On 8/10/2021 at 9:32 PM, flinn said:

GRRM completely, 100%, screwed over D and D.

 

I respectfully disagree. 

No one put a gun to D&D 's heads and forced them to make a GOT show; in fact, they went out of their way to pitch it to HBO and GRRM knowing full-well the written series was years away from being finished, and that GRRM has/had a history of years-long intervals between book releases.

Possibly GRRM told them he would do his best to finish writing the series in a timely manner, but I have never heard reports of any such conversation. And assurances, even well-intentioned assurances, are not iron-clad guarantees; you would not start building a house with only a handshake agreement from your roofing supplier that he thought he could 'maybe, probably, hopefully' get the roofing materials to you before the rainy season started. If you agree to that, the fault is all your own when it starts to rain and your house isn't finished. Nor, in this example (or in the actual case of GRRM) would I hold the roofer at fault if he did not deliver on time: he may have tried to, he may have wanted to, he may have busted his butt to make good on his word, but was simply unable to meet your deadline (for any number of reasons that may be no fault of his own.) In such a case, the roofer would only be 'to blame' if there was a written contract he violated. (And yes, in many cases a verbal contract is binding, but a seasoned roofer will rarely if ever give a potentially binding verbal agreement in such a case, nor have we heard any report that GRRM gave a firm verbal commitment to D&D that the book series would definitely be done by the time they needed it.) (If I am wrong about that, please let me know.)

Unless GRRM signed (or verbally agreed to) a contract explicitly promising to finish his novels by the time D&D needed them, GRRM is not to blame.

However, you can still screw someone over even if there is not a contract in place: if I promise to pick you up from the airport and I don't show up on time, I have screwed you over. But again, there is no record (of which I am aware) that GRRM promised D&D a finished series by a certain deadline.

I'll take it one step further: no one is to blame. Because no one got screwed over. D&D got a contract to make a show; they made it. GRRM agreed to the terms. HBO agreed to the terms. D&D agreed to the terms. They made the show. Done deal. 

The only 'problem' is that a bunch of fans (myself included, vehemently so) didn't like the last few seasons. Which is, obviously, just a matter of opinion. We are not owed the show we wished to have gotten; we pay HBO in exchange for access to content they create; they created content and gave us access to it. Few instances of modern culture have seemed so ridiculous to me as fans signing a petition demanding HBO remake Season 8 to suit their preferences. Certainly the fans had every right to create a petition, sign it, and deliver it; HBO, likewise, had every right (and in my opinion was right to) tell them where they could stuff that petition. True, they could have given in to the mob's demands (as so many do) in order to pacify public relations concerns and keep their paying subscribers happy, but they certainly were under no legal obligation to do so. If we, as fans, don't like their product, their attitude, or anything else, we can stop giving them our money.

That said, if Rafe botches WOT, I would appreciate all your signatures on a petition to put me in charge of the reboot; I promise* I my version of the show will make everyone on both sides of every issue happy. ?

(* Promises here given are not legally binding.)

@Thrasymachus 

Well said! Thanks for taking the time to write all that; very thoughtfully, fairly, and respectfully expressed. 

Definitely looking forward to everything @Woldbrother31 mentioned. What I would add are some smaller moments/character flourishes, that might only be a second or two on screen but will probably give me shivers. (I haven't read EOTW in about 8 years, so I am going off pure memory here.)

- Thom's cloak (I was hoping for the full-on rainbow-patchwork gleeman's cloak, but I'll take what I can get. The gleeman showing up in Emond's Field was what first lit my imagination on fire when I was 16 yrs. old reading EOTW for the first time.)

- The first time we see a Myrddrral's face. And the first time we see that Myrddrral on its black horse on the road, its cloak hanging like a dead weight as the autumn wind whips around it, staring at Rand from a distance. SHIVERS!

- Rand meeting Loial (maybe with a game of stones sitting on a side table.)

- The first time Lan notices the heron-mark on Rand's sword. Whether Lan says anything or not, or just raises an eyebrow, we'll know what it means.

- Egwene using the One Power for the first time (was it to start a campfire, or make Moiraine's blue stone glow? I can't remember; either way, it was so small of an act, but with such huge ramifications...)

- Hearing Lan call Rand 'sheepherder'

- Any inside jokes between Rand, Mat, and Perrin about (not) understanding women/girls.

- Our first glimpse of Tar Valon. Whether we get extended scenes of the city or not in S1, I would be shocked if we did not, at the very least, get a long, lingering view of the White Tower, possibly from a distance.

- Logain in a cage. (If he makes eye-contact with Rand from behind the bars of his cage, through a boisterous crowd, and they have a sort of I-see-you moment, I may have a stroke.)

- The music. Whatever the theme song ends up being, I can almost guarantee it will become a song that plays on repeat in my head for the rest of my life, the same way I find myself humming the Harry Potter or GOT themes. It's like knowing you're about to make a new best friend, but you haven't met them yet and have no idea who they are going to be.

- Narg. 

Well, the list could go on and on, but I'll end it there and leave some room for more people to add on.

Hopefully, within the next two-ish weeks we'll have our trailer, and all will be right with the world!

I don't want any merch. Years ago I got a single-sided Ter'angreal dream ring, like Egwene acquires, and ever since then my dreams have been absolutely bonkers. (Kidding!) But one small item from each show/series is enough for me. (My entire 'collection' includes an LOTR leaf-brooch like the ones Galadriel gave Frodo and the crew to fasten their cloaks, and a small painting that is in Indiana Jones's father's study of a knight walking across a chasm in pursuit of the Holy Grail.)

As the show progresses, though, who knows what might become 'must-have'? A Horn of Valere on the wall might look pretty cool... 

What I do want is an extended-edition behind-the-scenes 'Making Of WOT.' Not sure if that would be on DVD or blue-ray at this point or what, but I gots to have it. I think Rafe confirmed they are filming a lot of extra footage that could be used for that sort of thing, but whether the end result will be anything like on par with the LOTR extended-editions remains to be seen and probably depends somewhat on the success of the show. In fact, even I end up not entirely smitten with the show itself for any reason, I would still pay for the behind-the-scenes stuff to get an inside look at the why and how of it all. Watching the stuff for LOTR about the props and costumes and set-builds and WETA was almost as fun for me as watching the movies. Very few shows/movies merit that kind of in-depth look; I think WOT could be one of them.

(Edit: for sure I would buy an Asha'man lapel pin! I tried to find one online like ten years ago and couldn't find anything good, which is why I settled on the dream ring.)

11 hours ago, lt;(^-^)gt; said:

But I'd tell Rafe to take risks and pour his soul into the work. I'd tell him that he has to seize the chance to create a masterpiece of fantasy TV entertainment, and he'd probably regret it if he didn't give his all for project. The budget and source material he has to work with have set him up to create something truly great. I'd tell him to put in the extra hours, exhaust himself, and go all in. It's not just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it's rarer than that.

Well said! I think that is one of the most thoughtful things I have heard said about the whole thing.

I can't remember if I chimed in on this topic when it first popped up, but at this point I find it hard even to imagine what I would say to Rafe, other than 'Hang in there, buddy, and don't work yourself to death. But also hurry up and bang those new seasons out, baby!'  

It's a totally different question now than it was a year ago... Season 1 is presumably just about in the can by now, and what is done is done, so any suggestions would have to be targeted toward Season 2, but until we see Season 1, there is no way to know what needs fixing.

Advice like 'Ignore the haters and trust your own vision' might sound nice, but if it turns out that Rafe's vision just isn't very WOTy (Wotty? WOTty? WOTish?) it might be better to tell him, 'two heads are better than one, bro, and make sure to run everything by Sarah before you give it the thumbs up.'

As the show gets closer, my mindset is less on what the show might look like, what it could look like, and what I have always thought it should look like, and I am just ready to let it crash over me like a tidal wave and see what it does look like. After I let it all soak in, I'll be more than happy to tell Rafe how to do his job ?

Also, they should have a Professional Knitting Consultant to help the VFX teams make cool-looking weaves; nebulously drifting strands that look like stringy hair blowing in the wind doesn't cut it. There are hundreds of styles of knitting, weaving, and knot-tying (Google 'different types of knots' or 'knitting diagrams' to get an idea)—all the glowing threads of power (scintillating red Fire and fluid, aqueous Water, etc.) should be flowing together in real, discreet styles (or at least a simulation of something that looks real; not like anyone watching will be able to pick one out and go 'Oh, look, there's a Sheepshank Knot tying off a Continental Knit Stitch), constantly moving, cinching tighter, looping in and out and under and over, manifesting various tapestry-like patterns, changing in form, color, and texture as the different elements combine and react with one another... 

In the books, when one of the girls 'discovered' or 'invented' a new weave, I always struggled to imagine what that really meant. My 16-year-old boy brain just thought, Add Fire and Water, sprinkle in some Air, and presto!—new Weave. Then I met someone who knit scarves and hats and stuff and I saw how complicated it could be to do all these different interlocking styles of loops and pulls and techniques I don't even know the words for. So, yeah, maybe I'd tell Rafe to bring in a Professional Knitting Consultant. And to put me on the payroll, too, for good measure.

I enjoyed watching Rafe's interview. A couple of things stood out to me:

1) He has the vibe of a parent of a newborn who has not slept in nine days. No doubt he is working extremely long hours on this project, as are many of the folks involved, all to bring us a show that we will basically be able to watch for the price of a three months of Prime membership, or about 30$. Hard not to be grateful for their efforts, even if we quibble over the details.

2) In every interview I have seen Rafe do, he is extremely gracious and polite. I think that probably translates very well behind the scenes to create an atmosphere where everyone from the writers to the actors to the directors feel they can express themselves/pitch ideas/raise concerns/etc., which will hopefully lead to the best possible show. (I do believe that in film, two heads are better than one... to an extent. Let's just hope he is not so polite that he doesn't like to say things like, 'No, Perrin is not going to bond with grizzly bears instead of wolves,' or 'No, Myrddraal should not have eyes just because it will be cheaper for the VFX team.')

3) Just a pet-theory on the goofy Moy-rain thing... the host was the first one to say it, and he has a very articulated style of speaking. So when he said, "Moy-rain," our buddy Rafe—infinitely sympathetic and not wanting to make the host feel silly—just went ahead and mimicked him. (The no-sleep-in-nine-days thing may have contributed to it as well.) 

I haven't seen the Dusty Wheel episode yet... but it sounds like Sanderson has actually seen rough cuts of the finished show? Or is he referring to scripts he read way-back-when?

Hi Everyone,

Usually I only post on the TV show Forum, so my username may be unfamiliar to a lot of you, but I wanted to let the Dragonmount community (which is the only social site I am a part of) know that I just published a couple of books that might find a warm welcome among WOT fans. (I never would have started writing if I had not stumbled across The Eye of the World when I was 16.)

The first book, The Alleys of Olde Architecture: Vol. I—A Key for Every Lock is a mind-bending, dark fantasy that skirts the line between YA and Adult. If you are anything like me and you used to scour the Wheel of Time theory posts at Wotmania back in the day, or if you wish that Harry Potter had a little more meat on the bone, or if you ever find yourself wondering why more modern fantasy authors don't put half as much time into their prose as they do their Gordian plots, this might be the book for you!

Here's the elevator pitch: When her father is arrested in the middle of the night and confesses to a crime that cannot possibly be true, fifteen-year-old Alley a'Door has one day to climb to the top of the mountain, free her father, and clear his name—but how do you save a man who is dead-set on orchestrating his own execution? Over the longest day of her life, Alley and her friends will race against the clock to climb the great Stair, unraveling the mystery of her father’s cabalistic testimony and the truth behind his cryptic warning that their city—the only home she has ever known—is not what it seems to be.

My second book, What Magic Is Not, is a quirky, cheerful Middle-Grade fantasy about a bunch of kids who attend summer school in an enchanted forest with an eccentric, old wizard. The premise is basically Wayside School meets Hogwarts with a lighthearted, whimsical tone and a story that should appeal to all younger readers (and older kids-at-heart!) 

Here's the pitch: Summer school in the Enchanted Forest is just like you would imagine it: chasing frogs (that are not really frogs), making new friends (with trolls), and learning what magic is (and more importantly, what magic is not.)

If you are at all interested, please check out my website at jeffevans.org for more info, artwork, links to Amazon, etc.

If anyone ends up reading one or the other (or both!) I would love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks,

J. Evans (a.k.a. Borderlander)

Are trailers often/ever premiered at Comic Con?

Does anyone else think the circular Dragon in the logo is twisted kind of funny...? Kind of like a Mobius Strip? Kind of like... oh, I dunno... a certain ter'angreal in the shape of a ring...?

Absolutely love the logo! A brilliant, elegant, yet simple way to reimagine the infinite serpent (as a single, coiling loop which nonetheless appears to be devouring itself) and give a much-needed update to the static, 80's-lookin' book logo with the serpent woven inside the spokes of the wheel (which we all know and love, but I think needed a retooling for a modern TV retelling, IMO) and they nailed it.

Someone on Twitter pointed out that the snake's scales are smooth and orderly on one side and disarrayed on the other, a la Saidar / Saidin—great touch.

Now can we get some clever internet sleuth to calculate how long after a logo-drop Amazon usually takes to release a trailer?

If the show never reaches the end of the story, that would be hard to think of as 'successful'... but that is so many years off, it barely merits worrying about consideration at this point.

On a personal level, for the first few seasons, I will think of it as being successful if I can watch it without cringing too often. A few changes to the storyline—some big, some small—I can handle. Won't necessarily like every change, but I can handle it.

Here's what worries me I keep coming back to: the last season of Game of Thrones. Looked like a million bucks. Great actors across the board. Awesome music. Storylines we had waited years (or decades) for all woven together and brought to climax/culmination. Huge battles. Major reveals. On paper, it sounds like an overwhelming 'success. Only, I was cringing for half of every episode. Why?

You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. The early seasons of GoT stuck so closely to the books, not just for overall storylines but for literal dialogue—and there is a reason those books are so well-loved. It's because the writing is top-notch. And there's a reason the writing is top-notch it's because George Martin takes his sweet time, and it shows in the final product. The vocabulary is off the charts. The unexpected twists and turns, not only in plot but even within smaller scenes, is masterful... and it's not something that even great writers can necessarily produce quickly. It takes time. Tons of revisions. Lots of time away from a particular scene, letting ideas ruminate, waiting for a spark of inspiration. 

Robert Jordan is every bit as good a writer as George Martin. Like Martin, he took his time, and it shows in the final product.

So, as Game of Thrones began to stray more from the source material in later seasons, and the writers were called upon to 'invent' or 'fill in' more and more gaps, that, too, showed. In the first season, the 'new' scenes were very good... in my opinion, that is likely because there were so few to write. They could really focus on them, workshop them, and mimic Martin's vision appropriately. By season 8, when the writers for the TV show had to literally invent every single word of dialogue, every storyline, everything, they were basically attempting to recreate what it takes Martin YEARS to do in a tenth of the time. And whether having a whole writer's room devoted to the task makes for a better finished product in the end, the results speak for themselves. Scenes that have million-dollar backdrops and million-dollar CGI effects everywhere you look, but the actual words coming out of the actor's mouths sound like first-year fan-fiction from somewhere who just read the Cliff's Notes for Lord of the Rings.

Which brings me back to Wheel of Time. If they stick with the books and only task the writers with 'adapting' what is already on the page, and are not called upon to fabricate new material from whole cloth too often, I think they have a golden ticket. If, however, they convince themselves that major reworks are necessary (and they may well be; that is another issue) and the writers (none of whom, to my knowledge, are best-selling authors of epic Fantasy series; but, rather, jump from show to show like ghost writers, doing their best to mimic the voice of whatever new project they are attached to; which, yes, is a skill in its own right, but a very different skill from that honed by decades of practice by Martin and Jordan) and we are present with a finished product that is, say, 50% Jordan and 50% Writer's Room, things may get a little cringeworthy. 

And what is cringeworthy? Telltale signs are dialogue scenes that are cut short abruptly, just when it seems like the characters were about to get to the important part. 'Modern' phraseology and modes/mannerisms of speech creeping in (worst case scenario would be modern swearing.) Over-reliance on exposition. Current political/ideological overtones shoehorned in (some may be warranted as being authentic to the source material; others may not; will have to wait and see.) Cheesy plot devices that clearly show the writers trying to make an abridged plot fit together (like Varys suddenly hopping between continents in a day or two in the latter seasons of GoT.) 

In the end, I imagine it will be a bit like watching your kid ride a bike for the first time. The first few minutes will be tense no matter what. But as time goes on, if they seem like they are in control, you begin to relax can just enjoy the experience. But if they keep wobbling and nearly falling over, and you can't stop cringing... well, let's just hope the writer's room decides to coast as much as possible on all the good groundwork Jordan laid out for them and that they do not feel the need to reinvent the entire Wheel.

Elder_Haman, that was very well-thought out and interesting to read. Previously, I had been predicting episode 1 to start with some kind of epic showdown between a bunch of Aes Sedai and Logain, kind of like LOTR beginning with that huge battle against Sauron.

{I thought it would work well if, after a 5-10 minute mind-blowing, *expensive* sequence where Logain is showing off how devastating and terrifying channeling can be, calling down lightning and blasting away armies of soldiers, the Aes Sedai finally capture and gentle him with a ring of sisters, and when he finally goes limp, a scene like this plays out:

Sister 1: The world is safe! The Dragon Reborn has been stopped.

Sister 2: Are you so sure? There are some among us who don't believe this man is the true Dragon.

Sister 1: Huh? Like who?

(but better written!)

And then we follow a wind across the kingdom to Moiraine and Lan as they enter Emond's Field. }

But, after reading your breakdown/theory, I think I would maybe rather see Logain developed more in line with what you're suggesting for a few episodes before they capture/gentle him.

"Do not underestimate the women in this tower."

That line (specifically, *in this tower*) does not make sense unless Moiraine is currently at the tower, near the tower, or referring to a group of Aes Sedai  analogously both as an embodiment of the tower and as members of/in 'said tower. But I can't remember when Moiraine is at the tower in EoTW...?

Secondly, she would need to be speaking to somebody who was (or is about to) underestimate said women... So I doubt she is talking to a trolloc. And it sounds a bit too intense to be directed at any of the kids from Emond's Field; it sounds to me like she's speaking to an enemy, a rival, or at least somebody with a fair amount of power in their own right. Possibilities, then, are Logain (possibly in the much-theorized new Logain-capture scene which could kickstart the season) or one of the Forsaken (who regard the current generation—the current Tower—as feeble and pathetic compared to the Aes Seda in the Age of Legends.) 

I agree with Thrasy on the idea that having Sanderson and Harriet 'involved' really doesn't add up to a hill o' beans (my words, not his.) Sanderson read 6 scripts 6 months ago; maybe he gave some feedback; maybe the writers took it to heart, maybe they didn't. Big whoop. I really don't think his input can possibly be significant, compared to the thousands of man-hours adding up from every other writer, actor, director, designer, producer, and, at the top of the pyramid, Rafe himself, stitching it all together. Even if Sanderson wanted to, was invited to, or had the time to assert more influence over the project, I don't know if he could. This is the Rafe show, at this point.

And Harriet—we haven't heard a peep, as far as I know. I doubt (although it is only my hunch, no evidence) that she is out on location giving advice to actors, or in the mixing room giving tips to the editors, or in the writers' room helping break future episodes/seasons. I'm sure they take her calls, maybe even consult with her here and there, but my gut-feeling is that saying 'Harriet is involved' is more of a feel-good PR headline for Amazon to appease hardcore fans than anything else. (Admittedly, I do not know much about Harriet, or whether her silence can be construed as positive, negative, or neutral.)

At the end of the day, this show will be Rafe's vision—he will get the praise if it succeeds or take the blame if it fails. And just because someone says they are going to 'stick to the spirit' of the books, as Rafe says, does not mean they really get what that spirit is in the first place, or that their understanding of it matches yours, or mine, or anyone else's, or even that they are a talented enough showrunner to produce a final product that even matches their own vision, regardless how much money Amazon throws at it.

And let's not forget that infamous 'gird your loins' comment. That still does not sit well with me.

On a related note, I was thinking about the dagger last night while my wife was talking about something, and I wondered if maybe they put the ruby above the handle-grip so that Mat can hold the dagger normally and gaze into the ruby as he slowly loses his mind. That might make for good visual storytelling. Yes, I realize he could just hold the dagger upside-down, but then you wouldn't see the blade as well. Just a thought.

I do think Rafe needs to be very, very careful with these 'little changes,' because making changes from the canon is like telling a little white lie. And we all know what happens when you tell a lie that you can't go back on—it grows and grows and begets more lies and ultimately the whole charade collapses in on itself. Example: Thom's guitar. Okay, so he plays a dingy little guitar at a tavern in Emond's field (possibly) and it looks fine, it fits, it matches the atmosphere, okay, no big deal. (Although I would argue it takes a little of the 'magic' out of the gleeman coming to town, but whatever.) But in later seasons,  when it is revealed Thom has been playing in Royal Courts for decades and used to be a famous bard, playing for kings and queens, are they going to have him playing a guitar for lords and ladies in palace courts? That seems like less of a fit. (Then again, I don't remember him actually doing so in the context of the story, but my point remains.) They would either have to conjure him a harp and use some TV-magic to make it look like the actor really knows how to play it, or avoid such a scene altogether with another 'lie.' (That may not be the greatest example, but I think it demonstrates the point—you start unraveling the threads of a tapestry built by a master weaver, and before you know it, you're tying yourself in knots.)

34 minutes ago, mistborn82 said:

@ThrasymachusYou have some issues there and I have a feeling they have very little to with some props that don't look a certain way and more with characters not looking the 'right' way.

That is a low blow, shame on you. Thrasymachus has consistently defended the casting on these forums, going back months. You're basically trying to call somebody a racist because you don't like their opinion on an unrelated topic. Get your facts straight before you throw stones.

Sounds to me like the 'let's make a deal' audio is pulled from another scene. He might say it while acquiring the dagger, or speaking to Mordeth, but for this teaser, I think they spliced it in just to have a cool sount bite. It's such an iconic-sounding line, they're not likely to have it cut over a shot where you can't even see Mat's face. And if that's the case, we have no idea why he says it or to whom. He might be talking to himself, or it might not even be from Shadar Logoth. Conclusion: too soon to say.

Since Rafe won't return my phone calls, I did a little 'research.' 

The relevant facts:

• 20 November 2010: HBO releases a new production photo highlighting props on the show, depicting a dagger and a book.^[245]
• 23 November 2010: HBO releases a new behind-the-scenes video highlighting the use of weapons and swords in the series.^[246]

(this is from https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/Production_timeline )

There are lots more entries on the site, concerning trailers and casting announcements... I just included those two because they are similar to what Amazon has shown us recently. The rest are interesting to peruse, though, to get a sense of how these marketing timelines play out.

Game of Thrones' first episode premiered on April 17, 2011. (So, a hair under 5 months from the prop reveals. These were the first prop reveals I found; although, to be fair, they had done some minor promotional stuff earlier, most of which involved casting announcements and some still photos released. Perhaps the biggest 'reveal' prior to the props on 20 November was a behind the scenes blog-type video and a short trailer released on 12 September 2020. This obviously differs from what Amazon has done. If you want a fuller picture, check out the website.)

I know there are a million reasons the two productions are NOT alike, but it does at least give a sense of the timing that the marketing people have. Now, according to my calculations (let's see, carry the one... divide by zero...) Wheel of Time should be premiering in early May, all else being equal. (Which it's not. But still.)

Obviously, COVID plays into this hugely. GOT seemed to be releasing promotional stuff even while a lot of filming was still underway, like they were laying down tracks as the train was chugging along. Then we have WOT, ground to a standstill with 6 of 8 episodes already in the can. Further calculations required... ?

3 minutes ago, dssharp said:

Also, VERY generous of Rafe and WOT on Amazon to release these snippets and keep us engaged/eager. I just am wanting an escalation and/or timetable. 

Agree, and I hope we all do our part to talk up the show to friends ahead of time! 

Very interesting, and I will pore over the concept art for the next few days... but my first thoughts are more along the lines of, What is this? Like, literally, what is this little, dinky video? I like it, sure, but why did they make it? Who is it for? ?

It was not for Wotwednesday, obviously—which I assume Amazon regards as a cute pet project, but clearly not something they pour unlimited time and resources into.

Elder_Haman is probably right that it is a promotional snippet for something... but for what? A panel or convention? I didn't think those existed anymore, post-COVID. It's almost too short to be of any great promotional use, anyway... Maybe this is an excerpt of a longer reel? I doubt Rafe sat down for an interview and only gave a 12-second sound bite... so where's the rest? Maybe they are preparing a longer pre-teaser preview for media websites to start sprinkling out, and this was just a quick-cut to keep us happy for another week or so...? 

New idea: Moiraine's pendant! "A small blue gem on a gold chain." (EoTW, chp. 12) Revealed at the end of the chapter to be an angreal.

Like Rand's sword and Thom's guitar, this would be a well-known, fairly iconic item from a major character. Seemingly small at first and insignificant until it begins to glow... 

The first time Egwene channels, in Across the Taren, Moiraine guides her to focus on the little gem until it flashes a brief light, "no brighter than a firefly." This could be a really cool way for the show to give us, like  Egwene, our first glimpse at channeling...

And it fits with the Iron, Music, Fire trifecta, which (via interpretation) can also mean 'light.' It is unclear in Across the Taren if Egwene's first bit of channeling is with fire, specifically, and I cannot recall if it is clarified later... but it seems fair to assume a fire weave is responsible for making a gemstone glow.

And what if... just brainstorming here... but what if they do a short video of the gemstone, from design to conception like the other reveals, and then, like the sword and the guitar, they fade a real 'background' in around it, and it is hanging in Moiraine's hair, with the blue gem centered on her forehead, and she is in full costume (even if they don't show her full body) and the sapphire begins to glow—! (Or maybe I am getting a little ahead of myself here... ☺️)

Not so much a prediction, just a thought:

The reveal of Rand's sword 6 weeks was a strong opening play. An anchor, in a way. As it to say, Hey, fans, look at this. It's a sword. Isn't it awesome? You love it, and we know you love it! See how well we did it? See all the care and attention to detail. Have no fear.

Which cleverly leads into Thom's guitar 3 weeks ago, and you can almost imagine them saying, Hey, fans, remember the sword? Wasn't it awesome? Now, check out this guitar... No, not a harp, a guitar. We know, we know—you were expecting a harp... but remember the sword? Wasn't it awesome? And isn't this guitar actually pretty cool, too? Look at how old and rustic it is? Don't worry, now. You can trust us—we are going to make this as awesome as possible. But do be ready for a change or two...

And for their next reveal (possibly tomorrow) my not-a-prediction would be that they release something very familiar-feeling, but with some extra awesome-sauce, as if to say, Hey, don't think too much about the guitar and Thom's inside-out cloak and our 'gird your loins' comment. Check out these mind-blowing CGI Fire weaves, instead, or this awesome graphic of the Flame and the Void, and be excited and reassured! You're in good hands, we proimse!

Kind of like taking your kids out for a Happy Meal right after they have a dentist appointment to wash the bad taste out of their mouth. (I'm picking on the guitar (?) a bit more than is fair, but I still think the overall idea holds and they will want to 'win us back'/wow us with the next reveal.)

WOT is my favorite book series ever; I have read it through (only) twice, and I think I have a pretty good head for remembering details and important plotlines in most of the books I read, but to be honest, I can't even remember what ultimately led Moiraine to the Two Rivers... in my hazy memory, she has been a sort of lone ranger out following foggy clues from one backwater town to the next, searching for the DR, based on some kind of foretelling from A New Spring. I am not asking anyone to explain it to me further; I only mention all that to make a point that I think a lot of book-fans are in the same category—we love the books, love the story, want the show to be as accurate as possible, and yet I can't always even remember the specifics of what I want it to be accurate to. Which means I have a lot of built-in flexibility for how they get from Point A to Point B. Invent a new character to summon Moiraine to Emond's Field? Cool. Kill Tam in episode 1? I'll go along with it. As long as the Emond's Field Five flee from a burning village in the middle of the night with a mysterious Aes Sedai and her stoic warder, I'm on board. Actually, it is a slippery slope (in my own mind) to wonder what I would be willing to go along with and where I would draw the line, in terms of plot-rejiggerings.

I think about this with a lot of books: what is are the main pillars of the story? What would happen if you commissioned Stephen King to rewrite Harry Potter, told him he had to do it in 7 books, had to have three main characters named Harry, Ron, and Hermione, gave him about 20-30 other main plot-points he had to hit, and left the rest up to him to cobble together? What would the end result be? Would we like it more or less than Rowling's version? What if you commissioned 100 different authors to do the same thing? Maybe I would prefer Brandon Mull's version, my friend would love Stephen King's version, someone else would love Neil Gaimon's version, etc. As a writer myself, I often wonder if I am writing the best-possible version of the books I write, or just one of 10,000 possible versions. Which leads me to wonder, as my eyes roam over the 13 fat volumes of Wheel of Time on my shelf, what another writer's version might look like. Or, in this case, a room full of writers, and a showrunner.

All that is to say, if you gave Robert Jordan a second chance at rewriting the entire series, what would he do differently? Cut some early plotlines, beef up the foreshadowing in the early books, cut this, add that, trim this, change that? At its worst, a writer's room can lead to a 'too many cooks in the kitchen' type of situation; at its best, having a dozen fresh pairs of eyes to soak in Jordan's epic saga, chew it over, digest it, and retool certain elements may give us a cleaner, crisper version of the story than one lone author working solo for the better part of three decades could possibly hope to create. Will it be better? That is a matter of opinion, obviously. Not trying to detract from Jordan at all; I stand in awe of what he accomplished. Well, I am just rambling now... I swear I had a point when I started this... ?

I think this is exactly the sort of made-for-tv plot-finagling we can expect to see, and whether your specific suggestion proves right or not, there will definitely be a number of additions/adaptations in a similar vein... 

I could see how the writer's room might talk themselves into needing to flesh Perrin's story out. If they drop Elyas from season 1 (or altogether, as some have suggested) what does Perrin have left? His eyes turn yellow, and he kills a Whitecloak. Am I forgetting anything? The arcs for Rand and Mat have much more meat on the bone; giving Perrin an Aes Sedai relative would help balance that out a bit. And it could be a clever, quicker way for the show to  explain how Moiraine and Lan end up in the Two Rivers in the first place, if Laila summoned them there with a mysterious message, perhaps alluding to a suspicion that one of the young men in town is ta'veren? (And maybe she gets killed on Winternight before she can tell Moiraine which of the three boys she suspects, thus giving Moiraine a more solid reason to allow all three of the boys to accompany them when they flee...?)