standoff - which I find a little dubious overall, whatever training Egwene might have recently got - Rand, after the shield has dropped off, emerges from behind the shield and skewers Ishy.  Is there any indication he is shielding (I think there might be, at least at the beginning when he gets up) or any indication that he is prepared to defend against Ishy, or does this mean that Rand is already supremely unconcerned about people attacking him with channelling?  (Much as he is for some time after the Dragonmount conversation?) I think there is more to this than just sloppy writing.  In both S1E8 and S2E8, Rand does amazing things, breaking cuendillar in his third? channelling attempt (aided by an angreal), and then disposing of Ishy as easy as anything.  People talk about Nynaeve and Egwene doing incredible things, but this Rand almost seems to be beyond the one in the cave towards the end of the last book

This is an interesting question with no clear answer yet. I suggest looking at the "rainbow theory"

 

 

 

 

[EmreY]

6 hours ago, DaddyFinn said:

This is an interesting question with no clear answer yet. I suggest looking at the "rainbow theory"

 

 

 

 

 

To me, it seems that he first extends the shield and then absorbs the Isht-blasts.