Is anyone watching The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime?

[GreyMouse]

Not going to watch it. I have yet to find any crossover from a book/series to movie/show that has ever done it right. I'll stick with the books.

?

[Grey Cloud]

Just saw the image of the characters in the post by @FauxFurry and thought to myself "those names seem familiar". A bit of digging and I realise that I read the books a year or two ago.

 

Edit: Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear. I've just watched the first episode. Made for an American audience much? It's more a non-interactive computer game than a TV series.

[fishburger67]

I watched the first two episodes.  Not sure I'll watch a third.  Fairly boring.  But, if I can't find anything else to watch and I am in the mood for TV, I'll give it a try again.

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, fishburger67 said:

I watched the first two episodes.  Not sure I'll watch a third.  Fairly boring.  But, if I can't find anything else to watch and I am in the mood for TV, I'll give it a try again.

 

Well if you find something let me know...looking as well. Sick of all the things lol.

[Grey Cloud]

@Psalam I watched the second episode last night. As I understand it the second series is already being filmed/been filmed so I'm wondering what you think are the chances of this making it to series 3? I'm thinking way south of extremely slim unless they up their game massively in S2.

[Psalam]

1 minute ago, Grey Cloud said:

@Psalam I watched the second episode last night. As I understand it the second series is already being filmed/been filmed so I'm wondering what you think are the chances of this making it to series 3? I'm thinking way south of extremely slim unless they up their game massively in S2.

Actually, I've seen every episode so far and I think that (other than trying to bring Robert Jordan into the 2020's) they're doing a pretty good job. Let us consider. The series was very uneven. Not only did I not expect a loving recreation of the books a la Harry Potter, I didn't want that. Yes, it would have made this first season much better than what it's been so far but I could only look forward to seasons seven and eight, etc. with dread. So, The fact that they have chosen to go off script somewhat is a hopeful sign as far as I'm concerned. Do I like all the choices they've made --- no. Am I hopeful that they're going to get the overarching story right --- actually, I am (although I am prepared to have them prove me wrong). This most recent Episode has moved from Introducing the main characters and groups and gone into the story of the first book. They are just entering the Ways and things SHOULD get a lot better.

 

BTW -- when you use the "@" sign here you have to choose the person's name from the dropdown menu. When you don't, when you just type the name, theey don't get a personal notification. I only knew you rang because I am following the Thread and was curious to see what you had written. So, for those who are reading this and don't get what I'm saying, here:

 

@Grey Cloud will not produce a notification because I typed it all out BUT

@Grey Cloud will since I pulled it from the dropdown menu (notice that the name is highlighted --- that's how you know you did it right)

 

AND no, GC, I know YOU know all that but I can't help but put it in here for those who don't know.

[Grey Cloud]

The problem with the @ business is that there is usually a delay before the list of names shows up by which time I've typed out the entire name and several other words. ?

 

As for WoT, I'm not overly concerned about the divergence from the books but I just can't see anything in what I've seen so far. I fast-forwarded on several occasions of episode 2.

A few things I didn't like:

The village, of which Moraine says 'the old blood still runs thick here' (or similar), is more ethnically diverse than the General Assembly of the UN.

Half a battalion of what are in effect 8ft tall, heavily armed and armoured werebears would have gone through a village of unarmed and unprepared civvies like a dose of salts. All that stop-start, slo-mo camera work was just to make it last longer.

The villagers seemed to be a community of manic-depressives. They were either laughing fit to bust or it was hushed tones as if they were carrying the weight of the world.

And the dialogue! It's like the Twitter(?) thing where you can only use x amount of characters. Either that or it's a contractual thing where everyone has to have the same amount of dialogue. Conversation by soundbite.

 

I've never made a prediction and I never will but, given they have already left behind the books, I expect that if the ratings start to drop then all sorts of stuff will be introduced in an attempt to bump the figures.

 

I'm about ready to set the cringe-o-meter for episode 3.

[steelpanther24]

On 12/11/2021 at 4:38 PM, Psalam said:

Actually, I've seen every episode so far and I think that (other than trying to bring Robert Jordan into the 2020's) they're doing a pretty good job. Let us consider. The series was very uneven. Not only did I not expect a loving recreation of the books a la Harry Potter, I didn't want that. Yes, it would have made this first season much better than what it's been so far but I could only look forward to seasons seven and eight, etc. with dread. So, The fact that they have chosen to go off script somewhat is a hopeful sign as far as I'm concerned. Do I like all the choices they've made --- no. Am I hopeful that they're going to get the overarching story right --- actually, I am (although I am prepared to have them prove me wrong). This most recent Episode has moved from Introducing the main characters and groups and gone into the story of the first book. They are just entering the Ways and things SHOULD get a lot better.

 

BTW -- when you use the "@" sign here you have to choose the person's name from the dropdown menu. When you don't, when you just type the name, theey don't get a personal notification. I only knew you rang because I am following the Thread and was curious to see what you had written. So, for those who are reading this and don't get what I'm saying, here:

 

@Grey Cloud will not produce a notification because I typed it all out BUT

@Grey Cloud will since I pulled it from the dropdown menu (notice that the name is highlighted --- that's how you know you did it right)

 

AND no, GC, I know YOU know all that but I can't help but put it in here for those who don't know.

 

 

Well @Psalam, I learned something new today.

[Grey Cloud]

Well I was wrong about that. Just finished the 5th episode and this series is not made for a US audience. It is made for an Asian audience.

[Wolfshrike]

I really enjoyed the books back in the day, still like going back and re-reading them from time to time. 

 

Dipped out of this one when I saw the casting. I don't have a problem with a diverse cast- but two rivers is a backwater, some bumblefuck farming ville in the ass end of nowhere. Rand was supposed to stand out physically because he looked different from everyone else there- who was, IIRC, dark haired and dark eyed, and he had red hair and was taller than they were. 

 

I get that that's not... particularly convincing as a single reason, but it signals to me anymore which way things are gonna go. It's like the LA Cowboy Bebop- after Faye's actress opened her mouth about people angry about the costume, I lost any and all interest, because you could tell how things were gonna go. (And hoo man, they went far worse than I'd thought they were gonna) 

[Grey Cloud]

54 minutes ago, Wolfshrike said:

but it signals to me anymore which way things are gonna go

Yep.

The pantomime villains are doin' my head in. You can't just be a nasty bastard, you have to be a nasty bastard who really enjoys the job and takes great pleasure in it.

[damcanuck]

I'm enjoying so far, but the whole 'old blood is strong' and having a massively mixed community makes my brain hurt.  They've done some things really well, Loial, Shador Logoth and Thom Merrilin (granted he's different, but still one of the most entertaining character so far) and the Whitecloaks seem much more brutal so far.  Not a fan of some of the stuff they've completely skipped, without spoilers,  it seems they cut out about 3-4 books of material at least.  Some stuff I approve of, and some I REALLY don't.  I watch the show like it's a true story movie, based loosely off of the books events.  I would say Rand looks like he was described in the books, Tall, white (Andoran) with red hair tho.

Things that bug me:

Egwene's mole on her nose, just gave me flashbacks to Austin Powers

Liandrin's enormous head, seriously wtf

Spoiler ahead:

 

Spoiler

They cut out:   (SO FAR)

Camlyn (however it's spelled)

Most of the two rivers characters that become important

Min

Tel'Aran'rhiod (or at least made it so anyone can go there)

Rand's mother's story

Hopper

Shienar

Rand not getting the flute

 

 

Things they've changed:

Matt's healing (not being tied to the horn)

Aes Sedai not being ageless (for practical reasons I suppose)

Aes Sedai being respected by apparently everyone

No Dragon's Fang/Dragon not being feared

The characters ages, Rand looks 17, Perrin 20, Matt 25(??)  Egwene 20

Matt being a thief with a good heart (not a prankster), abusive parents

Perrin being married (not apprenticed to the blacksmith). also killing his wife

Women's circle with that weird murder ritual

Morraine being part of the group that captured/gentled Logain

Logaine being gentled before going to the white tower AND being able to see Rand's connection to the one power

Two Rivers being a massive community (no thatched roof's, poor Cenn Buie lol) compared to a small village so far away from camlyn they never saw tax collectors

Morraine and Suian's relationship (Wasn't mentioned in the books, but it was just put in for shock (ooooh lesbian scene) value)

All of the Tar Valon scenes (It replaced Camlyn but without adding any of the named characters)

The Tower's treatment of wilders

The Ways entrances being changed (Didn't need Loial to open it)

 

Changed for the better:

Possibly no Elayne/Nyneave storyline, that just dragged on so damn long

Possibly skipping Rand's/Elayne's/Min's/Aviendha's weird relationship, especially considering the end of the series (Rand is a scumbag,deadbeat dad lol)

Camlyn civil war

 

Things they better not cut:

Matt as a general

Perrin, hunter of Trollocs

Black Tower

 

[Grey Cloud]

2 minutes ago, damcanuck said:

Egwene's mole on her nose, just gave me flashbacks to Austin Powers

At first I thought she was Indian and that was where her nose-piercing thing had been.

 

10 minutes ago, damcanuck said:

The Ways entrances being changed (Didn't need Loial to open it)

When was that?

[damcanuck]

The last episode, 6 i think

 

[Grey Cloud]

1 minute ago, damcanuck said:

The last episode, 6 i think

 

That would explain it. I thought there were only five. (Note to self: Muppet). I thought the series ended strangely/abruptly.

[damcanuck]

Episode 7 is out, let's see what else they changed lol

[27X]

let's not.

[Guest]

On 11/29/2021 at 11:25 AM, CuddlyBun said:

I watched the first episode, and maybe I'll watch more later. Judging by the first episode alone, this show won't hold my attention. I just didn't feel compelled to keep watching, but the need for new content might make it compelling later.

Sort of like watching something as a reminder of how to detect red flags?

[Psalam]

Since there appear to be no new posts related to the original topic - Thread Locked.