One thing about the wedding that threw me, and yes books and show are different, is I don't think any culture shown in books WoT has that level of gender dichotomy where a man basically owns a woman and child marriage is legal or a norm. Even the cultures mentioned as practicing horrible slavery don't have that particular dichotomy. Though I think we already had this discussion when it was presented as part of Liandrin's backstory. That's very (dare I say it) Games of Thronesy and touching on some contemporary issues.

Should recent discussion be in spoilers tags?

This is just an "ackshually" moment on my part, nothing to do with the show... Outside of the books, both Jordan and Sanderson confirmed (for better or worse) that gender is a soul attribute in the Wheel of Time world. Interviews with both with direct answers are included here. https://www.theoryland.com/intvsresults.php?kwt='dragon soul'

The second Callandor was mentioned as the most powerful male sa'angreal and it having an equivalent for the female half of the True Source it seemed obvious this is the way they're going. Happy for the confirmation, though. I am on board with the simplification. Like I detailed earlier in my full books spoiler post, I am... interested in how they handle a couple plot points that are put in conflict because of the simplificiation.

While I appreciated seeing a lot of references in this episode to the Flame and Void and Aiel culture, I did feel like they were kind of sloppily fed in at the last minute rather than built up naturally over the course of multiple seasons (or even just this one season). It's like "oh here, lore. And more lore. And more lore" like rattling off a list. Some of it is hard because you're not in a character's head and need an excuse to talk about it, and Lan and Rand missed their sword training until this season.

It should also be remembered that in Book 4 there is still so much that is vague and we don't know, whether lore-wise or from a limited character perspective. At this point in the books Rand is still channeling very instinctively with very little idea about what he's doing. He can do very little with the One Power consistently. He can't even consistently seize the source to weild it. His terminology for describing what he's doing is all over the place. It's not until the next book he (and therefore the reader) even begins to get a grasp of it, and it still takes multiple books to really flesh a lot out. We do have some insight because we at least know what Egwene, Elayne, and Nynaeve were taught in the Tower in books 2 and 3, so they have some fundamentals to understand how weaving saidar works, some of which we can apply to Rand. But before they were trained they couldn't see the flows to weave with, or know any specific weaves, or or sense when another woman was channeling. Reincarnation is also not something that gets fully explained in the books. There's not anything suggesting blood descent, and we do get some additional insight they haven't delved into yet, but the in world belief of the characters in reincarnation is not something they have any actual hard data about. A lot of what we know which is vague to in world characters has been clarified by Jordan and Sanderson. And people still come on with questions or misunderstandings about balefire, reincarnation, the Ages, the Wheel that we as a community kind of have cultural knowledge about from discussing Jordan's and Sanderson's words (in addition to the books) which feels obvious. Now all of those details are fun, but they're not necessary for following the plot, so it's not like Jordan made mistakes and forgot to put things into the books. There are just things in world characters don't know but which Jordan has fleshed out as background for his world.

The show Tower is obviously much more generous in the liberties it gives its novices and accepted so it's hard to judge, but still. Edit: For comparison, though, book accepted aren't at liberty to just leave the Tower/Tar Valon of their own accord to do what they want.

Egwene stated a condition for returning for testing, but after the test she told Siuan to F off in so many words and admitted to only using her.

This is the type of stuff that'd get you doing penance on a farm for three years.

I get Elder Haman's comments, but come on, basically telling an authority figure that you just used her and are going to ignore what she tells you to do is just what it is to tell someone you don't accept their authority to tell you to stay. An Accepted does that in the books and she is literally dragged by her ear to the Mistress of Novices for penance and possible switching and kitchen duties for a month, assuming the Aes Sedai doesn't just tie her up with air and/or switch her there with weaves of air for such flagrant disrespect to an Aes Sedai, let alone the Amyrlin.

I do wonder about the reduction of sa'angreal for the show. Full series book spoilers ahoy:

3000+ years goes beyond the limits of believability, I think (though they get rather vivid reminders through the Columns), but we today are also in a much more individualistic culture. Certainly throughout history people have seen obligations and shared responsibilities across time and a people.

The Aiel have long forgotten the reason for their breakup with the Tuatha'an, at least those who aren't clan chiefs and wise ones. However, the original division was because the Tuatha'an abandoned their oaths to the Aes Sedai to transport certain things to safety. They became "lost" in this way. The Aiel also have a strong warrior culture, and don't really understand the pacifism of the Tuatha'an. Still, the Tuatha'an are one of the few people the Aiel let cross the Wastes to the nations on the other side unmolested. They don't antagonize them. At least, it is very strongly taboo to bother them.

Well, can't remember exactly how the show covers it. To break it down: First, there may be multiple lineages a person has. The Columns are specifically tracing back Rand's Aiel lineage. Second, the visions Rand has in the columns are not his prior lives or incarnations. He is just experiencing events through the eyes of his ancestors. But these were different people and different souls. Third, Rand has no known blood relation to Lews Therin. Lews Therin was his most recent prior life, his most recent incarnation before Rand al'Thor. But the cycle of reincarnation is not tied to blood ancestry at all. One can reincarnate into someone who you have no blood relation with. The numbering wasn't meant to be presented in an abrasive way. Sorry if it comes across as such. Edit: And sorry if my phrasing in my last post was obscure or confusing. When I wrote "Rand lives as..." I didn't mean that to imply it was his prior life. I was just trying to capture that he isn't just witnessing events as an external watcher, but he is experiencing that event as his ancestor, with all their emotions and investment. But my phrasing could be confusing when reincarnation is such a key part of this world.

I don't think we're doing any of Book 5 this season or revisiting Book3 plot points. In addition to the rest of Rand's arc, we still have Perrin, we still have Elayne and Nynaeve (and Mat) in Tanchico. And I expect to see Mat and the red door, too. We already had Min's vision of him hanging from the red door. And then the rest of Rand's book arc (which will probably be simplified). I expect we'll see Book 5 events around Cairhien transposed to Tear next season, and bring back some Book 3 plot points.