Wheel of Time Season 2 (Sept 1 Amazon Prime)

[Xenos]

40 minutes ago, Forge said:

Never read the books... Finished the show today and I'm going to say.... Underwhelmed? 

Haven't read the posts for the series, but my own thoughts are that they tried too hard to keep it entertaining with hitting plot points faster, moving the story rapidly, etc. 

Characters never really developed much, and things happened quickly. Not accounting for the ridiculous plot points of late season GoT, it reminded me a lot of those last two years in terms of getting to things as quickly as possible whereas I think the show would have benefitted from being more like early season GoT. 

It wasn't bad, but left me wanting

It’s funny that when it did have room to breathe ie. episode 5 and 6 for example, it was still more about the Aes Sedai and their Warders. I think a couple more episodes to flesh out the protagonists from The Two Rivers would have helped more.

[Tk3]

Holy crap.. I need to watch again, but lawd, the finale was abysmal

They really needed the season to end on a banger, which would vault this to be a watched and re-watched show, which would create a ton of excitement for season 2

But I can't help but feel like we are going to limp to season 2, and they REALLY need to step it up next season

[Tk3]

12 hours ago, Xenos said:

It’s funny that when it did have room to breathe ie. episode 5 and 6 for example, it was still more about the Aes Sedai and their Warders. I think a couple more episodes to flesh out the protagonists from The Two Rivers would have helped more.

They made a BIG choice to go bigger pitcture politics rather than focus on a narrower scope of the "journey" to conclude at the Eye

I really like that choice, I just don't think they stuck it whatsoever

I don't even think it matters that Rand was so bland all season - They just needed to make the conflict at the eye a much better climax.

I also don't really love that Lan didn't do ish, the Perrin/Padan Fain conflict wasn't satisfying, and the "battle for Fal Dara" was super underwhelming as well

I just felt crappy about that finale, which sucks because the middle portion of the season was really ramping up the broader story about Suian/Ajahs/Tower/etc, which just.. never came back. I get that's for future seasons, but at least keep the connection going.

The flow of the storylines hasn't worked well for me

[Xenos]

14 minutes ago, Tk3 said:

Holy crap.. I need to watch again, but lawd, the finale was abysmal

They really needed the season to end on a banger, which would vault this to be a watched and re-watched show, which would create a ton of excitement for season 2

But I can't help but feel like we are going to limp to season 2, and they REALLY need to step it up next season

I feel like the first season got big enough interest and watch that they could definitely do better. I’m hoping for a Witcher S2 leap in quality. The issue obviously is that the Witcher got a big boost in money for its second season. While WOT already had so much put into it already. They just need to do a better job with the writing, direction, and budget allocation.

Edited December 25, 2021 by Xenos

[Tk3]

11 minutes ago, Xenos said:

I feel like the first season got big enough interest and watch that they could definitely do better. I’m hoping for a Witcher S2 leap in quality. The issue obviously is that the Witcher got a big boost in money for its second season. While WOT already had so much put into it already. They just need to do a better job with the writing, direction, and budget allocation.

Oh yeah, its enough to watch seasons 2 and 3. I just wanted them to stick the landing and there to be big hype that would cause people to tell their friends to watch and build up a bigger cult following for the release of S2

The goal now is for it to be a solid show that makes it to the end of the series. Before the goal was for it to be a massively popular show that is universally known and discussed

[Xenos]

1 hour ago, Tk3 said:

Oh yeah, its enough to watch seasons 2 and 3. I just wanted them to stick the landing and there to be big hype that would cause people to tell their friends to watch and build up a bigger cult following for the release of S2

The goal now is for it to be a solid show that makes it to the end of the series. Before the goal was for it to be a massively popular show that is universally known and discussed

Basically Agents of Shield goal at this point.

[Oregon Ducks]

TBH, I think they’ve been trying too hard to please both new fans and books fans alike and that’s one of the issues with it. For example, the ending of book 1 was worse than the show but they stuck to it a little too much, made some odd changes, and didn’t make enough in other places. Also, 8 episodes a season is not going to be enough. If that’s what Amazon is restricting you to then say that and let people know that there will be big changes from the books. The hardcore purists are already haters - **** em. Make the best show possible but keep the heart of the books - the the character arcs and world.

Overall, I thought it was a good season that kept me entertained but they definitely made some choices I didn’t agree with. In terms of comparing it to other big fantasy productions - not as good as season 1 of GoT but better than season 1 of The Witcher.

Edited December 25, 2021 by Oregon Ducks

[Tk3]

2 minutes ago, Oregon Ducks said:

TBH, I think they’ve been trying too hard to please both new fans and books fans alike and that’s one of the issues with it. For example, the ending of book 1 was worse than the show but they stuck to it a little too much, made some odd changes, and didn’t make enough in other places. Also, 8 episodes a season is not going to be enough. If that’s what Amazon is restricting you to then say that and let people know that there will be big changes from the books. The hardcore purists are already haters - **** em. Make the best show possible but keep the heart of the books - the the character arcs and world.

Overall, I thought it was a good season that kept me entertained but they definitely made some choices I didn’t agree with. In terms of comparing it to other big fantasy productions - not as good as season 1 of GoT but better than season 1 of The Witcher.

Agreed.. Book 1 ending was soooo bad

Like you said.. It's already deviated so far that you'll never please the purists.. so you have to do some sort of more substantial tv like ending. Like, don't take Lan out of the script, have him and the Fal Darans battling the trollocs, with the channelers fighting amongst them.. you know, like a series finale type of battle.

Meanwhile Rand does his thing at the Eye, and make that more interesting

Then let Rand and company think they've won, and then have Padan Fain in the final scene basically letting everyone know that it ain't over yet

 

I hate to ask for a super traditional script, but what they did was soooo anticlimatic on every level. Each different grouping sucked

[SMashMouthMike]

16 hours ago, Oregon Ducks said:

For example, the ending of book 1 was worse than the show

Really? How in the world is that possible,lol.

[THE DUKE]

Woof, that was a big swing and a miss in the finale 

Once again they introduced a bunch of characters in one episode only to kill them off on the next and act like we're supposed to really care whatsoever. How has the gap stood for 1000 years when the guys guarding it were idiots? Barely even basic strategy of siege defense. And lord I don't know how they managed to do it, but the CGI on the trollochs was even worse, and only made even more cringe worthy by them using the same 2 second snippet of them acting mad 3-4 times. Most video game cut scenes are better than that.

Good thing they sent all the men to die when apparently 5 women could have defended the city alone, and then the dumbass just hold onto it and melts her own face off after killing two other women that was helping her. And if Egweine can heal her friend after she was seemingly already dead, why not the other women?

So was it just Lt. Dark guy in their dreams all season or was it the actual dark one in the dreams and he just pulled from that. And if it's that easy for the Lt to stop one of the most powerful Aes Saedi from accessing the one power, then why isn't that their strategy? And why does Rand trust Moraine enough to lead him to the eye, but then just decides "Nah, I'm not going to tell her what's going on", and then "Dragon, out, deuces" at the end?

I actually liked the peddler as a dark friend angle, but was still some choppy execution. And Perrin watches all those dudes get slaughtered, and then just stands there like a big dumb idiot? The way of the leaf should be renamed the way of the moron.

And all we get of Mat in the last two episodes is a glimpse of him at the end hunched over and looking at the tower?

And wtf with the epilogue? Hey let's send a giant tidal wave at a cliff face where it will do absolutely zero damage except for a little girl with terrible luck. Do that to a town, or a defense armada, SOMETHING with you know, actual value?

Holy crap did they need 3-4 more episodes to actually care about the characters and actually set stuff up rather just chucking up set pieces like a monkey flinging poo.

[Xenos]

On 12/30/2021 at 7:18 AM, THE DUKE said:

Woof, that was a big swing and a miss in the finale 

Once again they introduced a bunch of characters in one episode only to kill them off on the next and act like we're supposed to really care whatsoever. How has the gap stood for 1000 years when the guys guarding it were idiots? Barely even basic strategy of siege defense. And lord I don't know how they managed to do it, but the CGI on the trollochs was even worse, and only made even more cringe worthy by them using the same 2 second snippet of them acting mad 3-4 times. Most video game cut scenes are better than that.

Good thing they sent all the men to die when apparently 5 women could have defended the city alone, and then the dumbass just hold onto it and melts her own face off after killing two other women that was helping her. And if Egweine can heal her friend after she was seemingly already dead, why not the other women?

So was it just Lt. Dark guy in their dreams all season or was it the actual dark one in the dreams and he just pulled from that. And if it's that easy for the Lt to stop one of the most powerful Aes Saedi from accessing the one power, then why isn't that their strategy? And why does Rand trust Moraine enough to lead him to the eye, but then just decides "Nah, I'm not going to tell her what's going on", and then "Dragon, out, deuces" at the end?

I actually liked the peddler as a dark friend angle, but was still some choppy execution. And Perrin watches all those dudes get slaughtered, and then just stands there like a big dumb idiot? The way of the leaf should be renamed the way of the moron.

And all we get of Mat in the last two episodes is a glimpse of him at the end hunched over and looking at the tower?

And wtf with the epilogue? Hey let's send a giant tidal wave at a cliff face where it will do absolutely zero damage except for a little girl with terrible luck. Do that to a town, or a defense armada, SOMETHING with you know, actual value?

Holy crap did they need 3-4 more episodes to actually care about the characters and actually set stuff up rather just chucking up set pieces like a monkey flinging poo.

I agree with most of these points. The only thing I will say is that they didn’t know that 5 women could have stopped the army. Both Egwene and Nynaeve were much more powerful than the other three. Additionally, she didn’t mean to hold on. It was an unintentional side effect of trying to control that much power without having complete mastery. Maybe Moiraine could have. But yeah, the execution of this scene was not that great.

Edited January 4, 2022 by Xenos

[AlexGreen#20]

This was the single worst season of television that I've ever watched. 

This was so bad that it honestly is keeping me awake at night. 

This makes season 8 Game of Thrones look like the middle seasons of Breaking Bad.

And I don't even really like the books. The end of the Eye of the World book was downright incoherent, and it was still better than this. 

Can somebody go and rescue my boy Perrin. RIP. 

[Xenos]

On 1/9/2022 at 5:29 PM, AlexGreen#20 said:

This was the single worst season of television that I've ever watched. 

This was so bad that it honestly is keeping me awake at night. 

This makes season 8 Game of Thrones look like the middle seasons of Breaking Bad.

And I don't even really like the books. The end of the Eye of the World book was downright incoherent, and it was still better than this. 

Can somebody go and rescue my boy Perrin. RIP. 

I do wonder how much the pandemic affected everything. They apparently had to shut down and restart twice.

[JonStark]

Finished this last week. There's a great story in there somewhere, but the show was really weak. 

It's a shame the books are such a commitment that I'll probably never get to.  

[MacReady]

On 1/9/2022 at 7:29 PM, AlexGreen#20 said:

This was the single worst season of television that I've ever watched. 

This was so bad that it honestly is keeping me awake at night. 

This makes season 8 Game of Thrones look like the middle seasons of Breaking Bad.

And I don't even really like the books. The end of the Eye of the World book was downright incoherent, and it was still better than this. 

Can somebody go and rescue my boy Perrin. RIP. 

Lol. The first person in here to tell the truth.

Everybody else in here sitting around trying to act smart and understanding while discussing ways Amazon could maybe make poop smell a little better in season two.