This week on The Wheel of Time, Verin investigates, Moiraine faces a difficult decision, and the Seanchan seek new prisoners. We also learn more about wolfbrothers, Aiel, and what motivates a Darkfriend in “Damane.”
Recap:
Suroth and Alwhin approach the seat of High Lord Turak (Daniel Francis), who is angry that Suroth jeopardized their mission to unite the world under their Empress by attacking a random fishing village. He orders Suroth’s long fingernails cut off and bars her from the court until she is presentable again. Ishamael offers Turak the Horn of Valere, which Padan Fain presents to him.
Lanfear channels to heal herself using a completely black power. Rand and Moiraine find a farm where Moiraine commandeers two horses and slaughters the others so Lanfear doesn’t have a mount with which to follow them. Lanfear encounters a passerby and kills him for his mount.
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Elyas tells Perrin that the humans are not his pack, nor are the humans in the Two Rivers. When Perrin shows aggression in response, the wolves arrive to protect Elyas. Perrin leaves to find Loial and the Shienarans, but Hopper follows him.
Moiraine tricks Lanfear by sending the horses ahead with their owner while she and Rand double back. Moiraine tells Rand that he didn’t defeat the Dark One, but actually set Ishamael free. The Forsaken were trapped by the Dragon in his past life, and if they are all released, there is no hope of winning the last battle.
Perrin goes into town to search for Uno’s body where he finds a woman (Ayoola Smart) in a cage. Another man (Jay Duffy) warns Perrin off before giving the woman some water. He tells Perrin that Whitecloaks drove the Seanchan out. Later, Perrin overhears a confrontation between Valda and the other man, whose name is Dain Bornhald.
Lanfear discovers Moiraine’s deception and is impressed with her ruthlessness in using an innocent as bait.
Verin arrives in Tar Valon and is greeted by two other Brown sisters, Nyomi (Rachel Denning) and Yasicca (Katie Leung). She asks about gossip from the Tower and about the two powerful new novices.
Liandrin admits to Nynaeve that she is capable of breaking the Three Oaths, and Nynaeve realizes that Liandrin is taking them through the Ways to deliver them to Ishamael.
Suroth confronts Ishamael. She reminds him that he needs her ships and forces, and he reminds her that he knows why she swore her oaths to the Dark. She backs down, and Ishamael tells her that Tarmon Gai’don will be fought in Falme, and that the Dragon will soon join them.
Perrin frees the Aiel woman, whose name is Aviendha. They are discovered by a group of Whitecloaks, but Aviendha fights them all off, with help from Perrin. Perrin stops her from killing Dain. Dain sees Perrin’s eyes.
Moiraine warns Rand that he can’t fall asleep, because Lanfear is a master of Tel’aran’rhiod, the World of Dreams. They meet Moiraine’s nephew, Barthanes (Will Tudor) who tries to smooth relations between his aunt and mother.
Verin goes to see Sheriam, who is confused to learn that Nynaeve, Egwene, and Elayne aren’t in the White Tower. She finds that they have been signed out, in order to go on a visit to Elayne’s home. They leave, and Yasicca sneaks in to look at the book.
Later, Yasicca tells Verin there was a tremor in Sheriam’s handwriting. Verin wonders if the handwriting might be off because Compulsion was used on Sheriam. Such a weave would be against the Three Oaths, which means that the Black Ajah really exists.
Liandrin delivers Nynaeve, Elayne, and Egwene to Suroth. The two quarrel, and as she departs Liandrin secretly channels and dissolves the girls’ bonds. They flee, but Egwene is captured.
Aviendha compliments Perrin’s fighting ability, and tells him that she left the Aiel lands in search of the Car’a’carn, the Aiel chief of chiefs. Now, however, she is bound by her debt to Perrin. He tells her they are going to Falme.
Nynaeve and Elayne realize that they are in Falme, and Nynaeve immediately wants to find Perrin and Loial. Elayne urges caution, but the two are noticed by a man who attacks them and knocks them unconscious.
Verin meets Liandrin in the halls and asks where she’s been. When Verin tells Liandrin that Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne are traveling to Caemlyn, Liandrin reports hearing that a royal envoy was recently attacked. She urges Verin to come with her to report this information to the Keeper.
Moiraine admits to Anvaere that she may have put everyone in the city in danger. She admits that she has to protect Rand and doesn’t know how. Anvaere asks if Moiraine can know beyond any doubt that Rand does need her protection.
Lanfear appears in Ishamael’s dreams. Ishamael tells Lanfear that he is the only one the Dark One speaks to because he is the only one who actually believes in the Dark, who believes that the only way to stop all the suffering is to stop the Wheel. He is gathering Rand’s friends in order to break him.
Ishamael’s is summoned to Turak, who is curious about Ishamael’s sudden appearance in Suroth’s court. Ishamael denies being responsible for recognizing the omens that prompted the Seanchan to begin their campaign.
Nynaeve and Elayne wake to discover that their attacker was actually a Warder to Ryma (Nyokabi Gethaiga), a Yellow Sister, who warns them that the Seanchan are searching for them.
Suroth brings Egwene to Turak and he has her collared.
Moiraine tells Rand that he must go to sleep. She explains that Lanfear could have hurt him before now but didn’t, and that Lanfear and Rand’s previous incarnations were in love. Lanfear became a Darkfriend after he broke her heart and married someone else. Moiraine urges Rand to pretend to be in love with Lanfear, and Rand agrees to try.
In the dream, Rand finds himself in the desert, bound to a wheel, with Lanfear watching him.
Analysis:
There was so much I liked, and so much I didn’t, in this episode (and it’s longer than average, too) that I almost don’t know where to start. But I guess I’ll start with what I loved, because it’s fun to be excited about The Wheel of Time!
I have always thought that Verin was one of the most interesting characters in the books, and Meera Syal is perfectly cast to bring her to life. I’m especially impressed because the books take a long time to build the mystique of Verin—who she is, what she’s up to, and what she’s really up to—which of course an eight-episode-a-season television show doesn’t have time to do. But what the show has managed to do is give us all the essential bits of what draws you into her character in just a few scenes, and to build up from her introduction every time we see her. In the first episode we get to know her quiet competence mixed with grandmotherly charm, to see how stable and self assured she is. She is a wise, safe presence… until the confrontation with Moiraine in which Verin reveals how much she has guessed about Moiraine’s mission. When she tells Moiraine that they will just have to trust each other, the viewer feels that Verin is very aware of how much her fate, and others, rests in Moiraine’s hands. She doesn’t know everything, but she is smart enough to have the vague picture of things.
And then there’s her scene with Liandrin, which ups the Verin stakes again. I have to say, this is my favorite scene of the episode, and I could happily watch Syal and Fleetwood do the entire show by themselves. I was entranced by the way they both put so much meaning, and double-meaning, into every line. The way Verin cannily pointed out that the white asparagus only grows in Jurene, which handily proves that Liandrin was where she claimed to be, and the way Liandrin was clearly secure that Verin had suspicions but nothing she could prove—the whole thing was absolute gold. And although this is so far their only scene together, it was clear from the acting that this is not the first time these women, both smart, both clearly hiding something, have done this dance.
I was also excited to see the introduction of more Brown Sisters, and to see how Verin was working with Yassica as an ally and confidante. The Brown Ajah, to my mind, is one of the most interesting in the book series, and I often felt that they (with the exception of Verin) were underused. I think someone in the writer’s room agrees with me. And I’m always happy to see Katie Leung show up in anything.
I’ve been waiting since the start of the season to see where Moiraine’s thematic journey goes next, and I’m really excited with what we’ve seen this episode. Lan’s conversation with Alanna about the mysterious event that changed Moiraine, as well as her choice to send him away from her, shows us how isolated Moiraine feels, how isolated she has always been by her quest to find and protect the Dragon Reborn. In every choice she makes, in every line she delivers, we feel her determination but also that isolation. But now, for the first time in this season, and really for the first time since she and Rand left for the Eye of the World, Moiraine has a moment of connection with someone else, and although it is still about her quest, it is also about her. About the fact that she feels she carries the fate of the world on her shoulders, and hers alone. And yet, in the conversation with Anvaere, she is able to let her sister in on a little bit of that pressure, to take advice from someone else. I was struck by how kind and supportive Anvaere was in this scene, and while her advice was also given in hope of protecting herself and her son, it was very clear she also truly wanted to care for Moiraine.
Moiraine has been shutting people out all this time because she has felt it was the only way to achieve her goals, but in this moment of letting people in she found not only emotional support for herself but also a possible solution to her dilemma, one that offers a greater chance of success and fewer casualties than anything she has considered thus far. It is an important moment for her as a character, and also an important thematic moment for the series. Most of our main characters have been separated from each other this season, by distance, by secrets, by personal pain that leaves them struggling to connect. But Ishamael has told Lanfear that he is bringing all of Rand’s friends together to draw him to Falme, and the fate of everyone may rest in their ability to all connect to and support each other in the confrontation that this season seems to be building towards.
Isolation and mistrust are big themes in The Wheel of Time novels, and the show has done a good job of showing us how each character feels isolated in their own way, some because they have no one else, others because something in their lives prevents them from connecting with the people they love, others because the carry heavy secrets. But it is very clear in the show how much our heroes need the people they love in order to survive, and is building nicely upon that theme in this season.
Speaking of connections, the introduction of Aviendha was perfect, and another example of how connecting with and supporting someone else can improve one’s own odds of survival. After rejecting Elyas and the wolves (except for Hopper, the Light’s perfect boy), Perrin is on his own again when he finds himself in the midst of Whitecloaks, including Valda, who is certain to recognize him. Perrin frees Aviendha out of kindness and compassion for another human being, and is lucky he did, because he is unlikely to have escaped the Children of the Light on his own.
That fight scene was such a disappointment, though. After the absolute perfection that was the fight on Dragonmount in season one, I had big expectations as we saw another Aiel Maiden prepare to engage a bunch of armed soldiers. But the battle was not filmed well at all, and except for a few shots on specific moves, we didn’t really get to see much about the fight or how it flowed, or what her skill level really was. That being said, I’m already in love with her in every other respect, and I really like her chemistry with Perrin. In the books, the Aiel that Perrin sets free is a different character, and I think the show was very clever in giving this initial meeting to Aviendha. It’s another example of a moment where it was necessary to streamline the story which also ended up improving, in some ways, the introduction of an important character. Aviendha will later become very important to another friend or two of Perrin’s, and this initial connection between Aviendha and Perrin will be very interesting to see in that light, I think.
Lanfear and Suroth are still a bit t0o one-dimensional as characters for me to latch onto, although the performances from O’Keeffe and McAdams are good. Ishamael’s conversation with Suroth about the reason she joined the Dark also hinted at more character development to come, and I really enjoyed the contrast between her and Liandrin when they confronted each other over the prisoner exchange. It’s a strange feeling to be rooting for Liandrin, after despising her (very different) character in the book, but here I am. I either want her to kick Suroth’s behind or to team up with her to take out Ishamael—can’t decide which. Although I’m leaning towards the former because of the whole collaring and enslaving thing.
I do however find that this season of The Wheel of Time is overall less cohesive than season one was. Although I am finding a lot of interesting thematic through lines, the individual scenes in each episode don’t flow together well, something that I felt especially this week in episode five. It feels like we’re just jumping randomly from scene to scene, and while most scenes are interesting, each time we jump I feel like I lose my immersion in what is happening and have to start over. I think the episodes would be more enjoyable, and easier to follow, if we spent longer amounts of time with each storyline instead of having them all broken up. Even if that meant we didn’t see a main character for an episode or two.
I can understand why the showrunners might be worried that they’d lose audience members if they didn’t give us every main character every week (and I expect they made the exception in Mat’s case because of the recasting), but I think that more time spent on one storyline without jumping would allow them to do more, not less, with every character, and would make the world feel more immersive and real. Many modern shows suffer from this problem of assuming a short audience attention span, which is somewhat fair because it is a trend in society right now, but what we need is for art to push back against the trend, not capitulate to it.
Also, season 2 is very difficult to follow for anyone who doesn’t already know the series. Season two continues to drop important worldbuilding information in odd ways, or not at all, and in particular I think the Forsaken have been very badly explained for viewers. Understanding Rand’s reaction to learning that his girlfriend is really Lanfear, understanding the pull that Ishamael has over the other Darkfriends, understanding what exactly the stakes are in a fight between the Light and the Dark—this is all necessary to the viewers’ investment in the fight. Myrddraal and Trollocs are easy to understand upon first glance, but the Forsaken are not. Similarly, no one I’ve spoken to who is new to the series understands what the Horn of Valere is or why it matters, or knows how to interpret the idea of what the taint on saidin might be doing to Rand.
I feel like season one struck a much better balance between what needs to be clearly explained and what can be inferred by the viewers, and that the progression of scenes was much smoother. My worry going forward is that new fans will be left behind by the narrative, too frustrated to want to invest their attention in further seasons.
Still, there is much to love in season two, and in episode five specifically, and I remain hopeful that The Wheel of Time can get back on track in the next few episodes. In the meantime, please enjoy a few:
Fun facts and Easter Eggs!
- In the books, Yasicca Cellaech is an ancient scholar of the Brown Ajah. She doesn’t appear in the series itself, but is at one point quoted by Egwene.
- SFF fans will no doubt be seeing some similarities between Aviendha’s culture, the Aiel, and the Fremen of Dune. Much of Jordan’s work was inspired by, and paid homage to, Dune. However, I do not recall any of the Aiel using the phrase “my water is yours” to speak of a life debt. They refer to this as a “blood-debt” and the phrase “my/our water is yours” is used instead to indicate hospitality or courtesy.
- The title of episode five, “Damane” is the name used for the channelers who the Seanchan enslave. It is a word in the Old Tongue (which we hear spoken by Ishamael and Lanfear in their scene together) meaning “leashed one.” Suroth also refer to the Aes Sedai and all other “uncollared” channelers as marath’damane, “one/those who must be leashed.,” and to the women who control the damane as sul’dam, “leash holder.”
- The man Lanfear kills to get his horse tells her that the road leads to Tar Valon. She replies “Of course it does.” This moment harkens back to a saying in the books which was also referenced by Rand in season one; “All roads lead to Tar Valon.”
- Viewers may have recognized Dain’s last name as belonging to another character. Geofram Bornhald was the leader of the Whitecloaks encountered by Moiraine and the rest shortly after they fled the Two Rivers. In “Damane” Valda warns Dain that his family name won’t protect him forever. Like his father, Dain appears moderate in his views in comparison to Valda and the other Whitecloaks.
- Favorite Quote: “Desperation opens the mind to more interesting choices.”
Sylas K Barrett is curious to see how the Seanchan will be handled by the show, and how their part in events might be streamlined. There appear to be some clues to this in the way Turak talks about their mission in the Westlands.
If I remember correctly Barthanes Damodred was a high ranking Cairhien noble who turned out to be a Darkfriend who was murdered either by Padan Fain or by other Darkfriends.
Obviously, Gaul is written off since his initial meeting with Perrin was replaced by Aviendha.
Good idea on part of writers, combine both book 2 and book 3 since they have similar storylines and endings: Rand’s friends who are female are captured by a Forsaken (Ishamael in bk 2, Ba’el in bk3) who wants to use them as a trap for Rand. Rand arrives and fights thru obstacles and other people, meanwhile girls are saved by others, then end Rand has a “final” battle with Ishamael in full public sight, where Ishamael “dies”. After the fight Rand is acknowledged to be true Dragon Reborn by general populace.
I also didn’t like the fight scene. I hate this trend of quick cuts and shaky cams. The actors and stunt people work so hard on these scenes for the director in the end to show nothing to the audience.
I didn’t like how Karima MacAddams acted as Suroth. I’m not talking about her demeanor, I’m talking about her delivery of lines when she’s talking to Liandrin, for example. Doesn’t seem like a good actress for this role to me.
Didn’t like how Lanfear described Moghedien as insane. Writers, establish that she’s a coward already, it’ll be easier for the audiences later.
I liked most of the episode though. Sylas critique of not showing most of the characters doesn’t seem valid considering this episode ignored Lan, Mat and Min to focus on the others stories. They focused on who they had to to show the story.
The Aiel are the Fremen, the Aes Sedai are the Bene Gesserit, the Seanchan are the Harkonnen and Rand al-Thor is the Kwisatz Haderach. Rosamund Pike is actually Rebecca Fergusson.
The Ishy/Lanfear conversation in TAR was highlight for me. Whole scene was gold. Even though it does make me sad that we’re apparently getting a reduced count of Forsaken. Alas.
I know everyone else is praising her, but this Verin doesn’t really seem like the Verin I’ve had in my head for so long. She seems a bit too knowing and a bit too showy. Not as absent-minded as the internal image I have of her. Ah well though, will chalk this up to another one of the characters changed for show version.
Good to see Avi on screen even though she (also!) doesn’t really match how I see her. Was fun to hear her start dropping all the Aiel lore…very curious to see what happens now that she and Perrin are together.
Unfortunately, the “Death by a Thousand Cuts” style of filming fight scenes (i.e. cutting the scene dozens of times to hide the lack of fluid chorography so that the scene jerks around instead of flowing smoothly), in combination with the shaky cam and dark lighting, is becoming very pervasive in Hollywood. It’s, from what I understand, a cheap trick to save time and cut costs.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the show is going to pair up Mat with Min, Perrin with Aviendha and Rand with Elayne to avoid the “One guy with three women” deal (with which I’ve seen some reviewers take issue). They could eliminate Faile completely and have Mat/Min end up running the Seanchan due to Min’s abilities making her a Truthspeaker, eliminating the need for Tuon.
Maybe I’m wrong, but the show hasn’t been afraid to completely turn other book relationships on their head in the interest of trimming things down…
Small correction to the recap above – Moiraine grabs 3 horses, not 2, and kills one. One horse each for her, Rand and the horses’ owner. So it should read “…commandeers three horses and slaughters the other.”
I don’t mind the major changes in plot, but I think the show is poorly written and many scenes make little sense. I think the showrunners spent too much time and money trying to make the show look good with nice locations, and not enough money on competent writers and editors.
A few minor questions about some dumb things….
Why would Morraine kill the 4th horse? I know the showrunners are trying to show how determined she is, but why not bring the horse? Her sacrifice of the nameless woman would make the point without killing the horse
Did it bother anyone else that the wolves bark like dogs?
How does Dain Bornhold immediately recognize that Perrin is from the Two Rivers? They are 1000 miles away from a village with a few hundred people, but he immediately knows.
How did the two women get away from the seanchan? They are being chased by dozens, but suddenly they are completely alone? If the show had a clearer scene where Egwene fights off the seanchan and gives the other women time to get away it would both make more sense and establish Egwene’s strength.
@@.-@ – I agree that this version of Verin isn’t quite as ‘absent-minded professor’ as she is in the book (although we know that is at least partially deliberate obfuscation) but I think they are still getting a generally good portrayal of her character as somebody who floats between that grandmotherly/canny individual. I really, really hope they keep her major twist in.
Speaking of, I kind of love how, regarding Sheriam…there are hints of the twist coming for her as well, but I am also not sure if they will go there (not sure if Sylas is reading these comments so I don’t want to say too much).
“But I guess I’ll start with what I loved, because it’s fun to be excited about The Wheel of Time!” -anyway, this is generally how I feel. There are a lot of things I enjoy, and I can see how they are streamlining/condensing some stuff but for the most part it works for me and is moving the story along (which, Light knows, we need in these books, haha). There are a few characterizations that haven’t landed for me, and a few ways they’ve fiddled with the lore/metaphysics that don’t always work but ah well.
I wonder which Forsaken we’ll get for ‘the boys’. It sounds like Semirage and Mesaana may be out (especially if Ishamael is basically going to take Sem’s role, and Liandrin/general Black Ajah might be able to more or less take on Mesaana’s)….maybe Rahvin (they did name drop Morgase, so Elayne’s succession may be relevant – and streamlined!) and Demandred? Oh, MAN, I hope they do Taimandred. I would actually be thrilled if they went with that deviation, haha. Aginor/Balthamel are basically irrelevant at this point and Logain may be replacing Asmodean, and Sammael is just kind of another ‘jealous of Lews Therin’ type. Oh, and Be’lal, who I honestly kinda forget about because he has almost no major impact, lol.
(That said, as a failed grad student, I love how Mesanna’s whole thing was that she was a failed researcher lmao)
The one thing that really did NOT work for me is the Seanchan collar design – it’s just…too much. Honestly, a simple collar would have been perfectly chilling instead of whatever weird thing they have going on now.
Also, enjoying Aviendha so far but it just occurred to me as I was trying to adjust to the discrepancy in my mental picture that for the past several years I’ve been mentally envisioning her as looking like Rose Leslie, haha. Which, I’m sure is not that uncommon as it’s a bit of a typecast for her, lol. Redheaded, fiery warrior from beyond the Spine/Wall/whatever who reluctantly falls in love with one of the heroes, haha.
Re: #1 I don’t think Fain killed Barthanes in the books. He’d already made his escape through the waygate by the time Rand met Barthanes.
IIRC the civil war kicked off when Thom unalived the king in revenge for the king’s men killing his lover, and Barthanes was killed by the shadow for assisting Fain after he went rogue. The heavy implication was the gholam being the actual assassin, but unknown at whose orders.
I was also disappointed by the fight scene. After reading so many books that describe the Aiel as such graceful and magnificent fighters, I was expecting to see something memorable, but it was just cut to pieces. However, I liked the look of the actress. While Robert Jordan was amused by the idea of a people who have lived in the desert for 3,000 years and still looked like a bunch of red-haired, pale-skinned Irish folk, I never really bought it. And Ayoola Smart actually is part Irish, so there’s that.
@6: I also wondered if they were going to set up pairings that way for the purpose of avoiding Rand being with three women. Granted, what they are doing with Alanna and her warders would suggest they’re not shy of poly relationships– though it’s probably different when the woman is the ringleader than a man with three women. We’ll see I guess. I figured they might still introduce Faile and Tuon, but just hook them up with each other.
@7: I had the same thought about the horse! Obviously she had no problem sending the stable owner ahead with two riderless horses in her wake. So why not have them ride and string the fourth behind? There was no reason to kill it. So it just feels like writing in a fourth horse for her to kill one seems really unnecessary.
@11 the Aiel cast in season 3, Ragga Ragnars and Maja Simonsen as Bain and Chiad , look pale skinned. The casting is always race blind in this show.
I guess Moiraine killed the horse to show Lanfear she had been there and was racing with the horses somewhere else following that road. Otherwise Lanfear could think Moiraine had been somewhere else and actually look for her where she actually was, hiding behind a rock nearby.
Of course it’s very convenient that a horse rider passed by the exact same time Lanfear was there and was helpful enough to tell where that road goes to.
The writers probably should have put two people in the stables, with one person being left behind to show Lanfear where Moiraine was supposed to be going.
I like most of what they are doing in this season a lot so far, apart from the absurd Moiraine – Lan drama and a few other things. They are doing particularly great work with the villains. Character merges all make sense so far too.
I agree that it made more sense to just take the extra horse with them – having a re-mount would have even allowed them to ride faster, push their horses more. I also agree that Nyn and Elayne’s escape needed something more to explain why they weren’t pursued. IIRC in the books it was night at least and I think that there was also a thunderstorm? But everything else worked well in this episode, IMHO.
Concerning Verin – I strongly suspect that her arc has been changed so that we are going to witness her “greatest mistake” and it’s consequences on-screen, in the present. It kinda makes no sense for her to have lived in retirement until now otherwise.
I am also fairly sure that Moiraine’s sister will turn out to be a Darkfriend. Her advice seemed to align with the wishes of the FS and she is exactly the type of desperate person to have taken the deal that the membership offers. Hence the miraculous recovery of their family fortunes.
I see they answered my question from last week with the True Power being the healing force/respawn button. The black threads and the saa streaming across Lanfear’s eyes was a nice touch.
”Interesting” deviation with Ishamael apparently having access to all or most of the seals, and each one represents a different trapped Forsaken that he can free at anytime. It kind of makes you wonder why he’s not snapping them all since each one broken increases the Dark One’s touch on the world. Well, unless that’s changed as well? It’s hard to know because keeping the Dark One imprisoned and discussing his affects on the world really aren’t talked about in show much at all.
One thing that jumped out to me was the insolence Suroth & Liandrin seemed to show Ishy with their tones. Darkfriends had a tremendously inflated sense of their own importance in the books, but they all seemed to know their place when it came to Forsaken. Something tells me we won’t see that kind of attitude given towards Lanfear
Ken @7 (and crzydroid@12), I had the same exact questions. Especially about the horse. I could not help but to pause the show and text Sonofthunder “That was just SO DUMB!” and compare it with some of the silliest things from another certain Amazon Prime epic series. And yeah, my thought about the wolves was, “they’re cute, but they’re so … dog-gy.” Wondered about the other questions you mention as well, so you are definitely not alone there!
@18 For wolves being so “dog-gy”, well its obviously a dog and filmakers didn’t want to get into Game of Thrones quagmire. Where they actually used real trained wolves, and because they were real wolves they werent allowed to film scenes between actual sctor and a wolf, so they had to film separately and CGI scene together, and it took forever to get those wolves to act the way they needed to be for the scene, and expenses and delays got so bad it became a choice between an extra fight scene with a giant or a scene with a wolf, a scene with a dragon or extra scene with a wolf.
Masha @19, it is understandable that they went with using dogs, for safety and other reasons. It was just something that also struck out to me (especially as I have seen quite many “wolves” on screen that are obviously dogs, to different visible degrees), but I get why they have to do it. Did not know this about GoT, though, so thank you for the additional information!
I know they have name dropped Cadsuane already, but I wonder if they may be merging her arc with Verin’s to some degree. Show’s Verin seems to have a status, focus and seniority that seem more in line with Cadsuane’s role in the books (even if she is not as “legendary”) I wonder if they will be merging ALL of Verin’s arc, in that case.
Ken @7: The Two Rivers is the entire area; Perrin’s village is Emond’s Field. The Two Rivers is famous for its sheep and tabac, with the tabac especially known throughout the world. So it’s not crazy for someone to know about the Two Rivers.
There was definitely a point where I asked my husband, “Do wolves…bark?”.
They’re obviously dogs but they are so dang cute I don’t mind, haha.
I was also annoyed with the barking of the wolves. I get that they used dogs for all sorts of cost and time saving reasons, but surely they could have trained them to ACT like wolves.
Verin also seems very off to me. I had the thought that maybe they were combining her not only with Vandene, but with Pevara, as well. I also agree that they are not doing a great job connecting the scenes together. Having them 1000s of miles apart and not being clear with time intervals isn’t helping. They couldn’t use the awesome map in the books to clear things up?
It is insane that Liandrin is the most interesting character in this show. Kate Fleetwood is killing it.
Lanfear in the dream was great, and a little funny, but also really nailing her character from the books.
As far as the action scene, I get the complaints but I don’t really expect to see John Wick level stuff on a TV show.
@25 “Lanfear in the dream was great, and a little funny, but also really nailing her character from the books. “
Absolutely, except in the dream with Rand at the end she should have been in white, not black! Semirhage was the one who always wore black.
My partner has (multiple times now) asked me to give a little more detail on the plot points the series has thus far failed to sufficiently explain. That said, it’s been a positive watch overall.
I am glad it seems like won’t be 13 forsaken. That’s just too many villains even for the books. Like I had forgotten totally about some of them.
I agree that the explanation of the forsaken, or even or the light/dark mythology could be clearer, my husband has not read the books and is so lost. But, that would be a tall order and there were hints in S1, it’s just hard to remember them with the time break between. Like, the Seanchan scene where they said why the were Returning, to save the world for the Light, was a good move to get across the point that they are not the same evil as Ishamael is, in fact they believe they are doing what’s best, but sadly Ishamael is influencing them, but it went totally over hubby’s head.
I am generally pleased though with how they are combining the books and some characters to make the story go faster.
I think having more labels of what city the characters are in when they cut to it, even if it’s repeating itself, might help non book readers somewhat.