The Wheel of Time (TV Series) Blood Calls Blood (2021) User Reviews

It drags.

[W011y4m5 · 7/10 · 4 December 2021]

I haven't read the books yet (therefore can't comment on accuracy / faithfulness to the source material) but even as a casual viewer, here you have a classic case of inorganic world building & ineffective direction. Unlike the last episode (which in my opinion was surprisingly brilliant), I feel like this week, the creators admirably tried to provide the prior events featured with long lasting consequences, exploring themes of unresolved grief, fleshing out the main ensemble in a lower-key, slower paced, smaller scale character driven installment...

However, that was *intention*. How about the execution? There, I feel it's lacking.

This falter is mainly due to the fact that the mournfulness fails to read the room; we've barely gotten to know these people in the story (it's a debut season & we're only on chapter 5) & yet already, they're expecting us to be emotionally invested enough to stick around for a 1 hour funeral procession, brimming with introspective eulogies & long, overly emotional outbursts of despair. Now, this would all be very fair, lovely & understandable if we'd just lost our fan favourite in the 5th / 6th series of a show, but to be jumping the gun so soon & prematurely? Calm it down. Totally unwarranted & contrived. Give us a chance to start caring first.

In between those aforementioned moments of forced misery, the creative team seem enamoured with the idea of enriching the "Wheel of Time" TV universe with all the dense mythology from the novels - by cramming it in to a single outing. Thus, when we're not being bludgeoned over the head with needless sorrow, we as an audience are treated to another joyful affliction - heavy handed exposition dumps; numerous sequences brazenly constructed for the sole purpose of informing viewers about the preestablished lore - so obvious in fact that they might as well be talking directly to the camera.

Despite my apparent grievances & the tediousness of the sombre mood, it's not a bad addition at all to the series. I'd argue it's simply less skilled at hiding its objectives because the way in which it conveys vital information is done so unimaginatively. Whether that's the writer or the producer or the director's fault (etc.), I couldn't say for certain.

One Month Later...

[spasek · 6/10 · 5 December 2021]

Well, that's one way to get rid of several hundred pages, as well as bypassing many key characters and plot elements.

We skip over Elayne, Queen Morgase, and Caemlyn altogether, and just like that, we're at the White Tower in Tar Valon in the blink of an eye. The parade of Logain takes place in Caemlyn. Not Tar Valon.

We take ten minutes to get Egwene and Perrin through the Whitecloaks. We gain an introduction to Loial, and we've got Lan bawling his eyes out in a needless side-story in a Warder who is unable to deal with Kerene's death.

Lan is described as having a face like stone which never betrays much emotion. Also, if he'd been drugged, Moiraine would have known immediately, due to their bond.

Many inconsistencies and needless sub-plots, find this first season becoming very inconsistent and lacking much needed cohesiveness. We get a very good episode, and then a so-so one. It's as if the writers have created a sloppy patchwork of a story to barrel through nearly 800 pages of story in a mere five episodes.

As I've stated in previous reviews, I understand that you can't cover everything in a 1000 page book, but you can certainly stick to the meat of the story. Game of Thrones did an excellent job of doing this, and those books are nearly as long as Jordan's. So, you can't tell me that it can't be done.

Even if I hadn't read the books, I would still have problems with the sub-plots and lack of consistency. The writers have done a very sloppy job, indeed. And in doing so, they've essentially butchered "The Eye of the World" so far.

Robert Jordan himself would not be happy with the end result as its been presented so far.

Blood?

[Truzoeka · 8/10 · 3 December 2021]

This episode had some really great moments and some really silly moments. I realize that I really should stop thinking about the books at this point. Especially cause they put so much effort in Stepin's story. I thought it was a really strong performance by king Harald and Manbutt-Lan and I've realized I only didn't enjoy it as much as I could have, because it is a total fresh story for this series.

Valda's scenes were mostly sick but the moment when egwene and perrin escape seemed almost laughably bad. The Tinkers lining up like some Greenpeace hippies was a nice touch. Rand saying he feels like he remembered the mountain was totally an unnecessary line for me as a book reader but for new viewers I think it could be a nice addition, still could have maybe done with a facial expression that shows remembrance. Oh well..

Then there is Loial, super well done! Everything about him seemed perfect, his looks, his lines, his eagerness. The only thing that didn't make sense in my mind was the speed at which he spoke, I'd always imagined him super calm and relaxed. But again this is a book reader nitpicking at details.

I'm going to have to watch the episode again now BYE.

The Wheel Weaves an Unexpected Thread

[kierran89 · 10/10 · 3 December 2021]

Episodes 1-3 bolted out of the gate (too early), episode 4 finally got the pace and tone right, and episode 5 was...different (in a great way).

For the last few weeks, I've tried to differentiate The Wheel of Time from Game of Thrones (and rightly so), but I find myself in the strange position of comparing this episode to Game of Thrones...in a very pleasing way.

Things felt a bit more subliminal for the first time - character interactions seemed to be alluding to more than what was actually said, and there was a hint of politics and intrigue in the air... but you know what? That's not what stole the show in my opinion.

I never thought I'd say this (as an avid fan of the books) but there were lots of elements in this episode that were not in the first book and...they enhanced the experience. In fact, this episode perfectly conveyed what the (earlier) books failed to do (in my opinion) - the deep bond between Warders and Aes Sedai.

The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills and, so far, the threads have been perfectly woven to satisfy both readers of the books and people who haven't. The slower pace in this episode gave us a chance to soak in the world around us and the characters, and it set up multiple interesting character archs.

I, for one, couldn't be happier.

** I should also note that I rated the episode 10 stars to counter the ridiculous 1 star reviews. Otherwise, I'd score it 8.5. **

Highly enjoyable, looking forward to next week.

[BishopBBlack · 10/10 · 3 December 2021]

Episode four is still my favorite -- for very biased reasons -- but episode five is a solid addition to the series so far.

A number of wonderful Easter eggs for book readers, a small glimpse into the politics at the White Tower, and some much needed humanization of a character too many book readers misunderstand as completely stoic to the point of being nearly without emotion.

I can't say that Loial meets my full expectations, but I'm satisfied with the acting. There was one conversation that felt a bit too much like exposition for me to find it realistic, but it didn't pull me out of the moment enough to ruin it. My only real concern here is that I feel like a couple of specific characters are going to end up combined, which is a change I'm wary of, but am willing to keep an open mind about, should it come to pass.

Absent a list of objective criteria to base my vote upon, I must continue to base my votes on one metric: how much I enjoyed it overall. To that end, this episode is 10/10.

Hurrying things up is usually a bad idea

[Ar_Pharazon_the_golden · 7/10 · 5 December 2021]

I do not particularly mind the plot lines that were in the book and are so far missing here, because I guess changing the order that things happen is not going to be too much of an issue. However, there are things that do happen in this episode which are done poorly - especially in Perrin and Egwene's arc: not only is the idea of Whitecloak persecutions right outside the walls of Tar Valon a bit problematic at this stage, but the whole deal with Perrin is shown as some completely random thing, with just a bit of foreshadowing but no real justification. In fact, the Whitecloaks as a whole are a bit misplaced, because the series has barely touched on their motivations, as the concept of Darkfriends - or for that matter, the Dark One - has only been very, very briefly depicted. I keep thinking that not beginning the series with the Prologue scene from the first book was a very poor decision, you need to establish worldbuiliding with the very basics.

Other that that the episode was not bad - Loial looks a bit weird but the characterisation is on point, Tar Valon looks good, and Stepin's storyline had some meaning for not-too-direct exposition purposes.

My main concern is that like so many other film/series adaptations, it seems to be preaching to the choir. It is not made with the new fan in mind, it does not attempt to establish the world properly, but does the basics and sort of depends on a 'you are probably watching this with someone who's read it, they can fill in the gaps' mentality.

Different but effective pacing

[rodrigurf · 10/10 · 3 December 2021]

This was a much slower episode, and they used that well. The warder scenes were powerful and well distributed through the episode. Perrin and Egwenes plot is finally at a satisfactory point and should only get better. Loial was perfect, and the hidden apparitions of Padan Fein were a great touch.

Killing me slowly... VERY slowly.

[NellaMarieDudova · 6/10 · 6 December 2021]

After the whole shift in pace with episode four, I was extremely excited to see what episode five had in store. And the answer is: so much yet so little! Assuming that the beasts of Amazon Prime Video will try to adapt as much of the books as possible... meaning that there will be a plethora of seasons to come. Fourteen novels, a prequel and companion books. If all goes well and they make enough money, this could be a behemoth of a show spanning years, if not decades. Therefore, I understand the at points incredibly dull and lacking moments of the first season. But why would you start up a change in pace with episode four only to have it go from a sprint to a light walk immediately after? Once again, Daniel Henney as Lan Mandragoran and all of the warders were a highlight of the episode. I have an inclination to believe that the whole first season will be about the "journey" to the white tower and the unification of all the potential Dragon Reborn's. I firmly believe that we won't even get a sneak peek as to what the actual "big bad" is until next season.

The Wheel keeps rolling!

[davidgregory-17604 · 10/10 · 3 December 2021]

Tons on intrigue and set up for the finale episodes. This was a love letter to the fans to include so many hidden gems from the books. The city of Tar Valon was spectacular and Loial was perfect for the adaptation. Including the Logain in a cage scene!! And Rand seeing Dragonmount! Cannot be more excited for episode 6 7 and 8!!

Blood and Ashes!

[dantheredfan · 7/10 · 3 December 2021]

I think I've come to terms with this not being a particularly faithful adaptation of the books, for better or worse, and this was probably the best episode so far.

I was pleased to finally get some actual in world lingo (rather than this modern cursing which brings me out of the world), and I can understand cutting out Caemlyn in favour of Tar Valon given that "all roads lead to Tar Valon" and it really was a bit surprising that the first book didn't take us there. Having said that, I do wonder how certain events will be explained with the changes that exist.

Ewgene and Perrin with the Whitecloaks was much more foreboding than in the book, and I'm all for that. What is poorly explained is how they ended up there. There is no Perrin killing two of them in a rage, I guess that has been replaced by Laila (RIP). It is well established that Aes Sedai are obvious visually unless they disguise themselves so Egwene really should not have aroused Valda's suspicions but whatever. Mat and Rand meeting Loial would have been great, and they certainly captured Loial's attitude, but c'mon producers CGI exists for a reason, Loial should have been taller.

As for Moiraine, Lan, and poor Stepin, that sequence was well done, and it did add something to the story. However, given the problem of cutting a lot of material to make into a tv series, adding a lot of stuff is a strange decision.

Finally, I am interested to see how they portray the flight of the Emond's Field 5. Obviously it will be Liandrin after them, but this is where I get confused. The book establishes that more than just Moiraine can tell a ta'veren or otherwise important person, so if there are multitudes of Aes Sedai after them (and if there are not I call bs especially in a city full of them), how are they going to escape?

Ah well, that's for another week. I just hope there is a flight, it worked really well in the books and it would be a shame not to include it here. Decent effort all up.

Love it

[doffelund · 10/10 · 3 December 2021]

The episode slows down compared to the previous one which, while we love our action and grand episodes in the grand scheme of things is a good thing.

We get to learn more of the bond from both perspectives and through the eyes of Stepin learn just how harshly a breaking of this bond affects the warder. A lot of complains is that Stepin gets too much time on screen, I disagree. This was a very good way to show things that otherwise only would occur in the minds of characters. Stepin as a character might be irrelevant but this story was not. Good job Rafe.

Second complaint I see is the lack of Caemlyn. While Caemlyn yes is critical to the plot IT IS NOT at this point critical whatsoever. If the budget only allowed showing one grand city Tar Valon was vastly more important. All characters met in Caemlyn are irrelevent for the rest of book1 to be fair. This was a good choice and parading Logain through Tar Valon made more sense than Caemlyn regardless.

Lastly we meet Loial. I was very worried after seeing the images of Loial but I have to say I changed my mind mostly. I'm not 100% sold on the looks but it was much better than I expected. Hammad delivered on the actual character!

A good episode spoiled by hurried writing

[Muxje · 7/10 · 4 December 2021]

The series is finding its pace, and episode 5 is another solid installment that I enjoyed watching. But it's starting to feel a bit messy. It feels like the writers and director are losing their way a little in the complex world of WoT, and are having trouble deciding what to focus on, what is important, and what needs to be condensed or skipped. This is especially apparent in the scenes where this series departs from the novels.

For instance, the scene with Valda, Perrin and Egwene. The whole thing seemed hurried and uninspired, except when it comes to the tired old tropes used to establish Valda's character. This event is a pivotal moment for all involved, and it deserves a bit more care and attention. A few other events in this episode are similarly glossed over, with sloppy writing leaving things unexplained or just plain unlikely to ever have happened the way they did.

In contrast, we're treated to a drawn out funeral scene that seems rather pointless. It does little to move the story along, and the viewer will have zero emotional investment with what amounts to a minor character, in a series that has barely begun. This scene could easily have been left out entirely, to allow some time to be spent on the more important events.

It's not all bad though. A great example of effective exposition is the stand-off between the Tinkers and the Whitecloaks. This scene only lasts a few seconds but does a good job establishing character and motivation. The Way of the Leaf versus the ruthless Children of the Light. This is how you "show, don't tell".

On the whole, this is an enjoyable fantasy epic. But its creators need to keep up a hard balancing act: the script needs to be strong enough to stand on its own for those new to WoT, while remaining faithful enough to the books to please the fans. This episode makes me wonder if the writers are equal to the task.

Reinventing the Wheel

[bluenine-2 · 5/10 · 3 December 2021]

Its a decent episode, not as good as the previous one, but not bad.

My main problem with WOT so far is that they are completely rewriting the entire story and the dialogues. I understand there need to be some changes to translate from books to TV and that a lot of the story from the books will get cut. But I expected 80% of the scenes that do make the cut be from the books, and 20% new. WOT so far feels like the opposite. At least 80% of the story/scenes/dialogues are completely new and have little to do with the books. Why O why would you reinvent the wheel?

This is one of the reasons why many conversations seem forced, feel a bit too much like exposition. When you have such great source material, why would you completely change everything? It almost feels like the writers of this show hate the source material and think they are superior to it. They clearly are not. They should learn from GOT's example - it was a brilliant TV series for many seasons as long as they stuck very close to the story in the books. Then in the last season, without the source material the tv writers made their own story, and they completely ruined it.

So a humble request to the makers of WOT - please stick to the story in the books as much as possible. Only make a few changes where absolutely necessary. You are not better than Robert Jordan.

finally at Tar Valon

[greyskull-983-725347 · 10/10 · 3 December 2021]

There wasn't as much action in this episode as in the previous one, but it was completely expected.

The white Tower and the city of Tar Valone look impressive.

Loial is cute, still I miss his ears

Little bit sad that maybe we will not see Elyas Machera but WoT have so many characters that understandable they have to cut some. However, we saw the yellow eyes of Perina and he is going to be something like werewolf alpha which is totally ok for me. I am big fan of Teen Woof as well.

A solid story building episode

[Kryat-111921 · 8/10 · 3 December 2021]

This episode was well put together as we get to know our characters and world a little better. The opening and closing funerals may put off some book readers, but the scenes serve as an effective and efficient visual way to show the depth of the warder/Aes Sedai bond.

We also meet Loial, an Ogier who is delightfully drops some exposition. Due to budget constraints, the crew wisely chose to use prosthesis rather than CGI so we can get more screen time and more effective acting from Josha with this gem.

Meanwhile Egwene and Perrin transition from their time with the Tinkers to a capture from whitecloaks. Abdul Salis kills it in this episode as a creepy and demented interrogator.

Other standout acting comes from court politics discussions between Moiraine and Liandrin. As the actresses find their footing in their characters, their conversations remind me of the always captivating throne room scenes between Baelish and Varis in Game of Thrones. There's clearly multiple levels of conversations going on in the facial expressions, beyond the words you heard.

For production value, the sets of Tar Valon are breathtakingly constructed and I look forward to seeing them more in the future. The visual portrayal of channeling is is becoming more grounded compared to the first episode.

Solid episode that sets things up

[fatherloss · 7/10 · 6 December 2021]

Not every episode can be a banger, and this is the example. This is a good episode for what it is and what it's doing - it's setting things up and continuing to provide depth and detail to the world. We get to learn a lot about the Warder bond and some of the fears and worries of Moiraine and Lan. We also start to get all of our characters back together and our timeline back in order.

I'm expecting episode 6 to pick up the pace again and really be excellent.

Confused By All The Anger Over This Episode

[addresscanonlybe30letter · 9/10 · 5 December 2021]

Yes, it was different than the book.

Yes, it was more of a character-building, exposition-heavy pause to the "main story."

But I was intrigued the whole time. They keep the non-book readers guessing with some false hints and I see no problem with that.

I personally love the peak into Moraine and Lan in the white tower that we don't see in the books. We don't have thousands of pages to explain the warder-aes sedai bond, which plays a major part in many story lines. I think they effectively portrayed Jordan's vision, while not simply having someone repeat how it works over and over. They showed it with grief and I thought the last scene was my favorite so far.

It was never going to be page for page like the books, but it seems to me the writers are true fans of WOT and *so far* I am really enjoying what they've done (other than the Perrin thing form episode one I mean wtf).

Lacks synchoronization or flow

[Ubermensch01 · 6/10 · 3 December 2021]

First 15 mins were decent flow and then it suddenly starts hoping from one storyline to another while missing major sub-plots and details. A filler episode was expected after the last episode's ending but they could have done it in a way better manner. Thoughts of this being a successor to GOT or LOTR style adaptation can now be dismissed most certainly.

6/10.

This insane

[refkyrmdhn · 8/10 · 3 December 2021]

I thought it's will me more then powerful then the last one, but it's more than slowly and full of the story. Even this is not what o thought before, this great and make the story full of the line. I love this one. I can't wait for the next.

This is exactly what i want! This is WoT!

[blackbird-58939 · 7/10 · 3 December 2021]

The feelings I get when I saw the Places from the Books. The good conversations. The absolute on point acting. I really dont understand this so called WoT Fans who want to destroy this Show with their silly 1-STar Ratings, I can unterstand if someone is upset because it's not an 1:1 adaption but as Fan even this ppl should give credit to this show.

I would give this Episode a 9 same as Episode 4 but I must give a ten to go against this silly 1-star ratings.

However, i enjoy this TV Adaption very much. And I'm sure I will in the future.

For me, the Episodes from Best to Worst so far are 5 4 3 2 1.... For me, Action is not so important. Dialogues and Conversations/Worldbuilding is. And in the last two Episodes this was on Point.

[6.5] Going downhill at speed 5

[cjonesas · 6/10 · 5 March 2022]

Episode 5: A series and episode that doesn't know where it goes and aims. It thinks it knows, but it doesn't know s... So far, after 5 episodes, what we do best is scratching our heads.

Major letdown after Episode 4

[bluejays-88045 · 2/10 · 4 December 2021]

The Good:

Mat and Rand's interactions are pretty believable and have the right tone. If they would give these two characters more time to interact with each other and the world they are in it would honestly be great. Barney Harris is brilliant

Egwene and Perrin's story is getting increasingly interesting.

Loial is wonderful. The actor gets the character down to voice, tone, and dialogue and it is well done. I hope we get to see a lot more of him.

Book references are fun I particularly liked the references to Farstrider, the forsaken, and just general news of the world (Aes Sedai mentions of Siuan Sanche for example). This needs to be done a lot more since it is what really makes you feel like we are in a big WORLD and not a handful of set pieces.

They have finally fixed Rand's hair. His cut felt too modern and out of place in earlier episodes and looks much better in this one.

Some of the dialogue changes are nice. I kept wondering when characters would use language commonly used in the books ("blood and bloody ashes") which is part of what made the WoT the WoT. It had its own, unique, dialogue and sayings. We got some of that here which is nice and needs to happen more.

The Bad:

The whole thing feels amateurish. This seems like harsh criticism from someone who obviously wouldn't have the first clue about how to run or produce a show of this magnitude. But it feels so strange that a show that's spending at least 10 million $ per episode feels so low quality. Several examples of this...

1. Mat and Rand have been on the road for a month. Yet Rand's cloak and coat are largely pressed and clean. Why? They've probably been traveling/sleeping rough they're going to get dirty. They're going to look scruffy. This is a more general issue the show has where everything just looks too clean. Set pieces look like set pieces and nothing looks or feels particularly real or lived in. Where are the peasants? There are a ton of poorer folks in the WoT but you wouldn't know it with this show or this episode (the father of the murdered family - episode 4 - literally had perfectly trimmed and styled hair. It almost looked gelled and the dude is supposed to be POOR)

2. Really obvious CGI. Oh look it's the White Tower, the massive CGI construction that does not blend in with the jarringly darker and somber background whatsoever. Thank you, my immersion has remained intact.

3. Tar Valon is a massive city. So why does it feel like a handful of (very narrow) streets, rooms, and bedchambers? If you have invested the time and money into constructing a massive fantasy city (CGI or otherwise) show it to the audience! It is a major immersion breaker when large things feel small. Diagon Alley in Harry Potter felt more expansive than this, which is strange because it's literally an alley. The Lord of the Rings movies handled this well by giving you nice aerial shots of major locations without exploring the whole thing.

4. The White Tower feels empty. Maybe it should feel empty. But it feels like there is a serious lack of attention to detail. I do not see anything very unique about the White Tower it just feels like another place with rooms and bedchambers. What makes the White Tower the White Tower? Just the Aes Sedai? Then show me more Aes Sedai.

5. Outfits have a tendency to look too nice, too colorful, or just generally fake. The weird metal things the Whitecloaks wear on their shoulders look like plastic. The Aes Sedai's outfits look too colorful and stand out too much from the rest of the scenes. Rand's cloak not only looks too nice but as previously mentioned, it never seems to get dirty. What I would like to see more of is costume design like Mat's. Granted he's very poor but it feels more real like 'oh this is what someone living during a medieval/renaissance time period would actually look like'

6. Dead animals/things look like they were placed in scenes, particularly woodlands, rather than naturally being there. This is something the Lord of the Rings did very well and that this series can take notes from.

I think that the plot lines in this story were very badly executed. Steppin or however you spell his name, I saw someone suggest that he be killed off in episode 4. I think this is a great idea since it would clearly demonstrate the Aes Sedai - Warder bond with a grief fueled rampage while sparing us 20+ minutes of him being sad and reminiscing about his Aes Sedai. And this is for a minor character who people have been given no reason to care about.

Very weird exclusion of the Caemaleyn (idk if I spelled that right) storyline. Oh we were in the Two Rivers. Now we are in Baerlon. Welp I guess we are in Tar Valon - a LONG distance away now. It's time to go sit around in our nice clothes in five set pieces so Steppin can be sad about things. The worst thing about this is we are missing crucial elements of world building. Caemaleyn doesn't have to have this fascinating arc but just SEEING it and BEING in that place with characters we care about - that broadens the world and creates immersion with the story.

We will probably see the city later but I felt excluding it at this time was very disappointing.

Corny dialogue. Part of the Eamon Valda torture scene felt scary because Valda's actor is pretty good but it would have felt much scarier with a better script. Also the Whitecloaks just rolling over to a pack of wolves is not very believable.

I think this is a 4/10 overall and the worst episode aside from the first one. It's not doomed or anything but has some real fundamental problems. I think Amazon needs to find new screenwriters, needs to vastly improve the CGI and the costume design, and needs to give twice as many episodes per season. Eight is not doing this story justice and everyone knows it.

Good one

[ahmxii · 8/10 · 4 December 2021]

Overall this is a good episode, but clearly a set-up episode. People get to where they need to be for things to pick up the pace again next week. Sometimes I appreciate the quiet moments and little teases for the future. It's in these moments we get to see the actors really embodying the characters. However, I still think the director went a little too far with Lan in that last scene. Only Pike's performance as Moiraine at the same time saved the moment from getting silly for me.

Ok, now it's getting real...

[bcjones-46089 · 10/10 · 4 December 2021]

I thought the last episode was great. But now, they shift gears... and climb higher. We're getting to Mad Men level character development, and great acting with a more meticulous story touch. Had me wanting more at the end. The story arc is picking up, and reaching more depth and shaking off predictability. Good stuff. The world building is working well, too, giving it a more lived in sense. Some of the realistic touches too, like light winds, or dogs barking in the distance. .

Big step back in quality...

[andre-graham-277-891355 · 6/10 · 3 December 2021]

Some positives but overall crap dialogue, Horrendous editting, incongruent and just a massive drop in quality from the last episode. Lets hope thats the last we see of this director.