The TV Series discussion thread

I've also watched the first episode of Wheel of Time and....I don't know. It's like the world is, I dunno, too clean or not gritty enough? Maybe it's a minor detail yet a medieval-kinda world should resemble that and, from what I've seen in the first episode, it really doesn't. I'm not even a huge fan of the books so not sure if I'll continue on at this point.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
18,685
Location
Holly Hill, FL.
I liked the books, I just wish he'd had a better editor who would have cut out ALL the fill and reduced them by about a third. They were a slog at times, but finished strong under Sanderson who tightened up the narrative!!
 
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
12,805
Location
Australia
I tried starting the first episode of Wheel of Time, but just jumped off after about 10 mins I think. I don't know why, but it just feels so cheap in production and just corny and goofy as a fantasy series (when I heard "dragon born" or "dragon reborn" or something, said by Rosemund Pike, I just rolled my eyes). I think I had similar feelings to the Witcher tv series.

I'm not sure why but I never had that feeling for Lord of the Rings or the little I saw of Game of Thrones. It never felt childish and "dorky" in the bad sense of the word. And I declare myself a first grade dork with some of the stuff I seem to enjoy in games. But somehow, when I see these same cliches in live-action movies/tv it just comes off a lot worst. Am I the only one that feels this?

I'll probably try it later on when there's more of it to see, as I probably was not in the right mind to watch it. But now I'm really curious now as to the fate of the LOTR tv series that amazon is also handling.
 
Joined
Jul 31, 2007
Messages
6,132
I've also watched the first episode of Wheel of Time and….I don't know. It's like the world is, I dunno, too clean or not gritty enough? Maybe it's a minor detail yet a medieval-kinda world should resemble that and, from what I've seen in the first episode, it really doesn't. I'm not even a huge fan of the books so not sure if I'll continue on at this point.
I haven't seen it yet, but it might be that they want to make the difference bigger with what will happen much later? In the books the world takes a turn for the worse in the second half of the book series.
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
11,223
I've also watched the first episode of Wheel of Time and….I don't know. It's like the world is, I dunno, too clean or not gritty enough? Maybe it's a minor detail yet a medieval-kinda world should resemble that and, from what I've seen in the first episode, it really doesn't. I'm not even a huge fan of the books so not sure if I'll continue on at this point.
I didn't have the same impression. To me it didn't really look like a pony farm; there are hints of personal issues with all the heroes, especially Mat, and later the nonsense they invented for Perrin. Then it becomes rather gruesome when the events precipitate.

Their village and ways are not too clean either. From historical descriptions I read, I'm sure it was dirtier in our medieval age, but I'm not shocked if they chose to make it look a little more convivial.

PS: What I'm wondering though is how they managed to fill a jacuzzi with so much water (even cold) in the upper room… :lol:
 
Joined
Aug 29, 2020
Messages
10,028
Location
Good old Europe
About Wheel of Time, while I certainly haven't watched enough to make what I would call an informed opinion, it's funny how hard it is to find an "objective" one on the merits of the show.

Fans and readers of the books could be good reviewers if they're not too attached emotionally to the show whose progress they've been watching for years now, and for who it would be a real kick in the balls to finally admit that the thing they've been hyping themselves about turned out average.

The mainstream is also not good to get an opinion from, since they're either uninformed and very superficial in their critique or they know what's good for them when they review something like this, from this big of a studio with that much influence and control of access. So they'll self-censore and not be honest.

I want to give it some more time, and maybe someone's whose tastes I trust can spill the beans if it's worth it.
 
Joined
Jul 31, 2007
Messages
6,132
Watched the first two episodes of The Wheel of Time and was positively surprised. The trailers made it seem rather bland, but for me it's pretty much all I could have hoped for. I really like how the Weave is visualized. Very thematic. I also like the music, which often reminded me of the computer game from way back. The cast was pretty good, too. Once the new faces replaced my imagined ones, it was easy to say "yup, that's Rand" and so on.

As for the perceived cleanliness, yeah, I can see that. It's not just WoT though, but most modern TV shows and movies. Better picture quality comes at the cost of less grittyness, leaving less to the imagination.

Anyway, I'm very hopeful we'll get to see everything the Wheel of Time universe has to offer, at some point.

edit: Just looked at what other people had to say on Amazon. Wow. Lots of 1-star reviews. Probably by the same people who loved the LotR books and hated the movies for every little change they did. I'm guessing they had made up their mind before they even pressed the play button for the first episode. My advice: enjoy life more.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
3,486
I'm going to at least check out another episode or two before deciding what I really think of the show. While I'm not the biggest fan of the novels, I do want to give the show at least a very fair shake.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
18,685
Location
Holly Hill, FL.
I tried out another new show last night, well, at least new for me: Tin Star. Since I've actually been in the town where the series was shot, I'd always meant to check it out and had just forgotten about it. The pilot seems intriguing so far, and I see the cast is pretty solid, so I'll likely continue with a few more episodes.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
18,685
Location
Holly Hill, FL.
Watched the first two episodes of The Wheel of Time and was positively surprised. The trailers made it seem rather bland, but for me it's pretty much all I could have hoped for. I really like how the Weave is visualized. Very thematic. I also like the music, which often reminded me of the computer game from way back. The cast was pretty good, too. Once the new faces replaced my imagined ones, it was easy to say "yup, that's Rand" and so on.

Hmm, I felt the same way about the trailer(s) - absolutely derivative fantasy (and I say that as having read (most of) of the books. I feared the writers had phoned it in to cash in on GoT hype (albeit belatedly). Your comments make me rethink my initial impression enough to warrant watching the first episode at least.
 
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
5,973
Location
Florida, USA
I started watching Cowboy Bebop. The premise is just two bounty hunters strapped for cash trying to make ends meet in the galaxy.

It feels similar to Killjoys for me but less fantasy. It is fun if you're in the mood for light fare.

That's all my mind can take at the moment so really enjoying it.
 
Joined
Nov 13, 2006
Messages
9,175
Location
Manchester, United Kingdom
I am a moderate fan of the Wheel of Time book series. I watched the first couple of episodes of the show and part of the third. It didn't grip me in the "I must watch all of this immediately" way that, say, Invincible did, but I didn't bounce off either. I think it has some promise depending on how it develops.

The most annoying change I've noticed so far is their turning Egwene into a fourth ta'veren. It looks like an attempt to make her character 'special' along with the three boys, but one of the things I really appreciated about her in the books was the way she achieved world-changing stature *without* having a destiny backing her up. She did it herself. Making her ta'veren sends exactly the wrong message.

Overall I'd call it three out of five. I'm not hooked, but I'll keep watching to see how it plays out.
 
Joined
Nov 30, 2009
Messages
421
Location
California
I don't watch things (or read things or play things) purely because of their genre or their provenance and so I won't be watching this Wheel of Time series. I've yet to see an actual positive review; they range from "it's shit" to "it's not as bad as it could have been", which means it's shit but I'm invested in wanting to like it.
 
Joined
Aug 31, 2013
Messages
4,839
Location
Portland, OR
I don't watch things (or read things or play things) purely because of their genre or their provenance and so I won't be watching this Wheel of Time series. I've yet to see an actual positive review; they range from "it's shit" to "it's not as bad as it could have been", which means it's shit but I'm invested in wanting to like it.

I'm going to at least check it out. I've never read the books, but that's probably an advantage in this case.

I'm more interested in Foundation though.
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,017
Location
Florida, US
I don't watch things (or read things or play things) purely because of their genre or their provenance and so I won't be watching this Wheel of Time series. I've yet to see an actual positive review; they range from "it's shit" to "it's not as bad as it could have been", which means it's shit but I'm invested in wanting to like it.
Don't take critics' word for gospel, watching the first episode should give you a much better idea. The series doesn't linger much on the prologue so it's quite representative (of the first 3 anyway).
 
Joined
Aug 29, 2020
Messages
10,028
Location
Good old Europe
There's apparently a nearly-done deal to produce a Mass Effect series. That's original. ;)

Mass Effect TV Series Deal Nearly Completed by Amazon, Says Report

A new report published by Deadline suggests that Amazon Prime Video is nearing the completion of a deal with EA for a Mass Effect TV series adaptation. This is part of Amazon's push into fantasy and science fiction, which began earlier this week with The Wheel of Time adaptation (this year's most watched series premiere on Prime Video and one of the top five of all time, according to Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke) and will continue next year with the Lord of the Rings TV series.

[...]
 
Joined
Aug 29, 2020
Messages
10,028
Location
Good old Europe
Back
Top Bottom