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DRAGONMOUNT

A WHEEL OF TIME COMMUNITY

Chivalry

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Everything posted by Chivalry

  1. I think the CGI is better, I think the acting is fine (I like most of the actors). I still think the writing has been very inconsistent. I doubt the show will be winning any writing awards...with the exception of Episode 6, perhaps. That was a difficult episode to watch, but a moment where the show captured the horror of the Damane/Sul'dam relationship better than even the books. So I'd say S2 has been an improvement over S1, but I'm waiting on Episode 8. I need the writers to demonstrate they can end a season properly.
  2. I thought the earlier episodes of S2 were an improvement. I was not happy with the last episode. I thought the S1 finale was a huge letdown, so I will reserve judgment on the entire season until we see the Season 2 finale.
  3. It's not what I wanted, and not my favorite show (though the books are my favorite series), but I don't think it's bad, just not great. It still has some wonderful moments. Despite the inconsistent writing, there have been some terrific acting performances. I do think the show has done a poor job of reinforcing the history - Artur Hawkwing, the Karaethon Cycle, the destruction wrought by men wielding the power, etc. But they've only been given 8 episodes/season. If you do choose to continue watching, try to think of this as a different turning of the Wheel, or an alternate universe. Not knowing what to expect actually heightens the dramatic tension and can make the experience more enjoyable. Yup.
  4. Didn't the Aiel of the books consider wetlander women oppressed? In the last episode, IIRC, Aviendha asked Perrin if his ring meant that he was someone's property. Have they turned this stereotype upside down?
  5. 😂 This is probably the best description I've seen of this condition (a condition which I share). I remember recently posting that I'm not as emotionally attached to the series as before as it's been > 20 years since I first picked up the books, the changes add an element of unpredictability hence dramatic tension, so now I can just let go and enjoy, etc. And that's how I felt for most of the season. But for some reason, Episode 7 triggered me, and I've been asking "why?" for the past couple of days. I'm going to have to lean into that alternate timeline /universe explanation. Hey Rafe! How about a cold open that shows Rand, Mat, Perrin, Verin, and a troop of Shienaran soldiers standing next to a portal stone, reeling from the after effects of all that flickering? You can even label the scene "Universe 534" (like the last Doctor Strange film). It may be a bit heavy handed, but it makes the point.
  6. I definitely think this is the case, and that heightening the tension is one of the objectives. And I can see the benefit of weakening the young folk, so that they arrive at their strength through a process. Still, I felt the books established early on that Moiraine was special, even among Aes Sedai, and Lan was special, even among warders. Seeing them fail so often so early (or at least seeing them diminished, in the case of Moiraine) has been a bit of a letdown. Part of this, of course, is personal taste. We're not all going to appreciate the same aspects of the books. I do think RJ "trained" the readers to expect certain hierarchies (for lack of a better word), and he was a stickler for certain things (like what could and could not be said about the One Power). This person is stronger than that one by this much, this person is taller than that one, this person is more capable in this way than that one. After so many pages, we get accustomed to this type of precision. And the series does not seem at all attached to any of this sentiment. Does it matter? It might to some of us, but not everyone.
  7. This was a great scene. Early Faile was terrific. RJ really gave us some clever dialogue.
  8. I do recall at least one of the prior mentions, but that's my point - too many references but no clear explanation of why it matters. If they are going to provide some exposition, perhaps a brief explanation of the Karaethon Cycles would help, even if just a screen quote at the beginning of an episode, or a flashback scene of young Moiraine (or Verin) encountering or puzzling over the meaning of this particular prophecy. Better yet, let's have Sherlock Lan discover the prophecy all by himself.
  9. It's a tough task, but I'd rather the writers not use dialogue from the books if they have not provided context/meaning. It sounds silly without context. Lan tells Rand to use Cat Crosses the Courtyard. Casual viewers ask - what...and why? At least two references in Episode 7 to the Dragon Reborn fulfilling prophecy in the skies above Falme, but do casual viewers have any idea what is being quoted? Or why? Does having two Aes Sedai say the same thing a few minutes apart make it better? This could have been better handled by just displaying the text from the Karaethon Cycle at the opening of the episode without comment. Seriously, my dudes, show me, don't tell me. Or at least don't keep telling me.
  10. The game should be Chutes and Ladders, or maybe Hungry, Hungry Hippo, but otherwise I agree.
  11. I haven't seen any other comments on this, but I wasn't sure how to feel about Lan's dialogue with Rand before he was presented to the Amyrlin. While the scene was based on a similar moment in TGH, it did not feel earned. Amazon Show Lan has very little connection with Amazon Rand. Amazon Lan did not train Rand with the sword (he even seemed surprised/amused when Rand defensively reacted with one of the sword forms), and he hasn't really expressed much concern for anyone other than Moiraine or Nynaeve. In the context of the show, this scene felt like cheap fan service. Will we get the wonderful Ingtar speech from TGH in Episode 8? Again, if we do, it will not feel earned. Ingtar has barely spoken this season. We don't know this Ingtar. I do think the writing in general has improved from Season 1, but there are these truly annoying moments that are hard to overlook, and Episode 7 felt like the weakest episode this season.
  12. Wow, didn't know that. Too bad the actor wasn't cast as Ingtar. 😂
  13. Lan is in an abusive relationship, and he keeps coming back for more. I much preferred book Moiraine.
  14. So...Mat is no longer the son of battles, he's just a recalcitrant cutthroat and thief (in all those other lives)? Please tell me that's just a trick... Rand doesn't mind that Lanfear butchered half the Foregate to help him? Ingtar? Is he even part of the story? Nope, let's spend more time with Alanna's warders, they seem cool. First Uno, now Jolien? This episode hurts.
  15. Wow, Ms. Madden was terrific, as was the actress portraying the Sul'dam. Tough episode to watch.
  16. Unfortunately, Stepin got the character development, Ingtar is just background. And Ingtar was one of the high points of Book 2. Whatever.
  17. This is an interesting question. But I think Rhuidean is the more important plot point. Without the journey to the Three Fold Land, the story loses too much - not just in terms of Rand's development, but for the sake of Mat, Moiraine, Aviendha. TDR is more important for Perrin, but it looks like they've decided to accelerate his development this season.
  18. We need a Monty Python version of the WoT. Just imagine the Dark Friend/ Forsaken musical numbers (Always Look on the Bright Side of...the Shadow).
  19. Maybe he was relying on memories of LTT (a great swordsman) while ensconced in the void.
  20. This was one of the best written segments of Season 1. It reminds me of a dilemma experienced when composing something one considers wonderful but nevertheless feels completely out of place or extraneous. Maybe the writers fell in love with that subplot, however indulgent it turned out to be, and couldn't bring themselves to delete. On a side note, as a book reader, I can certainly think of at least one Shienaran character more deserving than Stepin of that kind of loving attention.
  21. Overall, I'm enjoying this season more than the first. I'm over the shock of the many, many changes to the source material. This allows me to enjoy the uncertainty of (not knowing) what comes next. Some of the changes are helpful, adding depth to characters/motivations. I've come to appreciate most of the performances. Plus, it's been nearly two years since the Amazon series debuted. It's been more than two decades since I discovered the world of Robert Jordan. My emotional attachment has definitely waned. It's easier to let things go. Is this the series I wanted? To invert that wonderful Dark Knight quote - maybe it's not the series we need, but perhaps it's the series we collectively deserve.
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