It is really a shame that things so often fail to meet your lofty expectations. I find it more enjoyable to … enjoy things … instead of trying to tear them down to prove to everyone how bad the thing is. I don’t find that fun. Nor do I get personally offended that some scenes in fantasy/sci-fi/action television shows have scenes that don’t hold up logically. The perfect is not the enemy of the good in the place I choose to live.

How sad that you can't just watch something and have to spend your time picking at the logical inconsistencies of a fantasy environment as opposed to simply enjoying the story, worldbuilding and writing.

No. I don’t try to pick apart the internal logic of action scenes.

You know, I hadn't realized that. But you're right. Actually that whole fight had a little bit of that flavor to it. Gotta say it isn't my favorite, but I remember hearing that the show has a huge east Indian following.

There is one really bad shot of Alanna doing a flip. Otherwise, I thought the fight choreography was really well done. Also, the whole slow walk to the center thing didn't seem as pronounced in the live episode.

It was a live event. My understanding is that it is out there if you really want to find it but of course I will not provide links.

My thoughts on this episode: While I still like S2E6 best for its emotionality, this was the best episode of the show in its totality. They've really upped the stakes in a number of different ways and set up some very interesting plotlines moving forward. Certainly lots of changes to the books. The things I loved (in no particular order): Elayne. She's wonderful. Egwene's determination and focus. (I can't wait to see her train with the wise ones). Snakes and Foxes!! Maiden's kiss. Mat really feels like Mat now. Josha has a lot of range as Rand. Moghedien is terrifying. The grey man looks great. The CGI is on point. The biggest improvement? Changing the aspect ratio makes everything feel more cinematic. Great choice. I did not like: The Old West standoff, slo-motion. (The action after was top notch) Bain and Chiad's casual "hey, we're going with you cause I have 'toh" These feel a little too "Marvel" for me. But as far as I'm concerned that was a home run. If the rest of the season matches this intensity, we will definitely get another.

Yes we are!

Now we know!

Not explicitly. But they did have a conversation where she talked about "your people" and I think he put two and two together.

There were one or two clunky pieces of dialogue. But so much happened! Nuts! I'll save all my spoilery stuff for after Thursday.

Great stuff!! The show appears to be building on the momentum it built last season. This was a really solid episode that makes me excited for more.

I started a re-watch this past week and have now finished S1. This time, I was watching purely for entertainment value and to remind myself of what happened in the show. I wasn't thinking about the books at all, or trying to do a "deep dive" or to watch critically. Here are my thoughts (in no particular order): I liked it better than I remembered. Episodes 2-5, in particular, are actually pretty good. I liked Shadar Logoth better than I remembered. Hate the battle with Logain's army just as much as I remembered. I'm starting to think we got so much of Nynaeve being overpowered only to really drive home the frustration of the block. Rand was pretty clearly the main character of the EFF from the beginning. Who is the Dragon was a dumb plotline that got even dumber when Barney left. Here's the big issue: by the time they got to E6, they had really sort of set it up as being either Mat or Rand. We were meant to think that Mat could channel. Then Moiraine heals him - and then we basically never see him again. Barney leaving clearly required them to rewrite the whole rest of the season from scratch. They did a great job with the casting. They did Lan dirty. The Stepin thing went on too long. Could have made the point without spending an entire episode on it. I didn't love the whole oath rod exile thing, but Sophie Okenado is a fantastic actress. It's not great by any means, but I enjoyed the rewatch more than I thought I would.

I have seen exactly zero of these “thousands” of supposed criticisms of TSR. Perhaps you would be kind enough to provide a link.

I think it’s the sad bracelets. Or a part of them at least.

Perhaps they had been instructed not to. Remember, the Dark One has plots within plots within plots. Often, he likes to break things, wait for them to heal a bit, then break them again. The attack is meant to sow panic and discord and suspicion. That will leave the Aes Sedai brittle and easily led into becoming pawns in the Dark One's later designs. If Siuan is dead, for example, there's no need for her to be deposed. The Tower might unite behind their martyred Amyrlin or their martyred Keeper. (Incidentally, this may also be the reason for the slow walk to the center - perhaps they were ordered to make sure everyone knew exactly who they were. The remaining Sisters are meant to believe that they know the identities of all of the Black sisters when, in fact, there are more still hiding among them.) Granted if this is the explanation, it would help to make that explicit at some point.

My big takeaway from this discussion is that there is near universal agreement that this sneak peek was of pretty solid entertainment value and that it has inspired a sense of optimism and anticipation for the series. In that sense, mission accomplished!

You're correct. And there is plenty to criticize as regards the writing on this show. But this ain't it.

Please name a show in the sci-fi/fantasy/action genre that gives us 100% realistic action scenes and requires no suspension of disbelief. Just one.

No, it isn't. This is disingenuous. The point being made is that in fantasy/sci-fi/action genres, there are many things happening that are 'unrealistic' or where characters have plot armor or they get rewarded (or fail to be punished) for foolish decisions. As a general rule, we as viewers suspend disbelief. I'll take "Reacher" as an example, since I just watched it last night. Reacher sneaks out of his window on the third story of a mansion, scampers across the roof, shimmies down a drain pipe and manages to make his way off of a well-guarded property without being seen, then manages to get back in the same way, racing the head of security who is coming to check on him. The whole premise is ridiculous. A house full of people will certainly notice a huge man running on the roof and climbing down gutters. Roof tiles would be damaged, storm drains would be bent and would not hold the weight of a 250+ pound giant human. And that's just a single scene in the show. It is silly? Yes. Is it believable? Not if you spend more than 2 seconds thinking about it. Is it entertaining? Yes. And the same can be said for nearly every show that fits into one of these genres.

It is used for all sorts of things, I'm sure. The Yellows use it to heal and cure disease. It is likely used to assist in building and irrigation projects (though we don't really hear about that much). But for the most part, as of this Turning, the power isn't put to much use beyond theatrics. It is hoarded and studied and leveraged but not much used because it doesn't much need to be used. To the extent that it does need to be used, it is the Greens that are using it for war and the Reds who are using it for "policing". The Blues use it to remain unobtrusive while they carry out their personal missions. The Black on the other hand, is being trained for just this type of encounter, which is why they can be so effective so quickly. It's shock and awe and the others simply aren't ready for it.

@Mailman you entirely dismiss how shocking this attack would be. Most of the sitters would be in shock trying to process how and why women they knew for decades are suddenly using the power to attack. Responses would be incredibly slow as they try to work out what is going on. Think about it. This starts as a trial for a rogue Red. Only Siuan knows she will reveal Liandrin as Black. The revelation of her as Black alone would be a huge shock. The Mother admitting such a thing exists would be a massive revelation by itself. Then Liandrin holds the power. The reckless act of a woman caught? What is happening? “Join me?” In what? Why are those sisters getting up? What are they doing? Are they going to help Siuan? Did they really just do that? Why? Was it a mistake? All of these questions would be banging around in their head - about people they know, like, and trust. These types of things can freeze even highly trained people (see the Uvalde shooting). Why is it so surprising to you that a room full of women who never imagined such thing (the Black Ajah) was possible and believed themselves to be the world’s greatest power - absolutely untouchable in the heart of the Tower - would struggle for a minute to react appropriately?

Yeah. But Moiraine is a unicorn.

Correct. This is book accurate. Aes Sedai are not used to combat in general. The Greens are the battle ajah. The Reds have to be able to go after men who can channel. And the Black are the Black. To this point, the other ajahs have no reason to learn battle magic. And they obviously would be taken completely by surprise by that level of violence in the heart of the Tower.

And a couple may have decided to sit this one out. Remember they are purposefully organized so they don’t all know each other and are being run by different masters.