I think there's only so much you can glean from 2 minutes of contiguous footage. Context will color how this scene actually feels in the full episode. All of that being said, at the end of the day, these two minutes are what we have now, and we can perform a little bit of critique on it.
I think there's a lot to love and be critical of in this scene, but I'll start with the latter. The choice to have Moiraine advertise herself in the Two Rivers is - I believe - poorly thought out. I've heard it said that this is Moiraine putting everyone on edge to give herself an advantage. At face value, that makes sense; it portrays Moiraine as a intelligent, strong, capable - vaguely malevolent - entity, just like she is in the books, and does so in a short few minutes. However, consider this: Moiraine does not stand out in the series as a "paragon" of Aes Sedai because she's the most manipulative - though she can manipulate - but because unlike most of her peers, she doesn't use her status as a cudgel to overpower or overawe. In taking the shortcut, they've done - I would argue - a lot of damage to what made Moiraine a beloved character and distinguished her from the rest of the Aes Sedai. Not to say that that cannot be repaired, or is even as meaningful in the context of the full episode.
Second, I can't say I'm a fan of the tonal whiplash they invoke in this scene. It's totally on purpose, I just disagree with the editorial direction. It's supposed to make the contrast of Lan/Moiraine entering more dramatic and throw more contrast into the scene, making the enormity of the event obvious. But for reasons others have put better already, I don't think the scene really needed the extra help. But that is likely a personal choice, I prefer "mystery" to "suspense" as my story hook. This scene leans heavily on the latter at the expense of the former.
All of that being said. I think the moment to moment acting in this scene is chef kisses good. In particular, the subtle interplay between Egwene, Rand, and Perrin is great. Little body language cues, the natural sounding dialog between Perrin and Rand, it's all very well done. And while I didn't love the tonal choice with Lan and Moiraine, the acting was really good. Looking past the tone, the choices made to invoke that tone were well done and I have no doubt that the emotional story beats are going to be very good.
Amazon Premieres Clip from Wheel of Time Show
in TV Show
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I think there's only so much you can glean from 2 minutes of contiguous footage. Context will color how this scene actually feels in the full episode. All of that being said, at the end of the day, these two minutes are what we have now, and we can perform a little bit of critique on it.
I think there's a lot to love and be critical of in this scene, but I'll start with the latter. The choice to have Moiraine advertise herself in the Two Rivers is - I believe - poorly thought out. I've heard it said that this is Moiraine putting everyone on edge to give herself an advantage. At face value, that makes sense; it portrays Moiraine as a intelligent, strong, capable - vaguely malevolent - entity, just like she is in the books, and does so in a short few minutes. However, consider this: Moiraine does not stand out in the series as a "paragon" of Aes Sedai because she's the most manipulative - though she can manipulate - but because unlike most of her peers, she doesn't use her status as a cudgel to overpower or overawe. In taking the shortcut, they've done - I would argue - a lot of damage to what made Moiraine a beloved character and distinguished her from the rest of the Aes Sedai. Not to say that that cannot be repaired, or is even as meaningful in the context of the full episode.
Second, I can't say I'm a fan of the tonal whiplash they invoke in this scene. It's totally on purpose, I just disagree with the editorial direction. It's supposed to make the contrast of Lan/Moiraine entering more dramatic and throw more contrast into the scene, making the enormity of the event obvious. But for reasons others have put better already, I don't think the scene really needed the extra help. But that is likely a personal choice, I prefer "mystery" to "suspense" as my story hook. This scene leans heavily on the latter at the expense of the former.
All of that being said. I think the moment to moment acting in this scene is chef kisses good. In particular, the subtle interplay between Egwene, Rand, and Perrin is great. Little body language cues, the natural sounding dialog between Perrin and Rand, it's all very well done. And while I didn't love the tonal choice with Lan and Moiraine, the acting was really good. Looking past the tone, the choices made to invoke that tone were well done and I have no doubt that the emotional story beats are going to be very good.