12-25-2021, 06:15 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-25-2021, 08:16 PM by Marcus DuBois.)
So, change of pace. I can't talk anymore about the things I didn't like about the series because I am tired of it, but also because so much of it made no sense. The adaptation is one of the series, I totally get. But given the payoff in the 1st season (when it was most crucial to get to know the main characters better, to develop a connection to them and begin to have favorites), and given the very limited episode number and length, it makes less and less sense that time was spent on things that could not be afforded. Things that had no pay off in the first season. Everyone comments on an extra 5 minutes here, and extra 5 there. I can tell you where that time could have come from. Telling the story from Moiraine's perspective was critical. She was the right lens from which to do it. But that didn't mean that came at the expense of not getting to know the other main characters. This was RJ's problem during the slog, when we saw more of the peripheral ones than the main ones or got caught up in things that ended up not mattering.
When you have 8 hours to tell a story, every minute counts. You are building a world. But this isn't just a reading aloud of the Big White Book. The world building needs to happen, but not at the expense of the main story. While there was potential to make the warder bond, and more particularly what happens if an AS dies, a big part of the story, this wasn't the time- especially since it DIDN'T end up being crucial to this season. Again, time is precious and should be spent on things that have relevance in a new series.
In all honesty, the characterization of Rand, Mat and Perrin is minimal. Egwene and Nynaeve are a bit better, but only because time was taken to go on about their potential. To show more sides to them. To flesh them out. I think it could have been done without giving away the dragon mystery (which I think worked.) Instead, they are all very one note. And Perrin, frankly...well, I joked to others that it seemed Rafe set his goal of getting Perrin to the lame and mopey Perrin of the later books as fast as possible- and with the handicap of not having Faile or her kidnapping, no less! And damn, but did he prove it could be done.
I said I wouldn't talk about it, but then I did. So change of pace, part 2 (electric boogaloo. Heh, doubt anyone get's that reference ;-) )
Things that were absolutely great.
1) the AoL really looked fantastic. Someone was able to match that sweeping scene outside LTT's window (at 3:45 in ep 8) with one in the first episode (https://i.redd.it/24504xff0ov71.png). They DO match!. That was a very cool visual reference (having it be in midst of war with jocars and shock lances and sho-wings alongside Dragkar and Wyrms would have been cooler though ;-) )
2) Loved Ishy. He WAS very cool and subtle. I liked his smile at the.
3) Joiya- nice nod there. During Egwene's Accepted test, she is married to Rand and has a daughter Joiya. Secretly she learns he can channel and ends up having to leave both of them to go through the doorway.
4) the test was really cool. Here you think Rand's question will have stumped fake-Egwene. But this is truly like the worlds of "if" which I've always believed were accessed through the Accepted (and AS) tests. And how Ishy manipulates Rand...it's like he has all the cards and no matter what Rand does, it only accomplishes his will.
This was a HUGE improvement on the book ending. There, it was sort of unclear what Ishy wanted. "Join me?" Yeah? How? What did he want Rand, exactly, to do? The whole ending was a mess. Here, it was clear he wanted Rand to help break the seal. Not sure how that happened, exactly. Seals are unbreakable unless it's because of the taint/true power.
Still, they might have worked out the metaphysics here.
5) The Seanchan are wonderfully frightening. The CGI was rough, Ill say (like the xbox 360 trollocs). And the look of collars is different. But I can imagine animating (or acting around practical) leashes would be a nightmare. The concept of a leash is to show enslavement. The look of the damane does the job effectively.
6) did you note the Suldam matching the movements of the damane? what a clever way to show the suldam are controlling them. Like, genius.
7) Padan Fain is a bad ass. Loial isn't dead thankfully (though if he was stabbed with the SL daggar, not sure how that happens. It was off screen, so, there is that.) But, regardless, having Fain walk through Fal Dara with two Myrdraal at his heels- awesome. Just awesome. He's not the grandiose and pathetic man that he was in book 1 and he's not the schizo in book 2. He's not mad at all. Which makes him a much more effective villain.
8) (skipping over the whole plotline of the horn's location and the complete lack of logic- more like the plot driven decisions, really, for its introduction. could have been done a million times better.) I really liked the way they've immediately jumped into the plot of book 2 with the hunt of the horn. Because that's what was what a lot of the book was about.
9) Rand leaving at the end....It may be that Rand is excised from that hunt and instead goes on his book 3, dragon reborn vision quest, and that the hunt of the horn ends in Tear, along with callendor's taking and the intro of the Aiel as people of the dragon. That seems like a fitting way to merge both books while giving a satisfying story.
10) then again, speaking of the seanchan...is the battle over falme and the blowing of the horn really going to be cut? (I won't lie, if they give this to Nynaeve and Egwene, this bothers me. They have their own stories. Nynaeve saving Egwene with min was awesome.) Rand has to confront and defeat the ever victorious army. But they haven't made it to Tear. So...this is a conundrum. And decisions will have to be made...this is a pickle.
so those are my thoughts of a more positive nature, this time around.
When you have 8 hours to tell a story, every minute counts. You are building a world. But this isn't just a reading aloud of the Big White Book. The world building needs to happen, but not at the expense of the main story. While there was potential to make the warder bond, and more particularly what happens if an AS dies, a big part of the story, this wasn't the time- especially since it DIDN'T end up being crucial to this season. Again, time is precious and should be spent on things that have relevance in a new series.
In all honesty, the characterization of Rand, Mat and Perrin is minimal. Egwene and Nynaeve are a bit better, but only because time was taken to go on about their potential. To show more sides to them. To flesh them out. I think it could have been done without giving away the dragon mystery (which I think worked.) Instead, they are all very one note. And Perrin, frankly...well, I joked to others that it seemed Rafe set his goal of getting Perrin to the lame and mopey Perrin of the later books as fast as possible- and with the handicap of not having Faile or her kidnapping, no less! And damn, but did he prove it could be done.
I said I wouldn't talk about it, but then I did. So change of pace, part 2 (electric boogaloo. Heh, doubt anyone get's that reference ;-) )
Things that were absolutely great.
1) the AoL really looked fantastic. Someone was able to match that sweeping scene outside LTT's window (at 3:45 in ep 8) with one in the first episode (https://i.redd.it/24504xff0ov71.png). They DO match!. That was a very cool visual reference (having it be in midst of war with jocars and shock lances and sho-wings alongside Dragkar and Wyrms would have been cooler though ;-) )
2) Loved Ishy. He WAS very cool and subtle. I liked his smile at the.
3) Joiya- nice nod there. During Egwene's Accepted test, she is married to Rand and has a daughter Joiya. Secretly she learns he can channel and ends up having to leave both of them to go through the doorway.
4) the test was really cool. Here you think Rand's question will have stumped fake-Egwene. But this is truly like the worlds of "if" which I've always believed were accessed through the Accepted (and AS) tests. And how Ishy manipulates Rand...it's like he has all the cards and no matter what Rand does, it only accomplishes his will.
This was a HUGE improvement on the book ending. There, it was sort of unclear what Ishy wanted. "Join me?" Yeah? How? What did he want Rand, exactly, to do? The whole ending was a mess. Here, it was clear he wanted Rand to help break the seal. Not sure how that happened, exactly. Seals are unbreakable unless it's because of the taint/true power.
Still, they might have worked out the metaphysics here.
5) The Seanchan are wonderfully frightening. The CGI was rough, Ill say (like the xbox 360 trollocs). And the look of collars is different. But I can imagine animating (or acting around practical) leashes would be a nightmare. The concept of a leash is to show enslavement. The look of the damane does the job effectively.
6) did you note the Suldam matching the movements of the damane? what a clever way to show the suldam are controlling them. Like, genius.
7) Padan Fain is a bad ass. Loial isn't dead thankfully (though if he was stabbed with the SL daggar, not sure how that happens. It was off screen, so, there is that.) But, regardless, having Fain walk through Fal Dara with two Myrdraal at his heels- awesome. Just awesome. He's not the grandiose and pathetic man that he was in book 1 and he's not the schizo in book 2. He's not mad at all. Which makes him a much more effective villain.
8) (skipping over the whole plotline of the horn's location and the complete lack of logic- more like the plot driven decisions, really, for its introduction. could have been done a million times better.) I really liked the way they've immediately jumped into the plot of book 2 with the hunt of the horn. Because that's what was what a lot of the book was about.
9) Rand leaving at the end....It may be that Rand is excised from that hunt and instead goes on his book 3, dragon reborn vision quest, and that the hunt of the horn ends in Tear, along with callendor's taking and the intro of the Aiel as people of the dragon. That seems like a fitting way to merge both books while giving a satisfying story.
10) then again, speaking of the seanchan...is the battle over falme and the blowing of the horn really going to be cut? (I won't lie, if they give this to Nynaeve and Egwene, this bothers me. They have their own stories. Nynaeve saving Egwene with min was awesome.) Rand has to confront and defeat the ever victorious army. But they haven't made it to Tear. So...this is a conundrum. And decisions will have to be made...this is a pickle.
so those are my thoughts of a more positive nature, this time around.