Vealdan Annalin
Gaidin
Hi,
Rafe (the showrunner) and Sara (the show lore expert) did Q&A in Twitter to celebrate the end of WGA strike:
Rafe's answers: https://pastebin.com/mTTNWLhC
Sara's answers: https://pastebin.com/ZcccZyxq
(Answers copied from reddit)
Rafe (the showrunner) and Sara (the show lore expert) did Q&A in Twitter to celebrate the end of WGA strike:
Rafe's answers: https://pastebin.com/mTTNWLhC
Q: Will we find out why Loial survived?
A: We all have scars we bear from COVID. Loial has one applied right to his chest whenever he shoots without a shirt.
Q: what episode did you KNOW would land well with fans, and what episode did you think might push a few buttons or test a few people?
A: I thought 206 would land well even though it’s mostly just one paragraph expanded out, and I think 207 will push some buttons as it has some of the most iconic scenes from the books mixed with some storytelling required for the show version of the story.
Q: Does Josha do facial acting exercises in the mirror? Because damn. He’s so good.
A: I know he did with the prosthetics…
Q: Congratulations! Everyone I’ve spoken to think the writing in S2 is stronger and gives the actors more chance to shine. I’d love to know what you and the writers learned from the experience of doing season 1 that changed how you approached writing seasons 2 and 3 of #WheelOfTime.
A: It’s most of the same writers for both seasons, but we were given freedom to have longer episodes in season 2 which I think really makes a huge difference to our ability to tell the story from an emotional character driven POV
Q: What is the one thing you've been dying to talk about or refer to that you've not been able to while all this has been going on?
A: More than anything to praise the work of our amazing writers and actors. Even just this last week, both Rammy Park and Maddy Madden delivered at such unbelievably high levels. The show couldn’t be what it is without them
Q: I just wonder if you still continued to push the boundaries for the scope as the story progress?
A: I’ve always said that people grew up with the books. That the tone and storytelling and emotions of the first book progress and mature until you reach the incredible depths of the final books. I hope the show is the same. S3 is even more sophisticated and rich and deep than S2
Q: Does Barthanes REALLY make the best sandwiches? Asking for a darkf- erm… friend.
A: Only Rosamund knows
Q: Is the One Power still two distinct separate halves (Saidar/Saidin) that work together to balance the pattern and turn the wheel itself? Will this be explained in the show with the same terminology as the books?
A: We are trying to explain the one power as it’s emotionally relevant to the characters and go deeper visually simultaneous to that explanation. The two halves of the one power get more time the deeper the series goes
Q: What part of the 6 episodes that we have already seen have you the most excitement or interest in how it will link into future plot lines from the books due to changes in the show?
A: Anvaere
Q: Will Moridin be In the show? I know. The Ishamael fella is more sane, but Moridin was a completely different character that presented a different set of challenges to the good guys?
A: We wove a lot of Moridin and his philosophy into Ishamael this season
Q: Lanfear and Ishy are positively delicious this season. Which other/next Chosen are you most looking forward to fleshing out?
A: I love them all equally except for my favorite
Q: When will S4 be approved by Amazon?
A: Ask the Bez! I'm ready whenever
Q: who is your favorite character from season 2 and why is Hopper the bestest of boys
A: Don’t even. Hoppers performance in 208 is best performance by an animal. Makes me so happy we had real animals instead of CG
Q: what’s your favourite moiraine scene from s2 and why?
A: My favorite is in 208. But I love the one in 206 in the attic with Anvaere. Her wish to be someone other than who she had to be. She and Rand share a lot in the destiny they were burdened with, and her heroism in pursuing it is really inspiring I think
Q: Are we introducing some fallibility to Min’s visions in comparison with the books?
A: No. Only in her interpretations
Q: You said Egwene-Renna was your favorite 2-person scene. What was the approach to creating that whole interaction? How did you & the writers decide to structure it all around that one paragraph in TGH where Egwene talks about the pitcher?
A: I just read that paragraph prepping for S2 and it felt like an entire story. It was one of the most impactful stories to me when I first read the books and I wanted to figure out how best to do it in this medium
Q: LOVING S2 so far... but definitely missing WOT Origins... were they an exclusive S1 thing or might they come back at some point?
A: I miss them too!!
Q: When you saw all of the new actors in their first scenes as fan-fave characters—we’re talking Selene, Elyas, Verin, Elayne, Mat, Aviendha, Lanfear—how did it feel? Any favorite moments/scenes with the newbies?
A: Mat has a scene in 208 that brings happy tears to my eyes every time
Q: Obviously Liandrin’s excellent character and story arc for the show has been expanded from the book. Is she also being written as an amalgamation of any other book characters or does she stand alone for the show?
A: Liandrin stands alone
Q: this is important for me personally: are the Finn in or out?
A: Which Finn are in?
Q: Rafe, are you going to make us fall in love with the messiest queen of all, Elaida aka Messaida?
A: I’ve fallen in love with her.
Q: Loving the hell out of this season. 206 hit like a ton of bricks. Can't wait to see what comes next. And now that I've laid some praise on could you do me a solid and just kinda write Ryma free? And maybe let my boys Rand and Mat bro out for a bit in peace? Thanks <3
A: My biggest sadness of S2 is that we couldn’t do the boys on the Hunt for The Horn. I love those three together
Q: It's obvious the S2 production quality is higher than S1. Was that a result of not being handcuffed by COVID restrictions, criticism, or both?
A: S2 shot before S1 aired. Our teams are just incredible
Q: Do you feel like this season put you back on track to where you thought you'd be (and where you wanted to take the story) before COVID and all the interruptions?
A: Yeah. And also beyond Covid. We knew right up front we’d have to do books 2 and 3 combined, because they have the same arc. So the end of 108 required us to throw a bunch of juggling balls up in the air and we need to very carefully land them all in their correct place by end of 208. So that all the characters have had the necessary experiences they need to do the story of Book 4. I think we achieve that, even including some of the unexpected swerves and gusts of wind we had to tackle.
Q: How did it feel to drop Ji’e’toh, Car’a’carn and Tel’aran’rhiod all in one episode?
A: Felt even better that random watchers were able to follow them seamlessly haha
Q: Is there a scene in this week’s episode that you know fans will love? Any hint for your favourite scene in this episode?
A: Cat crosses the courtyard. Finally
Q: How confident are you the show will become the major hit it deserves to be and get the EIGHT seasons arc you envisioned?
A: The worlds very difficult right now and we’ve had to be the one of the only shows to premiere without actor publicity. It’s incredibly damaging to viewership numbers to not have Rosamund Daniel and the others out there, so I anticipate we will need to build and build this season
Q: Mat calls Min, “Mini-Min-Min” in episode 6. Was that written in the script or is that something Dónal added? Love all the nicknames (Ishy! Two rivers!)
A: That’s 100% Dónal and 100% gold
A: We all have scars we bear from COVID. Loial has one applied right to his chest whenever he shoots without a shirt.
Q: what episode did you KNOW would land well with fans, and what episode did you think might push a few buttons or test a few people?
A: I thought 206 would land well even though it’s mostly just one paragraph expanded out, and I think 207 will push some buttons as it has some of the most iconic scenes from the books mixed with some storytelling required for the show version of the story.
Q: Does Josha do facial acting exercises in the mirror? Because damn. He’s so good.
A: I know he did with the prosthetics…
Q: Congratulations! Everyone I’ve spoken to think the writing in S2 is stronger and gives the actors more chance to shine. I’d love to know what you and the writers learned from the experience of doing season 1 that changed how you approached writing seasons 2 and 3 of #WheelOfTime.
A: It’s most of the same writers for both seasons, but we were given freedom to have longer episodes in season 2 which I think really makes a huge difference to our ability to tell the story from an emotional character driven POV
Q: What is the one thing you've been dying to talk about or refer to that you've not been able to while all this has been going on?
A: More than anything to praise the work of our amazing writers and actors. Even just this last week, both Rammy Park and Maddy Madden delivered at such unbelievably high levels. The show couldn’t be what it is without them
Q: I just wonder if you still continued to push the boundaries for the scope as the story progress?
A: I’ve always said that people grew up with the books. That the tone and storytelling and emotions of the first book progress and mature until you reach the incredible depths of the final books. I hope the show is the same. S3 is even more sophisticated and rich and deep than S2
Q: Does Barthanes REALLY make the best sandwiches? Asking for a darkf- erm… friend.
A: Only Rosamund knows
Q: Is the One Power still two distinct separate halves (Saidar/Saidin) that work together to balance the pattern and turn the wheel itself? Will this be explained in the show with the same terminology as the books?
A: We are trying to explain the one power as it’s emotionally relevant to the characters and go deeper visually simultaneous to that explanation. The two halves of the one power get more time the deeper the series goes
Q: What part of the 6 episodes that we have already seen have you the most excitement or interest in how it will link into future plot lines from the books due to changes in the show?
A: Anvaere
Q: Will Moridin be In the show? I know. The Ishamael fella is more sane, but Moridin was a completely different character that presented a different set of challenges to the good guys?
A: We wove a lot of Moridin and his philosophy into Ishamael this season
Q: Lanfear and Ishy are positively delicious this season. Which other/next Chosen are you most looking forward to fleshing out?
A: I love them all equally except for my favorite
Q: When will S4 be approved by Amazon?
A: Ask the Bez! I'm ready whenever
Q: who is your favorite character from season 2 and why is Hopper the bestest of boys
A: Don’t even. Hoppers performance in 208 is best performance by an animal. Makes me so happy we had real animals instead of CG
Q: what’s your favourite moiraine scene from s2 and why?
A: My favorite is in 208. But I love the one in 206 in the attic with Anvaere. Her wish to be someone other than who she had to be. She and Rand share a lot in the destiny they were burdened with, and her heroism in pursuing it is really inspiring I think
Q: Are we introducing some fallibility to Min’s visions in comparison with the books?
A: No. Only in her interpretations
Q: You said Egwene-Renna was your favorite 2-person scene. What was the approach to creating that whole interaction? How did you & the writers decide to structure it all around that one paragraph in TGH where Egwene talks about the pitcher?
A: I just read that paragraph prepping for S2 and it felt like an entire story. It was one of the most impactful stories to me when I first read the books and I wanted to figure out how best to do it in this medium
Q: LOVING S2 so far... but definitely missing WOT Origins... were they an exclusive S1 thing or might they come back at some point?
A: I miss them too!!
Q: When you saw all of the new actors in their first scenes as fan-fave characters—we’re talking Selene, Elyas, Verin, Elayne, Mat, Aviendha, Lanfear—how did it feel? Any favorite moments/scenes with the newbies?
A: Mat has a scene in 208 that brings happy tears to my eyes every time
Q: Obviously Liandrin’s excellent character and story arc for the show has been expanded from the book. Is she also being written as an amalgamation of any other book characters or does she stand alone for the show?
A: Liandrin stands alone
Q: this is important for me personally: are the Finn in or out?
A: Which Finn are in?
Q: Rafe, are you going to make us fall in love with the messiest queen of all, Elaida aka Messaida?
A: I’ve fallen in love with her.
Q: Loving the hell out of this season. 206 hit like a ton of bricks. Can't wait to see what comes next. And now that I've laid some praise on could you do me a solid and just kinda write Ryma free? And maybe let my boys Rand and Mat bro out for a bit in peace? Thanks <3
A: My biggest sadness of S2 is that we couldn’t do the boys on the Hunt for The Horn. I love those three together
Q: It's obvious the S2 production quality is higher than S1. Was that a result of not being handcuffed by COVID restrictions, criticism, or both?
A: S2 shot before S1 aired. Our teams are just incredible
Q: Do you feel like this season put you back on track to where you thought you'd be (and where you wanted to take the story) before COVID and all the interruptions?
A: Yeah. And also beyond Covid. We knew right up front we’d have to do books 2 and 3 combined, because they have the same arc. So the end of 108 required us to throw a bunch of juggling balls up in the air and we need to very carefully land them all in their correct place by end of 208. So that all the characters have had the necessary experiences they need to do the story of Book 4. I think we achieve that, even including some of the unexpected swerves and gusts of wind we had to tackle.
Q: How did it feel to drop Ji’e’toh, Car’a’carn and Tel’aran’rhiod all in one episode?
A: Felt even better that random watchers were able to follow them seamlessly haha
Q: Is there a scene in this week’s episode that you know fans will love? Any hint for your favourite scene in this episode?
A: Cat crosses the courtyard. Finally
Q: How confident are you the show will become the major hit it deserves to be and get the EIGHT seasons arc you envisioned?
A: The worlds very difficult right now and we’ve had to be the one of the only shows to premiere without actor publicity. It’s incredibly damaging to viewership numbers to not have Rosamund Daniel and the others out there, so I anticipate we will need to build and build this season
Q: Mat calls Min, “Mini-Min-Min” in episode 6. Was that written in the script or is that something Dónal added? Love all the nicknames (Ishy! Two rivers!)
A: That’s 100% Dónal and 100% gold
Sara's answers: https://pastebin.com/ZcccZyxq
Q: What was the reasoning behind the decision to still Moiraine? Never happened to her in the books - most of us know who it happens to. I’ll be curious to see if Moiraine’s storyline follows that of our lovable fisherlady or if this is just an original arc for Moiraine.
A: WAFO
Q: I noticed storylines are being interchanged between characters - makes sense, given the massive list of characters in WoT! Aviendha’s intro was very reminiscent of the scene in Book 3 when Perrin releases Gaul from his cage. Does this mean we won’t be seeing Gaul as a character?
A: Not necessarily
Q: Will all Aiel have Captain American level of power/combat skills as Aviendha has been shown to have?
A: Lol. She doesn’t need a fancy shield with kinetic absorbent capabilities. Aviendha IS the force & energy itself
Q: Have we seen Lanfear’s dream interference more than has been explicitly shown? #TwitterOfTime #TheWheelOfTime #WoTSeason2
A: WAFO
Q: Xelia and Madeleine did an incredible job!!! Did the actors get a really big hug after the scenes in episode 6?
A: Absolutely, yes. I give the best mama hugs too so we all held space for them to feel all of the things and I just held & hugged (Maddie) super tight to reinforce her xoxo
Q: I wanna know when will Galad show up
A: shrug emoji
Q: What do you think of Liandrin? Where will her story go next? Will she receive the redemption arch, or will she go deeper into the darkness and never find her way to the light again?
A: One of the most conflicting aspects of this season for me is that I feel so much empathy for Liandrin! Speculate away as to her arch!! Looking forward to hearing the theories!!
Q: I'd like to ask how Ryma, Aes Sedai of the Yellow Ajah was able to use the power as a weapon when she wasn't in the "last desperate defense of her life"? i.e. what did she convince herself?
also: Why was "against shadowspawn" left out of the third oath?
A: Wasn’t she? The mere existence of the a’dam is a threat to her life for Ryma. She’d planned to have Basan kill her rather than allowing herself to be collared. I believe she felt her life threatened at every moment she was in Falme. The 3 Oaths are subjective to the individual
Q: - what are the rules for sensing/seeing channelers/the power?
does the camera operate from specific POVs along those rules?
was the war of power still a thing?
do y’all intend for certain things to be “ta’veren effects?”
what are the Rings ishy etc wear?
A: Re: Channeling - we’ve had to make some changes fundamentally to the mechanics of the OP, in the case of women sensing/seeing etc we’re saying that if a woman is embracing other channelers can sense the power & strength but they can’t if a channeler is not actively embracing. We’re saying the ability to sense a channeler who is not active is a Talent with a capital T. Logain has this Talent & could see Rand by way of an aura around him (the size/brightness was a creative decision I wasn’t in on so I can’t speak to the specifics on that one). We are not currently doing pov perspective in regards to the weaves being visible etc as getting the right coverage for scenes is already challenging with the effects we do so it’s an added layer that isn’t top of the “I want, I need” lists. Yes the WoP is still a thing..I don’t know if we’ll get to “see” it as it happens offscreen in the books as our characters learn about the world & forces within it hopefully we’ll have opportunities to organically integrate them without it being too expositionie..
Q: What is the hardest 'battle' you had to fight in the writers room as book expert this season?
A: We can talk about battles after the season ends (maybe) but the biggest challenge was introducing the Seanchan AND the Aiel to the team, working through the big notable things about their cultures as well as the nuances of each & providing as much historical context as possible
Q: Ok here’s my biggest question: WHOMST told Fares Fares to make Ishy so homoerotic in his scenes with the boys?? I need to thank them. He has been SO MUCH FUN to watch this season. And thank whoever wrote “Ishy, dear,” we LOVED that fan service.
A: I believe in my soul that he just lives in that space and we all exist within it..
Q: Why is Avi like 5' 4"?
A: Uhh she’s 5’10 & nearly 6’ in boots but when standing next to Ragga who is 6’3 in boots and Marcus who is over 6’6 in boots, I guess optics are at play? I guess? You can cast a net for “tall” when casting but I’d rather have performance over aesthetics. Thankfully we get both [update: View: https://i.imgur.com/MvKgLdK.png
]
Q: RJ previously said stilling severs the bond. So why is Lan only masked not cut off? Why obfuscate so much of still vs shield? Surely Mo would know difference. She writes stilled on the paper. Are you leading us that she might just be shielded?
A: Actually there isn’t a ton of information on stilled channelers known the the Tower. Most Aes Sedai are too uncomfortable studying the effects. As a result Mo is coping with her situation as best as she can.
A: WAFO
Q: I noticed storylines are being interchanged between characters - makes sense, given the massive list of characters in WoT! Aviendha’s intro was very reminiscent of the scene in Book 3 when Perrin releases Gaul from his cage. Does this mean we won’t be seeing Gaul as a character?
A: Not necessarily
Q: Will all Aiel have Captain American level of power/combat skills as Aviendha has been shown to have?
A: Lol. She doesn’t need a fancy shield with kinetic absorbent capabilities. Aviendha IS the force & energy itself
Q: Have we seen Lanfear’s dream interference more than has been explicitly shown? #TwitterOfTime #TheWheelOfTime #WoTSeason2
A: WAFO
Q: Xelia and Madeleine did an incredible job!!! Did the actors get a really big hug after the scenes in episode 6?
A: Absolutely, yes. I give the best mama hugs too so we all held space for them to feel all of the things and I just held & hugged (Maddie) super tight to reinforce her xoxo
Q: I wanna know when will Galad show up
A: shrug emoji
Q: What do you think of Liandrin? Where will her story go next? Will she receive the redemption arch, or will she go deeper into the darkness and never find her way to the light again?
A: One of the most conflicting aspects of this season for me is that I feel so much empathy for Liandrin! Speculate away as to her arch!! Looking forward to hearing the theories!!
Q: I'd like to ask how Ryma, Aes Sedai of the Yellow Ajah was able to use the power as a weapon when she wasn't in the "last desperate defense of her life"? i.e. what did she convince herself?
also: Why was "against shadowspawn" left out of the third oath?
A: Wasn’t she? The mere existence of the a’dam is a threat to her life for Ryma. She’d planned to have Basan kill her rather than allowing herself to be collared. I believe she felt her life threatened at every moment she was in Falme. The 3 Oaths are subjective to the individual
Q: - what are the rules for sensing/seeing channelers/the power?
does the camera operate from specific POVs along those rules?
was the war of power still a thing?
do y’all intend for certain things to be “ta’veren effects?”
what are the Rings ishy etc wear?
A: Re: Channeling - we’ve had to make some changes fundamentally to the mechanics of the OP, in the case of women sensing/seeing etc we’re saying that if a woman is embracing other channelers can sense the power & strength but they can’t if a channeler is not actively embracing. We’re saying the ability to sense a channeler who is not active is a Talent with a capital T. Logain has this Talent & could see Rand by way of an aura around him (the size/brightness was a creative decision I wasn’t in on so I can’t speak to the specifics on that one). We are not currently doing pov perspective in regards to the weaves being visible etc as getting the right coverage for scenes is already challenging with the effects we do so it’s an added layer that isn’t top of the “I want, I need” lists
. Yes the WoP is still a thing..I don’t know if we’ll get to “see” it as it happens offscreen in the books as our characters learn about the world & forces within it hopefully we’ll have opportunities to organically integrate them without it being too expositionie..Q: What is the hardest 'battle' you had to fight in the writers room as book expert this season?
A: We can talk about battles after the season ends (maybe) but the biggest challenge was introducing the Seanchan AND the Aiel to the team, working through the big notable things about their cultures as well as the nuances of each & providing as much historical context as possible
Q: Ok here’s my biggest question: WHOMST told Fares Fares to make Ishy so homoerotic in his scenes with the boys?? I need to thank them. He has been SO MUCH FUN to watch this season. And thank whoever wrote “Ishy, dear,” we LOVED that fan service.
A: I believe in my soul that he just lives in that space and we all exist within it..
Q: Why is Avi like 5' 4"?
A: Uhh she’s 5’10 & nearly 6’ in boots but when standing next to Ragga who is 6’3 in boots and Marcus who is over 6’6 in boots, I guess optics are at play? I guess? You can cast a net for “tall” when casting but I’d rather have performance over aesthetics. Thankfully we get both [update: View: https://i.imgur.com/MvKgLdK.png
]
Q: RJ previously said stilling severs the bond. So why is Lan only masked not cut off? Why obfuscate so much of still vs shield? Surely Mo would know difference. She writes stilled on the paper. Are you leading us that she might just be shielded?
A: Actually there isn’t a ton of information on stilled channelers known the the Tower. Most Aes Sedai are too uncomfortable studying the effects. As a result Mo is coping with her situation as best as she can.
(Answers copied from reddit)
Last edited:
