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DRAGONMOUNT

A WHEEL OF TIME COMMUNITY

Vartija

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Everything posted by Vartija

  1. I really wanted to see Rand with Galad so that they could go through some of their shared family history. Likewise I would have wanted to see a proper showdown between Gawyn and Rand.
  2. Rand & Min is the standout for me. They went through some tough times together and stood by each other. Avi & Rand is also quite charming in its silliness and I always wished we'd seen more of them together after Avi's acceptance of her feelings towards him. Early Elayne & Rand is also charming in a Disney fairytale kind of way, but towards the end it started to feel like Elayne saw Rand more like a status symbol than a person. I've always been quite forgiving about Perrin & Faile despite the "toxicity" of that relationship. Real life experience tells me there are plenty of couples who quarrell all the time but love each other fiercely at the same time. On the other end of the scale is probably Thom/Moiraine. There was just so little of it that it didn't feel beliavable and more like forced way to have everyone hook up with someone before the end. I don't hate it either because there's hardly any of it on paige but I easily could have done without it too. The weird thing is that it was somewhat telegraphed as early as TEOTW but still felt underdeveloped at the end. I agree that RJ wasn't great at writing romance but at the same time I often wanted more of it. The series would feel so much less without the romantic relationships. It's just kind of annoying that practically every romance had something really strange going on in it that made the reader a bit uncomfortable.
  3. I'm a pretty big re-reader in general. Once I find a good series I can easily return to it every couple of years. Though I also want to keep at least some distance between re-reads so that I don't become bored or too familiar with the series. Admittedly, WoT was an outlier in the sense that I immediately started a re-read after finishing it for the first time. I just couldn't keep away from it and wanted to relive the journey and pick up the things I had missed on my first read. I'm not exactly sure how many times I've re-read it since that first time in 2014 but I'd guess three times. Latest was in the summer just before season 1 came out and it was just as good as I remembered. I'm currently about to finish Malazan for the first time but I've definitely felt a yearning for WoT even while reading other works, especially now that the tv-series keeps the discussion around it so lively. I think I'll get back to WoT after Malazan. Will be interesting to read it after two seasons of tv adaption and think about what I would have included from the books.
  4. I hope they take a critical look at the pacing for future seasons. I think both seasons suffered from a rush to the finish line type of approach. They take their time building some storylines early in the season like it was a 10+ episode season and then end up cramming too much into episodes 7 & 8. The internal logic suffers when they have to force a conclusion to every storyline in 60 minutes. Also they should do a better job landing the storylines they've developed during the season. We spent a fair bit of time with Elayne & Nyn coming up with a plan to save Egwene only to have her save herself from the a'dam. Ingtar was hinted at as a DF but then we didn't get the reveal which made much of the (admittedly) little buildup with him useless. Likewise we spend precious time with Rand finding wine for Logain but in the end he didn't learn anything from him, yet was still able to do two intricate weaves in the final episodes when the plot needed it.
  5. Geofram Bornhald was a stand up guy. He was good enough to bend his faith to advice Moiraine to seek AS healing in Season 1. Then his company was the only one who responded to the Seanchan threat against stronger odds. In a show where so many characters are portrayed gray it was refreshing to have a morally strong guy around. I also liked the Yellow Aes Sedai and her warder. Similarly strong characters who sacrificed themselves to help the young ones escape.
  6. It's weird, I think season 2 was a big improvement overall from season 1, but on a personal level I'm more annoyed and kind of demoralized with the series now than I was after S1. That's mainly because of Rand's arc. I'm just disappointed with his lack of development. The meeting with Siuan really pulled the rug from under him - I hated that scene so much it's making me not want to rewatch the season. Then he again did less than I hoped in the finale. I was hoping S2 would be his breakthrough but instead it feels like two seasons worth of making him a lesser character than his book version. I miss the growing arc I'm not seeing in show-Rand.
  7. I don't doubt Rafe's enthusiasm for the books, but I've come to realize we might value different things about them. For example, I can't fathom how overlooked Rand's relationship with the sword has been. A complete no brainer for me to include and build around that has been a mere afterthought in the show. Season 1 also kind of bulldozed past some scenes from the book that I found very emotional or meaninful. The end result is that I can't quite connect with the tv characters and therefore the series feels a bit hollow for me.
  8. Stuff like that does frustrate the hell out of me. Like the arrow, I just struggle to imagine how no one in the production crew pointed out she should snap it before pushing it through.
  9. I was watching Mat push that Ashandarei into the lock and thinking "surely that flimsy thing is going to fall apart any second." 😆 And yeah, Nynaeve, it's much less painful for Elayne if you remove the feathery thing at the end. I was wtf:ing pretty hard at that oversight.
  10. Overall, I enjoyed it. I was really quite pleased with it almost to the very end. The final scenes at the tower were a little over the top for me, especially Egwene's last minute rescue of Rand. I just don't see how she should be able to battle Ishamael in strength. They were really hammering home the ensemble spirit with all of the TR5 there with Rand. A little disappointed Rand didn't get a bigger moment to shine. Then again, they haven't really established how he could have done much more than he did either with the sword or the Power. At least that's consistent storytelling. Hopper's death had me tearing up. Loved how they did Perrin's rage, but I can see the issue with him going for more of a revenge kill rather than a heat of the moment defensive move. Not really sure what they're building with Nynaeve - I was a little frustrated by her lack of ability this episode, it seemed a bit out of place when everyone else was rising up to the challenge. Her whole arc has been a bit flat after the Three Arches. I'm a bit unclear about the nature of her block because it seems her ability to use the power is kind of random rather than tied to her anger. Mat finally had a big moment. Couldn't help noticing the dagger seems to function differently from S1E8 and the book in general. My biggest gripe was that I don't see how that flimsy ad hoc Ashandarei could hold together through that fighting, lol. They did well with the Heros of the Horn. I was worried it might look foolish but it didn't. Good to see Moiraine admit to her mistakes as well. I see some posters cringed at Aviendha's Car'a'carn. Is that because Rand isn't technically the Car'a'carn until he comes out of Rhuidean? Probably my biggest plus from this episode is that Mat & Perrin finally had their moments to shine. I can't say I've been pleased with the road to those moments but at least they showed some spirit finally.
  11. I'm not sure if RJ actually wrote the ending when TEOTW came out, but he often said he could write the ending whenever he wanted to because he had it so clearly in his mind from the start. Outside of that he said he had certain events that he wanted to explore but the road to and order of those events could change during the writing process. Most of his notes weren't plot related rather than culture and character traits. The story itself was in his head and therefore probably very malleable during the writing process.
  12. I just couldn't get interested in this plot so I'm mainly just happy it's over now. The conclusion of it was kind of funny though. Lan's breathless excitement explaining his great discovery and him advising barely-able-to-channel Rand how to cut the knot. Lan's humble apology for doing Moiraine's work for her and Moiraine just smiling there as if she couldn't have helped fix this great mystery. Just a weird little scene to conclude a convoluted side plot. At least it gave us Research Assistant Lan, so that's good.
  13. I agree with @Chivalry regarding the earning angle. We are heading into the finale where I hope Rand has a big moment, but I can't help feeling they haven't done a good enough job with making the viewer feel he has earned that moment. His sword training has been all off screen and is based on the teachings of a mad former blademaster. In this episode it was made painfully obvious he hasn't learned channeling either. That's two aspects of his TGH finale that have been poorly developed imo. It's why I think E7 did him such a disservice. If he does something with the Power in the finale it's fair to ask how he was able to do it with so little knowledge of the OP. The more I think about Rand's arc in this season the more frustrated I feel. It feels like he's been spinning on his wheels the entire season. Twice he tried to approach Logain to learn how to channel but neither occasion lead to anything useful. Neither has he taken his first steps as a leader of men like in the books. Twice he had to be saved by others, going as far as asking help from a Forsaken, which ironically enough lead to the distruction of the place and people he had lived with for months. Even his much expected meeting with Siuan ended up being more about Siuan and Moiraine than about him. It feels like the show should have done more to show at least some growth of character and ability this season. Siuan was kind of right to berate him for not learning, but I feel like I could throw that same accusation at the writers. We are 15 episodes into the series and Rand feels like a complete passanger in his own story.
  14. I mostly struggle with the "inherent darkness"-angle of Mat's arc. It's true that he was mostly a passanger in the series before his healing but I wouldn't have changed his background quite that radically. I was hoping they'd use his escape from the Tower similarily as they did in the third book as a new beginning but they've continued with the darkness angle. I'm guessing he'll have his "I'd never betray you"-moment in next episode. I'm hoping they'll treat that as a clean slate moment so that we can move on to better things in his arc.
  15. I think I see what they tried with his apology (him being so duty driven that he takes an extreme view of protecting her, which is an admirable quality), but I didn't really like the imbalance of it. Moiraine should be just as apologetic towards him. She's the one who masked the bond ever since S1E8 which practically made his job impossible. Then she irrationally insulted him as a bad Warder early in S2. Even if we understand it was to push him away I don't think show-Lan saw it that way. I got the feeling Lan thought he had failed her by not understanding her condition (stilled or shielded?), but to me that's asking too much from Lan. He's not supposed to be the One Power expert in the relationship. Anyway, when Lan apologized to her I thought the obvious response from Moiraine should have been "there's nothing to apologize for" and take part of the blame. Now they kind of made it look like he was the only one at fault. Maybe they'll get Moiraine's side of the story in next episode because now they made her (unintentionally?) look a bit inconsiderate.
  16. The way Siuan acted in this episode is just so different from the book that one just has to shrug it off as a major change and try to live with it. I could see it as an accelerant to future events so that Siuan's deposing can happen early in S3. I'm kind of curious if they'll try a redemption arc with her or if they're paving the way for her exit from the series entirely. With the way Lan referenced suicide as a likely fate for stilled AS I immediately thought it might be foreshadowing for Siuan. With the Moi/Siuan schism added to it it would make sense that she feels her entire life is falling apart. Siuan is a solid character in the books but honestly her show portrayl has been quite off from the start. She came off like a cruel tyrant in S1 (This is my Tower! My city! My world! Beg your Mother for mercy!) and they were low key building her up as a bad Amyrlin. If you factor that in her actions in this episode were not that out of the blue.
  17. I do wish they had developed something with Lan and Rand for Season 2. It would have been faithful to the spirit of the book as well as in TGH Lan has that rebellious streak where he guides Rand to act more independently. They could have expanded that into a S2 arc for the both of them: sword forms, life lessons, running into trouble, some humorous encounters. They still could have included Moiraine's & Lan's "divorce" into it as well and have Lan seek Rand out when Moiraine snubs him. Lan could have shared some of his troubles with Rand and vice versa. Then when they eventually reunite with Moiraine it could have been Rand who discovers Ishy's tied weaves on her. This way the Rand-Siuan meeting could have been a culmination of actual character development of Rand becoming a man instead of a couple of hasty lines before the event. Make that line "Lan has prepared you" really mean something.
  18. I agree with the general sentiment regarding the Gitara foretelling. I thought the scene felt off and decidedly unimpressive. Like something they hastily put together as an afterthought. The book version was just so much more captivating (or at least I imagined it so). In hindsight, I'm not really sure why this scene was needed at all at this point of the story. Perhaps the purpose was more to remind us of Moiraine's & Siuan's friendship? Also confused by the lack of snow around Tar Valon. All of this should have taken place in winter iirc. Shouldn't have been difficult so cgi some snow on the ground. In fact I think it would have made for a stunning visual.
  19. Yeah this bugged me as well. I get he's pissed off about Stepin & Kerene, but that seemed a bit dishonourable on Lan's part. I wish they wouldn't force these characters into situations where they break their word so freely. I think in WoT world oaths and promises should be taken more seriously.
  20. Overall I felt similarily about this episode as I did with S1 E8. By that I mean I was entertained enough and curious about where they were going, but I had to shut down my book-brain to be able to enjoy it, especially the Siuan-Moiraine-Lan parts. Also, it felt like they crammed a lot into this episode. We were constantly jumping from Cairhien to Egwene to Perrin to Mat and back to Cairhien that it felt a little rushed and disjointed. This to me is a bit of an issue with the show. The pace can be really slow for several episodes and then suddenly very frantic. All this has me a bit worried for the season finale. Though one could argue this episode was "sacrificed" for getting everyone ready for a more focused finale.
  21. I wish they'd given Rand more of an equal moment with Siuan. Feels wrong to first have Lan say his "face it on your feet"-speech and then have him literally crouch in a corner for much of the scene. In the books, I thought it was a beautiful moment when his void shatters and he stumbles but regains his composure. The scene in the show lacks the part in the book where Siuan & Moiraine are also shaken or at least uncomfortable by the experience but in a different way. This was more like a one sided put down which imo is a bit of a disservice to Rand's character development at this point. Like, in some ways he should be way ahead of his book persona when facing Siuan in the show and I thought this could have been a great moment for him to show some of his power but instead we were reminded how unlearned he is just one episode before the season's finale.
  22. This idea occurred to me as well as something they might do. By what we have been shown, Liandrin does have a more developed balancing act between good and evil than Ingtar. There's also the problem of what they'll do with her now that she's been exposed as Black Ajah. She won't be able to continue in the Tower much longer and since Elaida has been cast they won't combine her with Elaida's arc either. Will they keep her as a lower level darkfriend helping the Forsaken around like in the books? This swap could be convenient way to write her out of the show on a high note instead of diminishing her role in future seasons. But like @DaddyFinn said they've foreshadowed Ingtar as well which they probably wouldn't do if they intended someone else to take his arc. Unless they do both.
  23. I wouldn't mind "another turning of the Wheel" so much for the Sanderson books. In a way they already are because we don't know how much of it was RJ's vision and how much was Sanderson's own ideas. I don't meant to belittle Sanderson's contribution either but I think it will be easier to accept changes to those parts of the story.
  24. I pretty much loved them from the start. I actually have a diary marking from when I started reading TEOTW and it says I read the first 100 pages in one evening and was basically hooked. I finished the book in about five days and couldn't wait to borrow the second book from the library so I bought my very first e-book. The pace only got faster after that and it took me only five days to finish both TGH and TDR. Kind of insane in retrospect. I wish I'd kept a more detailed diary of my feelings and first impressions. One funny thing I remember is that I kept shipping for Rand & Egwene way longer than RJ probably intended. I remember when Min was introduced and I was really angry with her for ruining the Greatest Love Story Ever Told with her "she's not for you"-prediction. That hurt the first time I read it because I was so invested in Rand + Egwene. I was also completely sold on Rand as the main character so when the pov shifted to Perrin I was actually a bit disappointed. That was probably my only moment of doubt with the first book and that didn't last long. I don't remember being disappointed or too confused by the ending, I guess I just took it in stride and didn't try to overthink it. Clearly it was enough of a hook to keep me interested. I was quite new to fantasy with only ASOIAF (and Harry Potter) as comparables so I wasn't bothered by the similarities to LOTR for example. In fact, I don't remember drawing any parallelles between them on my first read, which feels strange in retrospect. I had read LOTR as a kid and seen the movies a dozen times but as a book it didn't capture me anywhere near as much as WoT did.
  25. I get that it was to give Egwene something to think about. But I thought the sound levels were kind of all over the place in that prison. Sometimes screaming would barely be audible to the next cell, a moment later a normal low speaking sound would supposedly be heard clearly. Not the best designed scene imo which took me out of it a little bit but I might have been in the minority.
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