Yes, it was well done. I really enjoyed it. They also brought things back more towards the books albeit in a roundabout way, so that was good too. You could see in retrospect why they made modifications before, so they could pace things to have a particular reveal or moment at the time they wanted. For example, Matt's reveal was terrific, I thought. Very nicely done. The moment between Moraine and Lan, also very well done, beautiful. Rand killing the guards, very good, you could see how his interaction with Logaine prepared him, and also how he is more focused here because he's trying to get to Egwene. I liked that they brought Lews Therin into the prologue here because I was wondering when they were going to bring him in. I liked that they brought all the friends on to the top of the tower for the Dragon moment, that was nice.
So far, I think the best moment of the series has been the reveal of Nynaeve's power in Season 1. I was really looking to see how they did that and when they got there, I practically cheered, and I could see how they led up to it very gradually and hid it until they were ready, and why some of the showrunner choices that seemed strange, were, in retrospect, to protect and emphasize that important moment. Another terrific moment was seeing Rand get born and how he connects with his (adoptive) father. Now that I know that THEY know what the important moments are, I'm enjoying watching them lay the groundwork for those.
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puremind (254)
a year ago
I am glad this also restored trust in the showrunners for book readers. All of the episode was very well directed and as you said the magic was beautifully crafted. It is interesting how the showrunners had hinted to the fact that the dragon may be a group of people instead of just one individual, and it makes sense seeing them all represent the dragon at the end. I only felt bad for Egwene, she must have felt so powerless, but I guess it prepares the way for next season. This episode felt like an immense power up for everyone involved except her.
Only points of criticism were how easily Ishamael was defeated, I mean he barely reacted to his impendent death. We know he had a death wish but as he was fighting, I was expecting him to resist more and get into more of a fight. He was presented as the strongest Forsaken, and they have been able to consistently blow every As Sedai away at the flick of a hand throughout the show, and yet Ishameal couldn't throw any of them out of the tower. Instead he lets them all settle in behind Nynaeve's shield. I am not sure if it was that way in the book but thought he should have at least tried something. Either that or he should have been overconfident and only realize his mistake later, so that it appears as a negligence. Or the portrayal of him wishing death could have been emphasized better. I mean he wasn't under a direct attack, there should have been more ways for him to defend himself or retaliate.
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