We're a small site and rarely ever get advanced previews. Like everyone else, we watch shows as they're released, but I was lucky enough to see this episode early thanks to a fan event hosted over the weekend and thought it'd be fun to give it a review. Gonna make it clear in advance that this will just be a one-off. As much as I'd like to, I won't be reviewing every episode of the series. It just doesn't work out with my changing work schedule.
Warning: This review will not be spoiler free so proceed at your own caution.
This was a breathless episode that raced through various plot threads at breakneck speed. I feel like I watched two or three episodes of set up all crammed into one. Surprisingly, the majority of it still worked. There are some bits I really wish had been more fleshed out, but I'm hoping with all set up burned through in episode one the rest of the season can just get on with telling all various stories at a nice and steady pace.
Previous season openers tended to be calm affairs that took their time to introduce or re-introduce the main characters and show where they are right now, with some action towards the end. This episode was the exact opposite, kicking off with an all-out battle in the White Tower as Liandrin and her Black Sisters made a break for it. This was an event that took place off page in the books, but here we got to see every little gruesome detail of it, including that Brown Sitter getting sliced in half and Leane just going completely feral with her staff to bash that Black Sister's head in. It's always great to see how powerful and brutal channelers can be when fully unleashed, and this battle more than made up for how limp the final confrontation with Ishy was in season two. Hopefully next time there's a fight with a Forsaken it's more like this.
There were some awkward edits and obvious bits of ADR, especially when they tried to capture, then kill, Siuan. Was a bit ridiculous for her to go out into the streets and join the hunt herself, with only two sisters for protection (where were all the Tower guards?), but it was all just so we could have another moment of distanced yearning between her and Moiraine. The fishwives are obviously still not talking after their bust up last season, but god are they desperate to. Moiraine even sneaked into the inn, knowing Siuan was already there, just to hear her voice.
This will likely be the last time all the main characters are together for a good long while, so the writers made the most of it. The boys went off to get drunk while the girls teased Elayne about the girl she's obviously smitten on. After all the pain and heartache they went through last season they finally had a chance to take a break from all their worries and I'm sure it helped a lot. Shame it couldn't last. Eventually fate, and all their various personal problems (Perrin's struggle with his violent nature, Mat's past lives, Nynaeve's block, etc), forced them all in different directions. This is one of those instances when I really wish this show had more episodes so we could've spent longer with them just hanging out together.
The episode's biggest weakness was how it handled Egwene's storyline. I was glad to see that her trauma from last season won't just be shrugged off and we'll continue to see her struggling with it, but I wish they hadn't just blasted through her Accepted test. Nynaeve got a whole episode devoted to her test, but Egwene barely got five minutes. I did love her managing to out Aes Sedai the Aes Sedai by promising to return, but not to stay. She manipulated them into giving her a quick promotion and then bolted as soon as she got it.
We got a good reminder of how ruthless and manipulative Moiraine can be. She's determined to have Rand ready to not only fight the Last Battle, but face off against the Forsaken as well. And she does that by jumping into bed with one of the Forsaken. Figuratively, not literally, although judging by the way Lanfear was looking at her I wouldn't completely rule that out just yet. Their twisted dynamic is one of the thing I'm most looking forward to this seasons. Sure, the Moiraine of the books would never agree to work with one of the Forsaken, but the books didn't have Rosamund Pike and Natasha O'Keeffe playing off each other with mad chemistry so this is one deviation I have no issues with at all.
Speaking of mad chemistry, time to talk about Elayne and Aviendha and, boy, did that escalate quickly. Their relationship is one of my favourite in the books, but I wasn't expecting we'd get much of it this season. They were only together very briefly before everyone split off so I was hoping they'd at least get some scenes together to establish their future bond. Because of the time skip from last season, we missed out on their initial meeting and what seems to be a very cute month of gentle flirting on a boat, and by the time we finally caught up with everyone they were already at the “Just kiss already” stage, which this experienced TV viewer fully expected the writers to drag out for at least another two seasons. So it was a pleasant surprise when they both threw caution to the wind and then themselves at each other. And it was also nice that Lanfear just left them alone to have sex while she subjected everyone else in the inn to horror after horror.
I'm still struggling to take Moghedien seriously as this big scary threat that sends the likes of Lanfear running, but I know that's strictly a Me problem. My view of Moggy (yes, I call her that) is shaped by the later books as well as years in fans circles talking about her demented relationship with [REDACTED]. It's difficult to go back to how they were supposed to be right at the start. It looks like the show's version will be incorporating elements of some of the other Forsaken that won't appear. There were thirteen in the books, but the show has wisely whittled that down to a more manageable eight.
Notes and Quotes
--Because I'm a nerd who enjoys studying fantasy maps I know that to get to Tar Valon by boat they would've needed to pass through Tear already. This plot point all would've made more sense if they were still in Falme, but I get that recreating that location for a single episode would be too expensive. More cost effective to just shoot on the show's standing sets even if it doesn't make complete sense for everyone to be in Tar Valon (especially Rand).
--This season will be based on the fourth book, The Shadow Rising. They're skipping the third book, The Dragon Reborn, for a multitude of reasons, but mainly because there isn't actually a lot of the Dragon Reborn in it and the majority of it is just a rehash of the second book. The only really important part of it is the climax at the Stone of Tear, which they are obviously saving for a later date.
--Siuan excluding the Reds is sure to come back to bite her.
--The Bubbles of Evil (yes, that's what they're called) were something I was dreading. They're one of those ideas that can work perfectly fine on the page, but end up looking too silly in live action. Fortunately, that wasn't the case here. Even Perrin's flying axe looked quite good.
--Not only did we get to see the brutality of the Black Ajah, we also got some delightfully nutty glimpses at how depraved they are. Jeaine Caide being filled with orgasmic glee about feeling the deaths of her own Warders even had her own partner give her a “Bitch, what the fuck is wrong with you?” face.
--The boardgame that Rand and Perrin were playing is called Snake and Foxes. It is more important than you might think.
--Moiraine and Elayne are actually aunt and niece in the books as Elayne's father is Moiraine's half-brother. There was no mention of it here, which is book accurate since it barely comes up there, but I wish there was because it would've made Elayne managing to outmanoeuvre Moiraine and get Rand to do what she thought he should do even better.
--In the books, it was Maksim who dies instead of Ihvon (who was recast for this episode). I think there are two reasons for this change:
1) Ihvon was the link that held this trio together. Maksim only became Alanna's Warder because he loved Ihvon and he explained last season that it wasn't always easy for them. How will the two of them function now without Ihvon holding them together?
2) The guy playing Maskim is married to the showrunner. Nepotism can be great for job security.
-- Bain and Chiad go to the Two Rivers following a different character, but they haven't been introduced yet so it was smart to have them go with Loial because he saved Chiad's life. Ji'e'toh always comes before any other responsibilities they have.
Lan: “She'll be alright.”
Moiraine: “Today is not about her.”
--Sure, Jan.
Loial: “Why does she always want to leave at dawn? Why not after a hearty breakfast?”
Mat: “Here we are, a simple sheep shagger, a brooding blacksmith, and a devastatingly handsome gambler.”
Egwene: “I'm not going back to your Tower.”
Elayne: “Finally.”
Despite its flaws this was a strong opener of what feels like a more confident and ambitious show. Three out of four Bubbles of Evil.
Mark Greig has been writing for Doux Reviews since 2011 More Mark Greig
Breathless was definitely the word to describe the episode. I don't expect the duplicate the um...stately...pace of the books, but I felt this was a bit much. I didn't have a stopwatch handy but I'm guessing Egwene's five minutes would include everything from persuading to them to let her do the arches to her subsequent arrival; I'd be surprised if the arches themselves were two minutes. And while the action scenes were exciting, I found them a bit confusing. I didn't know what had actually happened to Nynaeve until she emerged from the rubble. I liked Rand's decision to go to the waste rather than follow the ordained path to Tear. It was good to see him make his own decision, and have it be a constructive one rather than avoidance.
ReplyDeleteI think they're better off showing the bubbles of evil than using that rather comical name...let's hope they never actually have to give them a name in the show.