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The Wheel of Time (2021)
Not perfect, but an excellent start. The cast makes the show!
As a longtime fan of this series who has read it multiple times, I thought I'd share a few thoughts on Episodes 1-3:
1. It's great! Even better than I had hoped for. Yes, it has some problems. And no, it's not perfect or exactly what I wanted. But I'm so impressed with the cast and the way that they've captured the FEELING of the books that most of what they've changed doesn't bother me and even the few things I have issues with really aren't a big deal. The show is so much better than it could have been and that makes me optimistic as someone who was scared of all the ways an adaptation of this scale could go wrong.
2. If you're looking for the next Game of Thrones, know that this isn't exactly it. Yes, I think you should absolutely give it a chance and I think that it's actually a much better story than GoT with the potential to make a lot of new fans. But you should know going in that this series leans much closer to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings than it does to GoT.
3. The cast is phenomenal. Not only is the acting really good (if a bit overdramatic at times), but most importantly they've just nailed these characters. It's obvious that they've put time and effort into learning the source material and bringing Robert Jordan's characters to life and I think they've done an even better job of that than any other adaptation I've seen.
4. I'm in love with the cast, the score, the settings, and the great mix of practical and CGI effects for the shadowspawn. They've done a LOT of things really, really well and I'm appreciative of that. Thinks I don't love so much = the cold open didn't really land for me, the pacing of the pilot episode felt off (just a bit rushed and probably could have done with 90 mins to really set up the world and story before jumping into the adventure), there's some overdramatization in the script in a couple of places that comes off cheesy in a couple of scenes, and some of the CGI feels just a little underwhelming for the show's massive budget (especially channeling). Still, these are minor complaints and definitely things that can be improved in future seasons.
5. As I said, the pacing of Episode 1 is a little rough and I feel like it struggles to get on its feet a bit until the end. Episodes 2 and 3 were much stronger in my opinion, and I think the show has potential to really take off from here now that it's laid some groundwork. There's a lot to digest in a world this large and the show dives right in without apology. I would encourage a new viewer not to give up after the pilot but to at least watch the second episode before making a decision on whether it's for you.
Overall, just really excited this is finally here and really thankful for all of the effort Rafe Judkins and his team have put into making it, the dedication the cast has given to portraying it, and the support Amazon has shown it in every way. Here's hoping for 7-8 seasons and the conversion of many more Wheel of Time fans over the next several years!