I would love the book series to be brough to life properly in animation - ironically in the style Amazon actually used for the add on information to the series. Would MUCH prefer that to the show we got.

Season 3 looks like it will be in 2025. I don't see how this show can survive 8 episodes every 2 years. There does seem to be a trend now that shows' seasons are released with bigger gaps than ever before, but with just 8 episodes and a long wait between, even a well-made show would struggle, never mind WOT. Ominous that season 4 has not been green lit. Won't be at all surprised if season 3 is the last. I look forward to the coming years where AI can create shows and movies and fans can do it themselves - then we won't need people like Rafe Judkins to destroy cherished works or literature.

Thats the only hope IMO - firing the show runner and his team and bringing in a new crew. The problem is not really that it is 8 episodes, rather what they did with the time and the fact that it's effectively 8 episodes every 2 years. People lose patience and interest wanes. I think they could tell this story well in 8 seasons of 8 episodes of 1hr15mins. That's an 80hr story. if they got 8 seasons. Unfortunately the show runner feels the need to pack time with irrelevant nonsense like the Steppin episode in Season 1. Right now I am skeptical that the show will get a season 4, let alone make 8. I actually thought season 2 was better than the awful season 1, but it looks like too many people got turned away.

The example you gave of Elyane and Nynaeve coming up with their plan to save Egwene is a good one. It was given significant time including getting the collar, a dead Aes Sedai and her warder and placing the collar on a sul’dam. Then it just hits a dead end. Story arcs that end up meaning nothing are common in this show. Maybe that’s by design, who knows. But it doesn’t make sense to me at least given they have so little time to tell a vastly expensive story.

Very good post. Disappointed overall with the way the writers have brought Rand to the screen. Same with Lan. That said, i think they realised they had gone overboard with Mary Sue moments for Nynaeve in the first series and made her less of an all conquering galactus in series 2. Second series was so much better than the first overall otherwise, except for the last episode - assuming you can just come to terms with and let the inconsistencies slide.

Season 2 started pretty well, middle was quite good, ended really badly. It felt rushed again - just like last season. The 'battle' with the Sanchean was truly awful and the way they delivered the heroes of the horn was so feeble. Rand killing Ishmael the way he did, what was that about? Just strolls up to him and kills him? I am not sure they will get a season 4. Season 2 had to be better IMO. Judkins himself still seems to be waiting to see if Amazon will take up S4 - or maybe I missed any announcement. The way Egwene escaped the collar was also really badly done. ...and what happened to the head of the blue Ajah?? Did I miss something? I am not sure what was wrong with source material and why it was done that way and why have they totally disregarded Rand's sword training to the extent they couldn't even give us the damn sword fight that was a seminal moment in the books ?? I don't get.

The TV series and the books are very different. I don't mind that as long the story telling is good and season 2 is actually decent. I don't care if another 'hardcore' fan of the books tells me they are the same. I have read the series more than once and I know for a fact they are different without checking in with an 'expert'

I think it is pretty clear that the books are only a guide and Jordan's story is not being told here, but having said that, Season 2 is many times better than Season 1 in my opinion. The acting, effects, sense of scale and character development is in a different league. I watched the 4 episodes over the last couple of days and unlike last season I felt like I could get into the story being told. Yes, it's not Jordans story, but there is a link to the characters and places nonetheless. I'd love one day for the Wheel ofTime to be put on screen as Jordans story, but what this is will do as a view into the WoT world. Of course, the last 4 episodes in the series still have to be good. There were some very odd elements though, for example all the characters who looked dead at the end of season 1 (like Loial) just appearing in episode 1 with no explanation (unless I missed it) and Morraine taking on Fades and even Lanfear with no ability to channel. The end of episode 4 was a bit weird to say the least. Lan remains a sorry excuse for a man and it's clear his character is going to be stripped of what he was in the books and turned into a bit of a weakling. Nyneave is being portrayed much better in this season - as opposed to the all powerful Mary Sue she was in Season 1. Elyas' character is well done, even with the changes and Ishmael really is the star of the show. Extremely well acted and portrayed. Overall, little relation to the story in the books, but good nonetheless. For the first time I can see how this could develop into the kind of show that grabs the attention and imagination of a large audience as GoT did.