A Purist Perspective

Tobias Carawin

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Hi everyone, I have stayed away from the forums for a long time in anticipation of the WoT Amazon series. I tried to stay away from the leaks and rumors so that I could enjoy the series when it is released. Unfortunately, my buddy has a loose tongue and had peaked my interest in some of the leaks that I had to check out.

*Before I explain anything further, I would like to express that I am somewhat of a purist in what I hope to see in the Amazon series. I would like them to stick as close as possible to the source material concerning the events, the people, and the rules each culture are defined by. I have no issues with them adding additional content that follows the rules of the world that RJ created. What I fear is major alterations to the events, story, or rules.

I was on a long road trip with a friend when he revealed a leak from the amazon series…

He explained that one leak suggests that Hightower (Taren Ferryman) dies when going after his sinking ferry.

I have major concerns with this. My first thought was that they were breaking from the source material. On second thought… this is not a major change and it changes little in the overall story arc. I accepted the possible change for about fifteen seconds when I realized that they just broke one of the most important rules in the WoT. The last of the three oaths an Aes Sedai takes is:

Never to use the One Power as a weapon except against Darkfriends or Shadowspawn, or in the last extreme defense of her life, the life of her Warder, or another Aes Sedai.

Is this an example of the power being used as a weapon? I guess you could make arguments either way… but for me, harming someone with the power in any way is using it as a weapon. Clearly, it is not Moiraine’s intent to kill Hightower. I believe that if Hightower tried to go after his sinking ferry, Moiraine would have to stop him or stop her weave from killing him at the least. I personally see this as a major breaking of one of the biggest rules within the WoT. But I understand why they might do it. It is hard to adapt things like feelings and internal thoughts onto film. This is a quick way to tell newcomers to the WoT series that Moiraine is a woman prepared to do anything to see her mission to the end.

The purist in me is screaming that this is wrong. If they were willing to make this small change, then what else will they do?

My friend then revealed several other leaks and rumors that also concerned me so much that I had to research them myself. I am now very familiar with all the websites, podcasts, YouTubers, and other media outlets that release leaks and rumors. I don’t want to go into detail about any of them except to relay that some are reasonable and that some worry me.

Assuming there is truth in the leaks and rumors, this does not feel like the WoT TV series I had hoped for. This feels like an alternate dimension from the WoT. It feels like… an alternate reality from the portal stones! No. This does not seem to be what I wanted from the WoT series. But it can still be an enjoyable experience. I have spent too long waiting for any type of wheel of time content to be a grumpy purist when I can just accept it as a portal stone reflection of the story we all know and love.

Adapting a book series to a TV show is extraordinarily difficult. The adaptation must cater to fans of the book series and to newcomers without one thread of familiarity of the series. This means that there will be changes. And I ask you to try to accept these changes. Not as canon. But as an alternate story. Possibly retold through generations and changed with each retelling.

This may or may not be the purist WoT TV series that I wanted… but I can’t see any reason to not give this adaptation my support when it will bring more people into our community.

I am curious how many of you have struggled like I have to accept possible change within the WoT series.
 

Lyndo Shiranui

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I am a purist too, but I learnt to seperate books from their adaptation movies, it was a hard experience but I learnt. When someone talks to me about The Lord of the Rings movies they are referring to Peter Jackson's imagination and his universe, not Tolkien's. One can not say that Haldir's death in the movies is canon because it is not in the books, so it can't be canon. It can be Peter Jackson's universe's canon, but not Tolkien's. It can also be your headcanon(which means simply it is just a fanfiction and nothing more), it's okay. Some people may like the adaptations more than their books, it is okay too, but they can't say 'these adaptations are canon now'.

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Aintza Bisera

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I agree, Lyndo!!

I have had to learn to seperate adaptations from one another to avoid insanity. Mine started with Harry Potter. :giggle Also, my absolute favorite book is American Gods and the show definitely went off book.

So hopefully, this has trained me to not be too disappointed with changes.
 

Lenore Carvoe

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Some changes seem to be necessary, others not at all. The later bother me.
 

Alenya Al'Roran

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Rafe addressed some of those questions in his most recent Q&A, which is on the blog as of today, and I'm hopeful. Sometimes, some things just don't translate to real life. Other times, budget plays a factor. I think we'll see some alterations based on real life constraints, but I don't think the overall story will be affected.
 

Alyonne al'Moranne

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Some of the Youtubers have it right I think! They will have to make some sacrifices as with all adaptations, but I think they'll keep mostly to the books! I do think that things like the ending of Eye of the World and the number of Forsaken are obvious areas of cuts that absolutely make sense. I agree with the sentiment too Lyndo! I remember being so upset that they cut the character of Tom Bombadil from LoTR and the whole storyline around him but it actually doesn't make any sense for the films

I think so long as the 'heart' of the TV series is aligned with that of RJ and the books, I'll take it too :) And I can't wait to see many more people become immersed in the world of WoT!
 

Elania al'Manir

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In response to your Book 1 spoiler discussion:
No, I don't see it as Moiraine using the One Power to harm another. She sinks a ferry and causes property damage, which is the extent of her responsibility. It's his choice to go after it, not hers. She doesn't have any responsibility for his actions, even though those actions were in response to hers.
 

Satrim Kha'os

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Unfortunately this'll be a different Wheel of Time that we know and love, I just hope I can learn to love the new one as much as the original. I just hope it doesn't go down the same path as he Aragorn adaptation did.
 

Tobias Carawin

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I just hope I can learn to love the new one as much as the original.

I think this is what we have to do. It won't be perfect... but I am sure they are doing their best to give a wide range of viewers something to enjoy. I am secretly hoping that this series is so wildly successful that we get a canon version of it down the road.
 
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I'm one of those types that used to be a purist but now I really love adaptations for their own sake. The biggest change that helped me was to notice the differences and appreciate what the changes bring to the art. Maybe you don't like how it diverges from the source material, but I believe that every change brought to Wheel of Time has been chosen for a reason, and in good faith.

Tiny spoiler for Shadow and Bone-- in the book, the Unsea/Fold is utter blackness. Pitch black. Characters can't see their hands in front of their faces. That obviously isn't going to work for a film adaptation when it's an extended scene without much dialogue where important events take place. We have to be able to see. So, not only is the Fold not pitch black (there's lightning in the background), they carry a "safe" light with them on the skiff.

So what does that change help? Well, first, we know what's happening in the film medium. We can follow the plot. Second, we get to enjoy some truly incredibly gaffing work, everyone's acting, the set design, costuming, the FX, cinematography, and finally the editing ... and how it all works together to build a bracing, chaotic, momentous scene. That moment when [ommitted]? It was beautiful and so much more epic than it was in the first-person narrative of the book.

Rafe's done a good job explaining the change to a guitar for Thom instead of a harp (which as a musician myself, I appreciate I'll get to see someone's hands moving in the correct direction as pitch ascends and descends, that's for sure a pet peeve), but here's another example: Mat's dagger. Rafe hasn't dug into this, so here's my thoughts:

In the books, the ruby-hilted dagger (the most common description for it, which is important) is pretty explicitly described as the birds-egg ruby capping the pommel. Well, we know what it looks like in the show, and the ruby is in a completely different place! If you're the average jerk in one of the facebook groups, you are upset about this, and demanding what possible reason could they possibly use to justify this ... and it's pretty easy. You can't really see a pommel well on film when it's being held by an actor. I just googled "person holding dagger" and yup I'm right, pommels are rarely visible. Do you know what is visible? The base of the crossguard/quillion, almost always. Where's the show's ruby? In the hilt, by the crossguard. When Mat goes to [ommitted] and Lan [ommitted], guess what we'll see, clear as day: a ruby in the hilt. A ruby-hilted dagger.

Granted that's a small change, but still. It was chosen for at least one good reason.
 
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