[TV] The Wheel of Time

[Triceron]

Again, you are completely ignoring the successful adaptations with this argument. Some changes in pacing etc need to be done, but if you don't respect the source material, which was written by someone infinitely more talented than whoever does the tinkering, you're going to have a bad time.

Successful tv adaptations are few and far between. If we were to use that as a gauge then literally we circle back to every review comparing this to GoT and LoTR and brushing this off as another failed fantasy series. That's pretty much all that needs to be said.

The show has some pretty big pacing and world/character building issues, and that's probably the biggest factor against it, over all the coherency issues to the book.

[Smallfruitbat]

I wanted this to do well. I wanted my friends who watch it to have the same enjoyment as I did reading the books. Episode 1 looked like just another fantasy series with a big set piece at the end. I think that is going to put a lot of people off. Introducing the wolves without Elyas made it look to me that they were trying to rip off Game of Thrones (and I know why they are there).

The real elephant in the room is the tone. The first 3 scenes of episode one (and beyond) can be summed up as 'men bad, women good.' The hatchet job they did on Abel Cauthons character was unnecessary, for those who didn't read the books he was a real pillar of the community. An overarching theme in the series is that men and women have different strengths and abilities and need to work together in order to get stuff done. Overall, aging up the characters and then putting in back stories is a misfire in my opinion. Having them act selfish etc. worked in the book because they were little more than kids from a remote village who had lived a pretty idyllic life. I hope it's just jitters from the beginning of the series and they explain some of the big concepts but I have very little faith at the moment.

[Beloren]

After finishing the first few episodes my option comes down to being an fine fantasy show but not a very good wheel of time show so far.

I’ll likely keep watching it as it goes along if for no other reason to talk with my friends about the needless changes which mostly subtract from what wheel of time was.

I'll agree with this. Good description.

If you've read the book, you feel the show could be a lot better, however as an unknown, the show is pretty decent. AT least it wasn't garbage like Sword of Truth..

But book adaptations do a lot better when they are closer to the originals - at least the very popular ones do.

[Tyron]

What I expected of the first episode: "Light, forgive me! Ilyena!"

What I got: Perrin killing his non-existent first wife.

[Mace]

If I were going to do a series of this I would probably do the prologue first.

Then A new spring. It would be a short series probably 5 episodes or even a movie length intro. I’d then do…

Season 2 will actually be Eye of the world and be a full on 23 episode long season


The book is written like a film. The suspense and build up always have action. And there is enough mystery to keep you watching to discover more.

[Surfd]

Mostly true. This was a major point that gets turned sideways for a later plot twist because the dark one does as they please and some MAJOR villains are brought back rule63'd for a major surprise as a female wielding Saidin turns more than a few through a loop.

Nope. The original point still stands. Souls are gendered in WoT, so it's basically unnatural for someone to be "reborn" incorrectly. What the Dark one did was wholly unnatural (which was the entire point, and why it worked so well as a fakeout), but it also wasn't "reincarnation". The Dark One literally OWNS the souls of the forsaken, so when he messed with dead ones, it was basically him seizing their soul, not allowing them to be "reborn" but instead forcefully jamming their soul into an available vessel.

[Smallfruitbat]

Mostly true. This was a major point that gets turned sideways for a later plot twist because the dark one does as they please and some MAJOR villains are brought back rule63'd for a major surprise as a female wielding Saidin turns more than a few through a loop.

It's done as a punishment just like when Graendhal is turned ugly

[WButler89]

I love books very much, but I will not watch this series for now. I'll wait until all the episodes come out and then I'll watch the whole story without interruption.

[Xath]

I love books very much, but I will not watch this series for now. I'll wait until all the episodes come out and then I'll watch the whole story without interruption.

Well you won't be watching anything resembling the books story. Also this is getting canceled after second season at best. Massive budget per episode but highly divisive.

- - - Updated - - -

If I were going to do a series of this I would probably do the prologue first.

Then A new spring. It would be a short series probably 5 episodes or even a movie length intro. I’d then do…

Season 2 will actually be Eye of the world and be a full on 23 episode long season


The book is written like a film. The suspense and build up always have action. And there is enough mystery to keep you watching to discover more.

Now see that would actually make sense. Honestly doing it as an animated feature would have been so much better some things we just can't do well in live action yet at least Rafe certainly can't.

[Beloren]

Matt is fine other then him being more of a thief then a prankster. Maybe I just missed that in the books early on but it never came across that way to me. Perrin though I hate since him not having a family ties in perfectly with his abilities and role later. Killing his wife (or having one in the first place) changes that dynamic a little. He isn't the "lone wolf" with out a family anymore. He just lost his wife. It also sucked they didn't cover his abilities a little bit more in episode 3. They really should have included Elyas somehow even if just as a figure on the tree line.

Instead of the axe and weapons of war thing it looks like it will be fear of hurting loved ones. It will be interesting to see how the tinkers interact with his character given the changes.

The show is a good fantasy. Good "inspired by" the books but I still think it is a poor adaptation with some of the changes so far. And I hated the musical score during the Thom scenes. It is weirdly out of place. Also good point about the wheel and who is bound to it. Changes the importance of characters and actions and the meaning of Ta'veren, Pattern, and Wheel.

Agreed with your last paragraph in particular.

But PErrin killing his wife could actually make him an even more powerful Lonewolf type person.. however they don't emotionally connect us to that enough or develop it. In the first 3 episodes, you just don't get the sense that Perrin is a lonewolf - that dynamic came out poor.. has friends, but is withdrawing because of what he did to this wife.. so the whole point of bringing in said wife and killing her is negated by the poor integration later.

While I think the actor who played Thom was brilliant, and looks the part, the song was no where near the level of good I imagined from the book...is that another subjective thing though?

[Redwyrm]

While I think the actor who played Thom was brilliant, and looks the part, the song was no where near the level of good I imagined from the book...is that another subjective thing though?

I agree about Thom's actor. About his song... I think that could be explained by his explanation in the books. That being that there are several forms of storytelling/singing that a Gleeman uses based on his audience. I think the song in episode three falls under the "Common Tongue" category. Plain speech without anything fancy for regular working folk. It would be a lot different if he were doing it for royalty.

[Hansworst]

Damn that Rand dude looks like Ryan Phillipe

[ravenmoon]

Damn that Rand dude looks like Ryan Phillipe

He is very good looking. I’m surprised I think so.

I didn’t think so in the cast pics. I don’t really see Egwene as a stunning beauty the book describes, or maybe it’s just me

[Beloren]

How well is the series doing anyway?

It’s not as good as the book, that’s pretty obvious. but it’s still pretty good.

It could have been the best though. It plays like a better Shanara rather than a Lordnof thenRings.

Still very good though imo

[Slacker76]

I tired, but I fell asleep after the Battle of Bel Tine and didnt wake up until episode 3. The characters felt bland and there's just too many of them. Rosamund Pike looked hella bored. Kinda with they would have let her or another character chew up some scenery.
Reminds me how LotR lucked out with Peter Jackson.

[jdbond]

Series is being hated most by fans. Welcome to Hollywood where Mat is a hopeless "thief", Perrin is fake wife killer, and story is beating even fastest bullets trains.
Effects are cheap, sets and costume from some LARP and characters are totally not relatable.

But it is getting the "strong woman" part right so that's that. I loved the fact that people in Two rivers knew Aes Sedai oaths, rings, dragon etc but didn't know Tinkers.

[Xath]

Series is being hated most by fans. Welcome to Hollywood where Mat is a hopeless "thief", Perrin is fake wife killer, and story is beating even fastest bullets trains.
Effects are cheap, sets and costume from some LARP and characters are totally not relatable.

But it is getting the "strong woman" part right so that's that. I loved the fact that people in Two rivers knew Aes Sedai oaths, rings, dragon etc but didn't know Tinkers.

They literally talked about Alsbet Luhhan having a tinker mended pot in EoTW. Rafe needs to be staked outside in the sun and left to burn ffs.

[Konteil]

Really only matters if Rand isn't the Dragon Reborn.

not making the dragon male has huge implications for the rest of the story. it was the male half of the source that was tainted by teh DO in the books. his couterstroke tainted it. also negates the cleansing of saidin as well as the future of teh asha man. not to mention the end of the book itself needed all three powers to be woven. saidin saidar and the true power. so yeah this is very important.

[Orby]

You should, Terry Goodkind straight up stole whole concepts from WoT and put them in the Sword of Truth series

His The Sword of Truth books were horrible. Also Terry Goodkind while sad he is dead, was piece of shit as a person. I also laugh when he said he hates the fantasy genre and calls it childish while also saying his own books are not fantasy lol.

[Egomaniac]

not making the dragon male has huge implications for the rest of the story. it was the male half of the source that was tainted by teh DO in the books. his couterstroke tainted it. also negates the cleansing of saidin as well as the future of teh asha man. not to mention the end of the book itself needed all three powers to be woven. saidin saidar and the true power. so yeah this is very important.

Which, like I said, only matters if they change that. So far, they haven't. All they've said so far is that, in this version, they don't know if the Dragon was reborn as a boy or a girl. But they have shown that Men that can use the power all go insane... which wouldn't be necessary for them to do if they were planning a gender swap. All this change does is throw a red herring out for people that haven't read the books that it's possible Egwene could be the Dragon.