S1E8, The Eye of the World, with book spoilers

Lyndo Shiranui

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Another possibility is that they also changed that part of the books as well, so that even if you are stilled you are still bound to the oaths and your bond.
 

Morgana Arakos

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This was my favorite episode so far! I feel like it was the episode where we really got to learn how big the world is, between seeing the AoL and the Seanchan and how awesome the use of the one power can be. I have lots of thoughts that I can't quite articulate yet, so I'll come back to say more after I have lots of coffee and watch all the youtube reactions I can find. :giggle

I will say that the changes were definitely significant, and I can understand why some people are feeling frustrated. I read spoilers ahead of time to give myself time to process them, and I was initially shocked and angry but by the time the episode aired I was mostly just curious to understand why they'd made these decisions. If you're unsure, I'd definitely recommend giving yourself some time to feel upset and then rewatching the episode to see if you like it more the second time around.

The most exciting thing to me is that I truly don't know what's going to happen next, which means I get to spend a year thinking and theorizing and waiting for the next season. I didn't expect this episode to leave me on the edge of my seat, but it did, and that's so much fun.
 

Catt Heckathorne

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I forgot to mention I am 99% certain Moiraine talked about Elaida in this episode, which likely is setting things up for the takeover in the next season.

If the continual story aspect of modern TV has taught us anything, it's that they put a ton of things in the finale that become major storyline in the next season.
 

Syera Faelron

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I liked it although would've prefered they didn't leap that far from the ending of book 1. Although Rafe kinda makes it understandable with how Lan and Moraine are Mostly absent from book 2. Though I'm pretty sure they ending didn't have to happen. Mostly a play at how powerful the dark one is.
 

Catt Heckathorne

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Nvm. (if a mod could delete this post that would be terrific! What I was going to say really didn't need to be posted.)
 

Aduiavas Ida

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Ok, finally had time to watch this...

I agree with both sides here. As a season finale, it was an underwhelming episode. I don't need to see battle details, but just a little more that shows how massive the army is (having Agelmar's sister tell us repeatedly didn't really help...) Also, I didn't catch it, did Agelmar die, or not?

I suspect it was supposed to be Mat that confronted Fain, but that had to quickly be changed to Perrin. That is probably why Fain didn't have the Dagger (yet) either... I'm really curious as to why that actor left the show :tug I suspect we might never know, unless the actor himself chooses to say. I wish they had managed to find a replacement quicker though.

As for the Eye of the World and the Rand part of the episode:
This seems like the way TDO tempts Rand in the final battle at the Bore. So, maybe they decided to use that as an instigator instead of whatever actually happened at the Eye. As I remember, the actual events at the Eye was always rather confusing, and most of the players there didn't really do much...

I don't think Moiraine is Stilled, or if she is, it's not permanent. Not sure I like that people can be burned out from others in a circle, but that may just be because none of them was very experienced? Even Amaliesa(sp?) had never handled that much of the Power before, so she couldn't let go once she experienced that euphoria...
 

Ilverin Matriam

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If Moiraine is actually stilled, they might be giving her Siuan's part of the story. The thing with the bond with Lan is that - when he asks her to unmask the bond she said she cannot touch the source, but in Episode 6 the X-Ray says the masking of the bond has nothing to do with channeling. :cheeseeni:

Also, is Perrin following the Way of the Leaf? Why didn't I catch that before? Was it mentioned in previous episodes? I know he talked about it with Rand, but he didn't mention he was following it.

I was thinking that Padan Fain getting the dagger and the Horn will lead to the events from the Great Hunt, but then... Rand effs off so how is he gonna help Mat? Do they need to help Mat now or is he going back to the Tower and he will be healed by the Aes Sedai there?

Yes, many questions :look:

But also - as much as I hate the Seanchan, they were done suuuuuper cool!

another thing I remembered - were the subtitles wrong in the opening or did she really call Lews Therin Dragon Reborn? :arch uhm.... that would confuse the hell out of some people...
 

Jandar D'Alpelk

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I am beyond disappointed at the moment. This was a massive .... I don't even have words for how bad this was. I might give more of a reaction later but... I don't know.... just damn.
 
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I liked some parts of the episode, but as a whole I just think it was very anti-climactic. I enjoyed the dream sequence with Rand and Ishamael, but his actual channeling felt very underwhelming, especially with a super powerful sa'angreal. My biggest disappointment, really. I get they wanted to spread out what happens at the end of the book, but his final use of the One Power just did not look visually impressive, even if it was impressive (since it broke the seal). Bit of a strange plot hole there as well (maybe) - why did Moiraine carry a male-only sa'angreal? If she also had a female-only super sa'angreal, why was it never used?

I'm definitely in the "Moiraine is shielded" camp. The channeling looked similar but distinctively different from Logain's gentling. There was no pulling the power out of her. Ishamael's flows just went inside her, after she was shielded. Assuming they keep the Warder Bond as in the books, if she was stilled Lan would react as if she died, which he did not. It also makes sense that Moiraine might be confused about what happened, since the shield is of saidin and likely super strong.

I really liked the opening, and that they talked the Old Tongue, and the aesthetics of the Age of Legends. The Seanchan look intimidating.
 
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another thing I remembered - were the subtitles wrong in the opening or did she really call Lews Therin Dragon Reborn? :arch uhm.... that would confuse the hell out of some people...

Pretty sure she said "Aman Syndai", which would be Dragon Reborn. So yeah.
 

Nadezhda al'Lanahrin

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I largely think that the show's issues were that of lack of budget and not enough episodes. The pacing was off and they didn't have the time to really tell the story as it is meant to be told. Not to mention, Book 1 is a hard book to adapt, there's a lot of confusing things in there and not everything is explained. And if I remember correctly, Mat's actor left the show near the end of the season, so I think they scrambled to rewrite those episodes without Mat there.

I still strongly believe that Moiraine was shielded, and it was tied off. If you look at the weaves with Logain's shield and his gentling, you can tell there's a big difference graphics-wise. In the interviews Morgana Sedai posted, Rafe never says she was stilled, or shielded. I think this is something that we have to figure out for ourselves.
 
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She’s absolutely shielded and tied off rather than severed. Blatently obvious from Ishy saying something like “imagine the source been at your finger tips and unable to touch it”.

Probably similiar to Moghedians super complicated inverted tried off shield on Liandrin.



I’m actually in a real positive place with this episode.

big changes from the book, but I think it actually makes a good story compared to other changes so far in the series.

this episode works for me.


Honestly, only thing which bugs me is Egwene healing Nyn being burned out.

I’d have flipped that.

I’m guessing some suit was worried it would mirror ep 4 too much. But I think it’s truer to the books

on the other hand. It does set Egwene up as more of a force to be reckoned with. And makes her path to Amylinn a little more believable maybe. Something I’ve always thought was lacking in the books.

(also, being burned out as part of a circle which should be protected gives me the shits. Although that’s a minor change)

the Fain part worked way better here than a random start up at the start of book 2

I like Ishys “I have won again Lews Therin” dream. Actually quick aside. I LOVE the actor playing Ishy.

I like his outthinking and drawing the dragon here to trick him into breaking the seal and helping release the Dark One.

that’s good stuff. And right on the money with Ishy pulling strings over the millennia. I like that.

i assume now with a broken seal we see the Forsaken being released. Little bummed not seeing Aginor and Balthamel, but then they were sort of a throwaway nothingness in the book anyway. This works better.


Hmm..

more I think about it. I’m on board with almost all of this episode.

just a pity that the majority of the changes were as good as this compared to the stupid Stepin distractions.
 
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Jocasta Braithe

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The end of the Eye of the World was a clusterf**k guys. As much as we all love the series, the ending of that book was... impossible to adapt. Full of plotlines that never went anywhere (the voice speaking over the battle?) and devices that never appear again (the untainted pool of Saidin?). It would have been a confusing (time consuming, expensive, impossible) mess, and people who hadn't read the books would have been incredibly lost. When I read the book I was incredibly lost. In fact, I'm not much less confused by the ending than I was when I first read it. So... we pretty much KNEW there would be major changes and the episode was just about what I expected (well not entirely, finding the Horn of Valere... under the floor in Fal Dara made me go WHAT?! but mostly). I was not at all surprised they cut Aginor and Balthamel and made the direct confrontation with Ishamael.

Guys, easy...lots of book stuff happened.

If Moiraine is stilled, Nynaeve will heal her, as she does. Maybe she is somehow still shielded tho I dunno.

Rand's dream thing is actually a scene Egwene deals with during her raising, even up to the name of the baby, Joiya.

We learn that Aes Sedai can burn out.

We see Mat in Tar Valon, which is where he's supposed to be anyway.

The Horn of Valere shows up and Padan Fain has it, as he is supposed to.

Loial is probably fine.

Look, we wanted this show, the money was tight, they're doing the best they can. Look for the positives.
All of this! Agree.

As for Moiraine, I agree she's shielded. She said "I can't touch the Source." And yet she was still telling Rand "I can't lie" AFTER the whole neutralizing thing. When Siuan and Leane were stilled their Oath bonds broke.....Moiraine is still bound by them if she's saying she can't lie.

The dreamshard had Joiya, who was actually part of Egwene's Raising test.
I loved the scene with Joiya in the book and I liked it here. I thought they did a super good job taking that material from later and giving it emotional impact here.

Another possibility is that they also changed that part of the books as well, so that even if you are stilled you are still bound to the oaths and your bond.
That would have far reaching consequences. I can't imagine they want to ruin Verin.

I forgot to mention I am 99% certain Moiraine talked about Elaida in this episode, which likely is setting things up for the takeover in the next season.
I didn't notice that, can you be more specific? I've been expecting them to merge Liandrin and Elaida.

I largely think that the show's issues were that of lack of budget and not enough episodes. The pacing was off and they didn't have the time to really tell the story as it is meant to be told. Not to mention, Book 1 is a hard book to adapt, there's a lot of confusing things in there and not everything is explained. And if I remember correctly, Mat's actor left the show near the end of the season, so I think they scrambled to rewrite those episodes without Mat there.
Yeah all of this. It was never possible to make it similar to the ending of the book. We'll see something similar at the end of season 2 at Toman Head too I think.

I still strongly believe that Moiraine was shielded, and it was tied off. If you look at the weaves with Logain's shield and his gentling, you can tell there's a big difference graphics-wise. In the interviews Morgana Sedai posted, Rafe never says she was stilled, or shielded. I think this is something that we have to figure out for ourselves.
Agree. You even see Ishamael tie off the weave at the end.

I’m actually in a real positive place with this episode.

big changes from the book, but I think it actually makes a good story compared to other changes so far in the series.

this episode works for me.

...

the Fain part worked way better here than a random start up at the start of book 2

I like Ishys “I have won again Lews Therin” dream. Actually quick aside. I LOVE the actor playing Ishy.

I like his outthinking and drawing the dragon here to trick him into breaking the seal and helping release the Dark One.

that’s good stuff. And right on the money with Ishy pulling strings over the millennia. I like that.

i assume now with a broken seal we see the Forsaken being released. Little bummed not seeing Aginor and Balthamel, but then they were sort of a throwaway nothingness in the book anyway. This works better.

Hmm..

more I think about it. I’m on board with almost all of this episode.
Yup, I agree, I also think it was a satisfying close on the arc of the season, and gave us plenty to anticipate for next time. That closing shot of the Seanchan coming in gave me goosebumps.

(sorry for the huge chain of quotes! I had a lot to say but you all had said most of it already!)
 

Catt Heckathorne

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I didn't notice that, can you be more specific? I've been expecting them to merge Liandrin and Elaida.

Moiraine talked about an Aes Sedai who came to her room as an Accepted to help her learn to channel, but instead beat her repeatedly with the Power until she panicked enough that she could do it.

That's straight out of New Spring. Elaida did that in the guise of helping her practice for the Raising test to the shawl.
 

Jocasta Braithe

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Oh you're right, I didn't connect those dots. I was thinking of Siuan tying up Nynaeve instead. :laugh:
 
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