DojoToad

Hmm, I wonder why the change especially with the more positive reviews this season.

If I recall correctly, they greenlit seasons 2 and 3 before the preceding season dropped.

I can accept this explanation - if, as you say, it is made explicit at some point. It would be just like the DO.

The only reasonable explanation so far...

I think some of us are analyzing this so much because the battles were our favorite parts of the books. It is what got me through the slog of Faile's Shaido arc, Elayne's throne chasing, Aes Sedai Tower/Salidar machinations, and Perrin's brooding (all the matters is Faile!). I knew there was another fight coming - Jordan did that so well. As I said previously, I thought this scene was very well done regarding the One Power fight - though I still don't understand the Black Sisters walking away without killing the defeated Sisters. For my money, they have nailed the One Power between the tower battle and Rand taking out Turak and his entourage - S3 might be the turning point for this specific area. Though I still worry about melee fighting. With the exception of 'The Blood Snow' there is still a lot to be desired for the mundane weapons - from their appearance to how (un)skillfully they are wielded. But I did like that little blip of Perrin in the trailer though I never pictured him in plate armor.

The Aes Sedai were trained and weeded out so that those who attained the ring would not pause or falter when surprised/attacked - but would react appropriately on the instant. That said - I agree with you. They train for perfection but are only human. The slow start and shock are both reasonable.

LOL. Since when do they care about that? And plenty of good guys and gals died in the books - though most of them made it to the Last Battle.

I think that the CGI used for the magic battle was very good. What I can't understand is the end of the battle. Whether the Black should have won the battle given the numbers is debatable. But they are the Black. They had defeated the most powerful women in the Tower and they were all laying on the ground defeated and helpless. Finish them off quickly with a quick slice of the power? Nah, let's retreat to the docks so we can fight them again another day. Retreat was prudent after the battle but at least clean up the low hanging fruit that will only take a millisecond to destroy.

I liked the trailer overall. The one power battle in the White Tower looked good to me. But as has been pointed out, the archers against trollocs didn't make much sense. Three or four hundred pound beasts with forward momentum being thrown back by arrows... That aside the scene didn't look great. Perrin swinging whatever looked cool. Aiel spears - 🤮 Costuming looked good.

Thank you. I should have inferred that...

I'm sorry, but what do you mean by 'sticky end'?

Yes. The length of the spearheads looks right, but does not look like a steel weapon from this shot.

Looks more like a ninjato than a katana. Very blunt, thick, and plastic looking - as you said. Perhaps a trainer so they can whack each without leaving more than bruises. But those are usually wood to keep the weight down.

You might not think so, but abuse can be used for training. Take the animals out of it. Spouses abuse each other. Karens scream. Parents abuse children and vice versa. Bosses abuse subordinates and coworkers abuse each other. There may be an element of sadism involved, but I think this type of abuse (even unconsciously) is used to train the victim to a certain type of behavior or response. Because they don't know how to train the right way. They don't want to take the time to teach/train using words and examples. They resort to the iron fist, screaming, passive-aggressiveness - or whatever has worked for them in the past for quick results. Just because it is abuse doesn't mean that the animal or damane is not being trained.

In a perfect world. Unfortunately some people do abuse animals to train them. We've all seen the news stories or witnessed it ourselves.