Rewatch Time

[Mailman]

18 hours ago, HeavyHalfMoonBlade said:

Sometimes you can't run, Rand. 

 

Perrin was suggesting something along the lines that Rand was already thinking, running away to keep everyone else safe, but also about how you cannot run from what is inside you. Mat had something similar with the dagger - that was entirely his fault - yet felt no sympathy and was talking about running from Rand to keep himself safe. 

 

In my opinion, Mat's character in the show is a good reconciliation of the the book character pre-healing (where Mat was the Gollum in the LOTR trope) and post-healing, where he is a completely different character, with different traits and abilities. Your denial that there was any change does lend support to your judgement of the show's adaptation, much less your claim that anyone that thinks differently is delusional. 

 

We see things differently, but this is not due to you liking or knowing the books better (especially not if you need to read a passage to remember what it said *joking*). 

Well i suppose if your view is as negative as it seems then TV Mat is somewhat accurate but for those of us that see Mat as honest, that has looked out for and protected his friends and put himself in harms way for the safety of the world then you can see how i would have a vastly different opinion.

[Mailman]

@DigificWriter Was Moiraine given a learning block in the TV show?

[HeavyHalfMoonBlade]

3 hours ago, Mailman said:

Well i suppose if your view is as negative as it seems then TV Mat is somewhat accurate but for those of us that see Mat as honest, that has looked out for and protected his friends and put himself in harms way for the safety of the world then you can see how i would have a vastly different opinion.

I think you have hit it on the head there. We all have different views of the characters and interpret them differently. Even Jordan's intentions don't set in stone how they are received. 

 

It is like Suian's uncle, who kept going back into the burning house to save the children. He was a hero when it mattered, but a lazy drunk when it didn't. Mat left to his own devices makes bad decisions. That doesn't make him a bad person, not at his core. Show Mat, even if he did steal the bracelet or prostitute himself or whatever, made a bad decision. But we never see him let his sisters down. When he meets the fade, he isn't running away but fighting to try to protect the girl, but he'll let Rand chop all the wood while he is warm and cozy. When it matters, he is there. 

 

Remember in the book, Mat repeatedly tries to get away from situations and out of danger but is defeated by his "luck" and being a ta'veren. To an extent, we see the best possible Mat as we see his heroism in saving the Wonder Girls, but being tied to the Dragon Reborn also stops him from drinking his life away and being like Suian's uncle. Imagine what being an addicted gambler would look like if you didn't always win. 

 

And this isn't to argue that your interpretation is "wrong", but to try and support why some people may see things differently, that doesn't rely on them being delusional or not true fans or whatever else. Mat is definitely a complex character and some people will emphasis different parts of it, and some people will judge him differently on his motives or on his actions.