Amen to all of this. These were the MASSIVE MISFIRES that tainted Season 1 and, really, doomed the rest of the series. There is no excusing these decisions.
Whether one liked it or not is entirely subjective. But objectively speaking, Rafe changed a TON about Rand. And objectively, The Dragon was the backbone of the series.
Amen. But man, Rafe and I really loved different aspects of the story. I think the show would have been more successful if he had chosen to focus on Rand’s hero’s journey.