Just now, TheDreadReader said:

From the non-reader reactions that I have seen, I haven't seen anyone mention this specific line as a problem.   I have heard complaints about the lack of explanations about things in a general sense.  Perhaps, we highlight it because we understand how complicated that concept can be.

And even as a semi-reader, I personally didn't find it to be an issue. There are a lot of things in the books that are unnecessarily gendered. The idea that the ta'veren were only the boys for one. I get that male channelers were the ones to sense female ta'veren and vice versa in the books but in today's society and one where we're all learning that gender in our world isn't binary, to have so much of everything be based in binary gender feels weird. Some of it (saidar and saidin for example) is fine as it keeps the integrity of the world but this is absolutely not a confusing change for me considering how the real world has progressed in knowledge and how far we still have to go.

8 minutes ago, DaddyFinn said:

I'm just sad it had to be Laila because she was bloody great in the fight scene and I would have loved to see more of her in the future.

I can agree with that and personally, if they really wanted to go the Darkfriend route, she could have easily betrayed Perrin and somehow survived being a mysterious figure lurking out there as a threat to him. 

EDIT: And who knows? She may have actually survived but we don't know that. I would much rather *know* she had survived and lurking.

49 minutes ago, Gothic Flame said:

An Amyrlin Seat doesn't need to be ta'veren to unite the White Tower.

The phrasing on this is key and you may not have meant it that way. She doesn't need to be ta'veren but that doesn't mean that it's something that would never happen. It's absolutely plausible still for Egwene to be ta'veren.

1 hour ago, Daenelia said:

So it would have been fine if Perrin had accidentily stored his axe in someone else, who was not female?

 

I don't think this was a case of fridging. Perrin apparently loved her, she was not a prop or afterthought. But hey, it would have been a great change if Perrin had been bisexual and he had killed his male lover.

Independent of whether or not it was a woman, it still very much is fridging. The fact that it was a woman adds another layer of problems to it is all.

1 hour ago, DaddyFinn said:

I didn't even know this was a trope until fans started talking about it. I don't mind. The scene itself was well directed and quite realistic. I think we haven't seen all of Laila yet and this will get more nuanced. Perrin spends so much time inside his head something had to be done. Maybe it would have been better if he killed Haral Luhhan or someone else as Sanderson had suggested but too late now.

 

Tl;dr I want to see how they will make this work in the long run.

And that's absolutely fair. For me, it wasn't a dealbreaker on the entire series it just didn't sit well for me and is something that absolutely can and should be discussed. Outside of that, I am genuinely enjoying the series thus far.

51 minutes ago, Agitel said:

Again, another issue I'm a bit split on. I don't think the death of a loved one is an intrinsically bad trope. But I also know the death of a woman to move a man's plot is... over represented, to put it politely. But I also know the WOT is not just a man's story, or a story about a group of men, but also includes many strong, non-token women characters in powerful roles.

Absolutely correct and I agree. There really isn't that much wrong with it outside of it's overdone but also with the tilt towards women being the victims that does shed a whole light on another side of it. If we had more parity between all genders, I'm not sure it would be anywhere near as widely critiqued as it is. It probably would be critiqued but I think the conversations about it would be very different.

39 minutes ago, Gothic Flame said:

Seeing her go from a naif and  progress to the powerful woman she becomes..(at least that's how it is in the books) should be something that most should want.

She doesn't need to be entirely naive to go through that journey. Emond's Field is still very much separated from the happenings of the world. They hear rumors but they haven't actually *seen* or *experienced* any of that. The reasoning behind her going along doesn't change any of that.

29 minutes ago, Daenelia said:

I don't see anything really wrong with what they did so far. But to base all of it on 3 episodes to determine how much they changed Perrin, that is not fair to the book Perrin, who had 14 books to grow.

The only thing that is really "wrong" with it is that it is a tired trope. A woman close to Perrin was killed to spur him on his emotional journey.

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'Fridging' is the practice of killing off or hurting a minor character in order to motivate or torture a main character.

And many times, fridging is something done to women. If they wanted to explain Perrin's brooding personality, or even his careful thoughtfulness and how he likes to think about things before jumping in. The attack on Emond's Field would have been traumatic enough IMO. There was no need to add in Leila and even if prevailing theories are true, it doesn't do much to strengthen the choice.

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The went from one trope of bring along the girl because she is important later,  to another type of trope the girl is important because she is involved sexually with one of the male characters. 

Except that's not why she was brought along at all? If she is a Ta'Veren, that subverts that incredibly well.

1 hour ago, JenniferL said:

This conversation seems to be taking place in multiple threads. Let’s put it here so it’s easier to track. 
 

So, this is a disagreement at my house. My husband likes that Egwene is elevated because as the novels progress she becomes the co-lead of the series. He thinks that having her be Taveren makes sense because events seem to turn around her as much as the three boys. 
 

I disagree. Three Taveren has a deep mythological significance and the three boys are developed in specific ways that reflect their relationship to the Pattern that Egwene is not. It’s not a dealbreaker for me but I just don’t think this was a necessary change. 

Was it necessary? It's hard to say, however like you it's nowhere near a dealbreaker for me.

I totally get that 3 Ta'Veren has mythological significance in the books, but I certainly don't see it undermining much if anything.

39 minutes ago, Beidomon said:

This “turning” has robbed Egwene of any of her naivety that made her charming in the early books. Mo took her out of the TR along with the boys for a very simple reason - her ability to channel. And that was more than enough. And her reaction in the books was perfect: “I’m going to be Aes Sedai!” and “Rand - you can be my warder!” For whatever reason - Rafe and the writers room robbed her of that. And all for “modern sensibilities.” Tough to understand. 

And yet, Moiraine is still teaching her how to channel. I don't feel like the loss of naivety really is robbing her quite to the extent you're positing. All of the characters have lost that naivety because they're  not telling a coming of age story but they're still ignorant to a lot of the happenings of the outside world. They still have a lot of learning to be doing even if they are already at adulthood.

Okay so full disclosure, I know quite a bit about the books but a lot of that information was gleaned second hand from my dad because I couldn't get past Eye of the World and the world building.

However with that said, there was only one change thus far (and I have watched all 3 existing episodes) that bothers me..... Leila.

Even if they expand on her character and it does have impact down the line like many are positing, it was highly unnecessary to fridge someone to explain Perrin's broodiness.  The trolloc attack alone should have been sufficient enough to explain his pensiveness and his thoughtfulness. His trauma. There was absolutely no need to have him "accidentally" kill his wife, Darkfriend or no.

There are a *lot* of changes I can jive with especially since my knowledge is not as detailed as some folks here. I can jive with it not being a coming of age story as, to me, it is still very much epic fantasy. I can jive with Nynaeve getting dragged off as she was still very much self-sufficient. I still can't get past Leila.

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The 4 Ta'Veren thing... making Egwene a potential Dragon.  First, I'll say was Egwene not a Ta'Veren,  apparently not.  But....  Throwing her into the dragon mix is troublesome...   First off, Egwene is one of if not the most bad ass character by the end.  I really dislike the idea that one needs to increase her early revelance with this potential.  

I thought the same thing. Egwene being Ta'Veren but my dad told me it was only the boys in the books. With this in mind and how audiences view media now as opposed to when Wheel of Time was being published, this change is something I am fine with. With a lot of the things that Egwene did, I would much rather small details like this happen and it be something that made her special instead of being all about the boys. This was very much a weakness in the original book series.

I highly doubt Egwene is the Dragon Reborn. I think that was a detail meant for people who don't know the books.