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.

I'm good with removing the circus.

Jordan did this so well in the books. Probably what he did best in the books. Everything from one-on-one combat to skirmishes to full-scale battles... His descriptions on the use of the one power were a close second. Combat both with and without the power was what I was most looking forward to seeing in the show. Mundane combat was a huge disappointment with the exception of the Blood Snow. I've watched bad action movies repeatedly if the fight choreography was good. But I couldn't stay with a series I was so looking forward to because this was executed so poorly. Use of the power was a little better. All the arm waving looked kind of goofy, but how the weaves were presented on screen worked fine for me.

You've been a member of this forum for almost 4 years - why did you let a month pass before letting the rest of us know? As for the book itself - it looks nice. But if all they are doing is Eye of the World, I'll have to pass. If the whole set is coming out leatherbound, then I might consider upgrading.

How is it one-off when you mention Egwene's (1) and Nynaeve's (2) in the same sentence? That is at least three OTT uses of the power in one season by untrained (or little trained) channelers. Maybe that is the point - Aes Sedai have lost/forgotten so much since the AOL. That was a theme in the book series, but it came much later than how it was introduced in the show. Still poorly done imo, but maybe that's the direction they're going.

Looked that scene up on youtube. I like it, an awesome display of the Power by Rand. Everyone looking tough and posing - and then splat. Plus they were able to avoid a badly choreographed fight scene. Duel would have been nice for sure though.

Sorry, I'm ignorant on this point. Are the seals failing in the show like in the books? In the book, they could be easily be broken without the power.

Not interesting to you. I find it fascinating: is it right, wrong, irrelevant? Just like coming here and reading comments/opinions/insights from fellow Dragonmounters. Someday it might not be as exciting, but for me it's still new, shiny, and interesting.

They change stuff. Get used to it.

True that. There will be many small details missed. The 14-book series was long and rich (and often repetitive). There is no way everyone's favorite details are making it to the screen no matter how many episodes and seasons they get. Adaptations are tough, and people have different scenes they consider important or their favorite. Rafe is a professional in the entertainment industry and I assume he wants to continue down that path. If that is the case, he is doing the best job he can. I think he is making many mistakes, but I'm only an entertainment consumer. Someone else might have been more capable and made a better show from my perspective, but Rafe is who we have and his vision (influenced by execs) is the product. S3 is soon...

How do we know which way he will go when he isn't getting the screen time? Framing the protagonist through the eyes of other characters works for a couple chapters/episodes, but I'd think you'd want it from the horse's mouth at some point. But not nerfing Nynaeve and Egwene accomplishes what? I can understand the protagonist not being the focus for an episode or three, but for two entire seasons? Unless the Dragon is not the protagonist and is just another tool for Moiraine (the true protagonist) to use... If Rand is the protagonist (and not 'just' the Dragon) it's a pretty risky move to wait until S3 for him to get his season. Especially with the drop off in viewership between S1 and S2 - according to our AI Overlords. 😁