But they did accept Egwene as the new Amyrlin didn't they. And Elaida was gone and absolutely no-one was interested in getting her back ! So they went with Egwene because of her actions in fighting the Seanchan and in fighting Elaida. Neither of which were in any way superficial. Isn't it so hmm !?

Thanks for the detailed reply ! It is so interesting that we have completely opposite opinions about this ! Let me do a break down of it: - You lose the drama of the stand-off at the bridges... I didn't see that as dramatic at all because to me it was nonsense. It was obvious that the Tower would be re-united. - In no way is the scenario of Egwene being forced into attacking the tower at that moment far fetched... Really !? When Egwene had sleepily protested when she was being rescued " No don't take me back. I am winning ! " She knew she would have had them eating out of her hand. In fact why didn't she just go back to the Tower the next morning ? They would have been throwing rose petals at her feet ! Why this big fake drama about being at each other's throats ? As I said it was nonsense. - You miss the pay off of having the rebels being successful. But either way they were successful. I don't understand your point. - The tower was not in a state after the attack to deal with a Black Ajah purge and Egwenes place was not as established as it was within the Rebel camp. This seems like a good point on the surface but I think it would have been worth showing Egwene working with the Tower to catch as many Black Ajah from both "camps" as possible in one go. It would have been another practical way to show everyone how competent and able Egwene was and to show her taking over as the new Amyrlin. If the Tower was still in some disarray well they would just have to have dealt with it. - Siuan and co would never have been folded into the defence of the tower... Why not ? It was an unprecedented emergency after all. - Egwenes being a hero was secure with or without her waking in the Tower. It's not about Egwene's status as a hero being secure. It's about having a satisfying conclusion and emotional pay-off to one of the best events in the books. And Brandon Sanderson didn't do it. Mind you Robert Jordan didn't do it after the cleansing of Saidin either so Sanderson wasn't on his own in this regard. - You may have liked the immediate pay off but I thought the chapter following the attack was great with the purge of the Black sisters... Yes the purge of the Black Ajah sisters was very good but it would have been just as good if it had happened in the Tower. Maybe even better ! Thanks for the lively discussion and feel free to reply to my reply if you want !

This is the chapter after ' The Tower Shakes ' so Egwene is fighting against the Seanchan raiders. Siuan, Gareth Bryne and their party get into Tar Valon and "rescue" Egwene and take her back to the Rebel camp. I thought this was an anti-climactic way to write the end of the Seanchan raid. I would much have preferred it if after realizing what Egwene was doing the Tower Aes Sedai had sent a force of Sisters and their Warders up to the 22nd floor to help Egwene and rescue the Novices. Which is very likely what they would have done. Then Egwene would have been hailed and treated like the hero she was and been seen into bed along with the rest of the Novices who no doubt were as exhausted as Egwene was. Then when the Tower Aes Sedai learned that Elaida had been taken by the Seanchan they would have decided to give it up and accept Egwene as the Amyrlin. Why not go for an immediate pay off ? Rather than delaying it with Egwene back in the Rebel camp contemplating overthrowing the Tower by force. A scenario that seemed rather far fetched considering what Egwene had just done in defending the Tower. Siuan, Gareth and party could have been spotted early on by Tower guards and brought into the Aes Sedai centre of operations to explain themselves and then pitched in with the defense of the Tower. Everything else except them taking Egwene back to the Rebel camp could have happened as it did.

And I was only getting started ! Wheel of Time is full of bloat and it has to be pruned savagely to make it possible to do a workable television adaptation. Maybe if they forgot about costly special effects and used the money to produce twenty episode seasons they could cram two thirds of the story in. Then the focus would be on getting the writing right.

I found the "courtship" between Rand and Aviendha in the Waste very funny. Especially the time when she came back in a "quivering fury" after Rand had unwittingly got her into trouble with the Wise Ones. Aviendha was caught between her promise to Egwene to "look after" Rand for Elayne and her own unwanted attraction to him. Which made her situation totally impossible and led to her growing frustration and anger. And of course Rand was completely clueless about the whole situation.

Lots of cuts would need to be made and lots of condensing to fit the story into say an eight season show. So out goes. 1. Perrin. We already have two Ta'veren in Rand and Mat so we don't need a third. No need for the wolves either which is good because working with animals on screen is a pain. And it takes out the Battle for the Two Rivers side story as well. And no Perrin means no Faile so all of the time wasted on that tedious story goes. And cut Berelain too of course and there would be no Lord Luc/Esam. 2. The Whitecloaks. With Perrin gone do we really need the Whitecloaks? They take up a lot of space and aren't really necessary. 3. The Tu'atha'an. They are unnecessary and not interesting. Just have them as a group that died out a thousand years ago but keep them as a plot device for the Aiel back story. 4. Min. I love Min but we already have Egwene as a foreteller so Min is a duplicate. 5. Elayne. I would have killed off Elayne at Falma when they were betrayed to the Seanchan by Liandrin. I loved early Elayne but Robert Jordan did her dirty later on when she seemed to lose half of her intelligence for no good reason. I would have made Aviendha Rand's only love interest. Their "courtship" was hilarious and she was more than enough woman for the Dragon Reborn. 6. Morgase. I would have had Gaebril kill her off in Camelyn and I would have cut Galad as a character and just have Gawyn. 7. The Seafolk and the Bowl of the Winds. A tedious people and side story that could easily be cut. 8. I would have had Moiraine killed off by Lanfear when she had her hissy fit in Cairhein. Bringing Moiraine back served no real purpose. Moiraine could have transferred Lan's bond to Nynaeve directly and that would cut out all of the Mirelle guff as well. Well that's probably enough for a decent start at thinning out the old forest.