Season 3 Trailer - Thoughts

[king of nowhere]

  On 2/13/2025 at 6:39 AM, Mailman said:

At 1.46 there is the scene of I think village women holding shields and spears those look truly terrible.

 

 

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haven't looked the other details closely, but i focused on that 1:46 and it looked great to me.

those shields look like they were improvised from pieces of dinner tables, and the weapons like they were refurbished farming implements. which is exactly what they are supposed to be

[Elder_Haman]

  On 2/13/2025 at 6:39 AM, Mailman said:

The barricade looks terrible and appears to have gaps at both ends. Why are the trollocs so spread out when charging a concentrated defence just seems to be an insane tactic to run in that widely spaced out.

Archers seeming to be holding bows at about half drawn while the arrows are pointing directly towards the front ranks of their own soldiers. The fact that trollocs when shot with arrows are thrown backwards by the force of the arrows. 

The standard of the weapons throughout the early release stuff has been questionable at best often looking fake.

At 1.46 there is the scene of I think village women holding shields and spears those look truly terrible.

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It seems to me that the trailer is cut strangely. I'll get to that. 

 

First Two Rivers footage is at :36 and it is unclear to me what the perspective is. Initially, it looked like a big gap in a barrier to me. Looking at it again, it's more of a makeshift barricade and there may be some elevation. I don't have the time to play with the light, but its really unclear exactly what is happening in this shot. (But Perrin looks savage)

 

1:46 villagers holding makeshift shields, spears and bills. What I took to be a very dull looking spear at first glance is actually a bill hook. This seems pretty spot on to the books, though I do note that all of the villagers appear to be women. 

 

1:49 trollocs massing and making their way down a mountain road. A drop on one side, mountain face on the other making a natural funnel. There are barriers in the middle of the road. Good tactics.

 

1:51 - this is where I think it is weirdly cut. Dude yells "Archers!"; cut to shot of multiple people drawing. All the bows are pointed up in this shot - appropriate to an actual volley, presumably aimed at the trollocs who are all grouped up in the middle of the road.

 

But then... 1:52 cut to a woman with her bow aiming straight forward. Then cut to "LOOSE!".

1:53 arrows flying in a volley. Then cut to dude aiming his bow straight forward and firing as trollocs and darkfriends rush in. 

 

To me, these seem like two separate shots cut together to make something that doesn't really make sense. But if you assume the "Archers, loose" part with a volley of arrows happens in one scene and then the straight shooting at charging trollocs happens later during the battle as they overwhelm the barriers, it makes more sense. 

 

  The Aiel spears look bad though, I'll definitely give you that.

Edited February 13 by Elder_Haman

[Mailman]

  On 2/13/2025 at 4:00 PM, Elder_Haman said:

 

1:46 villagers holding makeshift shields, spears and bills. What I took to be a very dull looking spear at first glance is actually a bill hook. This seems pretty spot on to the books, though I do note that all of the villagers appear to be women. 

 

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The shields look extremely fake to me.

 

Also not that sure the value of the shields except to block arrows and if you are defending in the town I think it would be more advantageous to cover behind buildings and other structures and use both hands for spears. With the overwhelming strength of a trolloc a melee hit to a shield would be incapacitating especially if holding only with 1 hand.

Edited February 14 by Mailman

[king of nowhere]

  On 2/14/2025 at 6:37 AM, Mailman said:

The shields look extremely fake to me.

 

Also not that sure the value of the shields except to block arrows and if you are defending in the town I think it would be more advantageous to cover behind buildings and other structures and use both hands for spears. With the overwhelming strength of a trolloc a melee hit to a shield would be incapacitating especially if holding only with 1 hand.

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Only a solid blow would be incapacitating, a shield still has value. Especially behind a spear wall.

That said, nobody ever tried to fight against opponents of superhuman strenght, so there are no tested tactics for that. The closest exammple i know is romans against celts, though: the average roman was 1.65 meters, the average celt was 1.85, and yet despite the difference in size and strenght the shield wall was very effective. 

So, we don't know what exactly would work best against actual trollocs, and i'm willing to give anything shown some leeway.

 

As a larger point, hollywood tactics worry me a lot, and the show has done poorly in the past  but the two river battle is supposed to be dumb brutes against untrained farmers, so if the tactics used are poor, it's only to be expected.

 

they'll have a much harder time persuading me that mat has become a great general, but that won't happen until the next season

Edited February 14 by king of nowhere

[Irvyne]

I see scenes that are recognizable from Shadow Rising, and I dare to let myself think...

Maybe THIS TIME they'll finally get it right...

I feel like such a sucker. -_-

[Skipp]

There is just so much in this trailer it is difficult to organize my thoughts.

 

The Exciting!

• Perrin is my favourite character in the series and his story in tSR is amazing.  The trailer is giving me massive hype for the Two Rivers plot this season.  I love the look of Perrins armour and axe.
• Lolial's makeup seems to be..... better this season.  The two shots of him in the trailer just looked better than previous seasons.
• Everything we have seen of Rhuidhean is fantastic.  The shots of the columns and the rings are gorgeous.  Certainly they surpass my imagination of what they looked like.
• I think it was a really good decision to have Josha play his past lives when Rand takes his trip through the Columns.  In the couple of shots we have the crew have done a solid job of making him look different enough that it shouldn't be to confusing for non-readers.  Although I am sure some people are going to be extremely confused when we have Da'shain Rand meet Mierin and think, huh I thought he was Lews Therin in the AoL.
• It sounds like going to the Waste is going to be Rand's idea.  I am glad they kept it this way.
• Laia Costca is frigging creepy as Moghedien. enough said.
• The Black Ajah battle at the tower is looking promising.  I was a little worried when we initially heard about it but the couple of shots we have look solid.
• Looks like we are getting more Tel'aran'rhiod and the beginning of Egwene's dreamwalking abilities. 

 

The Disappointing =(

• Seems my prediction was wrong and we will not be getting Gaul in Perrin's story this season, if ever.  But at least we have Bain and Chiad going to the Two Rivers, I do appreciate their dynamic in the books.
• Not enough Mat in the trailer but I suppose that is why we got the feature last week starring him.  But at least we know he is getting the Foxhead Medallion this season!
• I am concerned about the pacing for this season.  The trailer showcases so many things and I just don't know how they are going to fit it into the 8 50 minute episodes and not feel rushed.  And this is coming from someone who doesn't mind a brisk pace(Arcane season 2).
• A minor thing but I am disappointed that Bair will be taking over Amys role in the book.  Ultimately a minor character and a minor change but I just liked Amys in the books.  Sarah Nakamura explained why this happened.  That it was a late dollars & cents thing versus a creative thing and had they had circumstances been different they would have likely swapped the other way.  But oh wells

I am sure I have more thoughts but this is all I could get out this morning.

[DreadLord31]

A couple more thoughts: 

I think the Avi line, “Our people have been waiting for the Car’na’carn’s arrival. To think it might be you.” (disappointed tone) is going to be in TV in Ep1 at the Lights Blessing. And Rand is going to be taking it hard that the Aiel don’t believe in him. I think his arc this season, for the most part, will be about winning the Aiel to his side. 
 

Then I think the Elayne line, “Make them believe in you, and they will follow you to the ends of the earth.” is also in Ep1 at the Inn in TV. 
 

And I think Egwene’s line, “Do you love her?” Will be in reference to Rand and Elayne at the Inn in TV in Ep1 too. 

 

I think the WT fight scenes will be Ep1. 

But I think most of the other lines and shots are probably episodes 6 & 7 where we’ll get the 2Rivers battle & the rings//past lives of Rand & Moiraine seeing possible futures where Lanfear kills her over and over. 
 

I also predict from the trailer that 

  Reveal hidden contents

Lanfear and Moiraine both “die” at the end of this season! 

 

[Mailman]

  On 2/15/2025 at 10:16 PM, DreadLord31 said:

And I think Egwene’s line, “Do you love her?” Will be in reference to Rand and Elayne at the Inn in TV in Ep1 too. 

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Bloody hell I hope not, they have shared what 1 scene in total and you are thinking less than an episode later they could be accused of being in love.

 

[Elder_Haman]

  On 2/16/2025 at 1:12 AM, Mailman said:

Bloody hell I hope not, they have shared what 1 scene in total and you are thinking less than an episode later they could be accused of being in love.

 

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I think it is a reference to Lanfear, not Elayne. 

[Mailman]

  On 2/16/2025 at 3:51 AM, Elder_Haman said:

I think it is a reference to Lanfear, not Elayne. 

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Ah ok if thats the case it's better, not great, but better.

[Skipp]

  On 2/16/2025 at 3:51 AM, Elder_Haman said:

I think it is a reference to Lanfear, not Elayne. 

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Agreed, I think Egwene will spot Rand with Lanfear in Tel'aran'rhiod.  Maybe that is who Lanfear appears to be looking at while kissing Rand in that one shot.

[notpropaganda73]

Hi everyone, it's been a while. 

 

My main worry for S3 is pacing and how they handle the multiple story threads they are showing. Rand in the Waste, Perrin in the Two Rivers, Mat in Tanchinco (I hated the tease they shared of him the other week). I am worried because I don't feel sufficient work has been done on these characters, specifically Rand, to carry a season of action and fast plot. Episodes, events, characters will need time to breathe a little bit, and I don't know if they have that time. 

 

They are introducing big big concepts in this season, and have fumbled big concepts in seasons past (saidin/saidar anyone?). They have shown a good ability to explain complex ideas from the world of WoT in concise ways (Wolfbrothers, the dream, the Wheel itself). Rhuidean is such a core part of the entire story, of Rand's character and who he becomes, why he chooses to do things later on etc. They have not done a good job with Rand in the first two seasons for me, not at all, so they have a lot of work in this season. And when you combine that with all of the other story elements - I am worried. 

 

But, the trailer excited me! So it has done it's job, I'll be watching on release day! 

[Elder_Haman]

  On 2/17/2025 at 4:17 PM, notpropaganda73 said:

(I hated the tease they shared of him the other week).

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Interesting. Why? I felt like it was the first time we saw the real Mat from the books. 

[Kaleb]

  On 2/17/2025 at 4:17 PM, notpropaganda73 said:

But, the trailer excited me! So it has done it's job, I'll be watching on release day! 

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Right there with you!

As to all the concerns, it's WAFO as always. I'm sure it will be less than perfect, but what we've seen of S3 so far is genuinely exciting.

[expat]

  On 2/17/2025 at 4:17 PM, notpropaganda73 said:

Hi everyone, it's been a while. 

 

My main worry for S3 is pacing and how they handle the multiple story threads they are showing. Rand in the Waste, Perrin in the Two Rivers, Mat in Tanchinco (I hated the tease they shared of him the other week). I am worried because I don't feel sufficient work has been done on these characters, specifically Rand, to carry a season of action and fast plot. Episodes, events, characters will need time to breathe a little bit, and I don't know if they have that time. 

 

 

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You nailed one of the main reasons that WoT is such a hard adaptation.  How they handle the multiple threads that dominate most of the last series is critical.  Given that there are often 6-7 threads going simultaneously, they will have to combine or eliminate some of them.  They also have to be compelling viewing outside the main plot line to keep the series from bogging down.

You have also presented a great refutation of the absolute "closer to the book", "concentrate on Rand's POV" viewpoint.  Once they split into threads, the other characters must carry the show.  If you question if the other characters have been defined well enough to trust they can carry the show in non-main plot threads, even with 2 years of ensemble-based shows, then a sole focus on Rand, like in the books, would have been disastrous.  I am less concerned about Rand since he is the focus of the main plot, allowing plenty of time to fill out his character.

[DreadLord31]

  On 2/16/2025 at 1:12 AM, Mailman said:

Bloody hell I hope not, they have shared what 1 scene in total and you are thinking less than an episode later they could be accused of being in love.

 

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Maybe later on in the season, since upon closer looks at the stills - Egwene and Rand are going to be in the waste together and going into the dream world. I still think it’ll be in reference to Elayne and not Lanfear though. 

[LTL]

Agreed that it will be in reference to Elayne and not Lanfear. The trailer is shot to make you think it refers to Lanfear but I don't think it will be. It doesn't make a lot of sense that Egwene would believe that Rand was genuinely in love with Lanfear and it doesn't feel like the right reaction if she did. Feels like some sort of disgust and/or bafflement would be in her mix of emotions. Also the tears and agony on Rand's face suggest a situation where he does love the person in question and is devastated about upsetting Egwene. If you ignore the sequence of shots in the trailer and just watch the few seconds in isolation, I think Lanfear being the topic is unlikely. 

[Elder_Haman]

  On 2/19/2025 at 10:39 PM, LTL said:

Agreed that it will be in reference to Elayne and not Lanfear. The trailer is shot to make you think it refers to Lanfear but I don't think it will be. It doesn't make a lot of sense that Egwene would believe that Rand was genuinely in love with Lanfear and it doesn't feel like the right reaction if she did. Feels like some sort of disgust and/or bafflement would be in her mix of emotions. Also the tears and agony on Rand's face suggest a situation where he does love the person in question and is devastated about upsetting Egwene. If you ignore the sequence of shots in the trailer and just watch the few seconds in isolation, I think Lanfear being the topic is unlikely. 

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Counterpoint: this season is about Rand drifting away from his friends into madness. Part of that is because of the Taint. But Lanfear, playing the long game, is pushing on those cracks. 
 

She will use the dream to lure Egwene in where she catches him with Rand, prompting the question. When you listen to the audio, Egwene sounds genuinely distressed by the thought that he does. Why would the thought of him loving Elayne distress her? 

[LTL]

  On 2/19/2025 at 10:48 PM, Elder_Haman said:

Counterpoint: this season is about Rand drifting away from his friends into madness. Part of that is because of the Taint. But Lanfear, playing the long game, is pushing on those cracks. 
 

She will use the dream to lure Egwene in where she catches him with Rand, prompting the question. When you listen to the audio, Egwene sounds genuinely distressed by the thought that he does. Why would the thought of him loving Elayne distress her? 

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In the show, Egwene is devastated because she believes Rand is dead, having been clearly in a relationship with him up to that point. She then finds out he is alive at the end of season 2 and we can probably assume that in season 3 she starts off assuming that they will still be in a relationship. She will have a ton of emotions about the whole situation. To then discover that Rand is in love with her friend would probably be pretty distressing for her. My take on watching the scene is that Egwene will still love Rand early in season 3 and this scene is her discovering that he loves Elayne instead. Also, Rand's reaction seems off if it's Lanfear. 

 

Of course, all is possible until we see the episodes, so perhaps your counterpoint turns out to be correct 🙂

[Elder_Haman]

  On 2/19/2025 at 11:00 PM, LTL said:

Rand's reaction seems off if it's Lanfear. 

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What reaction? He doesn't say anything. And it's not clear that the clip of Rand they show after Eggy says, "do you love her?" is even from the same scene. 

 

I think the look from Lanfear while she is kissing Rand on the rock is extremely telling - it's the same rock where Rand and Egwene had their tender moment in S1. Lanfear looks directly at someone with that little smirk on her face. I'm assuming this is where Eggy comes upon them in the dream.

 

I agree that Egwene would be up in her feelings if Rand was with Elayne. And I'm not discounting the possibility entirely. But the question seems more incredulous than jealous. More like, "how could you possibly love a forsaken?" than "how could you be in love with the really cute princess?" But I could be reading it wrong.

[Skipp]

Rand did admit he loved Selene in like episode 3. While the shock of learning her true identity could change it I doubt all his feelings are gonna.  Especially if Lanfear is going to appear more sympathetic this season as she tries to manipulate him more to her side.

 

Actually it will be interesting to see how they play with that as Lanfear attempts to avoid the notice of the other Forsaken.  Moghedien's threat seemed quite real.

[DreadLord31]

  On 2/19/2025 at 10:48 PM, Elder_Haman said:

Counterpoint: this season is about Rand drifting away from his friends into madness. Part of that is because of the Taint. But Lanfear, playing the long game, is pushing on those cracks. 

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There is no evidence (that I know of) that that is what this season will be about. It’s not like they’ve been all that “book faithful” in the first two seasons. 
I think this season will be about Rand trying to win Avi and Elayne & their people (Aiel and Camelyn) to his side. 
 

“To think you might be the Car’na’carn” -Avi 

“Make them believe in you, and they’ll follow you to the ends of the earth.” - Elayne
 

Yes, I know they’ve said this season more aligns with book 4 … but they also have to majorly fast track things if you only have 7 seasons and 8 one hour episodes. 
 

So that would include in the first half of this season establishing a love plot with Elayne & then when Eggy and Rand go to the waste I think they could explore the “you’re with my best friend now?” dynamic. Could be wrong. I just really doubt that the “do you love her” will be in reference to Lanfear. 

[LTL]

  On 2/19/2025 at 11:10 PM, Elder_Haman said:

What reaction? He doesn't say anything. And it's not clear that the clip of Rand they show after Eggy says, "do you love her?" is even from the same scene. 

 

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The look on his face and the tears. It looked to me the emotions of someone saying "I'm so so sorry but I do." I didn't expect that they will continue the Rand actually loving Lanfear theme now that he knows who it is but you and Skipp are right that they might. Seems very plausible now that I think about it, even though it's hard for me to imagine from book Rand.

 

It looks like the same scene but you're right that it might not be. You make some good counterpoints and I'm not as sure as I was before reading them. With such a short clip, it's always possible that with a little more context, the scene would look and feel very different so it could go either way. Time will tell, looking forward to watching and finding out!

Edited February 20 by LTL

[notpropaganda73]

  On 2/17/2025 at 4:34 PM, Elder_Haman said:

Interesting. Why? I felt like it was the first time we saw the real Mat from the books. 

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I really dislike characters breaking the fourth wall unless it's a method of storytelling already established within a show. It came across as extremely hokey, unnatural and forced in my opinion. If they were concerned about Mat not being in the main trailer, then release a small 1-2 minute scene of him in a bar gloating about the Horn. They could even have made a joke about him calling himself the Hornblower only for whoever he's talking to to mock him for how that sounds.

 

Never mind the clips of casually having the Horn out and about as it seemed. Just all felt off to me.

[Wassup]

I think there is a bit of clipping scenes together for effect.  Like when Lanfear is kissing Rand and looks over his shoulder and they cut to Eggy.  It gives the impression that Lanfear is looking at here.  However, these seem to be two different scenes as Eggy has appeared in the waste and is meeting Bair for the first time.  That is why Bair is saying, "You do not belong here."

 

The Eggy ? of do you love her appears shows her dressed the same as the part of the teaser trailer scene where her and Rand are laying on the rug looking a little uncomfortable.  I am not sure it is the same scene as Rand looking weepy eyed.  She is posing her question to someone wearing a vest (looks like Rand).  It looks to me like he is wearing a sleeved jacket in the next image.  I most definitely could be wrong about that.  But to me, it looks like a different jacket from the one he is wearing in the aforementioned teaser trailer scene.

 

In the TV scene with Liandrin being held up by Suian, does it look like they were going to still her?  Logain was in a similar position when they gentled him.