Book vs Show | The Wheel of Time | Season 2 Episode 3

[@Bhendar]

The first arch in the books is actually her fighting back and beating the Forsaken who is chasing her, and as she is about to finish him off, the arch appears. It's a case of her having to let him go free, to potentially come after her again. All the 'worst fears' they face in the arches are about things that will or will not come to pass specifically because of their choice to be Aes Sedai: so in the first arch, leaving a Forsaken free to continue threatening her (and everyone else); in the second, letting her home village suffer; in the third, giving up the chance to have a happy family with the man she loves (since in the book, there is no attack, she has to walk away from their happy life together). It's her worst fears because in each case she chooses to do this, with no clear memory of why, which obviously runs so completely against her sense of self. I very much agree that they did a massive disservice to her character with these changed 'visions', particularly with the third arch and making the way reappear as you mentioned!

[@TheGraemi]

This season is about dissing Nynaeve. At least it often feels like it.

[@Nyet-Zdyes]

This just goes to show how very little the show-runner actually understood the books.

[@Nyet-Zdyes]

@@TheGraemi Yes, this season, Ninnie got dissed a bit... but she still didn't get treated as badly as the boys or the Cauthons. Also, for the heroic moments that were stolen from her in this season, SHE was the recipient of stolen heroic moments in the first season. I'm wondering, with that impending train-wreck kind of suspense, what the vile show-runner is going to do to Aviendha and Elayne. At this point, I'm certain that they, too, are going to get "Rafed"... formerly known as "The Last Jedi-treatment".

[@TheGraemi]

@@Nyet-Zdyes "I'm wondering, " That's what in a morbid form 😅still entertains me. It seems that Rafe doen't like men much. I am really curious what the Aiel men will be. I mean the Daughters of the spear are already Xena-like... Will probably be a amazons world where the men all are Gai'shain but in the absurd form of the wettlanders (like slaves).😐

[@Nyet-Zdyes]

@@TheGraemi I can't tell you how much I loathe Rafe. I literally can't think of a single good thing to say about him.

[@Guairedarksbane]

In season one, Moiraine and all the other Aes Sedai who were holding Logain prisoner couldn't sense that Nynaeve could channel, but now a random Seanchan damane is able to pick several women who can channel from out of a crowd. The lore breaking in this show is killing me!

[@Darm0k]

I think they're just making the lore up as they go, instead of actually using the books as a guide. It's the only explanation. Whatever works in the moment is what they do, regardless of whether it makes sense.

[@RianD-xp3kk]

I hate the scene with Mat leaving Egwene. That is the oposite of Mat. He is always there for his friends. Even when he says 'Im not going to help you this time' he stays and helps. I hate what they did to all the boys, but Mat especially. They went out of thier way to assassinate him.

[@Goldilockszone123]

Yes this goes completely against who May is in the books. He would totally comfort Egwene while complaining about something and ogle her ass while thinking Rand would know what to say.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

There was no point in Matt being imprisoned, as far as I can see. Why didn't he escape in episode 2? He just sat in a room, met Min, and then left.

[@Perry_Wolf]

@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS This seems to be 80% of the show's storylines, all the ones _created_ by Rafe. Just about every storyline he's made up GOES NOWHERE in the end!

[@Perry_Wolf]

As soon as I saw Mat hesitate in the doorway, I was literally screaming at my TV, "OH NO! NO YOU DON'T! DON'T YOU DARE MAKE MAT TURN AWAY!!!!"........and they did.

[@Seomus]

He's like me. He'll help, but he'll complain about it first.

[@TheNightrider88]

Notice, that despite sudden appearance of nynaeve's parents, we still got practically nothing about her backstory. So, her family were a nondescript peasants living in the middle of nowhere, who were sacked by surprisingly well-organized brigands who were looking to loot some poor peasants in the middle of nowhere? Yeah, thats' all makes sense.

[@D3G4355]

In the books naeneve’s parents died and she was orphaned at 14. In the show, moiraine says she was brought to the two rivers as a baby (s1e1). The first trial shows her as a child when this attack happens. Either moiraine lied or naeneve is just inventing her past.

[@hooligan9794]

​@dyslexicultimatum5318 Oh you sweet summer child, you. Expecting consistency or even sense in this show. 😅

[@charlestruppi7793]

Nondescript peasants? Are you saying that a little girl who can hold back a knife attack from a grown man is nondescript? What kind of awful hateful human being are you🤣

[@D3G4355]

@@hooligan9794 I didn’t say I expected consistency in this show, just pointed out naeneve’s inconsistent backstory and how it doesn’t make sense, even without the books.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

The copyright block is lifted, but I wont be able to collect any add revenue from this video unless Amazon allows it. It's about a $200 to $300 loss for me, so any tips or link sharing to my other videos is much appreciated 🙏🏼😊

[@bohort]

screen flit the clips and speed them up or slow them like 1.15, essentially you are fighting the bots you just need to side set a little and you should be good

[@mgntstr]

“Amazon Inc folk had a reputation for slyness and trickery. If you shook hands with a Amazon Inc man, people said, you counted your fingers afterwards.”

[@Nyet-Zdyes]

@@mgntstr Ha! They sound a bit like those folks from down Tairen Ferry way...

[@mgntstr]

@@Nyet-Zdyes 🤣🤣

[@mattpotter8725]

It's ironic that I'd have given up on the show long ago if it hadn't been for your content!!! Even if the content is critical of the show on the most part I will think it drives people to watch it because they'd be intrigued. They probably didn't copyright strike you for this anyway just that a bot of the people they employ to stop people using their content for free tagged clips you use in your videos. Surely you can argue fair use? I mean you use a second or two of footage a few times in an hour and a half video. If that's not fair use I don't know what is!!!

[@Bookofscrawls]

They break the rules for drama and every time they do it cuts another piece out of the foundation of future drama. The series lays so much groundwork and the show just tosses it out the window at random.

[@laggytim]

I'm pretty sure they have only read the summary of 1 book ahead

[@Bookofscrawls]

@@laggytim They consistently steal ideas, motivations, depictions and plot threads from later books to punch up stuff in season 1 and 2. Which means they've definitely read the whole thing, they just dont seem to give a shit.

[@Ryan66437]

Always thought the first ring was her greatest weakness, pride and anger. The second ring was her greatest strength, her compassion. The third ring was her greatest desire. The nightmare being she must leave each time despite having a good reason to stay; kill the forsaken, save her town, be with Lan.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Oh! The "kill the foresaken" didn't register with me. I'll have to reread that scene. I can't remember if she was upset that she couldn't go and kill the guy.

[@joshuatempleton9556]

@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS Aginor was a letch that used his powers to rape women and in the eye of the world he threatened nynaeve, she was to overcome her fear of him. to stop him at her most vulnerable which is why she was naked in her first test but not the other two.

[@JabberW00kie]

The way I see it, her sacrifice in the first ring was letting Aginor, one of the dreaded Forsaken and someone who attempted to force his will on her, get away. She had him dead to rights, and had to give up finishing him off. In my opinion, each ring was supposed to be worse than the last, in terms of what she had to give up. I never considered the other aspects mentioned by Ryan, but they make sense when paired with what she was giving up.

[@Gunleaver]

The Game of the Houses, in the books, with Rand, had him showing up in fancy clothes, with people thinking he was a lord (fancy clothes provided by Moiraine for that very purpose). So he received invitations from lesser nobility and burned them all unopened, which escalated the interest and attention he got. He kept burning them until he got invitations from the King, and from the most powerful noble, who is the King's archrival. Everyone in Cairhien was connected to one or another, so Rand's bluff was being called. If he burned either man's invitation, it would be tantamount to insulting one of the most powerful men in the country, and basically painting a target on his back. So he let himself be seen with both invitations unburnt, and then, when the rest of the gang arrived, they tracked the Horn to the manor house of the King's rival, so Rand & the gang used the invitation to get access to his house and find out where Fain went. This was in the same book where Siuan told Moriaine how the Tower was losing its grip on the world, and Ingtar told the boys how the nations were fading, and losing territory and lacking the ability to properly govern all the territory they still credibly claimed, how entire nations had disappeared, where Egwene hears in the White Tower how the numbers of recruits and dwindling, and the Tower holds a fraction of the number of sisters it was built to house. In other words, a major theme of The Great Hunt was that the world is in a mess, even if you don't count the Shadow stirring. And the situation in Cairhien, where the nobles have become consumed with political intrigue, not for the purpose of enacting policy or governing the nation, but for the sake of the competition and to get style points of being sneaky, instead of effective. This is politics as a jousting tournament, far removed for the original societal purpose of the activity, it has deteriorated into a sport for the nobility to posture and inflate their status, and the people who die in it for no real purpose only make it that much for thrilling for the players and spectators. In addition to presenting a challenge for the main character, the Great Game also reveals something about the setting and the people. On the show, it's a bit of trivia, and has no effect on Rand as soon as the conversation is over. Nothing with the invitations comes back to threaten Rand, or entangle him in the local politics, and the local politics turn out to have no real bearing on anything in this season, just something to fill up air time until the characters can do the important thing, or get together or have the big reveal at an appropriately dramatic point in the season.

[@rustyshackleford1062]

In the first (in book) test what she gives up is her pride. Right before the arch appears she feels she is turning the tables on dream aginor, he begins to flee from her and by leaving then it hurts her pride to tuck tail like that. Obviously fitting to her character and comes into play later on, for all that pride is often Nynaeves downfall it also drives her to unbelievable accomplishments. She ironically takes Siuan's talk of bloodhounds to heart and ends up embodying it by pursuing more black sisters and Forsaken than anyone else in the series aside from Rand, not to mention other things that were known to be impossible for thousands of years that become possible solely because Nynaeve proclaims "nothing short of death should be incurable" and either doing the impossible herself or assisting someone else in doing it when no other aes sedai would have considered such a thing. She sacrifices her pride for the arch, something difficult enough for Nynaeve in a vacuum, something that being forced to do out in the open for others to see happens to be probably the most terrifying prospect for her for most of the series until Egwene finally forces the issue near the end of the series. With her character it actually fits the most among the three book tests, but you don't really get the extent to which she is driven by pride and how others perceived her until like book 5 (whenever the menagerie is).

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Oh OK. This is a great explanation. It went over my head. I'll have to read it again, I guess. 😋

[@Nyet-Zdyes]

It isn't just her pride that she sacrifices, or her desire for revenge/justice... This is when she dedicates herself to making it to The Last Battle, and winning it... no matter the cost to her... much like when Rand finally accepts his destiny to become the Dragon Reborn... or Mat, when he finally quits "running".

[@yogurl6004]

Oh yeah thats great. Sorry for all the e typos everbody. got a bit over excited

[@HeartlessInTheLight]

Post the four hour rage fest version, please. It's cathartic.

[@eamsee657]

I've been itching for your next WOT video. I grew up with these books and they're still my favorite fantasy series. I remember when Robert Jordan passed away and how much it meant to my nerd heart when Brandon Sanderson stepped in to help bring this series to its conclusion. Ah yes, the days of preordering at one's local book shoppe. Us in the WOT community were going nuts when we heard that the filming rights were purchased years ago, and I still remember the hubbub years later when the infamous Billy Zane pilot was dropped on KZbin. This show by Amazon has been the biggest heartbreak. I made it through the first season only by channeling my drunk uncles screaming at the football game on screen during Thanksgiving and never bothered to watch the second. I'm sorry to say that watching you start this with hope and gradually watching said hope die slowly and painfully has been the catharsis I never knew I needed. Cheers, friend. Your sacrifice has not been in vain.

[@dallassukerkin6878]

Well spoken and definitely seconded.

[@MultipleGrievance]

​@@dallassukerkin6878 Thirded

[@allenbird]

Hahaha omg. I had to stop the video to laugh when you made the comment about there are are only so many minor changes you can make before you say, why don't we just remake the whole thing. Long time book reader. I try to gain as much entertainment out of the show as possible, but you are spot on with that comment.

[@DanielGonzalez-vo5ni]

That's my issue with some of Amazon's "adaptations" like if they think they can write a better story so much why not make their own original and not try to piggyback off the name of other better series

[@davidburt9303]

Lan, a stay-at-home dad that helps with cleaning the dishes and having a good cry during a romantic movie is exactly what the show turned him into instead of a hard, no nonsense man. Respected above others, brought up with the education and training of a warrior king to take back a lost kingdom (reluctant as he his about it). Conflicted between oaths taken as a king and warder. In this he is a bumbling wimp. Exactly as Nyneave is meant to invision him

[@richardmonk5522]

You mean "just the way Rafe envisions him," don't you?

[@davidburt9303]

@richardmonk5522 Yes, I would like to correct my last sentence... Exactly as 'Rafe's' Nyneave is meant to invision him... book Nyneave wouldn't have e looked twice at show Lan

[@Gunleaver]

Tam caring about Nynaeve enough for her to be an acceptable substitute for his son, seems to be one of the milder cases this season of the show building off the books, rather than what they have showed in previous episodes. Nynaeve is not established as an important member of the community. She is "in charge" of a secret women-only ceremony, which appears to be nothing more than carrying out a prescribed ritual, and she is shown quaffing tankard with the family Tam scoffs at for their drinking, but other than that, the only example of her "leadership" is her scrubbing rocks at a sacred pool, which the show even lampshades in the voice of Moiraine. No one goes to her for advice, she exercises no authority (other than displaying hostility to potential paying guests at an inn that apparently does not see many visitors - even Padan Fain, according to Perrin, is boarded in the villagers' homes), and shaming Perrin into spending time with his wife. One interpretation of Nynaeve's role is that she's this weirdo outsider adopted and brainwashed by the previous unnamed Wisdom to be obsessed with odd customs and practices like the sacred qualities of a pool no one else cares about, and trying to induce Egwene to join her little cult with the promise of magic weather powers. In the books she is a prominent member of the community, and the topic of three different conversations Rand encounters before she ever appears on the page. But not on the show.

[@sngyuchao]

One thing that most people missed about the horm of valere is that while it is true that the heroes will fight for the bad guys if the bad guys blew it, there is a catch (or safeguard if you will): if the dragon banner is present, they will have to follow the banner. And that means they will always fight for the Dragon. And that is the reason why Perrin's role at the end of the book is so important: Robert Jordan brought all 3 of the boys together: Rand the Dragon Reborn, Mat the Blower of the Horn, and Perrin the Bannerman.

[@rodneytrotter3725]

no that is not correct. If you read the entire series, Artur Hawkwing corrects Mat when he sees Mat during the Last Battle about a very important unknown fact that NO ONE but the Heros of the Horn actually know. So for all understandings by the Aes Sedai and even the Forsaken of the present time, the Heros will fight for whoever blow it

[@sngyuchao]

@@rodneytrotter3725 I finished the entire series but I can't remember that part of the conversation but I clearly remembered that Artur Hawkwing was prevented from joining the battle because of the presence of the Dragon Banner. Here's the actual text: "Justice shone like a mirror in Artur Hawkwing’s gauntleted fist. “I have fought by your side times beyond number, Lews Therin, and faced you as many more. The Wheel spins us out for its purposes, not ours, to serve the Pattern. I know you, if you do not know yourself. We will drive these invaders out for you.” His warhorse pranced, and he looked around, frowning. “Something is wrong here. Something holds me.” Suddenly he turned his sharp-eyed gaze on Rand. “You are here. Have you the banner?” A murmur ran through those behind him. “Yes.” Rand tore open the straps of his saddlebags and pulled out the Dragon’s banner. It filled his hands and hung almost to his stallion’s knees. The murmur among the heroes rose. “The Pattern weaves itself around our necks like halters,” Artur Hawkwing said. “You are here. The banner is here. The weave of this moment is set. We have come to the Horn, but we must follow the banner. And the Dragon.” Hurin made a faint sound as if his throat had seized."

[@gearomkologenas5458]

You have my eternal admiration for unearthing such an obscure Genaro Gattuso Press Conference AND MORE… for using it so perfectly. As Time would have it, his current coaching position would make poor Genaro feel like he’s going nowhere, or more apropos, he’s at the beginning of yet another turning of the Coaching Wheel😂 And much like the TV Show, instead of ‘Sometimes’ The Shit is ALWAYS. Anyway… My thanks for persevering against the forces of convenient copyright invocation. Reliving the utter silliness of this Episode, having seen all of Season 2, was made bearable by both your technical dissection and the resonance in your occasional emotional disdain, for the choices made in the TV Show. I understand your experiences with KZbin lately might feel annoying and frustrating, but I hope our encouragement as viewers does not allow them to become disheartening. I look forward to The Next Turning!

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

No worries. I am absolutely finishing this series. And I had other te hnical issues behind the scenes going on the put my Avatar videos behind schedule, but I'm hopefully back on track again. Just gotta get a bunch ready to go before the holidays.

[@Nishki-v-Sharkata]

Gattuso caught me unprepared too! The clip was such delightful surprise for american to use.

[@Gunleaver]

With the consternation over Egwene channeling at Liandrin, I think you might be conflating her with Nynaeve. It was Nynaeve who could not channel without extreme circumstances. Egwene was weaving the Power during the lesson in the kitchen, and she was specifically trying to do so without moving her hands, presumably because of the way Inquisitor Valda exposed that as a weakness. So Egwene making the fire to block Liandrin is within her potential lcapabilities, and doing so without her hands has at least had some groundwork done. They clearly prioritize and favor Egwene over most of the other characters not played by an actress with a producer credit, so you will occasionally get these bits of coherence and continuity with her. However, in the books, at least, there is absolutely no way Egwene's outburst happens without some severe punishment. Even shouting back at Liandrin is a serious transgression for a novice. Recall that in the book, Elayne was sent for punishment for simply neglecting the proper form of address to an Aes Sedai she had known all her life, and believed their relationship was sufficiently close and familiar to omit her title. Even a hint of using the Power as a weapon would be punished extremely harshly. Egwene and Nynaeve might get away with some things because of their strength and promise, where a weaker student might get expelled, but if anything, the sisters would take extra pains to be sure of their discipline, for the very reason that their extraordinary abilities make it more imperative that they be taught the proper habits of using that strength, or that they been broken to the Tower's mindset, depending on your perspective of the Aes Sedai. This is a continuation of the problem with Nynaeve escaping Alanna's class on a technicality and Elayne defying Sheriam and withholding the name of the person who allowed her the luxuries and amenities forbidden other novices. They are consistently portraying the Tower as ineffective in their discipline and training methods. The Tower is very strict with their students, working them hard and punishing them severely and for minor offenses, to both instill in them the discipline and work ethnic needed to master the One Power and use it responsibly, and to weed out those weak in resolve or character. A critic of the Tower would say that the discipline and punishments are intended to break the students' will and individuality, and school them to devoted loyalty to the White Tower, above every other consideration. If you think about it, that's really what the Accepted test is actually testing: that nothing you face, not people in danger, or supervillains on the loose, or a happy life with a family and loved one, is more important to you than obeying the Tower's command to return. You have to be willing to ignore problems that you could solve, and discard cherished dreams and put friends and family second to the Tower. And Nynaeve actually did fail this test. She loves Lan and the ideal of a family and a home together, in a world where the damage of the Shadow has been rolled back to a degree. Nynaeve shows the reader (and only the reader, not her teachers, fortunately) that she values family and love and the victory over the Dark One more than the White Tower. It's the realization that there is something else at play that makes her break the parameters of the test and force her way out. But the Tower forbids discussion of the contents of the test, presumably to avoid having to examine its actual value or fairness as a test, and in Nynaeve's case, it bites them on the ass, because she slips through the cracks, even though they don't realize that she did not demonstrate the qualities they demand of their Accepted and Aes Sedai. In the books, the characters get a good deal of mileage out of taking advantage of the Aes Sedai's blindspots and assumptions of their own supremacy or that they know all the possibilities. Look at, for instance, Mat taking the dagger from Shadar Logoth. Moriaine asked him if Mordeth gave them anything or touched them, and Mat decided that technically, that didn't apply to his case, as he picked it up himself, instead of being given it, so he tells her no. Robert Jordan was clever enough to think up a formidable institution with intelligent and powerful members carrying out its will, AND to come up with plausible ways the protagonists could evade their control. JK Rowling is slightly less clever, and needs to give her protagonists devices of story-breaking power (Time Turner, Marauder's Map, Invisibility Cloak) in order to get around the power and authority of the Hogwarts faculty. Rafe Judkins and company are not even that clever, and so make the Aes Sedai of their show into strawman authorities their students can defy with impunity as the plot demands.

[@davidrobertson5996]

Great review. So glad I'm not watching the show any more, so thank you for suffering through it on our behalf. What makes me laugh each episode is when you keep trying to work out how the show writers will try and backfill things to make sense of inconsistencies. You know that they won't 🙂 Also, you summed up the entire episode with one very British word: Bollocks. That, printed on an A4 sheet of paper, would have been really to the point, but made for a disappointingly short review! Keep up the great work. Thoroughly enjoying these reviews, far more than the show!

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Haha. Thank you. I can't remember if I said it in the review, but the reason I said Bollocks is because that is what Rand said to Liandrin when she told him he could leave the cell. It was weird.

[@Seomus]

Logain laughed because when he saw Rand on the palace wall in Caemlyn, he saw a Ta'veren that shown so bright that Logain realized this is the person that's the real threat to the world and no one knows it. He thought it was him, but he saw what a fool he was. Logain has a talent to see Ta'veren. Men can't recognize a man who can channel if he's not channeling. They're not like women who can sense a woman who isn't even channeling.

[@rodneytrotter3725]

Logain and also Siuan have the ability to see ta'veren glowing.

[@Seomus]

@@rodneytrotter3725 Yep.

[@theashrook6129]

It cannot be stated enough how much we enjoy these WoT videos. 😂❤

[@thehoogard]

Nynavae's father being completely incompetent and needed to be rescued by herself and her mother is just another example of the fact that no male in this show is allowed to be competent, at anything. Unless they are evil. Each example on its own isn't that telling, but together they pain a ludacrous picture.

[@hooligan9794]

It was pretty obvious from the first episode or two what we were in for. The attack on Eamon's field by the trollocs was hilarious. No men fighting back at all, just all the women. Grandma with a rake is more than a match for those trollocs. 😂

[@jamesalexander958]

@@hooligan9794 That's historical. Kingdoms often sent out the fodder, the large burly warrior men out to fight, but the real power always lies in the last line of defense, the old lady with a rake or rolling pin

[@hooligan9794]

@@jamesalexander958 Haha, Grandma and her rolling pin, the super-weapon of last resort! 🤣

[@bearzerger]

They are about as subtle as a jackhammer with their messaging. It's what happens when you smell your own farts for so long you end up living in a completely different reality.

[@Mjolnir007]

lol, they actually made Lan the female in their relationship 😂

[@TheNightrider88]

I guess, scenes of Nynaeve and Lan in restored Malkier were replaced with bucolic life in the middle of nowhere due to budgetary constraints.

[@Trintron46]

Thank you for doing all this work for us! I know its just a video but your analysis is always spot on and your videos are amazing and such a joy to watch. Fudge amazon for not letting you monetize this.

[@ronnex5956]

Not necessarily, Remember that the World was broken by men and women. Latra Poasae Decume with her refusal to let any female channelers to help Lews Theron Telamon in sealing the bore with Saidar and Saidin. She chose to let people die rather admit that there may be another solution to the Dark ones prison, rather than her plan which was to buy time for another plan. The Dragon got forced to rely on the 100 companions (111) men who could channel to seal the bore, which resulted in the counter stroke to saidin. Make what you may with hundred companions being triple pips, and Saidar is more violent torrent than Saidar

[@Perry_Wolf]

@@ronnex5956 I think you commented on the wrong comment. Your comment has nothing to do with @trixie464's!

[@iain349]

honey wake up! the sword and the pen just dropped the ep 3 reflections!!!

[@Goldilockszone123]

Your comment about the quality of acting in this show is so true. The acting is great especially considering the lines of dialogue they have to deliver and make believable. How Moiraine manages to deliver those lines to Lan while strolling on the beach, wait for it, no wait for it, yes she actually said this with a straight face, is incredible. So now all of the Lan Moiraine struggle doesn’t matter? It would be very discouraging to be actors on this show where the wheel is becoming a square resulting in a jarring thud not a free flowing experience. In my mind now this is why Barney Harris left, he could read the writing on the wall.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Or maybe... he could read the writing on the scripts? 😋 Okay. I just made a lame joke of the dad joke caliber, but I think you get it.

[@Nyet-Zdyes]

More than once, I've wondered if their butchery of his character was the reason he left.

[@Goldilockszone123]

@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS I love dad jokes, so yes thank you.

[@darkstar7999]

@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS As a dad - I applaud you!

[@Salpout]

Nynaeve's First Accepted Test does make sense in the books. One of the things Nynaeve needs to overcome is her pride. She was Wisdom of her village at a young age, used to commanding people, used to having power. On top of that, she's told she's possibly the strongest Aes Sedai in a thousand years. However, at the Eye of the World, the 2 Forsaken, Balthamel and Aginor, overpower her easily. While Balthamel is holding her with the power like a rag doll, Aginor looks at her, licks his lips and makes a comment about having "forgotten the pleasures of the flesh.” Obviously, this incident stays with Nynaeve and she feels humiliated both because of her relative weakness and because of Aginor's behavior. When she goes through the first arch, she is presented with a situation in which Aginor is coming after her - he is both powerful and lustful. At first she runs away but then decides to face him head on and actually starts overpowering him. It is at this point that the archway appears. So if she chooses to come back, she is giving up the chance to get her revenge on one of the Forsaken who she feels humiliated her.

[@jmalonemyth]

That editing process..... We've already told you we are more than happy to watch the 9 hour uncut edit....Bloopers and all. You've taken so long, I need to go back and rewatch the first three episodes so I can build my outrage to a proper level for episode 4.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Gah! You must have missed my message where I told folks that I'm prioritizing Avatar until after the show comes out. I haven't given up. But I do have S2E4 already filmed. It's also about 1/5 through editing. I know. I could just talk and upload. But I am still stuck on thinking I need the clips. Lol.

[@GMarieWrites]

@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS when is the Avatar show coming out? I’m not watching those videos because the show isn’t my cuppa (don’t care for animated stuff) so I don’t know. I keep checking if I’ve missed another WoT video. I’d be happy with fewer clips.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

@GMarieWrites Avatar comes out on the 22nd. Once it does, and I've ridden the wave a bit, I'll be back on track with WoT. I already recorded and started editing S2E4. Just taking a break. I swear.

[@Gunleaver]

Using the Horn to get rid of the poor people is extremely stupid and unrealistic. First of all, the whole point is that the crown is providing them with bread and circuses. What's their incentive to go off on a quest with no means of support? The crown would have to fund and equip them. Most of the Hunters for the Horn we meet in the books are nobles, or have comparable financial resources, because those are the only people who can afford to go on a months-long expedition without earning money along the way. That's why the Crusades were mostly undertaken by people like that IRL, and the poor people portion of the First Crusade didn't work out so well. Funding all these impoverished Hunters would be far more expensive to the royal treasury than simply handing out bread and subsidizing a few street performers. Not to mention, Anvaere cites the fear of revolution as a motive for the Queen to buy the people off. Equipping someone for a quest involves armaments, and who provides weapons to people they fear taking up arms against them? Secondly, in a pre-industrial, labor-intensive agrarian economy, they did not do things like this. Nobles had agreements with the farmers on their lands how much labor they were entitled to, and how much they were allowed to take in rent or produce from the people. The nobles, in turn, had agreements with their overlords or monarchs how much they had to pay in taxes or other duties. These were fixed agreements, and did not change with the rise and fall of costs and prices. When the Black Death depopulated Europe, there was suddenly a huge shortage of labor, and the kings began passing laws forbidding "vagrancy" and leaving your lord's estate, because they were in danger of losing workers, and thus, losing income, and they could not raise the rent to reflect expenses. In a situation like the one described in Cairhien, the absolute priority of the crown and the aristocracy would be to find a way to get all the refugees in the Foregate back on the farms, and producing crops and thus, rent and income for the nobles, and revenue for the national treasury. The LAST thing a queen of Cairhien would want, as a practical matter, forget about the morality, is to winnow the ranks of the able-bodied, healthy young adults who would be the mostly likely to go on the Hunt for the Horn, and also the most in demand on the farms and in the workplace! That the king in the books is content with things as they are is further indicative that the situation in Cairhien is just not right. Bear in mind, they no longer have all the revenue from the overland silk trade that came from the Aiel giving them permission to cross their lands - in the books, King Galldrian reneges on his payment to the Ogier masons who are rebuilding parts of the city that were destroyed in the Aiel War, suggesting that he is starting to feel the financial pinch. So it's not surprising that riots and a civil war break out in this book, and by the next one, the country is wracked with famine and the neighboring country is swamped with refugees, and prices are skyrocketing. Jordan's world-building is actually very tight. The expense of raising and maintaining an army is a thing that characters have to deal with, even when they are in positions of power, or are royalty (granted, Jordan usually finds some sort of shortcut, like a financial windfall to facilitate the armies, because he's not telling a story about accounting, but he makes sure to at least pay lip service to such details).

[@TheNightrider88]

Actual purpose of Acceptance test is to test the loyality to the Tower. Notice that "facing the fear" is not actually the point, point is to divert yourself from something you think you should (or wanting to) do.

[@bidossessi]

This right here. The test is about wanting to be an Aes Sedai more than anything else, including having a family...

[@fisherkeltath]

Yay, I'm glad the video made it past the copyright red tape (to some degree at least)!

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Yeah. Hopefully Amazon doesn't decide to delete it.

[@Kelticfury]

I certainly don't miss the three page descriptions of Egwene's new dress.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Haha. I haven't reached that point yet.

[@Lloyds0765]

The add-in of the screaming critter at Lan's reveal made me lose it. THIS is why I enjoy your channel! We need multi-thumb up options on KZbin.

[@GingerBeardedGeek]

I'm just about to head but what a treat this is to look forward to on a cold day in Northern England. Your hilarious grumpyness will warm my frozen soul 😅 Thanks for fighting "the man" and doing what you do ❤️

[@Super_Ammo]

Signs is under rated. Glad you didn't give up!

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Signs is a great movie. 👍🏻 I really enjoy it.

[@EmberAwoken]

I’m not sure if it’s been addressed already but Egwene shouldn’t have difficulty using the One Power. The person with the block and inability to use it is Nynaeve. We’ve not really seen Egwene use the power, but she certainly can. The first episode - I think - showed her wanting to learn without her hands which was simply harder; not that she couldn’t use the power. Edit: also, isn’t the Cairhien lady who speaks to Rand Moraine’s sister?

[@EmberAwoken]

For more explanation to help the understanding: When you learn a weave, that’s pretty much how you’ll always have to do the weave going forward. The hand movements become part of the weave itself. So, she’s trying to avoid that weakness by learning to do weaves without hands; that’s something less common now but we see the Forsaken do a lot without much movement. It’s even stated in the series that some older sisters can tell who taught which Accepted by their hand movements.

[@cybersekkin]

Great review! Very detailed and shows you have quite an editors eye.

[@antoinewood2478]

Ishy's plan with the Seanchan in the books is arguably the most ambitious, insidiously long term plan in the entire series. One could argue inworld logic the the entire reason the wheel needed 1 of the 3 Ta'veren was to deal with this. And in the show... Seen no evidence of a plan they just like having the really good actor say menacing things. Which is a shame, I really like the change of instead of making Ishy insane he's the same philospher he was in Age of Legends if they just let him actually have the ideas to back that.

[@madmartigan8119]

Semirhage was Seanchan

[@antoinewood2478]

@@madmartigan8119 more long term than that, a thousand years or so. The Seanchan as a people only exist because of Ishamael, going as Jalwin Moerad, highest counselor to High King, Artur Hawking. the one who instilled hatred of Aes Sedai into the king, had him wage war on Tar Valon and had him send 300,000 people across the ocean, the Seanchan, who would eventually return as ordained on the eve of the last battle to cause chaos and discord.

[@madmartigan8119]

@@antoinewood2478 yeah indirectly but he didn't play a role in sending troops over to explore and he did not create the idea of THE RETURN. Semirhage orchestrated the actions of the Seanchen once she was freed and tried with Toun and then did what she eventually did. The collars were created by someone who wasn't forsaken and most of the customs were naturally evolved. The creatures were brought to the land after the breaking so they were already established. Semirhage took advantage of Seanchen culture more by luck than anyone's planning

[@antoinewood2478]

@@madmartigan8119 I read what happened a little bit differently, but agreed a lot of these actions are indirect. A lot of what Ishamael did in his short boughts of freedom over the years was indirect. He set things in motion. Generally he saught to weaken nations, weaken the white tower, and sew chaos. But with the Seanchan he did something else, he set the creation of a dominant military force into motion. But then the shadow corrupted their prophecies of the dragon in such a way that put them in direct conflict the dragon.

[@jeremyvanneman8112]

Once again, a wonderful review! I know the frustrations you dealt with between the copyright reviews and having to actually think about these episodes multiple times over... And being told some comments were nitpicky, when they really do paint a perfect picture of incompetence in most parts of the leadership for the show. I also appreciate how you pointed out the vfx was bad not because it didn't look good, but because it failed to tell the story in a way that made sense. Vfx is always a storytelling element, and I couldn't agree more that the still you showed seemed to barely reflect the story they were trying to tell. Also, the way you really delved into the dialogue (unlike other reviewers I've watched) really highlights how many massive plot holes there are that directly contradict other parts of the show.

[@544001]

These are the most balanced reviews of season 2, thanks for doing these

[@techsoul5590]

Another excellent break-down, in both senses of the word(s).

[@Gunleaver]

Regarding the suspect nature of the Accepted Test, the Aes Sedai are supposed to be somewhat incompetent wrt channeling & their internal methods in the books. Robert Jordan said in an interview that channelers make up about 3% of the population normally, but in the lands of the map in each book, it's down to 1%, thanks to the Aes Sedai. The thing he specifically noted was the efficiency of the Tower at gentling the male channelers (and subsequently removing them from society, by keeping them locked up in the Tower until they die), but the fact that Aes Sedai cut themselves off from humanity is part of it, and their pass or die testing methods, which have no bearing on the skills their students are taught, can't help. Obviously a major part of the arc of the White Tower-affiliated protagonists is to challenge and reform these practices, which have ossified in the three thousand+ years of the Tower's existence.

[@kaludgo5811]

yessss. I was looking forward to watching this video. Amazon is really a pain in the bottom honestly.

[@TheGraemi]

I am not surprised about Amazon, bot more that some of the book readers think it a good adaption. It's an ok series with some good moments but not a good adaption.

[@richardmonk5522]

I think they're trying to convince themselves.

[@jorgen6133]

You hit the nail in the head with the magic system. You were thinking in the books when talking about weaves, in the show anything can happen, they just need to channel and what needs to happen for the scene it happens, and that's it. To heal, you need to learn the specific weave for it, in the books (not in the show, Nynaeve just channels and that's it). Egwene just decides to channel and as you said a complicated wall that move around a person and is built around the shape of the door appears and that's it. As soon as you learn to channel, the world is yours in the show, you can do whatever, which cheap out the magic system created in the books.

[@Nyet-Zdyes]

Let's not forget Egg-wayne's magical tears from S1E8...

[@Gunleaver]

Regarding the rules of the Horn in the books, Thom (a gleeman) was surprised when Rand tells him that the Heroes will serve whomever blows the Horn, and will fight for the Shadow if a Darkfriend sounds it. That they will fight for the Light is the general assumption by the populace, and anyway, that IS the agenda behind the Hunt, to find the Horn so that they WILL fight for the Light. On the other hand, Moiraine sends the Dragon Banner after Rand, saying that his life could depend on having it, which is why he never gets rid of it, and even makes an extra effort to save it from the fire when his inn burns down. And then when the Horn is sounded, Hawkwing asks for the banner, saying they have to follow it. So it could be that the Heroes fighting for the Shadow is just horseshit, or maybe they will fight for the Dragon even if he turns to the Shadow, regardless of what team the person who blows the Horn is playing for. It is a major thematic point in the book series that many of the authorities, and many of the standard assumptions of the general populace are incorrect. Hell, people are always reciting the catechism "The Dark One and all of the Forsaken are bound in Shayol Ghul, bound by the Creator at the moment of Creation" when in fact, the Forsaken were ordinary men and women who were born, grew up, became Aes Sedai and then went over to the Shadow. They were NOT bound at the moment of Creation, by the Creator, but at the end of the War of the Shadow, by Lews Therin and the Hundred Companions. Also, Selene is not in any way (in the books, at least) supposed to be a reliable source of information, and most of what she says is in an effort to sway Rand to a particular perspective. So the gleeman's announcement about the Horn isn't necessarily counter to the book lore, and could be accurate or inaccurate, and intended to reflect the general beliefs. The problem with the show is that they have destroyed any basis on which we can guess one way or another, given their horrible track record of errors and inconsistencies.

[@galetempus1979]

I don't think it works all that great for the show as the books. Most of the information we get get about the lore comes from forsaken who are outright lying to a comical degree. It's kinda hard to tell what's been changed and what's the same sometimes

[@wotfanedit]

It's been a long wait for this episode, but glad to see you posted! Settling in for a good watch.

[@magister343]

Moving one's hands while channeling is entirely unnecessary, but the Aes Sedai at the White Tower use hand motions as teaching aids. Channelers who learn a weave while moving their hands tend to develop a psychological block making them unable to produce those specific weaves without the hand motions. Using hands for one weave does not, however, make you dependent on using your hands for other kinds of weaves. It is probably a good idea to refrain from using one's hands while performing any weaves that one might need to use in an emergency or combat situation, but the weave to open that terangreal is not likely something she expect to produce again while restrained.

[@jeremyn8562]

Regarding the Arches...yes. Youre touching on something that is clearly defined later about the Aes Sedai -for all their pomp and circumstance they arent as in control or as knowledgeable as they let on

[@DanWheeler9000]

S1E1 Moiraune said that Nyneave was brought to the 2 rivers as a baby. So the 1st vision doesnt work. In the 3rd vision the arch appeared a second time because Nyneave is super special😂. They could have used the young actress in the 1st vision.

[@dematar]

This episode might as well have been named Nynaeve's Fake Out Death, part 3. As others have already mentioned, her first trip through the arch tested her pride. The second test had all the same elements from the book, just laid out in different fashion. (Side note - Really starting to think the writers, the showrunner, or both, despise the entire Cauthon family, as Mat's mother is portrayed as the uncaring wisdom during this test). Her third test, all I can say is the f**k. I understand that it is a very loose adaptation of what occurred in the book, with one very notable exception. As I've always viewed it, the Aes Sedai who are channeling into the ter'angreal arches create a link between the real world and the world of the arches. In the book, even though the arch momentarily disappears, Nynaeve is able to force it to reappear because the Aes Sedai in the real world are maintaining the connection. Not only are they maintaining the connection, but Nynaeve is actively trying to bring the arch back. The show has none of that. Yes, Egwene is in the real world channeling at random into the arch, which should have definitely broken any connection between Nynaeve's dream world and the real world, but having the arch randomly reappear after Nynaeve releases an omni-directional attack with the power makes no sense in the slightest. Rand's attendance at the noble's party was easily the part of this episode that annoyed me the most, purely from a book reader perspective. The book spends a significant amount of time building up the idea that the Cairhienian nobles believe Rand is some sort of foreign noble. We get none of that in the show. In the book, Nynaeve has a throw away line about how it would be better to learn the sword than how to channel and the writers/showrunner give her a multiple minute training montage, but we can't have the subplot of Rand being mistaken for a foreign noble, which takes up a significant portion of the book. And this all ties back to your butterfly concept. Because the writers/showrunner have made so many significant changes from the source material, they are force to improvise sections of the story. Yes they'll throw easter eggs in for the book readers, but they really have no impact on the overall story. (As a side note, in the book, Rand and the others including Verin, attend a party held by Barthanes Damodred, because Hurin had tracked Fain to his manor)

[@wardog77]

It is a lot harder to spot bad acting underneath all the bad writing and directing. These actors and actresses might be really good at their jobs but we may never get to know that. Man, this would be such a great show if there was just a better script... out there... somewhere... P.S. Love seeing the old paperback copies of the books. Treat them well because if they are anything like the first addition the cover is going to give way very, very quickly. P.S.S. Keep going, love your work.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

I feel so bad for the actors. This was supposed to be their big break. Hopefully they find other great roles.

[@Perry_Wolf]

@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS 💯

[@techsoul5590]

@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS It's sad, it totally could have been their big break. Even if the show had looked a little shabby and didn't really nail the book story too well, if it had shown an effort at trying to do so it would have still had an upper tier cult following.

[@storminmormon]

“What is this broad up to” I lost it 🤣😂 It’s crazy that ishamael tell Perrin that if he’s more wolf then he’s more his, in a way like he wants him to do it. As that was a thing the white cloaks thought but in reality if he’s more wolf he’s more against the dark one. The wolves are 100% creatures of the light in the books.

[@theprips]

Someone may have already mentioned this, but the whole thing with using hands when channeling… Later in the book series it’s explained that using your hands is not part of channeling - or at least, it shouldn’t have to be - but that pretty much every Aes Sedai does it because that’s how the people who taught them to channel used to do it. It’s almost habitual, and they struggle to weave properly without the gestures. There’s even a comment about how it’s possible to tell who trained an Aes Sedai just by the way she moves her hands - it’s like an accent. I get the sense that the show was attempting to convey in the first episode that Egwene could have cleaned the water without using her hands reasonably efficiently, so she WAS able to channel, but trying to do it without hands, as she’d been shown, was what caused her to struggle. She says something like ‘I didn’t come here to learn what’s easy’, essentially. It wasn’t well explained in the show though - much like pretty much everything else.

[@theprips]

And I note that, yes, this has been covered fairly extensively 😂

[@PhilipePXF]

About the ter'angreal: it depends. There are some that only require the channeling of one or more strands of the Power, no special weave required. Others require a specific weave to be activated. And some are usable by anyone, channeler or not. There are also some that are gender specific, like the a'dam (the seanchan collar), only women can use and be used on

[@patrickhill8494]

Also, the thing with channeling with hands, specific motions with arms, etc: It isn't exactly a crutch. It's basically a learned part of the weave if you learn to create a weave that way, and then it's very difficult to learn a different way of creating that same weave without the associated motion and the weave will never (as far as I can remember) be produced as well as the original way the weave was learned. So using hands/motions isn't really a crutch, it's a propagated habbit which CAN be a handicap depending on what the additional motion is. I actually don't remember a single time in the books where it's referred to as a "crutch."

[@Gunleaver]

For the record, in the books, there is a glow around a female channeler that is visible to other female channelers, but only when she is actively holding the Power (visible, I mean - it is visible to any female channeler, whether or not she is holding it, but only if the woman she sees is actually holding the Power). Men do not see anything about other men, unless the man is actively channeling, and then they only feel the Power and how much he is holding, and see the weaves if he starts channeling. Logain would absolutely not have sensed the ability from that far away from Rand, especially if he was not actually holding the One Power. The description in the books suggests Rand was even farther away, making it even less likely that Logain sensed the ability in him. Another thing to remember, because the writers don't, is that those senses go out the window once you are gentled. Once Logain is gentled, he can't sense anything about any male channeler, nor can any male channeler tell with him. On more than one occasion in the books, female channelers interact with stilled women without having a clue that they were once channelers. Logain was already gentled on the show went he saw Rand, so he should not have sensed anything. The reason why Logain suddenly laughs as he passed by Rand in the books is explained much later and has nothing to do with their being male channelers, or at least, it is not necessarily dependent on Logain's channneling ability, which I thought was going to be the reason given on the show. There are other preternatural sensory abilities (Min, Hurin, others) that don't require the Power and at least one of them occurs in channelers as well as normal people, and it could have been that Logain had some similar power. But, as always, giving the writers the benefit of the doubt never pays off.

[@leonielson7138]

Nynaeve's visions in the book: 1. Having overpowered Aginor, she had to give up her vengeance to go through the arch. (past) 2. After promising to help, she had to abandon her previous life to go through the arch. (present) 3. In a force of will, she abandons her happily-ever-after to reopen the arch so she can go through. (future)

[@SchulzEricT]

Every once in a while, I'll pop up in the comments section of your videos to say that this show is terrible because it's not a show, it's a means by which somebody high up is embezzling just SHIT-TONS of money. 35:36 More evidence of my argument. WHERE'S ALL THE MONEY GOING?

[@techsoul5590]

Either that or inflation is just THAT bad lol

[@bidossessi]

Thank you for a thorough job, as usual! I don't understand _why_ the women were being singled out by the Damane, unless we're to understand that all those women were channeling recently... 54:00 while this scene for me was the perfect example of everything wrong with the show, I think you confused Egwene and Nyneave here. Egwene does not have a block 😅. However, There's no reason for Egwene to confront Liandrin. She spouts absurd accusations, with no basis in the show - the two have never even shared a scene before so where does the animosity come from?! And then Egwene, a novice, channels (throws a knife) at a full sister! WHY?! Even the dialogue between them is contradicted later in the show... And then I understood: it's to show off that she didn't use her hands! 😮 That was it.

[@alexparadi522]

Yep - Egwene is able to channel without a block. And she makes a point of trying to channel without her hands (the show made it clear that it's not *required* to use your hands, but most use it as a bit of a crutch - which is why cutting off the hands of the AS in the first season allowed the Whitecloaks to hold them prisoner. I don't recall anyone saying that if you use your hands *once* that you're forever doomed to do so. I would guess that it would be weave-specific if anything (I can do THESE ones without hands, but not THOSE). I also don't recall Egwene really ever NOT being able to channel - unless you are referring to her doing it without hands in Ep1? But I think that was just showing her practicing and learning.

[@ShogunJH]

Ok, the Man from Snowy River soundtrack in the Lan of My Nightmares section was perfection. Just got caught up on your series on the Wheel of Time and am quite enjoying your journey of enjoying the books and being disappointed by the show.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

I got copyright blocks for using that soundtrack, which is why it sounds so distorted. That's what I had to do to it to get it past the copyright gods. 😋 I'm so happy someone noticed it, though. I was determined to get it in there.

[@jeremyvanneman8112]

1:14:15 Rand throws all of the invitations in the fire without reading them until he gets two at the same time - King Galldrian himself and Lord Barthanes. At that point he has to decide because everyone always thought he was effectively saying everyone was beneath him. With this, he can't say he's above the king without causing a storm. But that's when it's revealed Rand needs an invite to Barthanes mansion to get the Horn/dagger back from Fain because he's a darkfriend, and we learn there's a Waygate there. That's also when Loial, Perrin, Verin, et al show up. So... Triple ta'veren at work while playing off their desire to not be a big part of the pattern resulting in them getting pulled even deeper in. And it furthers the plot in a really intriguing way. But here in the show it's a throw away line that means effectively nothing in a scene that's pointless, with a plot that makes no sense, which resulted in a disappointing drop of the whole thing.

[@marcdunlap7414]

Thank you thank you thank you!

[@undbiter65]

You voice my thoughts better than i can. Thank you

[@galetempus1979]

Rand's mere presence in a city causing an entire country to implode was always one of my favorite moments from the books. Didn't have any hope they'd do it justice and I was right.

[@matt9904]

58:00 Using the hands when learning a weave makes it harder to do that specific weave in the future without the hand movements.

[@TristanBailey]

The amount of frustration energy you have would double many season episodes. Hope you get hired more for your skills

[@xYalahx]

Starting around 33:10 perfectly illustrates just how disappointing the "adaptation" from the books is. The point you make about Nynaeve is fantastic and absolutely correct in regards to her personality. Nynaeve has such a strong will that she can force the world around her to conform to how she does things or, to some extent, what she wants. Her strength and power come from her willpower and her determination to see it so. Instead of showing Nynaeve as she is in the books, the show runners put a sword in her hands and have her fight against two Warders at once. That's what they think a, "strong female character," looks like. You always make great points, except when you don't and I get to think, "hahaha just keep reading," but your points on Nynaeve and the arches is so spot on.

[@ThumbMerrilin]

Thanks for the latest installment. I have an idea how difficult these are to make, especially with all the unfair copyright hurdles that are intentionally put up to try and discourage content creators such as yourself from giving honest and critical reviews. Please keep trying, these reviews are very worthwhile for all the WoT fans disappointed in the show.

[@xombozo]

In the book, my understanding of what Nynavae is leaving behind in the first arch is that she gets the upper hand on the forsaken who terrified her in the confrontation at the Eye of the World. So she has the chance to exact justice on him, to overcome her fear, and to be powerful. Essentially, it appeals to her sense of pride, one of her greatest flaws. Could definitely have been better setup and explained though.

[@Nyet-Zdyes]

It's more than that. It's the reason that she MUST become Aes Sedai... no matter the cost to her... and almost certainly the thing that really gives her the strength and motivation to pass the next two tests. In a very real way, it does the same thing TO her, that the Prophecies of the Dragon do to Rand... "Do this, MAKE this sacrifice... or else the whole world will suffer." Until this, she has wanted to become an Aes Sedai, grudgingly, to learn to heal, which we can call a "noble path"... but this is when she chooses the HERO's journey. This is when she learns that... "Duty is heavier than a mountain... Death is lighter than a feather."

[@j2a45]

Thank you for your reviews! These videos are a learning experience. Most reviewers focused on the excellent emoting of the actress through the Accepted test experience - but I think you're the first reviewer to actually notice and point out that she really didn't sacrifice anything (in tests 2 & 3) for loyalty to the Tower, which is the point of the test.

[@charlestruppi7793]

It’s why the ratings are so low. The only people who actually like it are 99.9% emotion and completely turn off their brain when they watch tv.

[@Nyet-Zdyes]

Not the first, but certainly one of very few. IIRC, Bookborn noticed it, too.

[@mattsteinberg2083]

Yay a video to watch while I work today!

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

It's a grumpy video.

[@cobba42]

@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS The best kind.

[@Azdaja13]

4:32 Or they could have had a shot revolving around Nynaeve where she starts to take off her chemise (maybe one of the Aes Sedai orders it) but then the view is blocked by some of the other actresses and pillars, and then when you cut back to Nynaeve, it's only her head and shoulders or they use a body double for wide shots of her entering like you said. Also, on the topic of Nynaeve's first Accepted trial in the books, she doesn't escape from Aginor but starts to overpower him, which fuels her anger and lust for revenge against him so she ends up chasing him down through the maze with the intent to destroy him which is when the arch appears and she has to sacrifice the opportunity to destroy Aginor (who is running away from her and cowering) to be an Aes Sedai. Basically having to sacrifice revenge. The book version is more an exploration of Nynaeve's anger, which is an important part of her character that the show just lacks, as well as showing how badly her experiences at the end of The Eye of the World affected her. More Ladyhawke music. :D

[@charlestruppi7793]

Bingo

[@Nyet-Zdyes]

This is when she has to sacrifice what SHE wants, in order to play her part in The Last Battle... when she truly learns that it's not all about her and her desires or goals.

[@phill6504]

Sorry I'm late with reply, but in the books Nyneave's trials are past, present, and future. The being chased by the forsaken was something she had experienced and feared, with her taking the power and beating him showing she got over her fear of him. The other two were about her sacrificing her present and future for the shawl.

[@sarahjeffersoncarter6333]

I fell to the floor laughing when you played the man from snowy river theme to Lan riding up!!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

It was an inspired choice, for sure.

[@barryallen2240]

I believe the hand motions are only required if they learned that way. How they learn it is how they have to continue to do it as it gets basically burned into their mind, in the books anyway (iirc)

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

I wish the show would explain the magic rules.

[@somedudewatchintv5297]

They aren't permanently stuck though. Like with every other block it can be gotten past.

[@barryallen2240]

@@somedudewatchintv5297 While Technically true that can take years

[@Left4Coragem]

At 4:20, if they allow the actress the make the scene still dressed, maybe because she didn't want to be naked, then I fail to see the point of taking her dress away. Just let her go in dressed and the magic of the portal changes her clothing to whatever scene she finds herself in. It would be a minor nitpicking point, but they decided to do it by half. Weird.

[@Marwolaeth01]

I always think of this thing with using your hands or not using your hands like speaking. You are quite able to speak without gesturing constantly, but still some people do it. It feels natural to gesticulate, but it's not necessary to convey meaning. It depends on your upbringing, and I suppose for channelling everyone expects mystical hand waving to be part of the process and so a lot naturally start off doing so. It probably helps them. In Terry Pratchett's Discworld series Granny would term it Headology. They expect it to be needed to work, and so for them it works better when they use their hands. In the beginning, most of the novices are being taught to firstly grasp saidar and then hold it for longer than a few seconds. Hand waving is probably overlooked by those teaching. For Egwene in the show I think I could understand her wanting to practice not using her hands though as one of her first examples of channelling was when being challenged directly by Eamon Valda. Whilst she's tied in the chair and he threatens Perrin, he basically forces her to channel without using her hands. Now maybe this puts the idea in her head, or makes it easier for her to conceive the notion of not using her hands since she's done it before? Not sure. But I can see how if you've done something one way beforehand which is beneficial, it makes you want to keep doing it that way instead. It would have been better though if Perrin had rescued her and she hadn't been able to channel in that moment, as that would also explain her drive to learn to channel without using her hands, to stop her being helpless in such a situation again. Using her hands on the arches does still make sense to me though if this is the case, as if doing something the hard way isn't working then makes sense trying the "easy" way.

[@DanWheeler9000]

Thank you for battling the Amazon gods for us. Rand only had to battle the Dark one which is a much easier task. This gives you Legendary status good for at least one free drink where ever you are recognized.

[@jmalonemyth]

Remember back before Christmas when you said you were taking a short break but the next episode was almost done.... I remember. :P

[@DmGray]

YAY! Been checking my feed constantly waiting for the next one! Adore you so much, hate that this is causing so many problems >< (... now to actually watch :D)

[@DmGray]

On Nynaeve's test in the books: The three arches give different tests, all based on what the women fear. For Nynaeve: First, the fear of a Forsaken. A literal bogeyman that has terrified people for three thousand years, and she pursues him regardless. Because Nynaeve is a badass ^^ The thing that Nynaeve "abandons" is her vengeance. She WANTS to hunt down this man that made her feel powerless... but she chooses to go through the arch. Second, fear for Emmond's Field. She must choose loyalty to the tower over her old duties. Abandoning HER people to an abusive Wisdom. She fears failing in her self imposed duties SO immensely. Third, fear for her future. She is granted her dearest wish. A life and family with Lan in a restored Malkier (bc even in her own fantasies, she cares about what others need) Her fear here would probably be having to leave that idyllic life. Duty is heavier than the mountain. A test of her commitment to become Aes Sedai. So, the arches use a woman's passions, her insecurities and her fears to test her bravery, loyalty and commitment. In the show, none of these things are tested. First, she simply escapes an unwinnable situation. Then, she leaves a situation she can do nothing to assist with. Finally, she escapes an unwinnable situation after CHOOSING to stay in the dream. A dream that is a GREAT deal more self centred? Now, the EMOTIONAL beat is still captured. But this is all down to Zoe's performance. Not the writing. The only thing that writers did was add shock and spectacle to something that is INTENDED to be FAR more cerebral in the books. It is a test of her character, not her power or skill. The observation that the test isn't REALLY fit for purpose is imo both accurate and intended :P (hoping you've finished TDR but spoiler alert for TDR) * Ironically Egwene's test IS repetitive. She must abandon Rand three times. First facing her past fear of just becoming a normal wife and mother, to a Rand growing more mad through the taint. Second, her fear that Rand will side with the dark one and so destroy the world (a fear half of the population firmly believe) and she must abandon him again. Third, her fear of her future. That she will get all she wants and fail anyway. That the Tower will capture Rand and so doom the world. And she has to abandon him again. I wonder if the show will DARE include her testing, with it so focused on her feelings for Rand and her CHOOSING to let him down repeatedly. Albeit it rightly so for her commitment to her higher purpose)

[@Gealaiche]

Nice use of the theme from LadyHawk in the Lan, Nyneve scene😂 👍

[@kirielbranson4843]

I don't believe the Aes Sedai would let two novices into the arch room to hold vigil. Novices aren't supposed to know about the test until it is their turn.

[@mattmatthewmatchuu]

"it will come but once" " you cannot raise the dead, you are not the creator" besides in rafe world

[@Stevandoren1003]

Great review! This show drives me nuts but your breakdowns make the show worth watching. I feel like they have no clue how to build characters relationships.

[@Gunleaver]

"Island on Top of the World"? You have a really impressive repertoire of old movies for references! My brothers and I found the French airship pilot incredulously shouting "The Artic!" to be the most hilarious thing ever.

[@sanis85]

I did not expect to be greeted by a Gattuso meme :D:D epic

[@Gunleaver]

In the book, Nynaeve was putting aside her need for revenge or to put down an enemy. She has to overcome her instinct to fight. I disagree that the show version of her first arch-test was better, because there was nothing she could do, except fight the gang that had just dispatched two adults, with no known casualties. Book!Nynaeve was offered a choice of "arch or victory", Show!Nynaeve was offered a choice of "arch or death". Of course, this show being what it is, with only the loosest relationship with verisimilitude when it comes to girl-power, it might just be that they believed Nynaeve had a chance to take on the bandits and vanquish them all...

[@TheNightrider88]

Nynaeve' speech after "third arch" actually cannibalized from one of the last books. She said that after her full Aes Sedai test. I guess, this implies that there will be no second test?

[@Ryan66437]

As for the fashions, each nation has it's own distinct styling. The White Tower, because the women are from all over, winds up a massive mix: farmer's wife, queen, French, Asian, Indian, etc.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

For some reason, I always totally unaware that Rand is anywhere terribly far from the White Tower. Oh wait.... I think the reason is because the show hasn't shown where Rand is in relation to everyone else.

[@joshuatempleton9556]

that introduction made me laugh hard as hell and share my sentiment exactly about the show,

[@paul3640]

Been really looking forward to this review

[@wotfanedit]

1:03:19 needed an Arrested Development Gene Parmesan clip 😂

[@Shamrock797]

Yay! So glad you got past the copyright censors.

[@eversor431]

Much better than watching the actual show. Thanks!

[@vksemiramis]

Your editing is very entertaining, but in the last 2 videos, I can clearly see that you are stressed about it. Honestly, you are hilarious even without the short videos/memes. Your thoughts and analysis are amazing and funny. Personally, I would watch a full 3-hour video. :) You will find the perfect balance, but it feels a shame to rush it since you have so many notes! We need more of you!!!

[@mattmatthewmatchuu]

not a functioning cape? its the most dysfunctional show ive ever forced myself to watch/steal only because i love RJ so much

[@PixelatedEpiphany]

Rofl that intro. I love this channel!

[@Nyet-Zdyes]

I haven't even seen the video yet... but I'm glad to see that thumbnail!

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Haha. I hope you enjoy the video.

[@Nyet-Zdyes]

@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS I've seen almost 2/3rds of it so far, and yes, I'm enjoying it. I was glad to see that you got the main point of the arches... that they require sacrifice. Food for thought... Nynaeve's test, and eventually Eggy's... might be made more difficult, by the arches themselves (their inherent magic), for the simple fact that they know the Dragon has been reborn... and The Last Battle is coming. No other novice has ever entered those arches with that knowledge.

[@tay-dor7147]

Love your reviews. They are eminently more enjoyable than watching the actual show. Channelling without hands does get explained in the books. They might explain it in the show when they meet the Aeil channelers. Basically, how you learn a weave is how you have to do it every time. If you learn a specific weave with certain hand motions, you'll have to use those hand motions. Also, the Aes Sedai, who assume they know everything there is to know about chanelling, think everyone HAS to use their hands. They don't learn otherwise until Moiraine travels to the Aiel Waste with Rand.

[@Westlaw1]

I won’t watch the show, but I never miss an episode of the Sword & The Pen Reflections. Hey, is anyone going to tell our host about the Horn, or just wait 8 years for it to be revealed?

[@can_can9119]

So just a quick tidbit about the Horn of Valere, in the books it is initially believed that the summoned heroes will serve the Light. It isn't until later that it's then revealed they'll actually serve whoever blows it be it Light or a servant of the Shadow. But as far as the general masses know it serves the Light according to legend 🙂

[@rodneytrotter3725]

did you read the last book? It is revealed to be the total opposite of what you just said. Artur Hawkwing tells Mat that even if the Horn is blown by the Shadow, the Heroes would NEVER fight for the Shadow. The actual general consensus by everyone that is around in the 3rd age, even the Forsaken is that the Heroes fight for whoever blew the Horn.

[@can_can9119]

@@rodneytrotter3725 why in the actual fuck would you put a last book spoiler under a video where the creator specifically talks about only being in the beginning of the 3rd book? I'm using info gathered from book 2 where it is explicitly said that the belief is the Heroes of the Horn will fight for whoever blows it, do better dude. Stop spoiling

[@davemc2606]

What book did u read?