Welcome to Dragonmount, Michael. Hope you enjoy your time here and look forward to seeing your thoughts on the story 🙂

Fleeting

Bedrock

I second water.

Train

So I think we definitely need to go back to the water temple.

Is there no end to the synergy available? I guess we'll find out, lol.

Fork

A unique bonus? I'm intrigued...

Bridge

Things seem to be going in the right direction.

Shark

Park

Tbh, I don't think it undermines Morgase's character at all, I think you just have give up on any deep analysis of what is going on and accept it at face value that Morgase is ruthless and effective. I don't think I'd go as far as calling it bad writing - it is blunt, and obviously the main aim was the shock value. I think that is easily apparent from the choice of people executed. But there is sufficient wriggle room to justify what is going on - they had submitted to her, so we're they not subject to her rulings? It isn't great political drama but that obviously wasn't the aim. Definitely not a fan of it, but I can see what they were trying to do and understand the justification for it. Anyone arguing that now Morgase is no longer a fairy tale princess turned Queen is missing the point, IMHO. In the show world, these people were some sort of threat to the throne. It isn't explained how, but there isn't time to explain that kind of thing, so the cold opening makes for a good talking point and illustrates and introduces a new character's personality with a bang. Blunt, but effective.

May as well keep going? Does not seem to be any downsides to doing this.

I think this refers to when book!Melhindra tries to kill Mat and then tells him he has the Dark One's own luck for surviving with her dying breath. Iirc, at at least.

Tractor (I'm too young to get the reference. Or too old 🤔)

Morgase is a troubling character at times in the book. I can see why people would want to move away from the "she is such a good queen because she is beautiful and has the body of a sex goddess" trope in fantasy. Making her ruthless, works well in setting, a ruler cannot hold to a rigid morality above the good of the people or their own right to rule (political stability is nearly always in the interests of the people). Also I guess it is meant to be showing Elaida's influence in protecting the Andor Royal line at all costs. But the scene is a poor one IMHO. Clearly it is designed for shock value, not to make sense politically. It had to be set up in one scene with everyone present to their reactions, and it had to be shocking to both non-readers and readers. It also doesn't make a lot of sense in the book world where the Wars of Succession are almost pseudo-legal disputes where each House is sovereign until a new Queen is chosen. Eliminating the Houses' rulers wouldn't impact on their claim to the throne when Morgase died unless they have actually removed the entire lineage of the House. Which you would think would set the rest of the Nobility against House Trakand forever. But I think looking that deeply into it is pointless. It is TV, severely limited in time and scope and the vignette is meant to give a measure of Morgase's personality and Elaida's influence. While being oh so very shocking (which to be fair it was, though I didn't really appreciate it that much). Trying to use it to understand Andor's political situation I think is going too far than what they were trying to achieve. They chose shock value over nuance, disappointing but understandable.

Sign

Terrapin

No but in Bela we trust.

I'm wary of testing it inside the spire where we are meant to show restraint. Though so far it seems like every choice has had a positive effect so maybe I'm being overly cautious.

Welcome, JayceDa 😄 Always nice to make acquaintance with a fellow fan of the Wheel of Time. And especially the shout out to Druss the Legend. The man himself gets too little recognition, IMHO. It's not necessary to introduce yourself, but it is good forum etiquette and I think it is more where people come on and make angry or very negative posts without any thought to the rules or wellbeing of the forum. It is always nice to see the people behind the username, it helps add to the feeling of community here. Look forward to seeing your thoughts in the forum and I hope you enjoy your time here.

Days

You see what I mean about it being difficult to debate? The men are 20 (or near enough) at the beginning of the story, not 17. They are adults, not children, not kids, except in the laziest meaning of the word. And yes the characters mature - but does the Two Rivers? You tied the Two Rivers to being the Shire and the EF5 being hobbits. How do you mature out of that? And it has nothing to do with the tone of the books, taking that they come from a rural backwater with puritanical attitudes to nudity and premarital sex is hardly the tone of the books, it is a minor detail - as you point out they mature past much of it. It is in no way an argument that the traditions in the Two Rivers are any better than that of the Borderlands or Mayene for example. They are just meant to be rural and ill-educated in the ways of the world outside the Two Rivers which I think is a normal feature of the Hero's Journey which is also included in the show. There is no moral tale there.