WOT on Prime

[Thalia]

The new trailer is amazing.

[Armande]

I agree. Loved seeing the Aiel and the Children (yikes, they were hardcore.) The trollocs look really well done. all in all, I am pleased. So many other things to tease out but I am content to wait.

I watched the livestream on Dusty Wheel and Rosamond Pike called in. She spoke about how seriously she takes this role and appreciates the love from fans. And that she really wants to do her justice.

Daniel Henney, Egwene and Nynaeve were live on the show too. Henney spoke about how much he's learned from Lan, esp about stillness. As an actor sometimes you want to jump about and perform. but Lan is quiet and still and exudes solidity and character. He said hes learned a lot playing him. Nynaeve's actress said she scared her, how fierce she is, but she's a mom and was able to tap into that. And Egwene's actress was pretty funny and spoke to advice she might give egwene- enjoy the down time and being with her friends. And that she has such a specific way of speaking. (It's a reminder that there was a time when I adored Egwene, before she showed that loyalty was secondary to making sure she was in a position of power.) They all spoke to appreciation for the community and love and are excited to share what they have been working on.

I am feeling better about this.

[Thalia]

I watched the Dusty Wheel coverage too. Did you see the Lorne Balfe interview? He was surprisingly hilarious, but it was a great insight into the music processes. The Whitecloak theme is very good.p

[Armande]

I have it running while I am working so I am only about 4 hours in. I was somewhat curious as to why id be that interested in hearing from the music guy...but what you said intrigues me.

Interesting that Rafe did a breakdown of the trailer and confirmed a lot of things people wondered about. I am excited by the possibility of some of the fan theories (about the Aiel fighting a person in Illianer armor at the blood snow, for example.)

i was just relieved that the cast and showrunners appear to care about the fans and most importantly the books- their spirit and theme. That gives me hope.

[Thalia]

I like that they will be doing little segments outside the main story, a la Jordan's penchant for prologues. You reckon the soldier is Tam?

I don't usually follow this kind of stuff for shows, but I've really enjoyed listening to the enthusiasm of the cast and crew. There was an interview with Rafe and the main cast (all apart from Barney Harris) right before they released the clip, I think it was for NYCC? I streamed it live, not sure if it's floating around the internet now though if you haven't already seen it and wanted to watch the other actors chat about their roles.

I'm really looking forward to the rest of the music. I won't spoil what Balfe said, it's quite a way in, it was midnight here and I think coverage started around 4.30pm gmt.

eta: oh, ign has uploaded cast interviews! though i haven't had a chance to watch yet. also wanted to add that the marketing has been fab. there were new character posters today with hidden photoshop layers, the hidden parts of the images were weaves in shapes that are essentially easter eggs for fans (wolf shape for perrin etc).

eta2: Josha: "Rand is a sheepherder... he is the leader of the sheep" XD

[Armande]

Yeah, I like the fact that you see how big the world is from the get go. Hearing about it, about the Aiel war or about the dangers of male channelers is one thing. But as was said, SEEING the danger through Logain only makes Rand and the fear of him channeling that Matt and Perin (and Egwene and Nynaeve and the others had) when they found out, all the more clear. It makes WHY Rand hid from it, tried to stop, tried to pretend it wasnt true more visceral. TBH, just the words "go mad and kill everyone" are just words. You hear them and acknowledge them...but it isnt a gut punch and you wonder if its exaggerated. Similar to the fear of the foresaken. Graendal is coming in your sleep! Just words and we arent hearing them as children.

Seeing the danger of Logain shows WHY male channelers are so feared. They make the REd ajah more clearly necessary. 

Similarly, the whitecloaks really look like the dangerous zealots they were meant to. The series mostly showed them as all bark (all the stuff they did in the two rivers was off screen as well.). This sets them up as people to fear.

One idea floated is that it could be Tam fighting Janduin (Rafe said an Aiel no one expected would be shown in season one). That removes his being killed by Lord Luc, but that was more of a throwaway and if Luc is not in this (or is not prominent) then Janduin can die that way. oThers have said that the Aiel looks smaller and could be pregnant Tigraine/Shaiel. An interesting idea if Tam kills her or she goes into labor fighting him.

New spring was great and I love tht there are parts of it in the story. Lan feeling Moiraines pain (in the funerial white, per rafes comments at IGN) is a great way of showing the way the warder bond works.

Im gonna check out those interviews. I admit I am excited now.

[Thalia]

The Aiel with the spears looked female to me. The one with the soldier I thought was less clear (their gender or whether they are the same Aiel as the one with the spears). If they are going to show the blood snows it makes sense to make it personal and directly relevant to the main story though (in terms of the show i mean, by using characters viewers will recognise). The fact you can't see the face of either the aiel or the soldier makes me think it'll be a reveal of identity rather than nameless/faceless roles just to show the fighting/backstory. I dunno. Excited to find out though, and likewise glad that it shows how big and complex the world is either way.

Re: the funeral scene, I interpreted Rafe's commentary to mean it illustrated the bond but not necessarily that way round. I actually think that's Moiraine feeling Lan's pain not the other way around. Lan beats his chest and then Moiraine and those behind her (Nynaeve and Alanna I think) do the same -- it looks more like a mark of respect to me, during which Moiraine alone is stricken because she can feel Lan's grief. The alt text described Moiraine as watching Lan too, which makes her reaction seem more like a passive one. I've seen it suggested that it's Kerene's funeral -- but why would Moiraine feel pain that great and not Alanna if that's the case? So I wonder if they've changed Bukama's story a bit? I definitely think it's Lan who has lost someone important, and probably someone related to his past. It seems a good way to introduce the fact he is Malkier's king too (and of course Nyn being there would also be important and relevant to their relationship).

My fav part of the NYCC interview was Josha having the book he's up to there with him, and Marcus's impression of the dummy used for Moiraine during some riding scenes. They all seem to have had a great time filming.

The ign one in my edit is a different cast interview, it was uploaded today.

[Armande]

The intereview with the music composer, Lauren Balf, was great. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. He was hilarious.

And the WhiteCloack Theme....holy shit, that was cool and creepy. Culty was how some people described it. Very very cool. I liked how they have gone out of their way to make it far more diverse than simply the western classical tradition that has come to dominate the fantasy genre (like LoTR, for example.) It is a world, after all. Definitely appreciate the effort put into the music so that the lyrics even are in the old tongue. 

I guess I am glad to see the effort put into the little things- the details- because they show that this is being crafted. I hope they keep to the themes and spirit of the characters (and NO DRAGON/TAVEREN EGWENE!!!!! :-) )

[Aiden Finnegan]

They’re doing screenings of episodes 1 and 2 in select cities on 11/15. I got a ticket for the one by me! You guys should check it out. The tickets are free but seating is first come first serve.

[Thalia]

*sulks in UK*

Ck, TDR Egwene "candidacy" has been a bit contentious, eh? Did you see the intro snippet which says "we don't know if a girl or a boy"?  They won't change who it is, but they are going to want to market at this stage to draw in non-readers. For the rest I am happy to see what they do and then decide whether I like it or not. It's possible in this turning they make it clear souls are gendered but might not match the bodies they're born into.

As an aside, I saw two new snippets this morning where Moiraine just says "it's one of you" (Prime seems to release these regionally, they popped up in my notifications this morning but I can't see them anywhere official, the same thing happened with the "Moiraine's Quest" video). Anyway, the quote attributed to Moiraine on the prime official page is: "They're here for the same reason as I am. For you. The Dark One is waking. His whispers are already in the backs of our minds. But there will be one who can stand against him. The Dragon has been born again. And it's one of you.
- MOIRAINE"

Moiraine's official show bio also literally says: "Aes Sedai may never speak that which is not true, but the truth one tells you is not always the truth you may think."

Anyway, there's a bit more of the Aiel fighting in one of the new clips, and a tiny bit more of what I assume is the Tar Valon set (looks amazing). Moiraine's line at the end is chilling, and absolutely spot on! The other clip I saw features Nynaeve, and it's awesome, I'm really looking forward to her character on screen.

Also, for anyone interested, the soundtrack comes out on 12th. They've released another two tracks, they're on youtube. There will be four albums after that, corresponding with episode releases I think.