I definitely agree regarding Nynaeve and Setalle Anan. That felt like a plotline (among several) that just fizzled out.

I agree. Whether or not you enjoy it, the show was always going to be different than the books--there's no nead for creative justifications.

Lan and Moiraine post ToG--it happened, but offscreen. Rand and Galad--again it happened, but we don't see it from either POV. Cadsuane and Egwene. Morgase and Thom. Throw in Elayne, Mat and Basil Gill for a real party.

Faile is 14/15 at the start of the series, 16/17 when she marries Perrin, and 17/18 in AMoL. I presume they'll age her up for the show like they did with Egwene. (For reference, Egwene and Elayne are 16 at the start of the books.)

That's a good way of putting it. I'm not overly fond of the other Brandon Sanderson books I've read, but I completely agree that any author would have resulted in similar issues in this case. He and team Jordan were handed an impoosible task and did the best they could under the cirucmstances. (Although I do think there should have been some more careful editing.) My point is that we should accept (to some degree) that the final 3 books to have more irregularities than the rest, which means we can't really analyze them like we did the first 11.

I wholeheartedly agree for the first 11 books. The last 3 pose a problem, however, since the author change introduced a number of plot tangles and inconsistencies. No matter how much we analyze TGS, ToM and AMoL, we just can't be sure what was planned and what was invented out of necessity.

The fundamental problem is that we can never be sure what was intended. RJ himself dropped, mutated or retconned various elements of the story and lore to suit the shifting scope of his story. It's fun, but ultimately futile for us to speculate how the inconsistencies and oddities of the last three books fit into the pattern. I expect this is why there was far less dicussion post AMoL than with the earlier books. For my part, I mostly shrug off things like Nakomi, Rand lighting his pipe, the male Aiel channelers, etc. I don't like them from a storytelling perspective--new quirks introduced right at the end often fall flat--but they also had minimal impact on anything. In fact, Aviendha's second trip through the columns was anticlimactic because AMoL didn't have a proper denouement (which IMO is criminal for such a long series). I suspect it was setup for the planned outrigger novels that never happened. I have more problems with Demandred's scheme with Shara, the whole Graendal/Perrin plot, and the utter lack of resolution of Fain!Mashadar. These went way beyond falling flat--they were complete face plants. For contrast, the Ashendarei was a masterful use of foreshadowing and resolution. Olver sounding the Horn was another great one.

Years ago I speculated that the bubbles of evil and shifting environments were the result of the barriers between the real world and T'A'R breaking down. Following that line of thought, what Rand does at the end feels a lot like a Dreamer's manipulation of T'A'R, or that reality isn't quite as solid (anymore?) as everyone assumes. And although it's a metaphor, the Aiel have always described death as waking from the dream. Whether or not you subscribe to my pet theory or not, we have a plethora of weird Talents and effects (Wolfbrothers, Min, Singing, Luck, The Horn of Valere, etc.) that aren't directly tied to channeling or the OP. (I personally disliked Rand lighting his pipe like that, not because it was weird, but because it felt completely unnecessary.)

Verin only considers murdering her becuase she worries Cadsuane's impact would be bad for Rand and the Light side--and she doesn't go through with it when she learns Cadsuane's intent (see below). Cadsuane certainly wasn't a bully in the early books, assuming you define 'bully' to be someone forcing others down merely to feel powerful. Cadusance used various tactics--some agressive, some manipulative, some honest and straightforward--depending on the circumstances. Her primary goal was always to make Rand and the Asha'man see themselves as humans rather than weapons. Part of her strategy was making Rand treat others with courtesy and respect, at a time when he was rapidly devolving into an authoritarian dictator.

I (finally) finished watching season 2 and have been thinking about Moiraine's arc, which, along with giving her and Lan more to do at this point in the story, also reveals some interesting nuances. Moiraine's reaction is very Aes Sedai: meekly accept what has happened and move forward. This attitude is definitely a problem for the Aes Sedai in the books, and a big reason why their use of the OP has stagnated. By contrast, Lan's reaction is very Malkieri; keep fighting despite the (supposed) certainty of defeat. On a related note, knotting weaves is a lost (or very rare) skill, which is a nice, non-flashy way to emphasize how much more skill/knowledge the FS have. Also, being shielded has a far stronger physical affect than in the books--almost like withdrawal symptoms.

Some people also accept that different things each have strengths and weaknesses and can appreciate them for what they are. I'd never say the show is perfect; I'd also never say the books are a perfect. I enjoy (most of) the book version of the story more, but I also think the show has made some very good decisiions--alongside questionable ones--given the medium and constraints it's under.

I think some of Cadsuane's questionabile behaviour in the final books is due to the author change. From a bird's eye view her decisions make sense, but her interactions with other characters feel somewhat off.

Katharine Hepburn...

I think it's fairly well (if not obviously) established that Taim was never meant to be Demandred, or any Forsaken. First, he has at least some history in Saldaea (and was captured by Aes Sedai). Second, Dashiva was the Shadow agent at the Black Tower. (That being said, I found Demandred's ultimate reveal to be lackluster, and inserting an entirely new society at the last minute was extremely clumsy. That could also be due to the replacement author.) I'll echo Elgee in liking Cadsuane--except for her out-of-the-blue (green?) introduction. I suspect RJ realized that Moiraine was going to be gone far longer than he originally anticipated and needed someone to fill that role in Rand's development. While I agree the breaking of Semirhage was handled a bit clumsily, I very much liked Cadsuane's realization that she, herself was likely older--and certainly had more life experience--than Semirhage did.