DojoToad

It was a bit over the top - and there had to be people hiding in there. Oops! Visually I just thought it looked awesome but I can see how it wouldn't work for everyone.

Improved marketing or word of mouth?

can being the operative word. They might still blow up the character. Just think there is potential there...

Thanks for adding specifics as to what you didn't like. I personally think this is one of the things Rafe got right. Mat is one of the good guys. Him coming from a dysfunctional family and having his own flaws makes him more interesting. In the books, the Congars and the Coplins were the black sheep in the Two Rivers - but they were barely tertiary characters without huge impact on the story. Having one of the main characters, Mat, be less than squeaky clean is more realistic to me. It adds tension to the story. Will he do the right thing when the chips are down? Will he betray Rand or others? Will he redeem himself? I loved Mat in the books, but I think his show character can be even better.

I'm with you in that Rafe and team did a piss poor job with the show. But you just wrote an entire paragraph without giving a single example of what you didn't like. Here are some of my dislikes: Super-ninja Nynaeve taking out trollocs solo Lan throwing his belt knife at a charging trolloc making it fly backward Terrible fight choreography in general, but specifically with Lan - a blademaster Healing explosions Perrin having a wife, killing her, then the subsequent arc... Adding characters, subtracting others, changing who does what... But I also liked some changes: Aging up the main Emond's Field characters Removing the Pollyannaish shine from EF Bringing Logain in early Moiraine using stones from the inn to blast trollocs And I could add more to each category. My long-winded point is - if you're coming here to complain about the show, give us something to talk about. Then we can agree, disagree, and have a conversation.

Yes - I loved the Tigraine scene.

Hell yeah. I'll tune in for that even if nothing else. But the fight choreography has to be there.

I liked it. Rand finally gets some sword training from Lan - though the little I've seen of Lan's sword play in the previous two seasons left much to be desired. Liked the Bangles for the trailer theme music. For those that don't know - check out 'Hazy Shade of Winter'.

Something bothers me about Rand's head, maybe the way he is leaning into Moiraine... Other than that, I like the image.

Some of us just aren't as eloquent as others. Sometimes we like or dislike something just because we do. Articulating why may not always be important. For example, I love the movie Napoleon Dynamite but hate the movie Stepbrothers. Don't care about the 'why', that's just how I feel. And for that reason I won't discuss either movie on a forum. One I'll watch every year and the other I'll never watch again. But back to your point, I agree that if you come to a forum about WoT (and only WoT) be prepared to defend likes/dislikes. Saying Rafe is a piece of garbage that destroyed Jordan's beloved books will get a much different response than I didn't like the way Rafe changed the story by adding/deleting these specific scenes for these reasons... The second post would likely lead to a productive back and forth that may or may not change anyone's mind but that might nudge the needle on both sides - even if imperceptibly. The first leads to trench warfare where each side digs in and the independents throw up their hands in exasperation.

Probably for the benefit of new readers that might be picking up a book mid-series to give them the benefit of some background. Can't say I enjoyed them overmuch...

That seems like a stretch. How much content could they get out of 8 hours of programming per season with two years in between? Even if I 1000% agreed with them that would get boring real quick. But I guess that doesn't matter if it is a passion project that is not expected to generate income...

Definitely possible. I'm coming back up to that scene in my reading now. Will have to keep an eye out.

You'll note I started my thought by saying I thought of the long gap as a disadvantage. But as I'm not a media person I was wondering if I might be overlooking possible advantages. Media is very different from when I was young and continues to evolve. Just wondering what others thought. You stated that very few people will re-watch multiple seasons of a show to catch-up/refresh, but I'm not so sure. Very many people on this site have re-read the book series multiple times every time a new book was released. That takes a lot more time and effort. Not saying you're wrong just that people are different. Some people have no problem taking 2 or 3 days to watch 8 hours of TV - especially if it is something they really enjoy.

I thought of the gap between seasons as a disadvantage, but I'm wondering if there may be a benefit in the world of streaming. People may have forgotten much of the detail for WoT between seasons - not a problem, re-watch S1 and S2 in the weeks or months leading up to the drop of S3. Amazon boosts their watch numbers as folks prep for the new season. Not much difference between what many of us did with the books - re-reading all the previous books whenever a new one was published. But I think there is a bigger benefit to the streaming company as they still own the show. There is only one place to see it. Amazon controls advertising (if present) and folks are more likely to check out their other offerings due to convenience. Publishers give that up as we own the books and can re-consume them at will.

@Rsmithboeing - I'll answer your title question the best I can. No, the writers will not 'fix' the issues you have with the show. They have had a decent amount of success with it as written and it appears you are asking for a 90 (if not a 180) degree turn after two seasons. Like you, I wanted a very different show than what was produced. But I'll need to wait for the next show, movie, or whatever. Rafe's version is not for me, but I also don't expect for him and his team to cater to me. I did my share of complaining over what I think is wrong with the show and now am back to reading the books. It is a great place to be!

I never bought into the 'new turning' explanation. To me, it is very obviously Jordan's story - characters have the same names, major events are similar enough, and the world is very recognizable (except for the extremely undersized Ogier 😉). That is where my comment comes from - it is Jordan's story with lots of changes. POV flips, added events and characters, missing or delayed characters, events shifting to other characters, etc. I like some of the changes, dislike more of them, and hate the show's execution in general - but it is the WoT as interpreted by Rafe and company.

Correct. The show is telling the story from the books but from the perspective of minor and periphery characters. Changes the feel a lot.

For sure. I like to own things, not rent/lease them. I think streaming may take the option away from us at some point - you have to pay a monthly fee to watch your favorite things instead of one and done.

Huh, didn't even know that was a thing anymore with streaming... I haven't heard anything.

Very true. I remember comments going back several years now in which some folks were just happy to get something (in the lead up to S1 and beyond). 'Better than nothing' was often implied and said outright. More WoT was automatically better - even if the product was garbage. At least that was the impression I got. I'm not saying the show was garbage, but it is definitely not for me. I watched the first 4 episodes of S1 (twice each) and the 1st episode of S2. In my case, I'd rather have nothing than this 'turning' of the wheel. Maybe next time will be more up my alley.

That would be way too much for me. That level of dissection would suck all joy out of the story. Plus the finish Jordan envisioned in 1990 was probably significantly different than what he planned in 2000, and probably would have changed again had he been able to finish the series himself.

I prefer ample bosoms myself. Boobies big enough to walk around might break the lore... 😉

Eucalyptus in endemic to eastern Cairhein... 😉

I do miss Ta'veren Tees