Just a quick reminder, I am going to talk about the episode in broader strokes, there might be some spoilers, but I don’t want to get too far into detail. I’ll have a spoiler section at the bottom. There will be spoilers for previous episodes in what I talk about though.

A Place of Safety Recap

After having been split up at Shadar Logoth, Egwene and Perrin need to set out on their own, not really knowing where they are going, or where in the wilderness is safe. Lan needs to find a way to work with Nyneave in order to help Moiraine who is still suffering from the affects of their quick travels and the wound she look from the trollocs in Emond’s Field. Meanwhile Rand and Mat struggle between wanting to go home and fear of the trollocs following them. And when they find a town to stay at for a little bit, they find two interesting characters there.

What Didn’t Work

I thought that this was another strong episode in that it gave me what I wanted. Again, it jumped around some in the story and we’re still waiting on certain characters to show up that have already in the book. We get one of them here, one of the two interesting characters. And I think that they do a solid job with the character, but they are a bit more rough around the edges seeming than they are in the book. They still have the charisma that I’d expect though, and another very solid casting.

I also want more time with Egwene and Perrin, this is where a character is really missing, and honestly, I like Egwene and Perrin’s characters a lot. So I’d not complain about seeing them spend more time on their character. I also think that Perrin’s character needs to be fleshed out more. While him killing his wife in the first episode, on accident, does give him some of his drive to hate a weapon, they could have done more with it. And the introduction of the wolves is great, they do matter, but I want to see what they are going to do with them.

So really it’s less of two things that didn’t work, it’s more things that I want more of. So probably the one thing that didn’t work as well for me was the pacing in the episode. It felt rushed at times and while they did a good job of dwelling on Mat and Rand, a slight slowdown in the Egwene and Perrin storyline would make it feel like we know them more as characters.

What Worked

The Mat and Rand storyline worked. It works for multiple reasons. The first being they show how Mat’s personality is shifting. We know in the show that Shadar Logoth is a bad place, but we’re starting to see what that might mean. And I like the character development for Rand, again with the dagger but also the depth that they’ve given him about being a gambler, a risk taker, and a bit shady, but really doing that for the sake of his sisters and his concern for them.

I think that change for Mat is needed from the books and this is comes from the characters being older. In the book he is very care free and free wheeling at the beginning. Life is a big adventure and that’s all he cares about. He’s older in the show, so I don’t think he’d have kept that feeling as much. Mat is still the most care free of the group but now there’s a bit of motivation for some of his darker side besides the ruby hilted dagger.

We also meet two interesting characters, I kind of talked about it already, how it’s not when that character is introduced, but they do a good job with the character. Want to know more about him, spoiler section.

A Place of Safety – Final Thoughts

This was another good episode, I really enjoyed it. I wasn’t so sure while I was watching it though. Pacing on the episodes, like I said, is a bit off. I want more time with Egwene and Perrin, but I will admit that what they are doing now isn’t the most interesting. Instead they focused on Mat and Rand, and that is probably the right spot to focus right now.

Is this better than Shadow’s Waiting, I’m hard pressed to say that, but some of why I like Shadow’s Waiting is that it feels better paced, and better choices in it compared to Leavetaking. This one, I think, arguably has some more interesting story moments for Rand and Mat as well as Lan, Moiraine, and Nyneave. I didn’t mention this but for Lan, Moiraine and Nyneave, the story is diverging in characters introduced. Needed drama, I don’t know, but I don’t dislike it.

If I were to grade this one, and let’s be fair, I am going to do, I’d say it’s an 8 to 8.5. It is very similar to what the previous episode was, but a new character I really like helps it.

What did you think of A Place of Safety?

Spoilers

So, we finally get to meet Thom Merrlin, and it’s another very good casting. I will say that Alexandre Willaume plays Thom maybe a bit more rough around the edges than he seems in the book, but the charisma is still there. A friend on Twitter says that Thom is what everyone wants to be as a Bard in Dungeons and Dragons, and I think that’s pretty accurate. He captivates the room and can stab you in the back.

I also like that they begin to form a tenuous connection between him, Rand, and Mat. He protects them from the dark friend in the town. But he also spends time with Mat, and you get to see his more caring side. I am assuming now that he’s killed a dark friend in the town, and the town killed an Aiel for possibly stealing or some possible crime, they won’t want him around even for his songs and stories.

The dark friend also worked in the show. I do think they maybe needed Moiraine to tell them not to trust anyone and more about dark friends in the previous episode, so we’d know what they are. But for me, I did, it makes Rand and Mat’s position on their own seem more perilous. And I want to be suspecting everyone as a potential dark friend when it comes to those two characters. Especially Mat with his ruby dagger and the taint of Shadar Logoth should be extremely suspicious now.

I also thought it was interesting they introduced Liandrin Sedai already. She is introduced in the first book but not this soon. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to bring her in early though. She is an important character, same with Alanna Sedai. We’ll see how they are used in the show, but two interesting characters to bring in at this point. Even in my spoilers, I’m not going to say how they are and why they matter. But to see them with Logain, specially Liandrin as part of the Red Ajah makes sense.

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Note: I am going to try and not do spoilers and keep a spoiler section at the end, but an episode recap might spoil what has already happened.

Shadow’s Waiting Recap

The group, led by Moiraine are on the run with trollocs chasing at their heels. They run across other threats as they travel cross country. The White Cloaks question them but with a little misdirection Moiraine leads them away. Moiraine is able to maintain their energy, but with hers flagging and being wounded by the trollocs, they are forced to secret refuge in Shadar Logoth.

What Doesn’t Work?

This episode was a whole lot better for me than Leavetaking. This one moves very fast though as well. Now, not as fast as the last one in terms of action. The first episode has a big trolloc fight, here they are more on the run, it is what is going to be coming behind them. And while there is action around Shadar Logoth the feel of it is very different.

There are of course some more changes in this episode, I’ll talk about them coming up. But I don’t have as much issue as I did with the last episode in what they changed, places they bypassed and plot points likely going forward.

What Works?

I think they do a very good job of building up the tension between the Aes Sedai, Moiraine and Mat, Rand, and Perrin. Perrin can see why they have to leave and he is clearly running if you saw the first episode. But Mat and Rand are rightfully skeptical of what Moiraine has been telling them. After the moments of running from the trollocs and not seeing the trollocs for a little bit, they just can’t follow on faith anymore.

This also, with it being a slower paced episode, we get to dive more into the characters I feel. They do a good job of starting to develop Egwene and Moiraine’s relationship. And the hesitancy of the characters, in particular of Mat’s character in this episode. While they maybe don’t show it the best for how much time has passed on the run, this feels like the point in the book where they feel like they can stop running, at least for a little bit, which is saying something with the episode titled Shadow’s Waiting.

Again, I’m going to keep talking about this, they have done such a good job with casting. Mat really gets a chance to shine in this episode, I think, and the upcoming one as well. While there are some changes to his story, I don’t feel like it detracts or feels like they are forcing him into a story moment for the sake of drama. And a lot of that comes from the actor just stepping so well into that role. The story surrounding him works for the character and actor.

Final Thoughts on Shadow’s Waiting

Like I’ve said, I like this episode better than Leavetaking. I’d say that Leavetaking was a 6.5 out of 10, good enough that I’d want to watch more but probably not good enough for me to watch the whole series if it wasn’t one I was already interested in. Shadow’s Waiting to me took that up to an 8, it’s a very good episode and very good character development. They let the characters breathe as we got to know them.

Now, I get pushing the tempo for the first episode because the book spends a chunk of time before the action really starts. But we get an idea of the characters only. Here we get to know the characters. We get to see Moiraine in action in something that she’s more comfortable with. And the White Cloaks are terrifying, especially the questioners, which they should be.

To me, Shadow’s Leaving got me hooked more into the series. Even with difference, I think it still works. And we’ll have to see if that continues or not. But now that we are starting to get a foundation for the characters, I expect that I’ll enjoy it more.

What did you think of Shadow’s Leaving? Let me know in the comment section below.

Spoilers

Baerlon

Now, there are some changes from the book that I want to talk about. Firstly, they completely skip going to Baerlon this is actually not an issue for me. Baerlon was a good way to set-up that there are and can be dark friends everywhere, and a solid spot to meet the White Cloaks and Min, but it isn’t completely needed. I think that the introduction to the White Cloaks was more effective here.

In the book we meet the White Cloaks, people are giving them room and giving them a wide birth, but here we get to see a questioner immediately and how terrifying they are. And also got to see the difference between a Questioner and a regular White Cloak as well.

In terms of Min, I am fine with not meeting here there. I want Min in the show and I believe that she’s been cast so we’ll get to see her. But Caemlyn would be a perfectly fine spot to meet her. Or even have her already be at Tar Valon, but probably be ideal to meet her before then just for some story elements.

Shadar Logoth

And then let’s talk about the difference in Shadar Logoth without Mordeth being there and trying to get Mat, Perrin, and Rand to help him. Mat instead just wanders off on his own and finds a box with the ruby hilted dagger in it. That’s less exciting, and it was a bummer that we didn’t get to see Mordeth.

Now, it’s not so much of a bummer because it’s so important to the story. It’s more of a bummer because Shadar Logoth was an amazing location to see in the show. Mat’s reasoning still makes sense for taking the dagger. But to see the twisted and empty ruins of Shadar Logoth, that’d have been amazing. They made it look properly impressive and empty. The falling apart because it’s been neglected not because of battle works. I’d love to have explored it longer.

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