Wheel of Time, Amazon Prime

[snowblizz]

I've always been sort of unsure how to visualize the ageless look, anyway. It's described as looking more distinctive than just 'youthful', and I suspect if they'd tried to implement it they'd have lots of people complaining that they imagined it differently, or that it has an uncanny valley CGI sort of look, and so on.

Assume it's a bit like plastic surgery and botox.

The Aes Sedai look like Cher. It doesn't look bad, you can't really tell easily how old she is, and the more you dwell on it you think: waaaait, wait wait, she can't be the age I kinda assumed at first glance.

[TheStranger]

Assume it's a bit like plastic surgery and botox.

The Aes Sedai look like Cher. It doesn't look bad, you can't really tell easily how old she is, and the more you dwell on it you think: waaaait, wait wait, she can't be the age I kinda assumed at first glance.

That… kind of changed my whole mental image of Aes Sedai. And not in a bad way.

Also, that would have been a brilliantly subversive way to get the ageless look in the show. Just cast a bunch of actresses who have had too much work done.

[Ashen Lilies]

I hope that come across better in context in the actual show, because none of that is what I got from watching the clip myself. Coming in from the rain explains the hoods just fine, though they did lean into the dramatic reveal there. Having her stay outside in the rain until Lan mentions her does seem silly, though. She could easily have stood in the doorway.

But far more awkward for me is Moiraine walking toward the fire, then turning around as if to address the crowd and just... blankly staring at them in silence for a good 10 seconds. I didn't get a sense that she was annoyed, or pick up that power play (unless you mean letting her see the Aes Sedai ring?). It just came off to me as awkward silence not serving any particular purpose.

The metadata and some other stuff apparently indicates that the clip was edited, likely for time and dramatic punch, so you'll probably get your wish that the clip won't appear exactly as seen in the show.

She's not blankly staring at the crowd though - she's specifically picking out the E5 and taking note of all of them. I actually really like that she manages to find and focus on all of them - Nynaeve and Egwene, because she can detect that they're sparkers, and then the three boys of the particular age that she's searching for. I'm also reading into the shot of Marin and Egwene afterwards that Marin noticed that Moiraine's gaze has lingered on Egwene, and she looks worried and concerned. Marin might have an idea of why an Aes Sedai would have an interest in a young woman of Egwene's age in particular.

The moment with the ring I actually saw as Moiraine being a little circumspect. She's not announcing herself as Aes Sedai immediately or shoving her ring in peoples faces. She comes in, brushes past Nynaeve with a little dismissive glance (boy that's gotta sting), and does a little show with fiddling with her hair to flash her ring at the innkeeper without being totally blatant about it. And then Marin announces her to the whole room. D'oh!

Remember she's been on this hunt for over a decade (or even two in this version?)

Almost two full decades in the books (the boys are 19-20 in EotW, and Moiraine is raised to the shawl and begins her hunt within months to less than a year after they're born, starting in the Borderlands), around 25 years in the series assuming no major alterations to the events of New Spring.

[Velaryon]

I rewatched the scene to see if I can see what others are seeing. I had failed to note how she picks out all the main characters from the crowd... mostly because I'm still getting used to all of them (other than Rand, none of them resemble my mental images of the characters even a little bit). I do not see any signs of a smirk, though. That still looks like a blank stare to me.

I really hope she's going to be more expressive than that for the rest of the show. I know Aes Sedai are all about composure and acting like they're in control of the situation, but if she just makes the same two faces all the time like Cersei on Game of Thrones it's going to get old fast.

[Psyren]

I rewatched the scene to see if I can see what others are seeing. I had failed to note how she picks out all the main characters from the crowd... mostly because I'm still getting used to all of them (other than Rand, none of them resemble my mental images of the characters even a little bit). I do not see any signs of a smirk, though. That still looks like a blank stare to me.

I really hope she's going to be more expressive than that for the rest of the show. I know Aes Sedai are all about composure and acting like they're in control of the situation, but if she just makes the same two faces all the time like Cersei on Game of Thrones it's going to get old fast.

I'm sorry that Lena Headey did not live up to your lofty acting standards

[Ashen Lilies]

The NYCC panel appears to have made it to youtube in various places. Here's one:

[Sapphire Guard]

There's no need to flash the ring just to get a room for the night. Just pay the innkeeper. If that's being circumspect she's not very good at it.

I actually don't like her picking out the main cast. No reason to know them on sight.

As for turning away from the fire, on the surface that's just drying her clothes.

[Psyren]

There's no need to flash the ring just to get a room for the night. Just pay the innkeeper. If that's being circumspect she's not very good at it.

I actually don't like her picking out the main cast. No reason to know them on sight.

As for turning away from the fire, on the surface that's just drying her clothes.

1) Circumspect? I think this is the only inn in the series where she and Lan use their real names!

2) Two of the main cast have the spark, and the other three are boys of exactly the age she's looking for - her singling them out right away makes perfect sense.

[Rynjin]

1) Circumspect? I think this is the only inn in the series where she and Lan use their real names!

2) Two of the main cast have the spark, and the other three are boys of exactly the age she's looking for - her singling them out right away makes perfect sense.

Can't she also immediately see the swirls of the Pattern and that at least one of them is ta'veren? As I recall the only bit she wasn't 100% sure on was WHICH ONE is ta'veren, and is surprised when it's all 3.

[Psyren]

Can't she also immediately see the swirls of the Pattern and that at least one of them is ta'veren? As I recall the only bit she wasn't 100% sure on was WHICH ONE is ta'veren, and is surprised when it's all 3.

She can't see ta'veren, that's Siuan's talent she had to deduce it from the general wacky probability surrounding the three, Mat spouting Old Tongue etc

[Psyren]

Logain got a new teaser, which gives us more of an idea of how they plan to visualize Saidin:

[Traab]

Making it black is a good start. The whole point is that its this tainted foul power thats like trying to drink water from sewage. If you are careful you can get a drink without too much poison in it, but its always going to be bad and it builds up over time. And its TRYING to drown you. Hence the big difference between surrendering to the power and forcing it to submit to you. I wonder if the effects will work on making it look barely controlled as well?

[Psyren]

What was also interesting in that teaser was that it wasn't Rand staring at him, but Mat. As far as I know, those two didn't interact at all, certainly not this early on.

[Rodin]

Making it black is a good start. The whole point is that its this tainted foul power thats like trying to drink water from sewage. If you are careful you can get a drink without too much poison in it, but its always going to be bad and it builds up over time. And its TRYING to drown you. Hence the big difference between surrendering to the power and forcing it to submit to you. I wonder if the effects will work on making it look barely controlled as well?

The funny thing is that Saidin trying to drown you is a feature, not a bug. The analogy Jordan uses is like trying to drink water through an oil slick. There's pure water underneath, but there's no way to drink it without first drinking the poison on top. Saidin tries to kill you whether the taint is there or not - the taint just makes you go crazy on top of the other risks of using Saidin.

Weren't there also risks to using Saidar? I seem to remember something like losing control of Saidin making you go boom, and losing control of Saidar making you Still yourself or otherwise mulch your own brain in a non-boom manner.

[Rynjin]

Yeah, I think what people said is that worst case scenario if you burn out on Saidar you Still yourself. Horrifying, but survivable (especially later).

Saidin you just like...fry yourself like a cockroach in a light socket.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Yeah I think it was that Saidin will crush you if you fail to fight back, but Saidar will crush you if you try to fight it, pushing back against a form of control it refuses until you stop or your brain snaps.

[Ashen Lilies]

Logain got a new teaser, which gives us more of an idea of how they plan to visualize Saidin:

I really, really love how they're visualizing Saidin and the taint. How it comes in white at first, and then the taint flows over it like oily black smoke. It's real cool.

[Psyren]

Yeah I think it was that Saidin will crush you if you fail to fight back, but Saidar will crush you if you try to fight it, pushing back against a form of control it refuses until you stop or your brain snaps.

I'd be fine if they didn't spend too much time on these kinds of details. Jordan's implication that the cosmos rewards women who learn to surrender/submit while rewarding men who are dominant and conquering is... eh. Just make the point that the two sides can't teach each other and move on, I say.

I really, really love how they're visualizing Saidin and the taint. How it comes in white at first, and then the taint flows over it like oily black smoke. It's real cool.

I especially love how they're visualizing wards and barriers. Dumai's Wells is going to be one of the most talked-about television moments in decades if they pull it off.

[Ramza00]

I'd be fine if they didn't spend too much time on these kinds of details. Jordan's implication that the cosmos rewards women who learn to surrender/submit while rewarding men who are dominant and conquering is... eh. Just make the point that the two sides can't teach each other and move on, I say.

Surrender, Stephen. And you will be the Kwisatz Haderach!

Wait those are the two wrong franchises

[Psyren]

GQ Article came out today with some more new stills, including our first look at the Children of the Light!

Spoiler: Picture descriptions

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1) The Children demand to be taken seriously. (They're all-male in the books, right? That pic certainly indicates they will be, in the show.)

2) Moiraine and Aldieb serenely regard a Waygate up close. (Uh, where the heck is the Avendesora leaf?)

3) Emonds Field looking pretty toasted. That is almost certainly Tam sprawled over Bela, which means we're getting the Quarry Road scene.

4) Liandrin and some reds with their characteristic haughtiness.

5) Logain in the cage, we've seen that one before.

6) The Amyrlin Seat in the Amyrlin Seat. (We get a much better view of Siuan's ring here, which appears to have no Ajah jewel.)

[Traab]

Not a fan of the kiddos of anti darkness. I pictured them as more fully armored paladins and men at arms for the most part. The white is perfect it just looks like they are less well armored than I would picture a serious military force. They have pauldrons and maybe gambesons and then a white wrap of cloth around them that looks more robe than armor. I dunn, maybe thats their daily wear and they have their full suits of armor for serious battles they know are coming? Or this is more ceremonial or diplomatic (which isnt a common word to describe them) I will say this though. the red ajah? They actually look decently ageless. At least I wouldnt want to hazard a guess as to how old they are. I get the feeling that might offend them.

[Ashen Lilies]

The article was really good and detailed. I enjoy seeing all the details and behind-the-scenes stuff, it really seems like a lot of love and care are being put into this production. A friend of mine and I have been joking about Daniel Henney being "so dumb" and his comments about not being able to find a Sweetgreens in Prague did not disappoint us.

I love the Children of the Light look. Their flashy and ecclesiarchal clothing style is great, as are their dumb podcaster haircuts and mustaches.

[Gnoman]

Not a fan of the kiddos of anti darkness. I pictured them as more fully armored paladins and men at arms for the most part. The white is perfect it just looks like they are less well armored than I would picture a serious military force. They have pauldrons and maybe gambesons and then a white wrap of cloth around them that looks more robe than armor. I dunn, maybe thats their daily wear and they have their full suits of armor for serious battles they know are coming? Or this is more ceremonial or diplomatic (which isnt a common word to describe them) I will say this though. the red ajah? They actually look decently ageless. At least I wouldnt want to hazard a guess as to how old they are. I get the feeling that might offend them.

The way the robes hang, looks like there's armor underneath.

[Sapphire Guard]

Where are the golden sunbursts?

[Mechalich]

The GQ stills do make it quite clear that the Two Rivers has been singled out for a distinct simplicity and woolen emphasis compared to other groups. Early shots - such as the clip of the arrival in Edmond's Field - make it clear that the residents of the Two Rivers are severely under-dressed compared to the elite of other cultures and are wearing thicker and rougher woolens compared to the fabrics used by everyone else. That's actually a nice piece of attention to detail even though it will make the first episode or two look considerably shabbier compared to essentially the entire rest of the run which seems to be a somewhat dangerous marketing strategy. This also suggests one of the reasons to front-load a bunch of Logain stuff is to show off the high-end sets and costumes and makeup used by the Aes Sedai and nobility (and the gobs of money Amazon spend making them) rather than a bunch of grubby on the run 20-somethings running around in the wilderness.

I pictured them as more fully armored paladins and men at arms for the most part. The white is perfect it just looks like they are less well armored than I would picture a serious military force. They have pauldrons and maybe gambesons and then a white wrap of cloth around them that looks more robe than armor. I dunn, maybe thats their daily wear and they have their full suits of armor for serious battles they know are coming?

The books make it clear the Whitecloaks are primarily a heavy cavalry fighting force. That getup wouldn't be worn simply traveling around, since it overworks both the men wearing it and the horses carrying them. I assume we're seeing the Whitecloaks in their everyday wear in this shot. I strongly hope the series understands the difference in costuming between battle gear and everyday fighting-ready outfits potentially suited for street fighting but not pitched engagements. None of the lead characters ever wear proper battle armor - Rand has a good excuse, Mat and especially Perrin, less so - but several less significant characters do appear in that way and should be shown to change accordingly as circumstances dictate.

[Corvus]

The Whitecloaks were described as primarily having breastplates, conical helms, white tabards and white cloaks, plus golden sunbursts on tabards/cloaks.

That image seems to be robes with, at most, some light armour underneath. Oddly, they all have only their left arm and shoulder armoured which is strange. Unless they are all left handed, you'd normally have your left side protected by a shield and would want your right side to have the armour.

My first reaction was that they had stumbled in off the set of a Star Wars movie.

[Rynjin]

Where are the golden sunbursts?

Common misconception. The golden sunbursts are actually caused by the light reflecting off their blindingly white ensembles. It's not a part of their uniform.

[Psyren]

Two more teasers:

1) Interspersed with narration from Rosamund, we see Moiraine and Alanna(?) striding through the tower, a Trolloc kicking a door open, our first shot of Thom Merrillin(!) with his harp guitar, Nynaeve doing an epic braid tug flip(??), what looks like the Women's Circle gathering around Egwene, and a couple of other minor shots.

https://twitter.com/TheWheelOfTime/s...79081694187526

2) Shadowspawn Trailer:

[Rodin]

Common misconception. The golden sunbursts are actually caused by the light reflecting off their blindingly white ensembles. It's not a part of their uniform.

Such a common misconception in fact that the WoT Wiki has fallen for it.

Uniform
The Children of the Light always wear a pure white cloak or tabard over their clothes and armor. The left breast of each has a golden sunburst worked into it, a symbol of the light. Each garb is further adorned with silver lightning bolts for under-officers and golden stars or knots in increasing quantity to indicate rank for higher officers.

Each Child is armored with conical metal helm and plain breastplate. Swords are worn by all Children, though never in the audience chamber of the Lord Captain Commander or beneath the Dome of Truth.

Members of the Hand of the Light wear the same clothes as other Children, save for them having a blood-red shepherd's crook emblazoned behind the sunburst. The High Inquisitor wears only the red crook devoid of the flaring sun.

For what it's worth, here's the "official" art from The World of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time.




The art isn't great, but it fits with how I view them. They don't look like paladins with shiny armor and an aura of goodness. They look like Crusaders, common soldiers wearing symobic armor:

Spoiler: Artwork spoilered for size

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The ones in the show look more like they belong to a cult. Which they are, I suppose.

[Rynjin]

[It's Joke Intensifies]

Spoiler

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To explain said joke, which always makes it even funnier, I was implying that, humorously, the reflection of sunlight (or glare) off of their impeccably shiny uniforms was the cause of people mistakenly viewing their uniform as having a golden sunburst, when in actuality it is embroidered on as part of the fabric.