The first episodes of Amazon’s Wheel of Time have been very good so far. I was excited about the show, but at the same time was a bit nervous about it. It is such a massive story that it seems almost impossible to adapt it to the screen. Obviously there will be things cut out, but it is hard to figure out since almost every side story ends up having some connection to the overall story.
Here are the things I have liked so far…
-The look of the weaves when the Aes Sedai (or Logain) channel. You get the sense that they are combining magic and that the One Power has something to it. When Logain channels, you can see and almost feel the taint on it. I like that.
-The cast is good. Thom is especially good, that guy pulls off the gleeman (entertaining while at the same time being extremely dangerous).
-I like the idea that any of the five could be the Dragon Reborn (and so far a few of them have shown some hints). Those of us who read the books obviously know the answer, but it is cool for someone coming into this fresh to have to guess.
-The Trolloc battle was impressive. They were scary and seeing Lan & Moraine in action was cool. The same with the battle later with the Warders and Aes Sedai against Logain’s army.
Things I have disliked…
-Perrin’s girlfriend/wife and her death at Perrin’s hand. That was totally added in and it was a bit jarring. I understand the reason, it helps give Perrin more depth with his struggle between the ax & the hammer (his conversation with the Tinker woman also gives us insight into what he is dealing with inside). At least they have introduced the wolves already.
-The weaves look cool, but the overly dramatic hand motions remind me of the Last Airbender or something similar.
-Sometimes the look of groups of people and towns has a RenFair feel. I cannot put my finger on it, it just feels cheap (which is ridiculous since this is like the most expensive show ever).
And finally…some spoiler stuff for book readers…
-I love how they played Mat’s condition like he could be channeling. Lan’s warning to not take anything from Shadar Logoth was subtle and I am sure most viewers missed it or did not think much about Mat taking the ruby hilt dagger.
-I forgot about Dark Friends and how early on they were dangerous to the group (once Rand is able to channel, they become an afterthought except for being spies for the Dark One).
-Not sure how I feel about Rand & Egwene having sex already. I know the show wants to compete with Game of Thrones, but I always enjoyed the way their relationship fizzled out and they both realized they loved others. Also, will the show keep Aram and have him pick up the sword eventually?
