What do you think can be removed to create a good TV Series?

Elanda Tonil

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Oh, I know one thing that can be completely removed that will improve the series (to me, at least): Gawyn.
I would pay money for them to remove him from the story.
 

Bruce al'Kay

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I mean. I have listened to them. So no?

I'm not saying he's essential by any means. But I liked Gawyn.
 
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I have to agree about getting rid of Gawyn. He was the only character I physically groaned when his arcs came up. That should go.

Also, the love square should go. I was never a huge fan of that part. Min was always the best fit I thought. As much as I like the Great Hunt I can see that being condensed down a ton. The Bryne and Siuan love arc was good, but unnecessary to the story I can see that getting left out.

The trial of Perrin v Whitecloaks (while I personally liked that part of the book) could get cut. I know its controversial to like the trial but I always did :)

Mat's travels in Ebou Dar could be cut.
All though they should keep the reunion with the Band of the Red Hand
 

Jodea Kegan

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I like Gawyn more than most do, and I think his representation of feminism supporting masculinity needs more representation in fantasy books in general.

That being said they could cut most of him, and they could cut the vast majority of any of the journey stuff really (2 books of perrin searching for faile is absurd, as is a good deal of the rand journey in book 2, and the girls journey in book 4 and 5), SO much of the Aiel

More important are the things they should not cut, like the seanchan, the black tower, the cleansing of the taint, everything with taim and logain, the female forsaken (lets be fair, they are more fun than the male forsaken for the most part) and the backstory of Rands parentage if the aiel and the royal family are going to make sense in the outcome of the story. In fact, they have to work the mythology of randland into the story heavily. They can't just do the mantheren backstory via moiraine, they have to delve into the aol, hawking, the prophicies, all of it.
 

Ephrem Elpidius

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Gawyn is an amazing story arch, he represents the Paladin role so to speak, very important to have in a giant world building sense. I can't read this thread anymore.
 

Ashlyn Sindal

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They could probably trim the Shaido stuff considerably without much loss. The main storyline is important, but not only is the Perrin/Shaido stuff yawn-worthy, we really don't need hours upon hours of Sevanna and her Wise Ones being awful, either.

Also, all of the sniping between Berelain and Faile. It's obnoxious, and it reads like a caricature of what a guy who has no female friends thinks women do when faced with a rival or perceived rival instead of something that might occur between two actual people.

Keep Gawyn, though. He does important stuff, and he's a good foil for Elayne, Galad, and Egwene. But they'll have to cast someone very pretty to play him or no one will ever buy Egwene putting up with his nonsense.
 

Alyria Ess

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That being said they could cut most of him, and they could cut the vast majority of any of the journey stuff really (2 books of perrin searching for faile is absurd, as is a good deal of the rand journey in book 2, and the girls journey in book 4 and 5),

thiiiiiiiiiiiiiis
 

Liam al'Eire

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^ Agreed!!!
 

Toral Delvar

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Cadsuane.
They can probably cut the whole traveling circus storyline, or at least condense it, so that it doesn't last 15 series like it did in the books. The Shaido didn't really go anywhere - they just left in the end, so I don't know how much we would lose if that was very much cut back
The Tower split needs to stay, but they can probably lose the Black Ajah hunters
 

Thaddius al'Guy

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They could cut a lot of the white cloak stuff with Jaichim Carridin and the whole Almoth Plain sub plot. If i remember right, it added zilch to the overall story since it was a failed effort.

I think the only time is POV was useful was during the beginning of TGH when he was at that meeting and you got an early look at a Black Ajah Aes Sedai who we came to know later as Liandrin.
 

Eliza Al'Shaw

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When we're talking about cutting characters, surely we mean editing? I mean, there are 14 books! I believe both Morgase and Gawyn have more spot light than is needed for them to be where / what is needed at the important parts. But we can't not have them at all. . . Just a heck of al lot less! Right?
 

Toral Delvar

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From the first book, I think it would break down pretty well into a season of a TV series, but there are multiple characters who would appear in one or two episodes and who come back to be either main characters (Min, Elayne), prominent ones (Domon, Aram) or even just brief appearances (Paitr)
I think we'd lose a lot by Min being cut - it is nice for Rand to have a woman who isn't annoying, but her visions could be given to Egwene or Perrin as Dreams, or later to other Dreamwalkers. Do we really need the "Aram goes bad" storyline? Or even the Tua'athon? It is an important part of Perrin's journey, the contrast between an ideal world and the one he must actually live in, but could be accomplished in other ways.
Rand encountering Paitr and other Darkfriends is pretty small, and should probably stay (if only so we can keep the transformation of Rand punching one boy into a mass celebration witnessed by the person taking them towards Caemlyn), but there is no particular need for it to be the same character they later encounter, other than we actually know he was a Darkfriend and not just murdered by the Whitecloaks to scare Morgase
 

Almira ni'Caldazare

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Game of Thrones had to shorten the character list. I don't know which characters Wheel of Time should loose but I think that directors and writers will look at that first.
 

Keisha al'Benn

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The first thing that comes to mind is the great chase of Perrin trying to free Faile.
 
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They cannot really cut out the Shaido and Perrin plot, because... well... they will have to think of a new plot for Perrin and they cannot just let him dissapear for a few seasons, that's just silly.

I actually think they could cut out most of the Perrin/Shaido arc, Ilverin Sedai. Also the entire subplot with the Prophet is unnecessary, IMO. Perrin's best storylines is through his character development-- his "I'm just a blacksmith!" refrain. It's what ties our three ta'veren together: they're all reluctant heroes, and deal with that reality and the responsibility foisted on them in vastly different ways.

I think the core Perrin storylines to keep are: the Tinkers, Hopper/Luc/Slayer, becoming Lord of the Two Rivers, and the trial with the Children that culminates in forging the hammer, and the battle with the Children against the dreadlords and trollocs. If these moments really got the attention they deserve (like giving him most of the tel'arah'rhiod bits), I think it'll be enough.

I think that's actually my main feeling about what to include or not: I think what made Game of Thrones a fantastic show right up until it wasn't was how it was character-driven. WoT is intensely character driven, and I'm all for things being cut/trimmed that might be plot-related if they don't further the character arcs of our core team (Egwene, Rand, Mat, Perrin, Elayne, Aviendha).
 
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Feros Sandulf

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That is a the biggest question we all are thinking how many seasons are we going to get. We have an advantage over the Games of Thrones in that our series is finished. The problem is the amount of seasons web shows actually get. They are usually short. Traveling time can certainly be cut. The circus traveling can be reduced as well as the hunts for the blacks that occur. I will agree that some of the forsaken can be changed as well since a few die before they do anything. I'm interested in how the will show weaving being done. Had an interesting discussion with others and thought about them actually showing some of the weaving being done in threads that we see are being pulled together. There are a couple moments in the book were messing up the pattern of a weave is important to the scene and if not present could lose so of the tension that it brings when reading it.
 
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