Season 1 Episode 6 “The Flame of Tar Valon” with book spoilers

[Nadezhda al'Lanahrin]

I have no problems with Novices starting that young, since time in the Tower generally is a minimum of 10 years.

 

[Ilissa al'Nari]

My primary problem with it is that novice training is so hard. The fact that in the books the Tower doesn't really take girls before they are 15 (unless they have started channeling, which obviously Siuan has, but still, 8?) is kinda redeeming seeing as how harshly they are treated. Old enough to be let off your mother¨s apron strings (or dad's...fishing nets...in this case), but young enough to accept the harsh discipline of the Tower because you're still young enough to be used to doing as you are told. Doesn't the books even say that in women saidar rarely manifest until the girls are older than 12 anyway? I don't remember the exact ages here, but I remember thinking when I read the books the first time that saidar seems to manifest around the same time kids in our time reach puberty - a few years earlier for the girls than for the boys.

It's not like it's a Big Problem or anything...just a minor annoyance in an episode that otherwise pleased me greatly.