When you think about it, the Ogier willingly supporting an empire that enslaves people seems against Ogier way and culture, as we have seen in Randland, so I am really curious to how the Ogier developed culturally in the Seanchan continent and how they came to support joining the Deathwatch, and whatever other roles they have in the Empire. Perhaps they didn't experience the Longing, but I have a feeling the Breaking changed them in other significant ways. Maybe it was a forced choice. But either way, when you dig deep, there's got to be some fundamental differences in their values.

I don't think Perrin is immune to compulsion...but using it on him successfully probably took a lot of care and sublty, which I know Lanfear was capable of. My interpretation is that she slowly got to know how he thought and maybe did small weaves on him until the end. She was probably also assisted by the fact the area around the hole in the D.O.'s prison was somewhat in the dream world. Perrin was duped by Lanfear and I applaud how well she did it, cause the readers were duped as well lol

Some things I liked, some I hated. I liked: Rand's confrontation with the Dark One Demandred not having the luxury of fighting Rand. Sorry bub. The Asha'man being recognized as true guardians by the people. All the chaos of the various battles. The turned channelers being captured for rehabilitation by the Ogier. loved it lol I did NOT like: Siuan getting killed off screen. Egwene having to die. Honestly, pissed me off. Rand got to live, but after all her struggle, Eggy died? Just so she could yell at Rand as he confronted the Dark One? WTF. Alanna's storyline and role at the end. Kinda a dud. I hope they do better in the show. The final confrontation of killing of Padin Fain was also a dud to me. I expected more and I hoped that his presence would really cause some chaos between both the dark and light forces. He was setup as a wild card, and then he's just killed off handedly. Boring. The confrontations between Rand and Egwene. I think Brandon really missed the mark and their talks were off character and dismissed all the character development both made. Alivia's role at the end. I think Brandon's interpretation of how she "helped him to die" was incorrect. I wanted her to have a more interesting role. Maybe even be the one that finalized the body swap. It's still possible she did, as the scene after Rand leaves the cave is kind of vague...but still.

Honestly, she took my love of Verin and elevated it to new levels. I really love her take on the character.

Yas! Bringit! I am a glutton for all content WoT related! Maybe maybe one day we'll get the post-final battle spin off and see Mat and Tuon's work in the Seanchan lands. Maybe =]

I think the show is doing a fantastic job of having Rand's journey be more realistic and him come into his own with the power. We see little sparks of how powerful he is (like when he takes out Turak, and he seems surprised after like "holy shit did I just do that?"), but he doesn't have the control and it's made very clear with the Aes Sedai shielding him like he's a child. It's very believable, and I think it fits well with a TV show. In the books, we had patience (mostly) to deal with RJ's inconsistencies with the power levels. RJ had to retroactively add in challenges to the hero's so that their power levels didn't just make things too easy. Madness and sickness for Rand. Block for Nyn. Duty, capture, and apprenticeship for Eggy. Duty for Elayne. Etc. It made things a little confusing at times because there would be chapters of struggle that were suddenly resolved by a quick power blast moment from one of the heroes. And they have the challenge of having to make the struggles visible...where-as in the books we had the luxury of inner dialogue to exemplify the struggle. I also like how they are subtly showing the different channeling strengths, styles, and talent in the show. As well as context. I hope non-book readers are picking up on these things and are really trying to question why the Forsaken seem so fast and talented compared with the Aes Sedai. I hope they give us more moments of Rand seeming to 'remember' a complicated weave and then be surprised (again like the one he did with Turak, that was later repeated by Ishamael so clearly seemed to be drawn from an AoL memory.), and then unable to repeat the weave at a later time.

I can't recall if it was said directly by RJ or how it was info, but we know that the Ogier on the Seanchan lands did not experience the longing, as there were apparently more stedding and they had access to them. They seem to have a very different history post-breaking than the mainland Ogier, including some how going from peaceful singers to guards/policemen to the Empire.

Here's my thinking, besides them stretching things a bit for plot point (which we have already seen them do). 1. Moraine convinced herself that so long as Rand is shielded, he is in danger of dying, and therefore, ALL of the world is in danger of death. No Rand, No Dragon, means end of the world and the Dark One wins. It's a stretch, but I think Mory is quite capable of mental gymnastics to accomplish this. The explosions were focused on the ships and, though also a stretch, she may have reasoned folks had a chance to save themselves. 2. She isn't over powered, because it looks like her weaves were quit big and took quite some time to gather up. She may have been right at the edge of her power level and straining herself. I think the "dragon" later was a mix of fire and illusion, which probably wouldn't require as much one power as a true fire dragon. I'm not confident she had the angreal any longer. But again I think they ramped things up a bit for plot and effects. Including the cheesy dragon at the end. lol Not as bad as they did for Season 1 finally, but close.

In ref to Rand's unwillingness to hurt women, and how it grew and expanded over time (esp in reference to the list of women who died), I always attributed it to one of the effects of madness that was less obvious than hearing voices. I did think it went a bit too far and wasn't realistic, but if you think in terms of madness it makes more sense. Obsessions like that can easily develop and have far reaching effects in someone's psych. It's kind of a loose theory though. Ultimately I didn't like RJ's plotpoint with this and it made it hard for me to relate to Rand. Back to the topic, I agree with Alanna possibly being merged with Myrelle. It would make a lot of sense as their characters are pretty similar (if only talking about show Alanna and not book Alanna). I think that's about as far as it will go though and I hope they continue to develop Alanna because if she does bond Rand against his will, I want it too be a real struggle for us audience members. I want us to deal with a violation vs. a character we have grown to like. I'm curious to how Alanna will reason it out. P.S. Oh, and some of y'all need to stop with the 'orgy ajah' quips. Seriously, how childish can you be? I know this is an assumption I've seen folks make to anyone who is polyamorous. I've had it lobbied at me as well, and it just isn't true in how we practice and live our lives. To apply it to an entire ajah just cause you have immature feelings towards a healthy, if non-traditional, relationship in the show is ridiculous. /endrant

Okay, wow. Over all, it both felt kinda hurried and I was surprised at the direction of most things, but after what they did with Siuan last episode I wasn't surprised. Is it bad that I'm sad Nyn didn't get a big power scene? 😂 I guess it was too convenient for her to be able to work up her anger in the books, they are making it harder here. Or she hasn't figure it out just yet. Disappointed that they had Eggy kill Renna. I think it was a misstep on her part, and she'll have to grapple with it. They are giving her anger more of an edge here than in the books. Moraine's channeling was exquisite and beautiful to watch. From the Bonding scene 😭 to the fire weaving. Just beautifully shown and performed. Heroes of the horn! Uno! Others! Oh Turak. Bless your heart. Nice move Rand lol I'm enjoying how much more involved and manipulative Lanfear is. She's scheming all over the place! Ishy, wow. Crispy. Felt a little too "vampire turns to dust" in his death moment.... Eggy smarty pants working defensive weaves cause she know's she's too weak for offensive. Well played. I'm already loving Moggy!!! I am hoping they keep the rivalry she has with Nyn! Didn't like Hopper's death and then lead to Perrin's rage. Could have been better played, and was more of a "revenge" kill than a "defensive" situation like it was in the books. Rand's got googly eyes for Elayne already. Mat's all fine and. hero-y now. Someone get him a better coat and shirt with lace! When's Season 3? 😆

OOp, you right, I got Aviendha's ability mixed up with Elayne. =] ty! Though Nyn did get some similar readings to other Ter'angreal like the male A'dam, but all of her stuff was too vague to really be useful. Like she picked up pain from a rod, etc

Both of them could read Ter'Angreal. Nyneave in a different way, it was more feelings, impressions, and general thought son use. Elayne was more specific and technical.

This episode absolutely f**ked me up! Too many dang emotions. The hardest moment was watching Ryma's battle with the Damane. On one hand, it was a brilliant depiction of the restrictions the Aes Sedai have against the Seanchan. She couldn't do any lethal attacks until after her Warder was attacked by the Damane. If she hadn't been bound by the three oaths, they would have been taken out so much sooner. I also appreciated that her attacks where body based, really honed in on how nasty a Yellow sister could be if she used her weaves and knowledge of the body offensively. On the other hand, her sacrifice, her emotional reaction to her Warder's death, her leashing, it was almost too much to watch. That scene being overlapped with Egwene's torture was intense. Justice for Ryma! I really really hope she gets unleashed at some point, I got so attached to her for her short scene presence. Other thoughts: Mat + Rand reunion was cool. Mat failing to meet Rand at the end also strong show of Mat's love and care for his friends. Curious to where they are going with Min and loving this deeper depth to her character Lan, you are letting me down. Alanna, just as meddling as in the books it seems Nyn & Elayne pairing is continuing to be great and dynamic. Elayne really shining with her control and check on Nyn's impulsiveness and need to run headlong into danger to save folks I didn't like that they left Nyn to expose them when trying to unlock the A'dam...but I did like the example of Nyn's ability to read Ter'angreal like she did in the books. Siuan's "Aura of Swords" was pretty cool visually, not sure how practical of a defense though, and why would she be traveling with such a small company? Liandrin continues to be such a powerful character. I can't believe I'm so invested in her in the show, when I absolutely HATED the character in the books. Renna, you can freaking suck a bag of puke! Ryma crushing the Sul'dam's body reminded me of the opening scene to X-men Apocalypse. I thought the singing bit with Loail was cool...though I'm at odds with how they made it sound. Barthanes is being depicted as such a sweet person. Will Tudor always has that "innocent/sweet" presence. If they continue having him being a DF that's going to be such a twist. I'm with the "Moraine thinks she is Stilled but that isn't confirmation of the actual fact" camp. I'm still hoping for Siuan to somehow unweave the shield. Still leaves room for other plots we saw in the books.

Again I think it will be revealed later that Liandrin had a lot of help, maybe even in placing and tying off shields. Otherwise, I agree, it's been a sttreeettcch that she could have gotten them to and through the waygate so easily. To me, that was the weakest link in the episode. On the girls getting their heads hit, well it's in line with the books. How many times did the wondergirls get knocked out from head trauma? 🤪 At least this time it was done by a Warder to a Yellow Ajah, who I presume healed them (I hope!).

I feel like we have to just infer that it was a collection of tricks to get the girls into the Waygate. There had to be some time and possible cooperation with others, because: 1. There was the log in Sheriam's book, either there by "compulsion" or Sheriam herself (I think they did this to make us book readers really question). So either Liandrin did it, or she had help, OR Sheriam's in on it. 2. Liandrin clearly had to be channeling the One Power in the Ways to keep the girls bound and shielded, yet the wind never shown...I suspect that like in the books, Padan Fain can manipulate the wind. OR, something else was protecting Liandrin. It's too convenient that she just managed to miss it's spawning. It's possible it was egged on to attack the Two Rivers folks by Padan...but...*shrug* 3. Liandrin wouldn't want to cart three passed out girls on horseback through the city, because I am sure the other Aes Sedai eyes and ears would say something, and there is supposed to be a story of them on their way to Camelyn...honestly there are some plot holes there. 4. Where did the asparagus come from? Did Liandrin have time to make a detour in the Ways, grab them, and come back? I think she had help in this too. Ultimately, I just think it wasn't a solo task by Liandrin. She had help from others, whether they be other Black Ajah, Darkfriends, Forsaken, etc. Which is why it seems so iffy to us, we weren't shown the assistance, just the outcome and certain milestones.

Holy Moly this was an intense episode! I am honestly enjoying the Liandrin and Nyn dynamic. It's way more interesting than what occurred in the books. Finally some talk about the world of dreams! Detective Verin! The Browns! I want to have a drink with Verin and her Scoopy Doo Crew now =] I don't know if I'm mentally and emotionally prepared for what's coming for Eggy. More Foresaken name dropped, that's going to help with narrowing down who we will see!

This is all assuming they are making a mistake...but I suspect that in many regards they are deliberately being dodgy in explanations. The Worldbuilding is less blatant than it was in RJ's books and loonnnggg paragraphs. In some ways, we are sharing the same perspective as the characters, who have had 3,000 years of degradation of knowledge and loss of history. We also have some folks, especially Moiraine, who deliberately hold knowledge to themselves. I get why so much more was given in the books. There is space and time for it, and likely, readers will be hooked regardless. For a the show, I think the mystery is often deliberate. Watching along side folks who have never read the books, they are very very hooked by the secrets and mystery and are picking up on the fact that there is so much more than what is shown. There is an enormous amount of detail that is shown, but not explained, and that draws people in. The Seals are a huge example. They even have me as a book reader hooked to their hidden meanings, since there's a divergence from the books.

Curious to how they will depict her hauling them around. In the books, she could just wrap them up in weaves of air and lug them up on horses. But not sure if they'll have that same use of weaves of Air in the series. I am getting ready for it to be one of those plot points we'll just have to ignore for the sake of the over all story.

In the books, the "compelling" feature of the bond needed for the Aes Sedai to channel a small thread of spirit directly into the bond, something of which Moiraine can't do. So, she's using pure headology to get Lan to go.

As someone in a polyamorous relationship that actually follows more along the lines of what was talked about (multiple folks, different forms of relationships, some platonic some romantic, and all closely connected and working together for mutual love & support with out set hierarchies), I could see it work in the show if Rafe and writers really know what they are doing. RJ's was kind of comical and focused mostly on Rand. Everything ultimately revolved around him. There was some development of the relationships between the girls, but it was always grounded in them just all trying to get a piece of the Dragon's heart. In a polyamorous relationship, the "center" often changes throughout the course of time. I.e., the "golden" threads of love would have been felt between them all, not just spiraling out from Rand. =] I am thinking that what Rafe refers to is that the emotional depth that will be shared between the girls will be deeper, more intimate, and realistic. Probably platonic too, but if there's sexual relationships added too that will be interesting (and will probably make some book readers complain). Rand will hopefully not always be the center and reason they form intimate relationships.

If just talking about him as a badass warder, I agree, there's not been as many setups for that. I like the emotional development, but also I've missed the badass moments. Though, tbh despite him and Mo nearly dying, the whole single man taking on several Fades and not immediately dying was pretty badass. I think they diminished his skills for too many convenient plot devices in Season 1. They should have really made his fighting and tracking skills shine more, rather than lag behind. The whole "tell" thing at the end was also pretty weak. Lan had been with Mo for nearly 20 years, if she had a tell he would have already known it. So yeah, I wish they would have hyped up his skills alongside his emotional development. Then we would have had the whole package.

Liandrin's treatment of Nyn seems to support this. I wonder if she was also originally trying to coax Mo into the Red Ajah too

I find this setup that seeing a glow around other channelers is a "talent" pretty cool. A few other things I hope they address: 1. Are there "learners" vs "sparkers" ? This was essential to the Seanchan damane/sul'dam dynamic, so I hope it still stays and I suspect the lack of talk about this is a setup for later discovery. 2. Alanna seemed to know Nyn wasn't embracing the source during the kitchen tutorial...so how do they know another woman is embracing the source? Can they see a glow, feel it, etc? 3. Nyn appears to be able to see weaves, despite not being able to embrace the source. In the books, unless she was Angry she couldn't see weaves... I like this change too, it didn't quite make sense to me in the books.

I definitely was NOT talking about book Lan being a healthy portrayal. Only referencing show Lan as remotely healthy (and by healthy I mean realistic) portrayal. And to be extra clear, I am talking about the portrayal of a man being healthier. Not necessarily the character being healthy, mentally or physically.

She was willing to be stuck as a fat merchant in a caravan for months in the Aeil Waste in the books, so I feel like being an innkeeper in the Foregate is in line with her character and patience.