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Post by oldskooldeano on Nov 21, 2021 17:15:29 GMT
I’m halfway into episode two right now and I think it’s ok. Never read the books, I stopped reading Fantasy when I stopped playing paper rpgs, it’s got classic fantasy tropes, the bands of brothers and sisters, wizards, fighters, thieves. The Fade rider looks proper nasty and that Haydn Christensen lookalike is a twat but I’m guessing he turns out to be the hero? It’s a level or two above Shannara, no worse than the Witcher show. I will watch more.
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Post by oldskooldeano on Nov 21, 2021 18:27:25 GMT
Three episodes in the bag. I like it. Definitely some tweaking on saturation levels and hue in post but the story seems like it is going somewhere. I imagine the books were pretty good.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2021 21:06:33 GMT
Just watched the second episode and was thinking if I'd not recently read the books, I'd probably quite like it. The changes mostly made sense, though my wife was still saying "but why are they doing xx"? And "what's this place"? a fair bit.
Some parts felt a bit rushed and I'm starting to wonder if they intend doing all the books in one series 😉
Hadyn Christianson was a moody sod and it's good the rest of the cast said more or less exactly what I would have to him. I enjoyed the episode more than the first i think. Though a certain someone has turned up so...
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minimatt
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hyper mediocrity
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Post by minimatt on Nov 22, 2021 4:04:56 GMT
Not read the books (sounds like I'm not missing much) and thought it... ok. Got to take the piss out of the polystyrene scenery & icky CGI, some day-to-night filming monkeying with the colours, and every clean shaved character being perfectly clean shaven, like best a man can get clean shaven despite the previous day and night being spent chased by wolves through the mud with nothing but the suspiciously clean clothes on their back. One does not simply walk to the White Tower without one's Persil liquid-tabs & gilette mach 3.
But once I'd stopped taking the piss out of the continuity people I quite enjoyed. It's half decent generic fantasy fluff & I'm a sucker for that.
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MolarAm🔵
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Nov 22, 2021 4:33:44 GMT
Maybe Rand is just a hairless freak?
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MolarAm🔵
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Nov 22, 2021 4:57:39 GMT
I'd like to say that there's some *wink wink* book justification for characters not needing to shave. But there really isn't, I guess aside from them maybe not being old enough for chin hair. (iirc the book versions of the characters are quite a bit younger)
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Post by clemfandango on Nov 22, 2021 10:25:55 GMT
Two episodes in. Anybody else getting ‘into the badlands’ vibes. It seems to be filmed and scored exactly the same way?
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Nov 22, 2021 10:35:08 GMT
I've seen all three, now. They're good enough for me (and I am a fan of the books). If I must complain, then...
I'm guessing they couldn't get real Wolves (or CGI them) and thought vaguely wolf-looking dogs would be sufficient. But they were obviously dogs. The trollocs are shit. Thom Merillin's moustaches are insufficient, he's too young and his motivations seem odd when he didn't start out running from the trollocs with the others. They had time to sing about and then explain Manetheren (which is not really important until later), but not explain Shadar Logoth and Mashadar, which was important right then?
But otherwise, it's been decent so far.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2021 13:58:37 GMT
My wife asked me "why are the dogs all going around him" and I had to say "err...they should be wolves and its er... complicated and doesn't happen like that in the books...again".
Shadar Logoth she said "so how come the horse is happy to go in now when they just explained what it is? Can the horse speak english?". She also asked why the Trollocs wouldn't just surround the place or go in regardless. I couldn't explain the horse thing, but I said "actually IN THE BOOK there's an awful lot more trollocs at this point and they do go in... and it doesn't work well for them".
She's also getting annoyed that one person wakes up and never wakes anyone else up and has asked me why Rand looks nothing like any of the others. Its a good job I've read the books. I didn't mind the trollocs.
Explaining how a "questioner" can get the drop on a bunch of mages was a tough one. I said..."erm... its not like that in the books..."
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Nov 22, 2021 14:01:21 GMT
"Things will become clearer. Things might become clearer... "
Apparently, he's Eamonn Valda. Who isn't a questioner. I would have thought Carradin would've been a better choice for that character. Hey ho.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2021 14:09:04 GMT
Ah right... I must have quit the books before he turned up.
I did notice that the really evil people so far all seem to be black. I'm surprised the Internet hasn't melted about that.
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Nov 22, 2021 14:20:56 GMT
Carradin appears at the start of book 2, although not by that name. He's on Almoth Plain and at Falme, though.
Valda does not actually appear until Lord of Chaos, iirc.
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Post by Techno Hippy on Nov 22, 2021 15:47:24 GMT
I'm not a huge fan of the books - I gave up on books 9 or 10 as it just wasn't going anywhere - is this worth looking at anyway?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2021 15:52:38 GMT
I really liked the dogs, they were very cute. In fact me and the mrs both went "awww" when they appeared. Didn't realise they were meant to be wolves. Was there howling? I'd had a beer by that point so may not have been paying attention. I just thought they were wild dogs.
Apart from that having never read the books I don't really have much to gripe about. I think the hairy bollock things look great and I'm very invested. Only two episodes in mind but I can't really find much at fault so far. I loved the spooky city place that very much appealled to my Souls obsession by looking like something straight out of Dark Souls 1.
It's all very by the numbers so far mind you but it's enough for me. Thought the main clean shaven chap was a bit shite until he had a wee emotive outburst and proved he had more than one emotion so all's good.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2021 15:53:33 GMT
I'm not a fan of the books, gave up book 9, he says
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Nov 22, 2021 16:20:09 GMT
I really liked the dogs, they were very cute. In fact me and the mrs both went "awww" when they appeared. Didn't realise they were meant to be wolves. Was there howling? I'd had a beer by that point so may not have been paying attention. I just thought they were wild dogs. Apart from that having never read the books I don't really have much to gripe about. I think the hairy bollock things look great and I'm very invested. Only two episodes in mind but I can't really find much at fault so far. I loved the spooky city place that very much appealled to my Souls obsession by looking like something straight out of Dark Souls 1. It's all very by the numbers so far mind you but it's enough for me. Thought the main clean shaven chap was a bit shite until he had a wee emotive outburst and proved he had more than one emotion so all's good. They are meant to be wolves and are a major plot point for one character. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2021 16:46:09 GMT
Maybe the plot point is now cute doggies.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2021 17:03:12 GMT
Maybe the plot point is now cute doggies. Thanks. I nearly spat my drink out laughing. 😄 I wouldn't put it past them. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2021 17:05:00 GMT
I'm not a huge fan of the books - I gave up on books 9 or 10 as it just wasn't going anywhere - is this worth looking at anyway? Yes, if for no other reason than to realise which words and names you've been mispronouncing all the time. Oh and to be able to tut repeatedly about the bits that weren't in the book. That keeps me going! |
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Rich
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Post by Rich on Nov 22, 2021 17:14:15 GMT
Two episodes in. Anybody else getting ‘into the badlands’ vibes. It seems to be filmed and scored exactly the same way? It does feel a lot like that, but without the blood and combat. There's no other fantasy on though so I'll keep watching. Girlfriend has read a few of the books though, and each episode was accompanied by constant "I remember that" or "I don't remember that" bits. Worse than you lot. |
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Post by Techno Hippy on Nov 22, 2021 20:24:53 GMT
I'm not a huge fan of the books - I gave up on books 9 or 10 as it just wasn't going anywhere - is this worth looking at anyway? Yes, if for no other reason than to realise which words and names you've been mispronouncing all the time. Oh and to be able to tut repeatedly about the bits that weren't in the book. That keeps me going! Does it maintain the 'I hate women' vibe? |
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Post by clemfandango on Nov 22, 2021 20:30:54 GMT
Done the 3 eps now. I’m really enjoying it but I’m easily pleased when it comes to fantasy or sci fi tv. It probably helps that I havent read the books.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2021 20:59:19 GMT
Yes, if for no other reason than to realise which words and names you've been mispronouncing all the time. Oh and to be able to tut repeatedly about the bits that weren't in the book. That keeps me going! Does it maintain the 'I hate women' vibe? Well, Rand has had totally unjustified strops at two of the female characters so far and the Whitecloaks clearly don't have a very high opinion of anything Aes Sedai. Aside from that it's not been too bad so far. |
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minimatt
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hyper mediocrity
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Post by minimatt on Nov 22, 2021 22:23:48 GMT
..."so how come the horse is happy"... That horse! There's an aerial shot of the white one completely nonplussed in the spooky city/shadar logoth, the same horse that just watched its horsey mate being eaten by the evil creeping tar monster wot got Tasha Yar, now completely surrounded by the evil tar monster and all the hobbits/reborn dragons are completely freaking out, but nobody told the white horse what would be added in post, so she's just stood there happily nibbling on the polystyrene scenery |
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Post by Bill in the rain on Nov 23, 2021 3:30:54 GMT
I really liked the dogs, they were very cute. In fact me and the mrs both went "awww" when they appeared. Didn't realise they were meant to be wolves. They can't be as bad as the wolves in episode one of Cursed. Now that was a fantasy show that used its big budget to look super cheap. I'm not a fan of the books, gave up book 9, he says I think you'll find that's a pretty common statement by readers of Wheel of Time. |
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Nov 23, 2021 6:41:34 GMT
Explaining how a "questioner" I have no clue how they were actually called in English. I still remember them as "Zweifler"/"doubters". Even though I read the last few in English. Well, before I gave up on the last one. I think you'll find that's a pretty common statement by readers of Wheel of Time. Yeah, it's understandable. It becomes a bit too meandering and loses itself in too many different - and often just not that important - story threads after book 6 or so. |
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lexw
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Post by lexw on Nov 23, 2021 12:39:58 GMT
Read the first two books, including re-reading the first one recently and have played the TT RPG and a couple of videogames in the setting. I gave up with the books because the writing style was just too annoying.
I'd honestly say I like the show better than the books so far (on episode 2). The first fight with the Trollocs (still a terrible name) was ridiculously more dramatic and scary on-screen, which isn't always the case. This despite many of the events being the same (the bit with the stones for example).
Because Jordan wasn't a very good writer quite a lot of stuff seems more shocking and dramatic here. Though holy shit I'm on episode 2 and they're talking about stuff that happens like 50% of the way through book 1 so I guess they're rearranging stuff?
I did have to explain some stuff to my wife from my knowledge of the books/setting. Also I realized I couldn't remember some major plot points which is actually kind of a good thing.
I expected a 6/10 or less so far I actually quite enjoyed it, it's not 10/10 like early GoT but it seems solid and better, for money, than say The Witcher (I am not a particular fan or hater of anything about The Witcher franchise/IP).
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Post by deekyfun on Nov 23, 2021 13:46:24 GMT
I think while a few bits and bobs have been re-arranged that I can remember, a lot of it is that they're sprinting through the content with the pace of a championship athlete powered by chicken nuggets.
I'm fond of the books (though I agree with the consensus viewpoint that they could all do with a bit of streamlining and the middle books are like trying to read quicksand), but after a few days of stewing on it I'm growing fond of these initial episodes and looking forward to the next. I think it helps to set the books aside and treat this as its own thing for the most part.
I've also just read that the actor playing Mat is being recast, which I think is a shame as he stood out for me as being one of the more engaging performers over the second and third episodes.
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Post by Bill in the rain on Nov 24, 2021 1:16:33 GMT
I'm wondering how they're going to make their season finales exciting and dramatic. I seem to remember every book ends with Rand beating the baddie by focusing on a candle.
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Post by FlexibleFeline on Nov 24, 2021 6:07:36 GMT
I think while a few bits and bobs have been re-arranged that I can remember, a lot of it is that they're sprinting through the content with the pace of a championship athlete powered by chicken nuggets. I'm fond of the books (though I agree with the consensus viewpoint that they could all do with a bit of streamlining and the middle books are like trying to read quicksand), but after a few days of stewing on it I'm growing fond of these initial episodes and looking forward to the next. I think it helps to set the books aside and treat this as its own thing for the most part. I've also just read that the actor playing Mat is being recast, which I think is a shame as he stood out for me as being one of the more engaging performers over the second and third episodes. I had no idea he had been recast, but looking into it this happened a while back. No reason was given. A shame as you say, he's been pretty solid so far. I'm curious as to what went on there. |
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