Wheel of Time Season 1 Episode 7: Dark Along the Ways Prediction and Discussion

... sit down, kick back and relax, and talk about anything that doesn't belong on one of the other forums.
Katherine
Posts: 451
Joined: Mon May 18, 2015 9:10 pm

Re: Wheel of Time Season 1 Episode 7: Dark Along the Ways Prediction and Discussion

Post by Katherine » Fri Dec 17, 2021 3:03 pm

Kordin wrote:
Fri Dec 17, 2021 4:02 am
Katherine wrote:
Fri Dec 17, 2021 12:39 am
It seems we are getting back to the book plot
They are? :D
The group did not go from Tar Valon to Seandar and then back to the Aiel Waste and then directly to the Eye in this episode. The fact that this show picks up at the Fal Dara gate, goes to Fal Dara and ends up in the Blight is significantly more plot accurate than the last four episodes combined. I think my expectations have been lowered after watching Ep 5 and so anything that even barely resembles the books is now a moment of relief.

Katherine
Posts: 451
Joined: Mon May 18, 2015 9:10 pm

Re: Wheel of Time Season 1 Episode 7: Dark Along the Ways Prediction and Discussion

Post by Katherine » Fri Dec 17, 2021 3:30 pm

*knock on door*

Moiraine . *opens*

Rand - "I'm Batman"
:lol:


**spoilers**

Yea its a bit silly that Moiraine has no idea which of the three it is. She mentioned Gitara's prophesy at least once in Ep 5 in her private scene with Siuan. In that prophesy, the Dragon Reborn was born on the slopes of Dragonmount:

"He is born again! I feel him! The Dragon takes his first breath on the slopes of Dragonmount! He is coming! He is coming! Light help us! Light help the world! He lies in the snow and cries like the thunder! He burns like the sun!"

The readers of the books know the DR is Rand almost from the beginning and Moiraine knows because of what she heard from Gitara while she was an Accepted. The Dark One doesnt know who it is (or more specifically Ishmael) because Gitara's telling was kept a close secret between Moiraine, Siuan, and Tamra (the Amyrlin Seat at the time). So throughout the entire EoTW, Ishmael (Ba'alzamon) is trying to capture Mat, Perrin and Rand by appearing in their dreams for clues and sending fades and trollocs to capture them. In the book, as Rand begins to touch saidin he "hears" Lews Therin whisper in his head. This dialog in his mind becomes a running conversation throughout the entire book series and feeds into the important question of whether Rand is really hearing Lews Therin or if he's really just going crazy, or both. We did not get any of that in this TV series, and I think the audience is poorer for it.

Diotima
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed May 24, 2017 2:30 pm
Location: Kansas City

Re: Wheel of Time Season 1 Episode 7: Dark Along the Ways Prediction and Discussion

Post by Diotima » Fri Dec 17, 2021 5:23 pm

I feel like the writers have got themselves into a big hole now, with making the first season arc, "Who is the Dragon." Since Rand knows now that it's him, pretty much the entire impetus behind his behavior for the next two books is gone. It took until the end of the third book for Rand to be convinced that he wasn't somehow being manipulated by Aes Sedai into being some kind of false dragon. Mat's been cured of the dagger by Moiraine already, so even if Fain has the dagger now, there's no reason to chase him down and get it back. And how is Mat going to end up in Falme to blow the Horn? In the books, there's no reason for Rand to care about the Horn of Valere, and indeed, it's always an afterthought to him; his goal is to get that dagger back to help Mat. Now that Moiraine's sicced the Red Ajah on Mat, I have to imagine they'll try gentling him, that that will be the cause of both his memory loss, and his over-the-top mistrust of Aes Sedai and the One Power.

This whole, "Who is the Dragon" plot arc is the foundational sin on which so much else rests. Moiraine telling the group, "Yo, one of you is the Dragon, let's bounce," in the first episode. And they just do it. Unnecessary scenes that either waste screen time like the near-homicidal women's initiation, or break character development like Nynaeve's super saiyan channeling or Lan's emotionality, all to gin up a false uncertainty in who the Dragon is. A montage to justify to the audience Rand being the Dragon that makes the whole sequence unearned. I get that things have to be accelerated, that there can't be three seasons of Rand learning that, and then accepting that he's the Dragon, before we even get to the good stuff in the Waste or the battle of Cairhein or the assault on Rahvin or Dumai's Wells. So accelerate it. Don't skip it. It feels unearned, because it is unearned.

A lot of the rest of the complaints, especially regarding cheap-looking or repetitive looking scenes (does everywhere in Randland look like somewhere in the Carpathian Mountains?) or choppy acting, I think would be regarded with a lot more charity, especially by fans of the books, if this central mistake in plotting the first season hadn't been committed.

asharek
Posts: 121
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2015 2:35 pm

Re: Wheel of Time Season 1 Episode 7: Dark Along the Ways Prediction and Discussion

Post by asharek » Fri Dec 17, 2021 7:04 pm

@Diotima Glad I'm not the only one that refers to power ups as super saiyan moments jaja.. on that note.. remember when goku first became super saiyan? that was an arc and was earned.. even in the first arc seeing his journey from some backward village up and working his way to become able to beat vegeta was amazing.. wait why does does this story thread sound familiar?

Yeah Lan is ruined for me now, just cracks me up everytime he shows up on screen.

@Katherine who's this Lews guy? I don't remember but have they referred to him once in the show but also don't remember if we learned about his lore in EOTW.

Katherine
Posts: 451
Joined: Mon May 18, 2015 9:10 pm

Re: Wheel of Time Season 1 Episode 7: Dark Along the Ways Prediction and Discussion

Post by Katherine » Fri Dec 17, 2021 10:25 pm

asharek wrote:
Fri Dec 17, 2021 7:04 pm
@Katherine who's this Lews guy? I don't remember but have they referred to him once in the show but also don't remember if we learned about his lore in EOTW.
:?

Sometimes I honestly cannot tell if people are toying around with me or being serious because they know I always take the bait.

Therefore, you can have this as your answer (the image is clean):

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/im ... 4gqtge.gif

asharek
Posts: 121
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2015 2:35 pm

Re: Wheel of Time Season 1 Episode 7: Dark Along the Ways Prediction and Discussion

Post by asharek » Fri Dec 17, 2021 10:54 pm

Katherine wrote:
Fri Dec 17, 2021 10:25 pm
asharek wrote:
Fri Dec 17, 2021 7:04 pm
@Katherine who's this Lews guy? I don't remember but have they referred to him once in the show but also don't remember if we learned about his lore in EOTW.
:?

Sometimes I honestly cannot tell if people are toying around with me or being serious because they know I always take the bait.

Therefore, you can have this as your answer (the image is clean):

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/im ... 4gqtge.gif
Oh I was being sarcastic about who Lews Therin is but I don't know about him being referred to inside the actual show or if he was actually mentioned in EOTW other than the prologue cause I dont remember.

byrg
Posts: 371
Joined: Fri Aug 07, 2015 8:56 pm

Re: Wheel of Time Season 1 Episode 7: Dark Along the Ways Prediction and Discussion

Post by byrg » Sat Dec 18, 2021 12:43 am

Kordin wrote:
Fri Dec 17, 2021 10:02 am
Rand - "I'm Batman"
:lol:

Katherine
Posts: 451
Joined: Mon May 18, 2015 9:10 pm

Re: Wheel of Time Season 1 Episode 7: Dark Along the Ways Prediction and Discussion

Post by Katherine » Sat Dec 18, 2021 1:54 am

asharek wrote:
Fri Dec 17, 2021 10:54 pm
Oh I was being sarcastic about who Lews Therin is but I don't know about him being referred to inside the actual show or if he was actually mentioned in EOTW other than the prologue cause I dont remember.
*** book spoilers***

Although we have all of the books in hardback, I'm reading the series in the Kindle app this time. The search function works pretty well, because I do not remember details all that well either:

Chapter 14 - when Baalzamon (aka Ishmael) was talking to Rand in a dream. This is the chapter where we know for sure Baalzamon is Ishmael because he talks about standing next to Lews Therin while he was acting out of madness. <-- finished this chapter a few days ago, which is why I knew he was mentioned again.

Also mentioned in:
Chapters 15, 36, 39, 50, 51, 52, and 53.

Alvana
Posts: 175
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2019 8:06 pm
Location: MO (USA)

Re: Wheel of Time Season 1 Episode 7: Dark Along the Ways Prediction and Discussion

Post by Alvana » Sat Dec 18, 2021 9:59 am

I got some pretty serious DnD vibes in the Ways. The DM was kind enough to make the floor of the entire ways a hex grid, and then one of them cheesed the combat encounter. I'd be furious. :P

Thore
Posts: 378
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2015 2:06 am

Re: Wheel of Time Season 1 Episode 7: Dark Along the Ways Prediction and Discussion

Post by Thore » Sat Dec 18, 2021 2:32 pm

Alvana wrote:
Sat Dec 18, 2021 9:59 am
I got some pretty serious DnD vibes in the Ways. The DM was kind enough to make the floor of the entire ways a hex grid, and then one of them cheesed the combat encounter. I'd be furious. :P
I was getting Heroscape vibes with the hex tiles. https://therewillbe.games/images/storie ... oscape.jpg

Post Reply