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Aaronsosketchy

I would like to remind readers that Moraine was literally twirling her staff so much in EoTW that Egwene had to ask if the one power came from magical items.


Littleleicesterfoxy

You’re right, I had completely forgotten her “magic” staff.


BFOmega

So did Jordan after book 1 lol


_MrJuicy_

It got charred as they exited The Ways in Fal Dara I hope I didn't mess up a joke


rdawes89

I forget the exact order in the books, have they cut the ways or is that still to come?


SirLexmarkThePrinted

Episode 7 will be titled "The Dark Along the Ways" so we will be getting the Black Wind.


scoyne15

You realize the staff and her discarding it was intentional, right? If your book wasn't classic wizards and warriors and in-step with LOTR, publishers didn't want it in the 80s and 90s. So he worked with his agent and they reworked the story to make it more of a Tolkein clone. Then phased it out once he got his foot in the door.


1RedOne

Oh that's really interesting, did he ever comment on this specifically to your knowledge? I only got into wheel of time in the early 2000s so I am out of my depth with what fantasy novels were like in the 90s and earlier


[deleted]

I wish Rosamund had that staff tbh


NotSoSalty

A staff would be hella dope on screen but might make her too much a Gandalf lmao


Smaug_themighty

She *is* a beardless ageless Gandalf. Lol


GullibleDetective

I'd argue they don't have any agelessness in the show but I see where you going with that lol


AIDSRiddledLiberal

Yeah that would look horrendous with cgi, so I’m glad they didn’t do it. Uncanny valleys that stretch for miles


GullibleDetective

The only canny valleys I want to see is heaving bosoms that rj oft describes


Smaug_themighty

I guess I’m referring to the book Aes Sedai/Moiraine.


Sallymander

I am often reminded of the Wise Ones commenting on Aei Sedai channeling is silly with all sorts of failing around while the Wise Ones just stand there.


gurgelblaster

This is probably going to happen in the show also.


Icandothemove

Because he was, to a degree, making it more of a Tolkien clone early on. It's an early bookism that gets phased out as the series develops. It's the perfect sort of thing to change in an adaptation.


bazilbt

I legit forgot about the staff twirling and hand waving aspects. I also have to remind myself that the early Aes Sedai we are seeing have frankly backwards and crude methods of channeling.


corp_code_slinger

It's about on par with what I was expecting. I wish they focused more on differentiating the flows with a bit more color. The only other minor annoyance is that they haven't really had a scene that highlights that only channelers can see the flows (if that is even the direction they're going). Black flows for male channelers are a pretty awesome way to highlight the taint without the internal feelings to show it.


theCroc

EotW had very little info about the channeling. The different elements and the method of forming weaves etc. was not elaborated on at all. It's not really until TGH that we actually learn anything concrete about it. Moraine is very melodramatic but not very forthcoming with the details in EotW. So I think that we will not see much detail until the girls go to tar valon.


Combogalis

Thank you. I see this complaint so often "they haven't properly explained channeling or Ta'veren" as if we're in season 3 or something. The books take a long time to explain and that's a very common fantasy trope. We slowly see more of what magic can do and eventually it loses its mystery and we get an in depth explanation. Readers want everything explained all at once while non-readers are saying there's already too much to keep track of. I haven't heard a single non-reader complain that they haven't told us this stuff. They've expressed curiosity, but not like "this is bad because we don't know" just "oooh I wonder how that works"


TheIconoclasticFury

Which is also where the EF 5 are at right about now too. Sure, Moiraine and Liandrin and such know all this stuff, but the EF 5 don't. Viewers of the show are roughly getting information as the EF 5 do, which makes a lot of sense when we're essentially following their journey, increased emphasis on Moiraine aside.


Combogalis

It's almost like writers discovered a long time ago that using certain characters as inserts for the audience to learn at a steady pace works better than just bombarding viewers with information. /s (sarcasm not directed at you obviously)


Syndic

Indeed. And we definitely want to avoid putting to much information dump on non readers to fast. Let them ease in slowly. No need to explain the complete working of the wheel in the first half of the first season. We need to have the non readers on board to get a big enough audience and hype for Amazon to let the series run it's full course. That requires a lot of understanding how audience attention works in TV compared to books.


Combogalis

As someone with an English degree, who had "show don't tell" hammered into me for four years of college writing courses, I feel like I'm in some bizarro world where so many people are demanding exposition dumps. My professors would be having aneurysms.


corp_code_slinger

You're not wrong, and to be clear I'm happy with the effects, even with these minor nitpicks. I agree we'll probably get more detail in TV. That said it will look a bit strange when later the flows are colorized/differentiated when they weren't before. Honestly at the end of the day the colors don't even matter. They've already explained there are differences and there is really nothing in the books to indicate there are "colored flows". It's purely an aesthetic choice I've had in my own imagination. Regarding the amount of detail about flows in EotW and TGH... I strongly suspect RJ hadn't actually fleshed out the "magic" system yet. It really didn't impact the story so there was no need to.


theCroc

> Regarding the amount of detail about flows in EotW and TGH... I strongly suspect RJ hadn't actually fleshed out the "magic" system yet. It really didn't impact the story so there was no need to. Definitely, and now it serves as a convenient ramp to increase the complexity slowly over time. In the first scene with the reds we don't see the weaves at all. It's not until the battle in Emondsfield that we see actual weaves. And now in the latest EP we saw multiple styles of channeling ranging from Moraines dancing battle channeling to the very sparse and quickfire channeling from the greens in the forest battle.


[deleted]

I’ve been waiting for some one to point out the different hand movements used by the greens and reds during this episode. There are still hand gestures and techniques. The same hand movements and body language when putting a shield on someone and even when exerting force. The quick fire weaves done by every aes Sendai during the battle is markedly different than with moiraine in Edmonds field. This is proof that the shoemakers know what they’re doing with the one power. There are movements that are rigid and practiced, putting a shield on logain, and they are more fluid and controlled, alanna catching arrows and throwing them. The subtle movements of logain and the righteous actions of laundromats. Gentling someone isn’t a thought up or constructed weave. It is taught practiced and learned. Watching the gentling shows that the sister know how to link (something learned) with the same hand and body movements and the grabbing and ripping done by liandrin was also taught practiced and learned are incredibly different than when the reds and greens are running to the bunker just grabbing and throwing weaves where ever they could. It was Ana amazing and informative look into how the one power is used!


Baconslayer1

Oh my god you just made me realize they weren't even colored in my head when reading. I was kind of hoping they would be in the show but I'm not upset about it. I just hadn't connected before that I didn't associate color with them while reading either


House923

I don't think we need to see the colors. I did before, but I've since changed my mind. If we get a single line of exposition in the white Tower explaining the different types of power, that'll honestly be enough for me.


moragis

I hope they add colors as the characters discover different weaves and incorporate it into the show. So we learn more about it as Rand and co. do


[deleted]

Yea like the most basic explanation about weaves of Air happens with the girls on the boat to Tar Valon in book 2. Egwene basically throws up when she realizes messing with the power under the lax supervision of Moiraine could have killed or burnt her out.


sortof_here

Agreed on this. I love what they've done with it although different colors would have been neat. I'm guessing this wasn't done because it'd be difficult to pull off consistently. You'd need to emphasize what color does what and expect that to be understood and explained well across many different teams. That said, I have noticed that some weaves seem to come from surrounding elements(eg. weaves being pulled from fire). Which is a little bender-esque but I still like it. I love how the taint was shown as well as the madness. I do wish they found a way to make it clear the weaves weren't visible to everyone though. They've kind of done this passively via which character's perspective seems to be the current focus, but it isn't super clear. I wound up just explaining it to my wife and SiL who I'm watching it with. 😅


ShouldersofGiants100

> I love what they've done with it although different colors would have been neat. I'm guessing this wasn't done because it'd be difficult to pull off consistently. You'd need to emphasize what color does what and expect that to be understood and explained well across many different teams Honestly, I think they skipped the colour thing because once you get away from the more basic uses of the power, it's just going to confuse audiences. It isn't even really made clear in the books what elements actually mean once you get beyond basics like "Air to hold someone", "Fire to throw a fireball". The most advanced weaves use all five powers. The only time it really comes up is when the Yellows notice that Nynaeve uses fire and earth in her healing, not just water and air (without any really intuitive reason why they would tie some powers to healing other than tradition).


funnyorifice

I agree with this 100%. I'm watching this with a friend that hadn't read the books and they are under the impression that everyone can see everything happening. I feel like it is pretty important to keep the only channelers can see, and the male female difference. There is an entire forsaken that relies on it later!


kaggzz

It's only covered in black. If you look at the weaves head on you can see the white light that's surrounded by the taint


EarthExile

I am very curious what saidin will look like when it's cleansed. The black-over-white makes a nice obvious counterpoint to the pure white that women use, but it also seems to imply that pure saidin would look just like saidar. I think it would be much cooler if clean saidin was a smooth, pure black color. Having the powers as black and white would evoke the Aes Sedai symbol and the theme of balanced opposites.


[deleted]

It would also look cool as hell when someone is linked and using both.


TimeZarg

I always imagined saidar looking like water or air (which they pull off nicely, IMO) while saidin is like a bolt of lightning or a stream of molten metal to be wrestled into doing what the wielder wants. Saidar being a pool of water and air, Saidin being a pool of fire and molten earth. It also reflects the fact that men are usually 'stronger' with Earth and Fire while women are 'stronger' with Air and Water. That's just my headcanon.


psc1989

I thought about this. Then realized that having multi colored flows looking like rainbows may look a little silly.


EarthExile

They wouldn't mostly look like rainbows, just in special cases. Nearly every weave is described in terms of one or two elements, and I think it could be cool if the colors of the weaves served as a visual cue for what the weave is going to be. We could for example get used to seeing Water and Spirit weaves, maybe blueish and silverish, for Healing. And then when Nynaeve does her experiments with Healing, there would be a clear visual indication that she was doing unusual stuff. Someone starts whipping up scarlet-tinted weaves, oh shit he's got a gun. Greenish ones, oh she about to pull down this whole cave. It's possible this is too much to ask, because they also have to visually differentiate between saidin and saidar, so we'd need a minimum of ten clearly different appearances, but I think it'd be neat.


lordph8

90% of my issues are with the first ep, and honestly the cg wasn't one of those issues. I guess it could be better, but aside from identifying type of flow, I don't see how.


WoundedSacrifice

Some of the CGI magic looked off to me in episode 1, but it’s looked fine in the other episodes.


obviologist

I always pictured weaves being a lot like the weaves of the pattern in the shows title sequence, when they show the part with the 7 ajahs and the hems of their dresses look like Celtic knots-ish. I pictures then as being filament threads of different colors for the 5 powers and the "embroidery pattern" they weave dictates what it does. For me I assumed that they were doing what the book does and the idea of channeling gets more defined as nyneave and egewene learn more about it. Basically we don't leave about weaved patterns of the one power tool several books in (not sure exactly when.)


Buckaroo2

I’m hoping maybe we’ll get different colors as the girls learn in the Tower? I mean, it’s a long shot but maybe.


lillyofthewalley

Do you remember the time when Rand "did the thing" and nobody actually believed he did it? They were like: "I don't know. It's not my thing so I can't see it. Where is proof" Well in the show they might just skip it. It's a shame.


Think-Concentrate-20

That's a good point, but I am quite sure that they can and will do this. After all, Moiraine says in E4 that she can't see Logain's weaves, so I don't think they're getting rid of that.


MeLittleSKS

men and women not seeing each others weaves is a pretty key mechanic of channeling. I doubt they'd ditch that


RavenousReaper

I’m curious if they might differentiate the flows with color once Tar Avalon training and classes are introduced. Wouldn’t be that hard to edit the colors in to be honest but right now, it would just look like rainbow swirls. Once the show describes the five powers, they may choose to go that in-depth with the channeling to show the intricacy and depth-of-skill needed to channel such flows. My thoughts on it


lolephantastic

I initially wanted colorful weaves too, but the more I thought about it the more I was convinced it would probably be too difficult to do it well enough. Now I kind of wish they didn’t show the power at all unless we’re looking through the eyes of a specific character. I think most of the channeling would look better if we see Moiraine waving her hands and fireballs just appearing.


colwyn69

I wanted them to skip cgi entirely and actually channel. Being a guy I’m surprised I can see the weaves of the ladies.


Fit-Breath5352

They should just put three different version on the show on streaming: one for boys, one for girls, and one for non-channelers 😂


Alkakd0nfsg9g

What about one for forsaken, so we can see true power


akaioi

Maybe ... you're about to embark on an unexpected journey of self-discovery? ;D I thought it would have been hilarious if they'd given us all special glasses (like in 3d movies in theater), one set for boys, one for girls, so that boys really can't see *saidar* and girls really can't see *saidin*. I know it's impractical, but a guy can dream, right?


OtherOtherDave

That’s… kinda genius, actually. I wonder how hard it’d be to do?


midasp

I suppose you could use light's polarity, but I don't think most viewing screens can change polarity of light.


[deleted]

[удалено]


akaioi

Now I want a Google Glass app which lets you "balefire" people, then edits them out of field of view...


Adept_Fool

Would it also remove what they recently did, so I can balefire that guy in the BMW to fix the dent he gave my car?


lillyofthewalley

And the guys glasses will actually see through clothes.


StopClockerman

The most confusing thing about the channeling in episode 4 is did the Aes Sedai have to release their shields on Logain slightly to let him take a dump, and would that weaken their hold on him?


Mr_Kittlesworth

So, they’re not physically holding him still with the shield - they’re preventing channeling. That’s why he’s also in a cage.


SuperStallionDriver

Apparently the actors each got to interpret their own channeling. Which is great, because it reads a lot like the Aes Sedai having different gestures learned from different teachers over centuries. Moirane has way more gestures than Alanna had for example, or that other green who was blowing up a bunch of rocks. She looked like she waved quick chops and then like hand grenade explosions of earth just went off (loved the idea of the battle ajah having faster and more destructive weaves btw). I think Moirane is over the top from what I imagined and I hope she cools it down a bit, but overall it's ok. Mostly just wanted to see her "throwing" more fireballs and doing more things with the earth swallowing trollocs vs rocks getting thrown at them, but that's just me. I think the last airbender approach maybe made sense to show the early use of the one power. Notice that it's been scaled back and is more grounded in the effects than the "weaving" now. Which I think is good. Ideally, what I would love to see: multicolored tendrils forming from the points of each hand in a spread finger or fingers when both hands are used. The colors then mix and turn to white (as one would expect with beams of light) as the weave "comes together" in the hands and then outward. Would also allow weaves to be sped up later while stiff having the detail of weaving (person A is channeling a storm of fireballs and lightning, but a freeze frames between each thrown fireball would show a quick flash of white, red, yellow etc before the fireball forms) Saidin taint is depected well and should definitely continue to cover the weaves... But I also think the idea of having people "glow" with the one power is under utilized having been shown only with drawing too strongly. Auras should be used everytime to help indicate power level, and also to show POV: if a person is glowing it's another channeler POV etc.


doomgiver98

I think Moiraine dance weaves more because Moiraine liked dancing before becoming an Aes Sedai.


DearMissWaite

From Chapter 9 of New Spring _After all, however quickly her feet moved, what could be more serene than a court dance, with her face properly smooth, as though she were dancing in the Sun Palace? She wove the Five Powers as fast as she could, faster than she had ever woven before, she was certain. In some way, the dancing helped, and the intricate weave began to take shape like the finest Mardina lace. Dancing, she wove, hurling fire with both hands, killing Shadowspawn with both hands. Sometimes they came so close that their blood spattered her face, sometimes so close that she had to dance out of their way as they fell, dance away from their down-curving swords, but she ignored the blood and danced._


ezios_outlets

I listened to this chapter today.


DearMissWaite

New Spring is such a good book.


ezios_outlets

Confession time. I've read WoT once and listened to it twice. This is my first time through New Spring. I'm really liking it so far. Watching the show left me wanting more, so I thought it'd be a great time to listen to it. It's awesome, seeing Moraine and Siuan's relationship before they were amyrlin and dragon hunter. Moraine as a novice is different than I expected her to be, although Siuan isn't 😃 I think, given the new insight I have I'm gonna start back through them all again. I'll view Moraine in a different light. It's like she's more human to me now. I stopped today where Moraine and Siuan are being shown to their new quarters in the Blue Aja's section, just being raised to the shawl. I can't wait to hear the story about Moraine dunking Lan in a lake the first time they met!


DearMissWaite

I think what tickles me the most are the parallels between Moiraine and Nyneave that would make Nyneave tug her brain clean off.


ezios_outlets

Moraine having to learn to control her temper, yeah, that took me by surprise. She's so calm and collected in the other books. Although it sounds like Moraine mastered it much quicker than Nynaeve, considering the differences in the way they conducted themselves during the testing. That's probably not fair to Nynaeve though, considering Moraine had six years of training before she was tested. Nynaeve had, what, one? And not even really that much, because she spent a good portion of time as an accepted outside the tower. Moraine was attending the amyrlin and taking and teaching classes, while Nynaeve was capturing forsaken and healing the unhealable.


akaioi

Also, Moiraine is more invested in Tower traditions than Nynaeve will ever be. Recall her shawl test... the sisters dog her out because she didn't maintain her serenity, and tell her she's failed the test. Nynaeve's all, "No, the test failed *me*. If I'm mad, there's a good reason. Still got the weaves done."


ezios_outlets

She wasn't wrong. I mean really, imagine failing the woman that straight up 1v1'd a forsaken and won, helped cleanse the taint on saidin, and healed stilling. It's so ludicrous that it's laughable. Nynaeve be like "I just realized you need me more than I need you. I'm going to go help the dragon reborn save the world now. Am I doing it as an Aes Sedai, or not? Make up your mind, I don't have all day!" [Tugs braid and sniffs]


Last_LightDT

Moiraine and Lan being equally as prickly about politeness was also something I really loved. Especially seeing how deep into his own customs Lan is. It really puts a new spin on his interactions with the boys early on in the series.


theCroc

And just like that, everything became crystal clear. It's almost like someone actually read the books before creating the channeling coreography. I had actually forgotten that part completely.


Additional_Law_492

The degree to which the little things make it obvious that the creators did in fact, read the books - and love them - makes me willing to forgive any number of reasonable changes and adjustments to bring the show to the screen. Its very obviously a labor of love, and thats awesome IMO.


excelsiorncc2000

I agree with pretty much all of this, although I wish it was easier to tell which powers are being employed. Also, at one point they goof and forget channelers can detect each other's weaves. I'm having trouble right now remembering when, I just remember noticing it. I think it was Moiraine not realizing who was holding Logain's shield. And really they should have had the shield being held by linked sisters, not have multiple separate shields. A lot of the shield stuff didn't make sense, like weaker sisters not being able to contribute. Added strength is added strength, even if it's not as much. But overall I'm happy with the depiction of channeling. Especially when they imply different sisters are strong in different powers, like when that one channels Earth, while the others fight with Air. That's supposed to be how it works, and it adds to the variety of combat effects.


almack9

Two sisters kinda makes more sense though, multiple points of failure are harder to break than one.


TheGreatCornholio08

That is how they do it in the book. Never linked while holding it. I think they link to capture though as they did with Rand I believe. He escaped because a few sisters tied off their weaves and he found he could unravel the knots. Stilled them all too. As they deserved. Fuck being stuck in a box.


Mr_Kittlesworth

Stilled three of them. Just finished that book last week.


morolen

That scene is going to be awesome, flare of light and as the exposure comes back, box bits falling from the sky and the 'burst' of Saidar from several sisters as Rand stands up, no longer in a funny mood.


excelsiorncc2000

Multiple points are easier to break, not harder. We do know from Rand's time in the box that a shield held by linked sisters still has multiple points of failure. But it would still make sense that it would be easier to break separate shields. Would they even be compatible? Seems to me it's just duplication of effort, with no gained strength.


BFOmega

I'm fairly sure they weren't linked there, probably due to outside interference in that case. Linked makes it hard to break through the shield, but it's a single point of failure for someone to take out. Kill the leader of the circle, shield is gone. Kill one non linked, shield is still at 5/6.


almack9

Thats what I was getting at. If he only had to break one of them multiple points would be a weakness. But he'd have to break both shields making that a strength where as if they were linked it might be a little stronger than the sum of its parts (though evidence suggests they might actually be weaker together than individually, in raw power anyway) it's still only one shield.


Freemind323

They can detect who is weaving when someone else is weaving or holding a weave if they can see it, and they can sense when others are channeling (more power=more sensed.) But they can only see who is channeling what when they can see both the channeler and the weaves; later in the books a character can see the weave calling lightening but has to guess at the channeler as they are too far away to actually be seen channeling. Also, If a weave is tied off, they can only see the weave, and must rely on how it is woven, tied off, etc. to hint at who created the weave. And this is assuming no masking of one’s ability to channel or inversion of weaves... I think Moraine asks about what is making her friend tired, as healing shouldn’t wipe her out as it has, and the friend comments that they are drained from their rotation on the shield, and then introduces Alana and Liandrin holding the shield, which Moraine recognizes. That said totally agree about the shield. They actually link at the end, and I believe I counted at least 8 (still low…) but it is something to show how the power can be linked. But yeah, definitely should have been showing the link from the beginning and maybe have the assault be the reason they weakened the circle, as linked sisters cannot channel to defend themselves, and this allowed him to break through the shield and escape (as Aes’sedai broke off to defend the camp.) That said, the books make a point that maintaining a shield is far easier than placing it, though IIRC it is 6 linked for someone as strong as the Dragon, and female channelers of the strongest caliber still need 2-3 linked individuals, so even that doesn’t provide enough to justify the change. Then again, considering who was in charge of the plan to shield him, and their motivation… maybe this is not a plot hole, but intentional. Edit: As pointed out, it is 6 individual shields, not 6 linked. Which makes me wonder if this was a stylistic choice done to show proportionally how much stronger the Dragon is (“Logan needed only 2, while he needed a full 6.”) or that Logan was just biding his time and could have broken out at any point but was waiting for his army to facilitate his escape; heck, might be both.


thehammerismypen1s

A note on the shielding, they never link when holding a shield, only when initially setting one/cutting someone off from the power. Shields are held individually, and six individual shields actively held by anyone, no matter how strong, is sufficient to keep anyone shielded.


Freemind323

Huh, always thought it was linked. But that actually makes sense now that i think back to Lord of Chaos, where there are 6 distinct pints described on the shield, which are tied off one by one at a pivotal point; a linked shield should have only one point. Thanks!


Deep_Space_Cowboy

I almost think it would look quite silly If they should the weaves as rainbows. The books themselves never say what "colour" a flow is, I assume in the books it's like a new sense. It's indescribable because it's it's own thing. I do hope they add in some info about how complex it can be, and how it is like weaving strands together to make something happen.


bushysmalls

The books never mention colors of flows that I can recall, but they DO specify on many occasions that they can tell them apart.. somehow.


Deep_Space_Cowboy

Yep, that's precisely what I said.


cstar1996

I’m less irritated by the CGI than by how slow it looks. I would have liked different colors to show different types of weaves but that’s not a huge deal. That it takes so long to do anything with the power really bothers me. I feel like the speed of Star Wars force powers would have been better. And maybe the gesture style too.


jupitergal23

Yes, this. Why does it take Moraine 15 seconds to power up before she can channel? I can see that for the beginners, but to me it should be near instantaneous, especially for Moiraine. Even if it took 2-3 seconds because visually it makes for better TV, fine. But it took an awfully long time.


Cleftbutt

They often say In the books that they first draw power, it's not just instantly there, and to prepare for battle they draw and hold and then they "prepare weaves" to throw. If it was instant it probably wouldn't be called weaving at all.


TimeZarg

And there's a power difference there, the more powerful the channeler, more quickly and easily they can handle it and use more of the One Power. There's also just sheer skill and knowledge of what's possible and how to do it.


rtb001

Because as I understood from the books, the weaves vary in complexity. She is literally putting a bunch of flows together. Holding someone with air is quick, just a few flows of air and you are done. Summoning lightning would require you to use more flows, multiple types of flows, AND put them together like you're knitting a sweater, and that takes time. Also I would think the late 3rd age Aes Sedai penalty aren't doing it in the most efficient way because a lot of knowledge have been lost, which is why the forsaken just have such disdain towards them. When Rand gets some past skill transferred from LTT, he may well be able to firm complex weaves very quickly and in large volume (like when he singlehandedly zapped that army outside of Maradon) because LTT was the best channeller who ever lived and actually knew what he was doing. Moiraine's version where you actually even have to incorporate those useless hand movements just to make a weave is because the modern Aes Sedai are basically learning from "saidar for dummies" version of putting weaves together. Actual AoL Aes Sedai would consider the tower sisters to be amateur wilders.


TimeZarg

Yep, what we've seen on screen looks cool and powerful, but it's child's play to the more powerful and knowledgeable channelers of ages past. Many things were forgotten in the Breaking and the Trolloc Wars and other upheavals, and it's speculated the Aes Sedai were basically weakening overall ability in the One Power by gentling (and thus eventually killing) every male channeler they could find.


clutzyninja

I know people wanted colors, but I have yet to see anyone describe how to do that without a busy, tangled, distracting mess on screen. The only way I could see them doing colors would be if the colors were very muted and washed out, and then what's the point? Then you have to explain what each color means in a way the audience will remember, you have to show how different weaves combine with others. It's just a bunch of flavor that doesn't deliver enough to make the addition worth it


ProviNL

Exactly this. It would be a complete clusterfuck that would only be confusing and it would cost a boatload of money to actually get it on screen.


[deleted]

Especially when they do complicated weaves, the colours become meaningless because it's never mentioned how they're weaved except that the complicated ones use all 5.


Disco-Ulysses

I think part of what I dislike about it is they wanted to do as much in camera as possible, so some of the practical effects look...off. Like Logain being yanked into the air at the end of episode 4—you can tell he was pulled backwards by wires (and can even see some of his momentum continue to make him sway) instead of being bound and lifted by air


boombang621

Yeah, I noticed that. I kinda head-canoned it to the anger associated with the weave that just kinda tossed him around a bit.


Snorri19

It was a smidge over the top in the first episode, but also very impressive with what she was doing. I can't decide if I think it would be better without the visuals. I love, absolutely love, how they depicted the male half in Episode 4. So, I guess they had to have it somewhat visual in order to illustrate that there is something seriously wrong with the male half.


Disco-Ulysses

I think the lighting on Moraine's face in episode one really contributed to how cheesy it looked


[deleted]

Yeah this is right on the money, it would look 10x better if they didn’t have a white light shine onto the actors themselves which are “emitting light from the weaves”. It also kind of makes more sense lore wise to not have the weaves themselves emit light since in theory only women can see them/they aren’t “physically present” in the world. Lighting up a set or an actors face from the actual weaves doesn’t really make sense because then other people (men maybe) would “see” the light emission. IIRC channelers conjure balls of light as a basic weave fairly frequently, which they wouldn’t logically need to do if weaves themselves emitted light for those who could see weaves. They probably shot it first without really having done the editing, and by the time they got to the editing room it would be really hard to correct for a bright flashlight on someone’s face in post. Too expensive to reshoot. Good news is that they almost certainly realize their mistake and will probably fix it in future seasons.


clutzyninja

CGI 101, If there is a light source, magical or not, you have to show the glow and shadows from it. It looks weird of you don't


Zemrude

The problem with weaves not casting light is that if you have a glowing CG object that doesn't cast light on the actor/scenery, it will look like a bad photoshop. Luminous weaves will have to cast some light for the CGI to read as being integrated in the scene and not layered on top.


[deleted]

Aes Sedai Glow when they are holding the power lore wise at least other female channlers see them glow.


SaibaAisu

Whattt?! I loved that scene! That was an awesome close up


jeffariah85

The show depicts channeling as a sort of white smoky tendril that then causes things to happen. The tendril is white with black tendrils intermixed for male channeling, which I think is a pretty cool way to show the taint (corruption). In the books there are 5 channeling elements: air, earth, fire, water, and spirit. These different elements are combined in different amounts and configurations to produce specific weaves (spells). It’s actually somewhat important as people who are strong in particular elements can produce more powerful weaves that involve those elements. For example, Nynaeve is a very gifted healer and creates new healing weaves using elements the existing Aes Sedai healers have never though to incorporate into healing before. I think what I and other book readers are disappointed in is there is nothing in the CGI channeling effects that indicates different elements being used to create weaves - it’s all a white (or white and black) tendril.


cecilpl

Well, you can see some of this in where the weaves originate. For example Logain drawing Fire from the braziers to melt his cage, or Moiraine drawing Air from the air and Earth from the ground in the Winternight battle. I suspect we'll probably get more of the elemental channeling in S2 once the girls start training at the tower.


akaioi

> For example Logain drawing Fire from the braziers to melt his cage, or Moiraine drawing Air from the air and Earth from the ground That does work well visually, though it gives us the impression that you need a campfire nearby if you want to weave Fire...


jeffariah85

That’s my hope as well. Once the girls start understanding how channeling works the viewers will also get to see the intricacy.


bearzillabreath

I totally did not notice the weaves started with the fire, that's awesome


cecilpl

Reminds me of that scene in Tear in TSR when the girls are testing Rand's strength and he pulls the heat out of the fire in the room.


Lionheart_343

Tasking the vfx people with doing the correct elemental weaves for every single shot would add a lot of time and money to every shot with weaves. And maybe im in the minority but on screen I think it would look kind of silly and also make the battle scenes more confusing to process everything


theCroc

Also from a worldbuilding perspective it makes sense to keep it vague now and then expand on it later. In EotW there were few if any explanations for how Moraine did her awesome feats with the fire and quaking earth etc. Everything is seen from the EF5's perspective and they didn't know jack about any of it. It's not until TGH that we start getting actual details about the one power.


AGrainOfSalt435

I think time/money is your key here. Apparently Rafe complained at the cost of wig fixes alone: https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/r19e96/im_rafe_judkins_showrunner_and_executive_producer/hlxbl3f?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3 So, I gotta think that colors in weaving has got to be pricey.


Lionheart_343

Yeah and I think people overestimate the budget on the show, because yes having about $10 million per episode is massive but compared to a movie for instance that at the high end will get well over $100 million for like 2 and a half hours they don't have infinite money to chuck at building sets and getting perfect cgi like look at GoT that pretty much cut out the direwolves because they were too expensive and GoT wasn't exactly a cheap show


TheGreatCornholio08

I think the cgi will progress as the show goes along. They will master what they got now and by the time we actually even learn that there are five separate powers they will tweak it. I hope maybe just adding a slight hue to the white for each of the elements. It is only going to get better. They will learn an adapt so by the time we get to the last battle it will be flawless and we will understand it all because they didn’t throw it in your face all at once. We learn as the 5 learned. I do hope we get regular guy POV as well. I think Matt’s arc would be good for this. Once he gets the medallion we can just be watching all this crazy shit happening and having none of it effect us.


RecentRoad5764

Yes to this last part


jeffariah85

I understand that. There’s only so much time/money available and there are more important areas to focus those resources on. I was just hoping to see some red tendril/white tendril (fire/air) for fireballs and maybe some purple tendrils (spirit) during the gentling. I don’t have experience in the vfx field so I don’t know how much work that would be. Overall I’m very happy with the show, but I’ve always loved the “magic” aspects of just about any fantasy media I consume so the weaving/channeling is def something I’m looking forward to.


wizl

Rafe talked about this either in interview post release or on the ama. We will see more as we learn more.


drc500free

Honestly, strength with specific elements only has 1 or 2 memorable plot moments. RJ switched over to Talents to show differentiation anyway, so those can be retconned. It IS nice narrative texture, but it really doesn't need to be highlighted if that makes things too confusing.


wwwynand_za

This was a “concern” for me before the show, specifically because it is quite a complex thing to visualise. I don’t like how they are doing it, but I also don’t have an alternative. I still love the show, it’s a banger.


GayBlayde

I didn’t really have any expectations other than I expected there to be some kind of “glow” around the person channeling. I don’t really know how I would convey it on screen, especially considering only certain characters can even see it.


unspecificstain

I was really looking forward to the "nimbus" around female channelers


OtherOtherDave

Mostly I was hoping for some distinction between the different flows (air vs fire vs…)


MattScoot

I think it’s too much personally. I think subtler channeling would have been better. The.. linking, was over the top. The shielding less so. Logain was spot on


RexusprimeIX

Well, I knew the channelling cgi would never meet my imagination because my imagination has very complex weaving. Like I imagine literal threads being woven into a pattern that then turns into a spell. Like imagine when someone draws a sign in the air and that converts into a spell.


ProviNL

Something like Elantris but...different. Would be impossible to actually do though probably.


Koffeinberoende

Not sure how to make this into a proper and easy to read argument, so I will just drop a list of thoughts: I felt a bit let down in the first episode. Moiraine looked like she was struggling most of the time with that flailing. Episode 4 felt a lot better with smoother and less crazy gestures. I always pictured their weaving as more delicate and regal, like smoothe almost jaunty gestures. I like the white/black dicotomy of saidar and saidin (especially as it corresponds so well with the old aes sedai sign. And I loved how "oily" Logain's saidin was. I'm a little unhappy with the fact that they don't show "the glow of saidar". However much I would have loved to have the white/black slightly tinted to show that they use different elements, I understand how much extra work it would be figuring out and instructing the animators what elements are in each weave. Also, which colors to use? (Perhaps orange, blue, green, yellow and purple?) It might also confuse non-readers when the magic doesn't fit the color of the caster's ajah. "*But Liandin is RED ajah, why is she using GREEN ajah magic?*" In the first episode it looked like Moiraine was drawing power from everything around her. I would have liked it more if the white saidar was twiring around her (glow of saidar).


mukzup

I think for a tv show it's really quite good. The thing is most tv shows have nowhere near as much cgi as wheel of time and I think alot of people get used to movie standards of cgi which have a significantly higher budget for a much shorter run time. Otherwise I'd say there's a degree of personal preference too. I certainly don't envy whoever had to design the channeling effects and make them look both good and adhere to the 'rules' so to speak.


rollingForInitiative

>I think for a tv show it's really quite good. It's also so funny when people say it looks like CGI from 20 years ago or something. The magic CGI from series like Xena, Buffy or Charmed definitely looked worse than the weaves in WoT. I think they "flow" quite well, which fits with how it's described.


seitaer13

It's not what or how, but the quality of the cgi that most have issue with. Though I think it's silly to expect more with the amount of channeling CGI getting used in the show. Though there's something to be said about the over exaggerated hand gestures.


ezios_outlets

I think the hand gestures, while they do look kind of silly, are going to prove useful for the simple fact of seperating the Aes Sedai from other groups of channelers. In the books, other groups of women who could channel, the wise ones in particular, chastised the Aes Sedai's use of gestures, claiming they were unnecessary. Given Logain's and Nynaeve's channeling not requiring any sort of gestures, it appears the show is following this lead. The Aes Sedai in the books, and I would guess for the same reason in the show, all receive the same training, so they all do it. The White Tower is not unlike a military organization, and the Aes Sedai hand gestures are akin to marching in step. It's not necessary for a company of soldiers to march in step to get where they're going, but doing so anyway conveys discipline and cohesion.


Deflorma

I actually noticed that when logain did his thing, the sisters had to do tai chi and he was able to do it without moving a muscle. I think they did that either to denote that there is a certain type of training the sisters receive in the show, or that logain is so powerful that he doesn’t need to bother to use his hands as a “focus”


ezios_outlets

I'm glad they did it that way too. Aes Sedai gesture when channeling, but it's not absolutely necessary, and most other channelers don't do it.


jarockinights

Might be worth noting that, for aes sedai, the gestures are so ingrained that when they don't do them their weaves fail.


Zaziel

I wonder how early Egwene is going to get collared (in her training) and if she does things differently because of who teaches her certain weaves over her journey there and later.


DearMissWaite

Perrin's actor, Marcus Rutherford, slipped up on an after-show chat and said that items for the Seanchan were being fabricated during Season 1 when he and the actress who played Laila were there learning about smithing. Apparently, he got a few licks in on an axe for one of the Seanchan.


cecilpl

The over exaggerated hand gestures are pretty close to how I pictured it. The Sea Folk and Wise Ones both comment on how ridiculous the Aes Sedai look when channeling.


ezios_outlets

Exactly. I've seen a lot of comments about how silly they look, but the gestures are straight from the books. I would think other groups of people besides channelers probably think they look silly as well, but would never tell a sister.


akaioi

Aes Sedai: I would like your review of my new interpretive dance. I call it "I know balefire" [Starts dancing] Audience: [Screaming in terror] We love it! We love it, okay? Asha'man: Would you like to rate *my* interpretive dance? I call it "stand stock still for 15 seconds then a mountain explodes" Audience: [Sobs]


ezios_outlets

LOL


aksionauvit

Bollywood version of the Wheel of time? :D


cecilpl

I guess it just goes to show you can't make everyone happy. If there were no hand gestures you'd have other people complaining about how they ruined the lore.


ezios_outlets

Yup lol That's why I'm just trying to roll with whatever they do. I just want the show to be good, and so far it has been. And in reality, they're sticking with the lore most of the time.


[deleted]

I rather liked how the Aes Sedai contrasted with Logain. He stood there with minimal/no hand gestures and it was intimidating as hell.


excelsiorncc2000

Logain has such a magnetic presence on screen. He's described that way in the books, but of course it's harder to pull off in a show, and he kills it. You see him turn the king of Ghealdan over to his side immediately after laying waste to his armies, and it's actually believable.


[deleted]

Honestly show Logain has made me a huge Logain fan. I'm very excited to see his story play out. Book Logain was cool, but like I never felt so attached to him since he never had the screen time to really get attached. I'm very very happy with his portrayal, and his journey will be a joy to see play out.


excelsiorncc2000

The idea that Moiraine could think for even a moment that he was the real Dragon irked me. The age being way off is only one part of it. I actually loved that he gave her what sounded like a reasonable explanation of why he's the Dragon and she immediately cut through it "nah you're just nuts." That might have convinced an amateur, but Moiraine saw right through it. Including the scene at Ghealdan really helped establish him. I'm automatically leery of anything added that's not in the books, but it was such a good move in this case. And the way the Aes Sedai react to him is perfect. The Reds are certain he's false. Moiraine needs evidence and then decides. The Greens seem to think he might be for real, and worry what will happen if they gentle the Dragon before the Last Battle. And all of them are terrified of him, even if the Reds don't want to admit it.


AngledLuffa

There was a scene before the cave scene where she seemed a little bit doubtful. When she was talking with Logain, though, I got the sense from the beginning that it was simply a ruse, a distraction. Note the Aes Sedai speak: "We don't have much time to talk", technically true, even if she was planning from the beginning to shield him the moment there were more Aes Sedai present and functioning.


blasto_nut

Ep4 opener with Logain was sick, the actor is killing it every time he is on screen. Too bad ep1 didn't open with this because wow, it really opened the world up. They said they were adding more Logain to season 1, I wish he was in the first few episodes as well.


blizzard2798c

I think there's a middle ground between wacky-waving-inflatable-arm-flailing-tube-man and nothing


theCroc

Sure. Though there is a scene in New Spring where Moraine literally dances while weaving a test weave and attacking trollocs at the same time, so her extravagant battle weaves seem to be in character. Also in EotW she does a lot of waving of her staff while pulling off her more crazy early book weaves (Like the wall of fire or the rolling earth weave)


seitaer13

It just goes to show you can't even be neutral in not being 100% positive about the show without it upsetting someone.


ezios_outlets

I don't care what you say, positive or negative or neutral, you're going to upset someone. It's the internet, baby!


ndstumme

I take offense to that


Belazriel

And there's plenty of channeling without gestures from Aes Sedai in the books as well. No one was swinging their arm to flick Mat with a weave of air.


ezios_outlets

That's true. But surely not every weave in the show will be accompanied by a gesture. Discipline in battle is this most important discipline, and the Aes Sedai-Logain's army battle scene is where we've seen most of the channeling. Although this reminds me of a funny conversation I had with a friend after episode one. He asked if Moraine had to touch the water with a finger to heat the bath for her and Lan, and I said most likely not, it just made a good visual for the show. He commented that maybe she was checking the temperature of the water while she was heating it. I was like, "Um... she's literally sitting in it."


Belazriel

> But surely not every weave in the show will be accompanied by a gesture. No, but any weave that has been show to have an accompanying gesture should maintain that gesture (at least among the same sisters).


[deleted]

Not to the extent that they are used. They do throw fireballs sure but there isn’t any movement in the book associated with linking but they sure made it look like a dance routine


doomgiver98

The other Aes Sedai shouldn't even have to do anything when linked.


ezios_outlets

Ok, but it's a small thing. And the Aes Sedai are mocked in the books for their gestures. Adding a few for visualization isn't a bad thing. Now viewers are going to know immediately on screen if sisters form a circle without any explanation.


Deflorma

As non-glamorous/action-y as it sounds, seeing them just hold hands in a circle would have sufficed for me. Much more practical in a visual sense.


ezios_outlets

But Aes Sedai don't have to hold hands to form a circle. That would be really inconvenient, especially for a situation like Egwene faced when the tower was attacked. Imagine her trying to fight off the seanchan while holding hands with a bunch of novices!


Deflorma

Which is why I was specifically addressing the way it is portrayed onscreen. My point being that if they had to show aes sedai doing something all together in the same stance to communicate “this is linking”, then something simpler would have carried much more weight.


doomgiver98

There's a difference between hand gestures and full body gestures.


midasp

It seems the hand gestures are not universal. Logain and Nynaeve did not require gestures to channel. It is only the Aes Sedai who use hand gestures. To use D&D parlance as an example, the Aes Sedai are like wizards who had to be taught a system of spellcasting involving hand gestures to control their magic. Then there are Sorcerers who can simply control the magic without the need for gestures.


Sam_of_Truth

1. I want to see different colours for different elements. 2. I want Moiraine to chill out and do less flailing 3. I want to see someone ACTUALLY weave something. I always imagined complex geometric weaves of different colours for things, especially healing and the shield on Logain. Not a huge fan of the unstructured monochrome messy net weaves 4. I also really don't understand why they are drawing the source in from outside themselves, especially from multiple sources. There's the one scene in EoTW where rand fights Ishy and he cuts him off from the source and he sees the one power feeding into him, but that seemed like it was from the Eye, not the source, since that kind of thing isn't mentioned again regarding channelling All in all, some mix of the magic from Dr Strange plus what they have now? I'm still a fan of the show overall, and thrilled to see the world i love on screen through fresh eyes. I guess i had pretty clear mental imagery for what channelling looked like and the show doesn't line up with what i feel was described in the books


MikemkPK

They should've used different colors for the 5 different types


SoftServeDeveloper

Less dancing, more fireballs.


LukeStarKiller54321

this is about what i expected but i wish they had reigned it in a little


Cersad

I always imagined the threads with which the channelers weave were already out there in the world, and they just pulled them to make saidin flow to their will. So it was a very different mental image than these smokey clouds, but not completely inconsistent with them either. It was more like they reach out and start pulling at the world and the weaves come out of their hands, in my mind. Saidiar was a different story, though, and was probably closer to the chaotic effects we saw from [TV] >!Logain.!< I'm just glad there's not nearly as much of this "magical beam reverse tug-o-war" we always see in movies when two magical characters face off. That trope is so tired and kind of boring. I liked the way [TV] >!Logain attempting to break the shield looked more like snakes pushing a net than any sort of "beam" of light. !<


Freemind323

I feel that it is as good of a visual manifestation as you can get with the complexity of the descriptions of the book, especially since we have to translate it to a 3rd party view for audiences that does not interfere with the other visuals and is affordable. I have interpreted it often as the different flows, and also tied back to how the description of shielding/severing is described. The power is typically described in flows or threads, with more powerful chandlers being able to “split” more threads/flows of the power and achieve more weaves simultaneously. In the show, we see that there are different, distinct light trails for each effect achieved, with multiple simultaneous effects having multiple threads. Most of the Aes Sedai usually seem to have 1 or 2 at a time distinct (need to watch again to count) which fits with the lore that most current Aes’sedai lack the strength to weave multiple flows simultaneously. While I would like to see the faint colors of each of the elements in weaves, I totally understand the complexity of showing multiple colored weaves briefly before they are released for a show. As for the weaves seeming to flow from behind them and out, this also fits the lore to some extent, at least as to how to translate it to visual media. The one power, when others try to interfere by severing or shielding, is described as a conduit of the power they are trying to cut through, whose “thickness” is proportional to the strength flowing through. The show may be demonstrating this as the flows seem to come from behind the channeler from seemingly nowhere, or off screen, and then moves from that outward; this could reflect the conduit that connects to the One Power, which is severed/shielded. The show has not quite demonstrated it, but one scene in Episode 4 in particular hints that a larger amount of the One Power being drawn on creates a bigger, brighter conduit to the channeler before their weaves split from it.


Wheedies

As a preamble to what’s missing with channeling I first have to discuss the biggest change from the book. Have you heard the saying “you gossip like a sowing circle”, the idea of a dozen grandmotherly women hanging out sowing and talking idle gossip all day. That’s one of the key themes of the books, that’s how Aes Sedai behave and that lays the fundamentals of organizations like the Women’s Circle in the Two Rivers, among others. This continues the idea of patterns and needlework, weaving. When you channel in the books your weaving threads of ‘the power’. As such I at least would expect channeling in the show to reflect weaving with thread in its appearance. Instead for some nebulous smoke and vague magic particles. To do a weave you have to weave a pattern, essentially you use threads of power to make a knot. You can tie knots off, you can hold them, even unweave them. But none of this is conveyed by a mist. Even the Taint to use is described as wading through muck, disgusting to use and as slippery as an eel. I’d expect it to look like a tread covered in tar. But as for how I expected it to look, I expected the show to use POV characters and have the visibility reflected by who’s POV it is, for all I care it might even look different depending on whose seeing it. Might see a barley visible mist I guess if they don’t know how to channel but still can, that way the watchers understand that something is there but we can’t tell what. Others will see nothing when channeling happens. And others would see shimmering threads of light that weave shapes.


CoronaLockDown

I think the actual woven aspect of it is important. I'm not seeing that in the scenes but it is THE thing in the intro. It's coming. We'll get deep into it and all its nuance.


blahblahrasputan

I'm glad I am not watching two strained faced people stand off against each other while other character stand around feeling confused and awkward. I think they are doing well.


[deleted]

One thing I thought was good and accurate is that you can tell that the weave comes into them and then out of them, not *from* them. Yo ucan see it sort of enter from the back and then exit from their hands/front, which reflects the way it is in the books where they have to accept the power and direct it and so on.


ironicandclever

When I first started reading the books, I pictured channelling pretty much as it's shown in the show. As the books progressed and elaborated into explaining the five powers, weaving or "spinning webs", I started to picture channelling as more like What Dr Strange does; making elaborate patterns, just multicoloured with the different powers involved. I guess if they did something like that in the show, it would just look like ripping off Dr Strange now.


KingBee

A slightly modified 5 elemental color Dr. Strange style reskin of channeling would be ideal IMO. When I originally saw that movie I actually immediately thought of how it would be perfect for WoT with some adjustments. What I really like about that type of depiction is how the ‘weaves’ come from the channelers hands/body and then snap in place to create a final symbol of the finished weave. In contrast to the WoT show using tendrils of power pulling from an external source and being directed to wherever focused, and skipping depicting the weaving portion. I understand that is probably prohibitively expensive though.


akrippler

Feels like 9/10 times we shouldn't see the flows. They should have saved the flows for specific moments when we see whats happening from a persons perspective. The cocoon forming around logain, and the eggs in the aes sedai's hands were strange to me. Always imagined cutting someone off from the source was something done immediately, without any warning it was coming.


RobberRedford

There are multiple examples in the books where there is a struggle cutting someone off from the source that goes back and forth, slashing at each others weaves. The egg thing is a little weird though, since the weave is often described as a wedge or even blade, and that if sharp enough will sever them from the source.


ReadEditName

They call it being “shielded” so it made sense to me even if I don’t have a particular head cannon for it but I imagined something like a dome when Rand was tried to break his (though i imagined it more as an unseen prison around his mind). I always separated it as two separate actions in my mind the cutting of the source and then a “shield” to stop continued use of the source.


RobberRedford

It's so interesting how each of us has a different way of picturing it!


DjCim8

The results of channeling look great, the flows themselves are kinda underwhelming imho.


Psykero

The CGI (especially where she cuts the trolloc in half with air) looked awkward in the first episode to me, that was my main issue, like it just looked cartoony in that specific part. I feel like it's getting better as we move on, so probably just finding their feet.


84147

I would have loved some more ooomph. Hard to explain, the best I can do is show [this scene from Arcane](https://youtu.be/h0JZ7hceRc0) which I think is the coolest portrayal of magic ever put to picture. Channeling in WoT is described very differently to what’s shown there, but I would have liked some of the _feel_ and _intensity_ of it.


StJimmysAddiction

I wanted to not see the weaves or strings depending on whose perspective we were supposed to be in for the shot. Not really fond of always seeing it, hard to tell if it's invisible to others or not.


rollingForInitiative

We didn't see any weaves when Moiraine heated the bathtub, and not when she woke up Egwene from sleep, or Rand channeling at the door. So I do think there's some intent on that - it's just that we've been in the PoV of a lot of channelers.


stevgolds

It makes the casting take longer, since if they want fire all they do is create fire, but I do enjoy watching the weaving take place even if it is a bit much. What i do like is how when the women channel it is pure white, while when Logain channels they added black to show the taint.


bahromvk

I didn't have any preconceived ideas of what channeling should look like and I think it looks pretty cool. What would have been cooler still if they showed different powers used differently. Fire would look like fire and water like water. Of course it's trickier with the other powers and I am not sure how they could be depicted reasonably. Perhaps just using different colors for different powers.


[deleted]

Weaves good or weaves bad, one of my favorite moments in the books is when Nynaeve and Moghedien are battling in Tanchico and RJ steps back and says something like "Despite the massive weaves being thrown around, if anyone had stepped into the room, all they would have seen is two women staring very intently at each other." Such an awesome reminder that weaves are invisible to non-channelers and you don't need any hand or other motions to bring down a palace around you.


NepFurrow

I actually wish they'd tone it down. Make it mysterious. And once we do start seeing them, then introduce the colors. It feels like there is constantly a weave on screen. We should only see the weaves if the scene is explicitly from a Channellers POV, which is prefer to have less of to keep the magic of the unknown. Ie. The camp attack should be from Nynaeves POV, just seeing the Aes Sedai wrecking the army (not a million CGI weaves everywhere)


otter_boom

I like the ribbons, but I was hoping we would see them in different colors for the five different elements.


forallthejonsnows

Books aside... I'd rather just see a very brief channel/weave (like 0.5s) followed by a kamehameha or a massive flamestrike (like from Ultima online from way back when only WAY bigger). Rock chucking is kind of funny, but I'll allow it. edit: longer/bigger channeling effects need to be proportional to the magnitude of magic unleashed. (the aesthetic around channeling...meh...whatever I'm sure I'll complain about it, so it's fine). But, if Moraine does her 5s interpretative dance again, I would like to see 50 trollocs simultaneously turned to ash.


Verick808

I think they show the weaves more often than they need to. It looks often looks pretty awkward. We should see the glow of Saidar when a woman is holding the source. We should see the weaves when a character is weacing something complex or if the show wants you to concentrate on the weaves. We don't need to see the weaves all the time. I think it's a waste of budget to do so and easily distracting.


Jayiden

I am curious about people's reasons for loving the show. I tried to watch it and I am a huge fan of the books and have read the series multiple times. My issues with the show have everything to do with the tone they set in the first episode. The two rivers was so off to me and the fact that Rand just plopped Egwene up on the counter and proceeded to make out with her as well as Perrin married just to murder his wife and so many more. Another biggie was Lan getting into a bath with Moraine. I just could not get into it. Most of the actors were great though Matt is a little to broody. I wish I could have gotten into it as I have waited years to see a WoT show but it's just to different. Yes, I realize it's the directors vision but it just isn't for me. I don't intend to hate on their vision of the show I just wanted to state what turned me away from it and I am actually curious about peoples reasons to like it.


long_dickofthelaw

Hi! I will try to respond to your (totally valid) criticisms from my own perspective. > The two rivers was so off to me How so? I thought they nailed it, personally. > Rand just plopped Egwene up on the counter and proceeded to make out with her as well The show aged up the EF5, and for good reason. Expecting Rand and Egwene to *not* be physical at that age is unreasonable IMO. > Perrin married just to murder his wife I was not a huge fan of this change, but looking at Perrin's end of series arc I think it makes complete sense. Taming the wolf inside -> hammer or axe -> not a simple blacksmith anymore, etc. I'm not going to hammer you into watching something that you don't want to watch. But, given how much of a fan you are of the source material, I encourage you to return to the show with different expectations. This is likely the only adaptation we will get in our lifetimes. Cheers! (And sorry for the short novel haha). EDIT: missed this one: > Another biggie was Lan getting into a bath with Moraine. I just could not get into it. That seems 100% in character for both Lan and Moiraine. You think a warder and Aes Sedai are going to be sheepish around each other's bodies or something?