I haven't watched S3E3 yet, but one observation I've had is the show seems to want to provide "natural" explanations for things. There's so little religion in the book, but even the sort of theological explanations we see about the Pattern and the Dark One seemed toned down. So for example, I'm looking at the endings of S1 and S2. Both of these books have really weird endings. I really didn't mind the idea behind the changes in S1, but still. End of S1 we get the Creator's voice removed. Not a big deal. But then end of S2 we lose the real battle in the sky. TBH this battle was always kind of weird, especially in respect to the later books. But still, there's something higher (the Pattern) at work drawing these prophecies and moments together and announcing it to the entire world. S2 just removes all of that. The conflict we see is much more "natural". Then the major announcement to the world is also not some larger power at work but just Moiraine doing something with the One Power. Now in S3E2 we have Bubbles of Evil. But rather than go with it being the Dark One's increasing influence and power rippling across the Pattern... It's just Lanfear and Moiraine conspiring to make things happen. A "natural" explanation. And these changes may all have had specific motivations to better set up specific arcs, but in each case it's taking almost theological/religious events of a sort and making them just the machinations of individuals at best, explaining them away. Maybe S3E3 has a major counter example. I'm curious to see. But I did want to observe that I've been disappointed in a lot of adaptations and expansions of beloved IPs recently. The ones that seem to resonate better are the ones that embrace the oddities and eccentricities of the source material, rather than be like "oh that won't work for a TV audience" according to our focus groups and executives. And by oddities I really don't just mean beat for beat adaptations, mind you. But just the wonkier stuff you see in the setting/original medium and just leaning into it rather than shying away. Whether Fallout or One Piece.

S3E2 was the first episode of WoT my wife has ever seen. She has not read any of the books. When Morgase killed her rivals right in the middle of court after promising forgiveness (of a sort), she was perplexed. She's not politically naïve. She also loves ASOIAF (which she's both read and watched). She found this to be a big political blunder. She asked me about it, and upon seeing my face, picked up it wasn't in the books. "Well, is she an unpopular, ruthless queen in the books?" she asked? "No," I replied, "she's generally had a popular reign and is pretty beloved." My wife laughed at that.

Just finished E2. Well that got off to a start with Morgase just executing her political rivals and breaking her word in public court. Going to just leave it there. Edit: To call out one thing I enjoyed was Lanfear messing with both Rand's and Egwene's dreams at the same time.

I'll provide them when I get there. The comment sounds promising. A few more E1 notes: So E1 reveals Mat's bluster is to hide some of his trauma. I'm not a fan of Egwene just walking away as she does. It gives her agency, I guess. But it doesn't really fit the book character, though between what she saw in the arches and what we know as readers I'm sure they're going for some irony. But I do think they had little choice to get the characters where they needed to go at this point, so Egwene needed such a break. (Could Siuane have instead assigned her to Rand? Maybe, but ah well.) The bubble of evil change still irks me, though I will give props to a scene otherwise very well done. Overall a much better episode of television in itself, apart from any book comparison, compared to past seasons. And again, I am a believer in changes for the medium. But that can be done while still staying true to the source material. The first five seasons of GOT (yes, even 4 and 5), all of Outlander so far, the LotR movies, the Hunger Games movies, even the later Harry Potter movies all feel like adaptations of the source material, where as the show feels more loosely inspired by it. But good casting. And this season so far has good direction and better writing. I'll get over my criticisms. Another thing I'll recognize is that this episode is moving pieces on the board. People need to go to places, and given previous changes in prior seasons things have to be set up differently. Like Egwene's choice after the test. I'm curious to see if we get a bit more on track with some book scenes, even if re-arranged, since the pieces have now been moved. Now I need to find time to read the rest of this thread.

I'm about halfway through episode one. A TV show or movie adaptation needs to adapt and condense. I've been supportive of the show in the past for this reason, and approved some of the structural changes, because at best we're looking at roughly 64 hours to fit in these fourteen books. Still, I think "it's an adaptation there will be changes" is also a saying that covers all manner of sins, as if there's no scale or degree of deviations--it's all just the same to some people (imagine if GOT S1E1 decided to have the Lannisters and Starks get into a battle at winterfell and Bran gets throne from a tower in an explosion, rather than the pretty faithful adaptation we got). And WoT is certainly playing fast and loose and doesn't really capture the vibe of the books for me. Pivoting to some positives, the overall writing does again feel like another step up from season two, which was a step up from season one. Cinematography, choreography, costuming, and acting all feels pretty great so far, in themselves. Mat also does feel quite a bit like how Mat should be, albeit he's a little too comfortable with his best friend being a male channeler compared to the books. But I'm okay with that, I guess, because we really haven't had much opportunity for the camaraderie and we also lack the book perspective of being in people's heads. He's not quite Mat "I'm no bloody hero", either, I'l recognize that for the naysayers, but really, I'm okay with it. Setting up Moiraine against Lanfear is again a deviation from the books. Not sure I believe it must be done this way, but between Rand and his romance with Lanfear it makes the stakes for Moiraine later this season a bit more obvious. I'm not really a fan of the scale of the opening scene, of the breakout of the Black Ajah. A massive explosion in the Tower. A massive fight. Killing each other in the streets. If they wanted to show the breakout I feel like it still could have been a bit more clandestine. I'm a bit worried we won't see Elaida's coup be as violent as it is simply because they put that focus here in the first episode. I also don't really think "It's a TV show, I turn my brain off and don't worry about logic" is a good excuse, either. The BA getting out of the Tower, just walking through the streets of Tar Valon in daylight. It just reeks of bad plotting and throwing up ones hands and not caring about solving the problems they write themselves into and this bugs me with so much media. Even if I accept the battle in the Hall, the street fight just felt superfluous, and again strained believability. There's a lot of things I don't mind in and of themselves. Elayne and Avi? Sure. But... there are some things that just irk me. Like Red sitters being deliberately refused entry to the Hall. The books has some shady politicking where they play fast and loose with protocol, but that blatant refusal wouldn't happen pre-Elaida's Tower (and even then). I haven't gotten to the Bubble of Evil yet, but someone wrote it has to do with Lanfear and Moiraine. Why? These things probably seem like the weirdest nitpicks of all things to some people. But these little detail changes seem unessential to me compared to other changes and just change the world into something else for me. Nitpicky, I know. Going to finish the episode.