Wheel of Time: S01Ep01 Leavetaking

As a bit of a warning: This series was like... The Shit when I was in middle school on. Like big huge debates, discussions, more tha na few arguments and whoever was furthest ahead basically was forced to shut up through parts because a few hundred pages makes a world of difference much less being a book or two ahead.

Even then we made comparisons to lord of the rings (this was before the movies hit) and.... most of us decided that while Jordan had a habit of writing Doorstops, he was far more readable than Tolkien, even if it is obvious he took a hell of a lot of inspiration from for that initial structuring..

Frankly I am glad that they are going with something other than having a cast that isn't entirely Pantone 11-0601 with the exception of the token [exotic person] to represent [exotic culture]. This is a world that suffered from its perspective a MAJOR war that touched all corners and countries (Oh if only they knew...)

Even before the Aiel War the continent is made up of populations and disporia that had survived the world itself heaving and turning in something akin to aeons of geologic upheaval in the span of maybe a century or so.

In other word, and i say this as a white southern male. Not everyone is white. DEAL WITH IT AND ENJOY THE FACT THESE PEOPLE GET TO BE IN THE FUCKING SPOTLIGHT :|

I'm glad that actual production value and care was shown here because, to be frank, Wheel of Time is one of those franchise I had always considered Unfilmable in anything resembling faithfully due to .... Everything from how channeling is described, the elaborate setpieces, and on and on. So seeing it actually happen is pretty jawdropping.

Perrin having a wife felt really REALLY weird for all manner of reasons ranging from 'dead woman stuffed in the fridge' and 'she didn't f-ing exist because these three were portrayed as BARELY being considered men at the time so what the fuck is this shit?' I guess it's supposed to portray Perrin as the more mature of the three but... it just.... lands flat on its face really. I guess it could come up as moving on from loss, but considering everything?

Also Nynaeve (...dear sweet merciful light, spellcheck knows that name. That is amusing) mentor being turned away? Just.... WHAT?! W H A T?! EXCUSE ME WHAT?! That's, to be crass and blunt, Bullshit. Given how the books consistently portrayed as the Tower's numbers dwindling, the two rivers being FILLED of potential and talent to the point that two with the inborn spark showing up is something unheard of and Naeneve's mentor supposedly being turned away because 'too poor'? What kind of class warfare bullshit are they trying to inject here? Given the region and the fact Tam would have brought stories from the war along with anyone else that went, or followed Tam? There is plenty there without injecting some false class warfare nonsense in.

Egwyne being forced to choose just feeling WRONG. The whole big THING of the early thing with Rand and her both was that Promised status was their mutual step into the next phase of their lives. It was the big thing that had Rand pushing back against all the weirdness he was being shoved into later on. 'I'm a bloody sheepherder for light's sake! Not... whatever you lot are trying to twist me into being LEMME ALONE! ....Though I wouldn't mind keeping the flute I'll keep that Thaaank you.'

Morain's dancing about while using her powers makes sense even from an in universe perspective. Forget which book but one of the Aes sedi outright mention that some learn by incorporating physical motion with the weaving process to the point they MUST, for example, incorporate a throwing motion, to make a fireball or it won't work. So them making it more of a full body process remenicident of Last Airbender Bending absolutely gels with the lore and has to look amazing to boot. Given morain is such a central figure? I'm glad the actress seems to be well suited to the role. Granted I think some of the motions were a bit... MUCH, but Eh.

And... you're GOING to get that 'scifi channel movie special' feel regardless of budget. A lot of the effects and so forth are unfilmable in a way that WON'T feel 'low budget even with what technology can do simply because of how goddamned trippy the visuals are.

Wheel of Time is one of those franchises that even a cartoon would somehow get wrong in the look and feel of its magic. It's one of those things that must be accepted for what it is.

As for Nynaeve being taken by the Trollocs? Yet more grumbling at deviation from the book seemingly for arbitrary reasons. However I can also see it being used to convey information in a more organic way. Faine talking TO her, or her seeing him stuffed in a cookpot to sleep at night, etc etc. SHowing her escape using the woodslore her father taught. Have that trauma be part of why she has a block on doing more than 'listening'. that anger and fear and unwillingness to surrender being as much a wall to progress as source of determination to not give up (I am so skirting the line on spoiling how she breaks her block in the books. Apologies.)

My misgivings to one side?

Better than it has any right to be.

-_-_-_-_-

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