WOT on Prime Episode 7 - SPOILERS

[Thalia]

Min

In the show Rand and co are 20, and Nynaeve is 26. Since MIn sees futures it must have been more than 20 years ago she had that vision around Tam, so I would say she's around 28-30.

I agree that the white flame was Egwene. I think the gold ring for Nynaeve was Lan's Malkier ring.

The baby I think is Min's, it had black hair. She was very quick to say "it just looks like a baby" and I assume it's why she didn't tell Moiraine she knew Rand was the dragon. It's our first hint she knows their threads are tied.

I thought her "rainbows, carnivals, and three beautiful women" line was very well done too. She says it like a throwaway joke but all those things will be true.

Loial and the Ways

The set was amazing. I think Moiraine says it's only a day's walk, and they divert early to Fal Dara as it's closer. It did feel quick though, like they only crossed that one bridge.

My problem with Loial isn't that he wasn't integral, it's just disappointment that so far he feels like a throwaway character. I think this comes down to them having to cut so much for the 1hr slot, as well as being limited to 8 episodes. I really hope future seasons are given a bit more breathing room.

There is a suggestion that in the flash of Padan Fain you can see he is holding something that might be leaf-shaped. I think they made the wrong choice by having Moiraine open the gate. Which is not to say that it's bad, it's just my opinion. I keep seeing an image of Moiriane, Loial, Lan and a giant map, so I guess a scene was cut that explained a bit more in ep6.

I loved that the trolloc looked bloodied and emaciated, like it had been lost all that time. Alongside all the other wonderful details you noticed, that attention to the small things has definitely been a joy to see.

I keep asking my husband if he remembers who Fain is, as early on he got him confused with Valda. He remembered it's the peddler from the beginning. During this episode the penny finally dropped that Fain is a baddie *facepalm*

I also wonder what the payoff will be for Fain now. There's no dagger to steal. Maybe he already has it, I dunno. He must have seen Mat on the hill? If Fain does have the dagger, maybe Mat will have followed and will be in Fal Dara for season 2?

Fal Dara and Mat

The set felt lived in and authentic. I didn't notice the details with the liverey, how wonderful! I've seen some people complain about Agelmar's characterisation (that he was initially hostile to Moiraine) but I agree with you, I thought he was well done and it succinctly showed there was trouble with the blight. He was proud but not stupid.

I think Moiraine sends the Reds after Mat because she knows they will be relentless in finding him, especially Liandrin who will recognise the name. If he has the dagger he will be a danger, and if he is the dragon she has to ensure he isn't turned. She may hope that Suian will also realise who it is. I think/hope we will see the final healing.

The gripe

Haha, yes, I was also not a fan of the de-age, he barely even looked like the actor. His face looked doughy. Now I too cannot unsee Myers XD

Let's all be super glad they decided not to cgi the Aes Sedai ageless look

The Blight

That's a good point, about it looking invasive, I like that. I wondered if it might mean we will see the garden if not the greenman (though who knows, we still don't know who Steve is afterall ).

Episode 8

Masema has been cast for season 2, as has Ingtar (he was supposed to be the guy with Uno but the actor was picked up for the Willow TV series so couldn't do season 2, and they renamed him to a different lord). I think you're right the kids will go after Rand. I wonder if they'll be at the Eye though or if they will hold Tarwin's Gap.

I also saw the leak but haven't investigated, apparently Amazon released the episode stills early by mistake or something. I wonder if we'll see Ishy in flashback with LTT before the Eye (cold open maybe?). If there are more Forsaken my money is still on Lanfear and Asmodean. I hope we see more than just Ishy. I wonder if Ishy will "wake up" the LTT voice in Rand?

I'm super excited!

EDIT: there is a still of Fain by the gate holding the leaf, apparently it's in the episode stills though I haven't checked yet. I wonder if it was cut because of the changes to Mat. It actually makes me wonder if Moiraine channeling open the waygate was also part of the retcon, because if they'd used the leaf there would be no reason for Loial to insist the gate can't be opened again. And if we don't see the leaf when the group enters there's no point showing fain with one, viewers wouldn't know what it is. If that's the case I can live with it.

EDIT 2: So. I watched the waygate scene again, and I think it's quite possible that Moiraine channeling was a retcon change. She walks up to the gate on her own, and you can see Barney with the others in that shot. I can't really see on my screen to say for sure, but it does look to me like she's holding something up in her hand as she approaches. When she actually channels though, in the footage behind her everyone is standing completely still (and Mat is in exactly the same pose we see him in when he's left behind). Like, COMPLETELY still; the wind is no longer blowing, no one's clothes are moving, nothing. It's a still image. That suggests Moiraine channeling open the waygate was not in the original script; I reckon she was supposed to use the leaf. I mentioned above about an episode still of Lan, Moiraine, and Loial with a map; I wonder now if this was cut because it included Loial explaining about the avendesora leaf and there was no way to salvage the scene to omit it. No wonder Loial feels so add-on.