To prologue or not to prologue?

Maianel Istor

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(Apologies if this already got hashed out in another thread; I've been super busy and not around much.)

I've always loved the prologue to TEotW. It was such a breath of fresh air compared to the Ye Olde Epick Phantasie Prologues of Yore (which were not-even-thinly-disguised encyclopedia entries) -- it drops you right into the middle of a tense moment, with characters and conflict and so forth.

But . . . I'm not sure if we'll get it in the TV series, and I think it might be better if we don't. Part of what makes the original prologue work is the interiority, which books do way better than TV and movies; on the screen I'm not sure the transition from madness to clarity would really pack the right punch.

Given that the show is putting Aes Sedai material much more front and center from the start, I'm going to put my bet down on the first episode having a prologue -- but instead of it being LTT and Ishamael, it'll be Moiraine and Siuan and maybe Gitara Moroso with her Foretelling. I seem to recall the showrunners said early on that they're approaching the first season from a mindset of Moiraine being the protagonist (which makes sense; she's the one who's actively pursuing a goal), so it would fit well for us to see the events that set her on her path. It's also more useful from an expository standpoint, because they can deliver information the audience needs about what this whole Dragon business is, anyway, in a much more helpful way than watching LTT nuke himself.

What do y'all think?
 
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Serinia Edoras

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I think it's an iconic part of the story, but agree that it might be better if it's not included in the beginning of the TV series. I think it could make a powerful flashback after the audience is more invested in the characters.

As for the idea of including the scene of Moiraine & Siuan at Gitara's Foretelling I love the idea, but I'd be surprised if they included it as an introduction. I think they're looking at Moiraine/Rosamund acting as the "sage" and I don't think they'd compromise that position by showing her younger self so early. But similar to the Dragonmount Prologue I do hope we get to see it some day.... I really hope we get to see many of the characters as their younger selves (Moiraine, Suian, Pevara, Sheriam, etc.).
 

Maianel Istor

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I think it's an iconic part of the story, but agree that it might be better if it's not included in the beginning of the TV series. I think it could make a powerful flashback after the audience is more invested in the characters.

Same! I could really dig occasional Age of Legends flashbacks, scattered throughout the series. There are plot-driven places to get a few of those, but more wouldn't be bad.

As for the idea of including the scene of Moiraine & Siuan at Gitara's Foretelling I love the idea, but I'd be surprised if they included it as an introduction. I think they're looking at Moiraine/Rosamund acting as the "sage" and I don't think they'd compromise that position by showing her younger self so early. But similar to the Dragonmount Prologue I do hope we get to see it some day.... I really hope we get to see many of the characters as their younger selves (Moiraine, Suian, Pevara, Sheriam, etc.).

I don't know that "Moiraine as sage" is going to be quite right. In the books you initially see her just through Rand's eyes, where she's kind of an untrustworthy Gandalf. But in the trailer we see her swearing the Three Oaths, which means that somehow -- be it prologue or flashback -- we're going to get the younger version of her, and it makes sense to me to position it as a prologue. Then you get a nice flow from "years ago, this happened" to Moiraine in the present day heading to the Two Rivers (we hear her say to Lan that they're headed there), and thus to the introduction of our Emond's Field quintet. From an exposition perspective, I feel like that would be a strong way to introduce some vitally necessary information, by some more interesting route than just Moiraine talking to the kids.
 
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I'm just so excited to be "surprised" by how they tell the story! I just can't wait to see what they include and when and how! More exclamation points!
 

Elania al'Manir

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But in the trailer we see her swearing the Three Oaths, which means that somehow -- be it prologue or flashback -- we're going to get the younger version of her
Not necessarily. If we knew this was a scene directly from the books, then yes, but this is an adaptation. Rafe's quote regarding the Oath Rod scene is, "It's something that people may not be expecting to see in the first season, but I think they will like how we're using it." To me, the first half of the quote supports your idea, that she's swearing the Oaths for the first time. But the second part suggests that maybe the Oaths get used at other times as well, in ways that we wouldn't expect but could get on board with. It's pure speculation, but I've seen the idea tossed out that she re-swears the Oaths at a different time.
 

Maianel Istor

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Fair! For all we know, Siuan could be having Moiraine re-swear to make sure she isn't Black Ajah.

Still, the exchange with Lan seems pretty cut-and-dried on the idea that we'll see the two of them before they arrive in the Two Rivers. (It could be flashback, but that seems weird and pointless if we've already seen the result?) And I feel like that exchange needs something to set it up; we're not just going to start with the two of them on the road.
 
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