WoT on Prime episode 5 SPOILERS

[Thalia]

I also thought she took Lan's advice. But the implication is still there: if the horses were tired enough to need refreshing, how did the horse she missed keep up with the others? They had to run soon after that scene.

I reckon they'll play with off-screen or implied action more and more as time goes on, so that the audience is trained to accept it. By the time we get deep into Black Ajah and disguised Forsaken it will be an important narrative device. Especially for those who aren't supposed to be able to lie.

I think it's a shame they didn't do the Sickness in passing though, they didn't even need to linger on it (or it could have been a line of dialogue). Since we skipped time perhaps it happened then but was too transitory for the characters to notice much (especially considering how poorly Mat is by now). But I can't see any reason they couldn't have given us something. It's possible he might be confronted with it later I suppose, if Moiraine outright asks him if he's been sick. It's a minor detail really but it's a bothersome one because (door aside) there are really no clues to look back on about his channeling.

There's enough I think for him being the dragon (albeit with little to no prophecy context yet). His looking like an Aielman. Recognising dragonmount. Given he'd have no teeny tiny baby memories it does suggest LTT is already starting to get comfy in there, even if he hasn't begun the resolute screaming yet... But even Logain's laughter was presented as Mat's paranoid imagination. Given both boys were there they didn't have to do that, they've already implied Mat's a channeler, the audience would have filled in that blank on their own. It really feels like they've quashed everything apart from a few sprinkled references the audience won't understand yet. But they are risking quashing the entire character along with it.

I did read they had to fight to keep the Logain laugh scene. So given that it was presented that way it does make me wonder if there was some outward pressure on the writers to downplay Rand. It's getting to the tipping point of being a detriment though. We're over the midpoint now.

I think we will be getting a lot of him in ep 7 (I think this is when we'll see Tam's fever dream). But I still feel like they need to do something with him beforehand. At the moment he's walked all that way to find Egwene, whose intention is to stay at the White Tower (which he knows). Apart from a disappointing reunion his goal is done. I do think we will discover he's so fixated on not losing her because of what Tam said, she's the last true "home" thing he has now, but ep 7 seems so late to only be starting to build his emotional depth. I feel like they need to start upping Rand's role next episode or the reveal risks falling flat.

All of the E5 need compelling reasons to follow Moiraine to the waygate, and imo it needs to be more than "it's one of you" and "we have no time" (Otherwise it'll just be a repeat of Winternight only with Moiraine having moved the goalposts) They all have that impetus apart from Rand. If he STILL just goes in order to follow Egwene they've robbed him of any agency.

Discovering HE'S a channeler in ep 6 is the only way I can think of to start tying things together. He'd have to run to avoid being gentled, then. But given the great lengths they've gone to to hide it so far I'm just not convinced they'll do it.