Wheel Of Time- Season 2 (Amazon)
- Thread starter FreezeC77
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I just watched episode 4, and I am loving this season so far, it's definitely got me hooked now. They're taking the old characters in some interesting new directions, and the new elements have been interesting.
I was surprised to see Logain again, I assumed once the Aes Sedai removed his ability to use the One Power, that was the end of his storyline.
Damn, the Seachan are really fucking scary.
They really got me with all of the stuff with Nyneave in episode 3, I honestly that was the last we were going to see of her until she came out of the arches at the end.
I knew from the start that there was probably more to Selene than just being a simple inkeeper, but that was not what I expected.
I was a little surprised when I watched Inside the Episode for 4, and Rafe Judkins, the showrunner, said that Liandirin was working for Ishmael, I did not pick up on that at all. I knew she was up to something, but I don't know if I missed something somewhere, because I did not get that was what she was up to.
I was surprised to see Logain again, I assumed once the Aes Sedai removed his ability to use the One Power, that was the end of his storyline.
Damn, the Seachan are really fucking scary.
They really got me with all of the stuff with Nyneave in episode 3, I honestly that was the last we were going to see of her until she came out of the arches at the end.
I knew from the start that there was probably more to Selene than just being a simple inkeeper, but that was not what I expected.
I was a little surprised when I watched Inside the Episode for 4, and Rafe Judkins, the showrunner, said that Liandirin was working for Ishmael, I did not pick up on that at all. I knew she was up to something, but I don't know if I missed something somewhere, because I did not get that was what she was up to.
I didn't remember anything like that from the books so I looked through them and wow they basically adapted what Egwene SPOKE ABOUT in like a PARAGRAPH to Min (who was working as a go-between) about how she was being 'trained' by Renna.
The whole thing about wanting to hit her with a pitcher and not being able to use it and days of struggle was just a few sentences she spoke.
Big time kudos to the writers here for the show and how strong the episode was and what they presented. Instead of just being 'told' how brutal and dehumanizing the Damane training/treatment is like in the books you see it and see what Egwene goes through.
Slight book spoiler
I think being collared actually ended up 'helping' Egwene get a level of knowledge and control of weaves she had no knowledge of before and it led to quite a power-up. At that point she was the less skilled of the three because Elayne had spent her life with I think some private Aes Sedai tutoring and Nynaeve had raw power and it burst through for her...
Yes, show, don't tell. Brilliant adaptation by the writers.
I do hope they will soon get around to showing what Rand can do, too (as he got somewhat shortchanged in s1). Probably in episode 8, I think.
Yea. I do think with 10-12 it may make more sense with the amount they're attempting to fit into a season. Some of the context gets lost. Like last week was a great episode and I thought the way it was adapted was brilliant, but it also spent most of the episode adapting basically A COUPLE SENTENCES OF DIALOGUE spoken by Egwene in the books.
I'll put spoilers for this week (episode 7)
I felt like a lot of it was really rushed and not explained a lot. It seems like somehow they're attempting to have Rand's sword skills get to the level he was in the books, without ever actually having him train much or do anything in the show. Likewise the training of the channeling isn't there either.
It feels like just trying to move along some plot-points with the bare minimum of actually on-screen explanations.
Lanfear unleashing her powers was pretty cool. The Mat stuff was presented in a weird way and I almost feel like they missed an opportunity there. Moiraine's 'shield' just came like "oh well, it's been long enough so let's find a way to quickly explain and get her back her powers."
I did like the scene showing Siuan forcing Moiraine to channel this week since we can see the Aes Sedai binding oath not that different when used a certain way from the Seanchan collar.
Also I'm really liking Elayne's actress and how she's portraying the character. Loved the dynamic between Elayne and Nynaeve and the meeting with Loial was cute. I did notice when I re-read parts of the book last week after Egwene's torture just how annoying Nynaeve could be in the books. The where the character is being portrayed in the tv show is so much better IMO
It feels like just trying to move along some plot-points with the bare minimum of actually on-screen explanations.
Lanfear unleashing her powers was pretty cool. The Mat stuff was presented in a weird way and I almost feel like they missed an opportunity there. Moiraine's 'shield' just came like "oh well, it's been long enough so let's find a way to quickly explain and get her back her powers."
I did like the scene showing Siuan forcing Moiraine to channel this week since we can see the Aes Sedai binding oath not that different when used a certain way from the Seanchan collar.
Also I'm really liking Elayne's actress and how she's portraying the character. Loved the dynamic between Elayne and Nynaeve and the meeting with Loial was cute. I did notice when I re-read parts of the book last week after Egwene's torture just how annoying Nynaeve could be in the books. The where the character is being portrayed in the tv show is so much better IMO
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Season 1 I wasn't super into. I liked it enough to watch it all, but very slowly. When season 2 came out I expected it to be a show I just watched when nothing else was on. But wow it really improved on season 1 in every way! I ended up wanting more by the end. I agree that some aspects felt a bit rushed - some developments in the finale seemed to come way too fast - and extra episodes or time would have been appreciated. But I have few other complaints! The acting also stood out as a cut above a lot of these types of shows (including, sadly, The Rings Of Power) and Madeleine Madden was particularly excellent as Egwyne. The scenes of her enslavement were a highlight of the season. Anyway, I liked it a lot and hope it isn't a full two year wait until season 3.
I did generally enjoy season 1, except for the finale, but I blame that mostly on COVID and one of their lead actors deciding to leave the project. But season 2 was definitely a step up in pretty much every way. I don't know if they got a budget increase or just refined what they were already doing, but the show just looks better overall.
In terms of adaptation, it's fine; there is no feasible way to adapt all fourteen of those books in exacting detail. People who aren't happy about some of the changes should just treat the show as another turning of the Wheel and relax.
Honestly, season 2 really drove home to me just how repetitive some of the plot points are in The Great Hunt and The Dragon Reborn, which this season did a mostly solid job of combining into one story.
I'm glad every episode is a meaty ~60 minutes in length, but the pacing is still off sometimes. They could really use 10 episodes per season, but alas, Amazon seems married to the eight episode model.
In terms of adaptation, it's fine; there is no feasible way to adapt all fourteen of those books in exacting detail. People who aren't happy about some of the changes should just treat the show as another turning of the Wheel and relax.
Honestly, season 2 really drove home to me just how repetitive some of the plot points are in The Great Hunt and The Dragon Reborn, which this season did a mostly solid job of combining into one story.
I'm glad every episode is a meaty ~60 minutes in length, but the pacing is still off sometimes. They could really use 10 episodes per season, but alas, Amazon seems married to the eight episode model.
I haven't read the books so I feel like I'm in a good position to judge it just as a tv show (it's a good tv show.)
First 3 episodes of season 3 are out now. I've watched them and I liked them. Tons of characters ot keep track of but I find them all at least good to watch. The opening magic fight was a lot of fun (up until the very sad death.) I enjoy the complexity of the relationships between all the villains. It's good!
Shohreh Aghdashloo is always a great addition to any cast.
