The writers have changed so many important parts of the story that it’s lost the WOT vibe for me.  Changes aside, it’s poorly done.  It’s obvious that the writers/producers care more about working 2021 social issues into the show than presenting it as it should be.  Sadly, they’re using their platform to broadcast their personal social agendas.  Gay wardens, lesbian Aes Sedai.  Please!  It adds absolutely nothing to the WOT story!  I’m waiting to see how they work in BLM or defunding the police.  

I always saw the gender roles in this story as two sides of the same coin.  The roles are the same as our society in general.  Women excel in certain roles while men excel in others.  When they work together though, they go above and beyond. The Aes Sedai and warden relationships are an example of both genders relying on one another to survive.  One could not survive without the other. And, As in real life, some women hate or look down on men and some men feel the same about women.

1 hour ago, Elder_Haman said:

Mat was often blamed for pies that ended up missing. And for other mischief. 

Blamed for but not actually caught stealing.  There’s a difference from the point of the viewers/ readers perspective.  And, (maybe) stealing pies vs. obviously selling stolen goods is the difference between a rowdy young man and a straight up thief.  The idea that he is stealing to provide for his sisters is somewhat legit BUT he lost all his money gambling.  He sold the stolen item to recover his gambling loss.  Thus, the degenerate gambler perception.  TV Mat is nowhere near as likable as book Mat.  That’s a shame.

12 minutes ago, Elder_Haman said:

He was a thief in the books. He stole pies.

Do the books actually say he stole pies or do they suggest he may have stolen pies?

23 minutes ago, Elder_Haman said:

In the books, Mat doesn't get much portrayal at all until book 3. To the extent we know things about him, we know that he's a troublemaker who often gets blamed for things like missing pies. He pulls pranks that could be described as reckless - letting a badger loose on the green.

 

Mat's portrayal in the show is a slightly edgier version of that, I guess? We're meant to think he stole the bracelet from Danya, but we aren't sure. We know Mat is a gambler, so that hits the mark. And most everything else that he's done has been post dagger acquisition. 

I agree.  But, the show flatly shows Mat had gambled away all of his money.  It was made into an important point when Rand and Perrin have a serious/concerned discussion about his gambling losses.  I can let that go as part of the story though.  Then he sells the stolen jewelry to Fain.  Most folks don’t like thieves and portraying him as such changes folks opinion of Mat as a character.  Mat, portrayed as a “rascal” in the book, was fun.  Mat portrayed as a thief, not so much.

Another point.  In the show Mat, frankly, is portrayed as a degenerate gambler and thief.  It’s been awhile but did the books portray him this way?  I recall Mat was a prankster who was irritating, in a humorous way, not a criminal with a gambling addiction.

On 12/4/2021 at 1:51 PM, Ralph said:

But in the books they are also described as gleaming white and taking great care over their appearance

I get that and agree that when they aren’t out in the field that’s the appropriate way to portray them.  But, when they’re out in the country, traveling mile upon mile, fighting battles, they would/could not remain gleaming white.  It’s unrealistic and frankly silly.

2 minutes ago, Dead Warder said:

Well, be advised that you should brind some constructive criticism and maybe some changes to what you would have changed if you want any traction here. Just fair warning.

I’m not a movie producer or a writer.  I’m just a fan.  I posted my criticism.  Whether it’s taken as constructive or not is not up to me.  Put some effort into theWheel of Time world.  For example: the Children of the Light are warriors.  They’re out and about battling the Aes Sedai yet their wearing nothing that indicates they are warriors AND their white clothes are perfectly clean.  Not realistic and it doesn’t portray them as what they actually are.  They look like a group of 70’s disco patrons.  

3 minutes ago, Dead Warder said:

 

But WoT is your second choice in best fantasy series of all time? Even though you thought it was cheaply done and a big disappointment?

 

Are you talking about the books or the show?

The show.  The show totally drops the ball.  The books are very well done and a favorite of mine.  This show is just a let down.

GOT is the best fantasy series of all time.  WOT (in my opinion) is second all time.  The producers at HBO nailed it.  The producers at Amazon dropped the ball big time.  I have been so disappointed by this show!  The character traits that made parts of the story dark, funny, loving or awe inspiring are non-existent.  I was so looking forward to Nynaeve’s fit throwing and Mat’s humor.  It’s just not there and the other characters don’t come close to living up to the book either.

The wardrobe chosen for the characters is awful.  The Children of the Light are supposed to be warriors. Why are they wearing white robes and sleeveless shirts?  Why not some cool armor like we saw throughout GOT’s??     Some of them had hair cuts straight out of an old Buck Rogers movie!  I expected the Aes Sedai to look like goddesses not frumpy, overweight (sorry but i only remember one being described as overweight) “average” women.  I always pictured Lan as wearing top notch, awesome looking armor and he’s not.  The book portrays Lan as a straight up bad dude, it leaves no doubt about it! Sulky and brooding with no time to waste on the others. The Lan in the show doesn’t come close to that!  This Lan is more of a touchy feely nice guy.  I guess comparing this to GOT is asking too much but you didn’t see this kind of shoddy wardrobe there. If a character was a bad dude in the book, he was a bad dude in the show. It was a fantastical world and the GOT producers created it that way.  The WOT producers didn’t.  
 

The White Tower looks dirty and brown!  It’s supposed to be magnificent and it looks like an old building in a run down part of town.

Sadly, this show reminds me of the old Dungeons and Dragons movies they made back in the day with wizards in pointy hats with sun and moon symbols on their robes.  

These were great books with great characters that allowed readers to imagine fantastic images. The show producers apparently lack the imagination to see that.

This is just cheaply done and a big disappointment.