S1E5: "Blood Calls Blood" - w/Book Spoilers

Hal Bahalla

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I was able to catchup on Episodes 4 and 5 after some hectic home-life, and must say I was very pleasantly surprised. The first three episodes weren't bad, or disappointing.. but these 2 were really significantly a step up.

I'm watching with my wife who hasn't read the books and doesn't know the story at all. It has been fun watching her react to different parts. And she's definitely following along with all the hints and false trails about who the Dragon is.

Which brings me to one thought I've had... I think it came direct from Rafe that this should be seen as a separate turning of the wheel from the books. And that has really helped me enjoy the deviations from the books rather than get too frustrated at them. Some of them are pretty significant... Perrin married? Mat's family being that dysfunctional? But each turning of the wheel will have some differences.

And maybe in this turning of the wheel, some of the characters that went "dark" in the last turning stayed with the light? I haven't seen anything overtly "Darkfriend" territory from Liandrin. While I don't get warm and fuzzies from her, what if she's not a Black sitter in the story? I imagine there would be some up roar from the book fans, but that would open up options like her merging with Elaida's role.

But some things I have to think are off the table for changing.... As much as the false trails about other possible Dragon's are being laid... I can't see them actually making Matt or one of the women the Dragon.

Looking forward to the rest of the Season. And where the Season will end in the story. With three episodes to go (I think), I don't see how they'd get through content from books 1 and 2 like Rafe had mentioned in some interview along the way.
 
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I think it came direct from Rafe that this should be seen as a separate turning of the wheel from the books.

I'm not sure if it was Brandon who said it first, but he's definitely been pushing it out there in his comments.

It's the best way to look at things for sure.
 

Lithiel Morn

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I'm in the beginning of the reread, about to finish Book 2, and there was a chapter with the portal stones recently where Rand tried to get them to Toman Head - and in the process, he saw tons of other different lives he could have led and worlds that could have been. Could look at it that way, too. :laugh:
 

Azlan Marenellin

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And maybe in this turning of the wheel, some of the characters that went "dark" in the last turning stayed with the light? I haven't seen anything overtly "Darkfriend" territory from Liandrin.

I want to point out first that Liandrin was clearly not interested in going anywhere until Lan showed up (at the Encampment with Logain in the cave) and yet said, pointedly, that she was "just leaving". Second, after telling Nynaeve pretty explicitly to go check out the gardens, she said she was "safely hidden away" despite knowing she had left her room. I will say though that the refutation of disdain during the Nynaeve conversation, followed by the acknowledgement of disdain when talking to Moiraine makes that particular untruth debatable. At best, it was a very Aes Sedai way of saying something without saying what her words would normally have meant.
 
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If they are merging Liandrin and Elaida then the question is who is the advisor to Andor?

Don’t need one.

sort of nothing position anyway.


But a merge with Alviarin might be a good idea too. That was always sort of redundant and just cast padding.
 
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66623340-D03-B-4-AFC-A1-B5-6-A8-B64-C11-DB5.jpg


Means nothing to me.


Out there guesses

prophetic painting of her in the Eelfinn world.

or a secret way of passing messages to her from Siuan.

I was wondering the same thing! I like your theories.

Except....in the book when Logain laughs it's because he sees the glow of Rand's taveren nature. Since we're assuming he saw Nynaeve 'glow like the sun' like a taveren, and not her weaving, it makes more sense that he would see similar glows around Rand and Mat. It would also throw more confusion as to who really is the Dragon to the television-only audience....
(just my thoughts....)

I always thought he was laughing because he sensed how much Rand could channel and he found it odd that he was captured and being taken to get gentled while Rand was out there and could channel even more than he could.
 

Keisha al'Benn

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I'm in the beginning of the reread, about to finish Book 2, and there was a chapter with the portal stones recently where Rand tried to get them to Toman Head - and in the process, he saw tons of other different lives he could have led and worlds that could have been. Could look at it that way, too. :laugh:
Yes! I've been using the Portal Stone Method to look at it! flicker, flicker....
@Ixialdor Lathanril I'm not sure men can sense it like women can, it took like 10 minutes for Taim to do testing to see if men could channel. Either way, he was seeing or sensing something and that's why he laughed....it wasn't from Dagger Madness, Mat wasn't even there in the books.
 

Alyria Ess

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I'm in the beginning of the reread, about to finish Book 2, and there was a chapter with the portal stones recently where Rand tried to get them to Toman Head - and in the process, he saw tons of other different lives he could have led and worlds that could have been. Could look at it that way, too. :laugh:

I would love to see them do this and add actual, literal, book scenes :laugh:
 

Ilissa al'Nari

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I had forgotten how much I <3 this episode. The mourning ritual in the end is beautiful, and I think it makes perfect sense for Lan to be able to put that kind of emotion into it when he has a 'job' like he does here. It's kinda like I am not typically a very confrontational person, but if I am asked to speak on someone else's behalf I don't have any problems making the relevant demands for the situation. Or if I have to tell off a student for something that's really beyond the pale -- I have actually had students comment on that, how I can go from Nice and Understanding Teacher to...not-so-nice...in about two seconds flat if the situation calls for it.

This is one of the episodes where it's really hard to point at favourites, because so many of the actors do such a fantastic job in the same episode, and the writing is awesome as well. Lovedlovedloved so many of the interactions, and the Tinkers and how they stood against the Whitecloaks was incredibly powerful. In social sciences just after break we're going to continue talking about how people build society and culture, and how society and culture builds us, and there are so many things in these episodes I'd like to use it's hard to know where to even begin. But I think Liandrin's comment about how many powerful men don't treat women who might one day be stronger than them needs to be in there, and so does the interaction between Lan/Stepin and Stepin's funeral rites.
 
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