Top 3 Magic the Gathering Universe Beyond I Want?

3. Vampire the Masquerade

This is a license that I think has a chance, but also doesn’t. Vampire the Masquerade Rivals exists which is supposed to kind of be in a Magic the Gathering spot. That said, I’d love a set of this, and I think it’d drop into the Magic the Gathering system amazingly well.

Mainly, we already have Innistrad, we already have vampires in Magic the Gathering. Compared to the others, it’s something that already exists. Now, this is a more modern setting than Innistrad, so that might be a concern, but you’d be able to use some of the same mechanics for Vampire the Masquerade.

But one thing, that I think people might call out, is the masquerade, how do you make it so it isn’t just vampires fighting vampires. The whole point, or part of it, is that vampires run things from the shadows and want to stay hidden. So, how do you make that work in Magic the Gathering? I think there is a template for that with the ring tempting the ring bearer in Lord of the Rings set. It’s a tracker to see if you break the masquerade. So you can improve it, get it further from breaking, but as you attack it might get closer. So it’d be a balancing act which I think would be fun.

While Vampire the Masquerade is my #3, I think out of the three it’d be the easiest to do in Magic the Gathering.

2. Wheel of Time

With a lot of these, it’s hard to come up with an in game reason why they would be fighting each other. That’s the issue with a lot of IP’s, they are built around stories. But we just saw a massively successful one where it doesn’t make sense in Lorcana. Even Lord of the Rings or Doctor Who it won’t always make sense. So I just need to assume that logic is out the windows.

The nice thing with Wheel of Time is that you have different groups throughout that you can play around with. The Aes Sedai, Rand’s group, some of the bad guy groups, Aiel, and more. What does is it builds out a systems where you can create synergies between certain groups and work better with each other versus with other groups. So from that perspective I think it could work. And if it’s just a straight up battle, that would make sense for at times in the story with almost any group fighting the others. Or you could have them going up against dark friends and dark ones to do better than the other team.

But in the world of Magic the Gathering, I think it’d work. Plenty of groups to build commander decks around. And there are plenty of interesting characters to draw from.

1. Sword Art Online

Now, I think there are other anime that would get done first. With the success of the live action One Piece show, that’s the one I could have scene. But anime’s are generally pretty stingy on giving out their licensing for stuff, especially for something that isn’t just their thing. And One Piece technically has a TCG out, but not one that’s even close to the name recognition of Magic the Gathering.

But Sword Art Online, on of my favorite anime, I think could work as a trading card game. Possibly a player versus the game set-up game. Or there is dueling within the first season and the world of Aincrad. So let you take on heroes and characters from Aincrad and face off against one another, build up decks with abilities to augment what your characters can do. And let you switch heroes out, if you meet a condition they can jump in and take over the attack, like in the show.

In terms of Universes Beyond, I think switching would just be a flip card that you could have as a commander. And it’d likely break the game in some way that Magic hasn’t done before. But that’s what Magic the Gathering does regularly anyways, add in something new that changes up how the game works. And Universes Beyond are actually a decent testing ground for that.

What Set Would You Want?

I know that some of the upcoming ones might interest people that are already coming. There is Final Fantasy, Doctor Who releasing today, and Assassin’s Creed, all worlds and IP’s that people enjoy. But is there one that they haven’t announced you’d be interested in.

More generically, probably not in Universes Beyond, I’d like a set where they lean into Gundam. Giant powered machines doing the combat and being able to play around with that and piloting them, adding on mods to them, things like that. It’d feel different, but in the mechanics of Magic the Gathering, I feel like it’d work quite well.

Let me know your thoughts or favorite one.

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Top 5 Most Anticipated Television Shows of 2023

5. The Witcher Season 3

It’ll be Henry Cavill’s last season but that’s fine, I still expect to enjoy it a lot. I’ve enjoyed both seasons and while they aren’t the most consistent, I love the lore of the world. Season 2 gave us a good tease of something big at the end and now I’m curious to see how they’ll pay it off.

4. Fallout

I don’t know much about this show. In fact, I’m not 100% certain it’ll come out in 2023. But if it does from Amazon Prime, I’ll be curious about it. The world is interesting and I don’t have that much exposure to it. It’s probably a video game that I should checkout. But I think something like this with a big would could translate well to a television series.

3. Shadow and Bone Season 2

I really loved the first season, so to get a 2^nd, I’m excited to see what is going to happen. The characters are interesting, the world is interesting and generally, I didn’t have any real qualms with the show, the only thing, and this isn’t a bad thing, I might want to rewatch season 1. It’s been just long enough that I’ll want to know what happened and relive it again.

2. Star Wars Shows

We should be getting the Mandalorian Season 3, which I’m so excited for. Plus the Ahsoka show, also really excited for that one. I know I need to catch up on stuff like Andor, Kenobi and finally finish Book of Boba Fett, but none of them really excited me. Mandalorian Season 3 is must watch the week that it comes out for me. And I hope that Ahsoka will be the same. Oh, and I almost forgot Skeleton Crew which sounds like a lot of fun as well and isn’t tied into Star Wars cannon seemingly as much. So I’m more interested in it.

1. Marvel Shows

Obviously, and there might be a number of them with Secret Invasion, Loki Season 2, Echo, Agatha Coven of Chaos, Ironheart, and maybe What If Season 2 as well in the mix. If you want to know my favorites or most anticipated in that and see how they rank against the movies, check out the January 3^rd episode of 10 Minute Marvel.

Honorable Mentions

Of course I have some of those as well.

• But the first one is Anasi Boys an adaptation of a Neil Gaiman book but one that I thought was just alright. It’s certainly one I’d checkout, if it sounds interesting enough once some reviews start coming in.
• Extinction, on TNT not a streaming show, also sounds interesting, a software engineer who gets stuck in a time loop where the world keeps ending in different ways, that sounds entertaining. I believe it’s already been out in the UK, it’s coming to the US in 2023.
• Probably should be on the list already, but The Continental coming to Starz, which means it might be a bit until I see it. But this one I do want to see, a prequel series to the John Wick films about the Continental Hotel from that series, set in the late 1970’s.
• Dune Sisterhood because it is a Dune show, don’t know too much about it, but I’m curious. It’s on HBO Max, and still alive, so it’s lower on the list because who knows when I’d see it.
• And I’m not seeing it for this year, but if Wheel of Time Season 2 comes out, that’ll be towards the top of the list.
• Also, Stranger Things season 5. But that is supposed to start filming this year, so unlikely to come out.

What shows are you looking forward to?

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Top 5 TV Shows from 2022

5. Wheel of Time

I know that there are going to be some people who disagree with this one. It isn’t enough like the books, and I agree with that, but I still had a ton of fun with it. I thought that they got a lot of the characters right. And I want to see what is going to happen next. This was never going to be a 14 season series with teenagers, and I don’t think I’d ever have wanted that. But it gave me a look into Robert Jordan’s world and the magic and the turning of the world just maybe from a slightly different universe than the one that he wrote.

And I keep on coming back to it when I talk about it, the casting is really good. The characters are so much fun, and the experience of watching the show, it was almost much watch TV for me. Which, besides Marvel, it’s hard for a show to do that. I still have stuff like Andor, Book of Boba Fett, and Rings of Power on the too catch-up on list.

4. The Witcher

It’s a shame that Henry Cavill is leaving and that like The Wheel of Time, this isn’t closer to the source material. But I am having fun with this series. Henry Cavill is great as Geralt. And while I didn’t like Yeniffer’s storyline at all or her character at all in the 1^st season, she’s a little bit better. I’m still the least interested in what she is doing, but she’s tolerable now. And with where season 2 ended, I want to know what is going to happen next. Even if this is the last season that I watch, I want to know where it is going to go.

3. Locke & Key

Locke & Key is a rare show that got a chance to wrap up on it’s own terms. But I’m so glad that it did, maybe it could have been longer and more keys could have been found. But they did a really good job of wrapping up the story and creating memorable moments. That family has been through so much, and it just worked so well with how the story ended. It makes me want to find another story in that crazy world or something, but also so satisfied with how everything ended.

2. The Dragon Prince

This one might be higher because it was more recent, but I really love The Dragon Prince. And it also might be higher because we watched through the whole series again. This newest season, not a ton happens, really in it, but there is enough fun that it just works. And it had been a while, both in the show and in real life, so it was nice to get to enjoy seeing characters that I love on the screen again. And then of course they are going to have their own dramas as well, but that’s part of the show. And again, they handle some difficult topics very well.

1. Stranger Things

Finally, Stranger Things. I don’t think it’s a surprise. Stranger Things Season 4 was amazing. I’d put it neck and neck with Season 1. The new characters introduced were great. And they really upped the stakes in this season. Not so much in people dying, I won’t spoil who does or doesn’t make it, but just in the level of threat. Which, I must say, is impressive, because they had some massive threats before.

And it was interesting how the three different storylines were really so different this season. Previous seasons they exist but are also closer together. Now they were really spread apart and where it ended, I can’t wait to see how they’ll wrap up the series. Plus they are working on more stuff for Netflix, including in the world of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers that is, so I want to know what will happen that way as well.

What was your Favorite Show of 2022?

Let me know that down in the comments. I will finish up Book of Boba Fett sometime and I do want to watch Rings of Power, Andor, 1899, Wednesday, and more. Which would you start with to catch up? And then I also know there are new shows coming out, that list coming soon, that I’m excited for.

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What Is The Wheel of Time?

Like I said, it’s an epic 14 book series. It is heavy fantasy driven with a fairly standard epic fantasy setting, though some good tweaks on things like magic so that it isn’t just the normal setting. The main things that you need to know about the world going in is that time works on a loop, hence a wheel of time. Where heroes are reborn into the world, but because of a breaking of the world, there is a Dark One, and he wants to rule it all.

Rand Al’Thor and the kids of Emond’s Field live a normal quiet farm life. But when Moiraine Sedai shows up, their world starts to change. One of them is going to be the Dragon Reborn. They will either be the one to save the world, or join the Dark One and doom the world. But from Mat, Perrin, Egwene, Nyneave, and Rand, Moiraine and her Warder Lan don’t know who it is going to be.

Thoughts on The Wheel of Time Season One?

I enjoyed the series. I am someone who read 13 of the 15 books. Yes, I said there were 14 books, and there are in the series, then there is a prequel which deals with Moiraine’s backstory. I do want to read that one as well eventually. And I am working my way through the series again now. The television series departs, pretty quickly, from the book series. And for some book readers, that departure, and the number of them might be shocking.

Even for myself, especially the first episode, seemed like a drastic step away from the books in terms of an adaptation. Now, that was closer, in some ways, than the series got as it went along. It ended up being more a pacing issue in the first episode and that they aged up the characters from the books. With that said, they generally always got the tone and feel right. When I look at an adaptation, that is what I want to see. I want it to give me the same feeling as the book. And I want it close enough to my minds picture that it’s easy to jump into the story.

I’d also say that the story is still strong in what they are doing. In some ways, because they had to cut down some fat from 14 books, and they really mainly touched on the first book, it works for television. There are parts that were cut out that I definitely missed, but that’d kind of be a spoiler. And there are other parts that remind me of how the Lord of the Rings trilogy completely cut out Tom Bombadil. Some characters, side quests, or plot points might be interesting, or fun, but less needed.

Spoilers For Wheel of Time Ahead

Clearly, we are getting into spoiler territory now. I recommend if the series interests you to stop now. If you have read the books but haven’t watched the show yet, feel free to continue. It might help clarify some choices that were made. Or lessen some surprises on changes that happened.

And if you want to catch up on my episode by episode reviews, you can find the one for the finale here. And links for other reviews in there.

What Didn’t Work?

A few things don’t work for me in the series. Let’s start at the very beginning. The pacing of the first episode and the heavy handedness of the first episode don’t work for me. One detail you need to know is that the characters in the show are older. This is not a bad change. I think it is needed because this is a long series and kids might age up too fast. Also this is an intense series, so I think slightly older works better.

Aged Up Characters

But the pacing was rushed on the first episode. Some of what makes The Wheel of Time a great series is that it has this writing style of slow, big moment, slow, big moment, a consistent rising and falling. The series gets to that, but it takes a little while. But Perrin is married, know that going in. And in order to get Perrin to dislike his axe, he accidentally kills his wife in the Trolloc attack. It is rushed and forced.

Who Is The Dragon?

They also play a guessing game as to who is The Dragon reborn. In the books, we get a fever dream from Tam Al’Thor, Rand’s father, about how he isn’t actually his father in the first quarter of the book. Here this was the second to last episode that we get that. It’s meant to keep the audience guessing, I get that. Bur, unfortunately, they telegraph it. They hint that everyone could be the Dragon except for Rand.

This can work if you are don’t pick up on it. But they generally lay it on pretty heavily. Every time that they were around both Mat and Rand, since they did spend a lot of time together, it always hinted that it was Mat. Every other character from Emond’s Field as well could be the dragon, except for Rand. I get that it creates a sense of mystery, but it is more interesting, when done well, as in the book, for Rand to try and come to terms with being the dragon. And that his father isn’t who he thought he is.

What Did Work?

Generally, I think that they did a good job in making things work for the show. This might be a bit less on the story front of things and more along the line of the aesthetic and acting. But let’s talk about the acting.

The Acting

The casting for this show is as perfect as I’ve seen for any show. Especially for an adaptation it is amazing. They manage to get the feel of every character right. Even an aged up Mat still has that playful side to him or trickster side from the books. Plus they give him more of a reason to lean into the darker side of the character. Perrin also really stands out to me. He has that slow, lumbering element to him. And while they change his story a lot, he still feels right.

I honestly can’t come up with any character that I didn’t think was a great casting. Min, maybe, wasn’t as how I pictured her in my mind. But she was good in it. And Lan might be a bit slighter of frame than I thought, but Daniel Henney does a very good job in the role. Again, he feels like Lan Mandragoran even if he doesn’t look the part perfectly. And in an adaptation, I care more about the feel than my minds picture.

Where They Meet

One of the more drastic changes, or two really, were skipping over Baerlon and Caemlyn. Instead, they took the whole group to Tar Valon, which doesn’t happen that early in the books. However, the whole Caemlyn plot and Baerlon plots, they more flesh out the story. They add in some new characters and new things that are important, but generally can be done anywhere.

This also saves on the story from the second book. Fal Dara storyline is interesting, but they massively tighten it up with going to Tar Valon first. Again, this is an adaptation, there are going to be some losses to story. But there are also going to be some casualties, but also some ways that the story is tightened up a lot. No Padan Fain being arrested, he just shows up. No going to the Eye of the World and coming back with the Horn of Valere.

We can immediately get into the chase for the horn and the Great Hunt. Though, we need to see how that is going to work as there are pieces who aren’t there right now.

What I Missed?

Let’s talk quickly about what I missed from the series. Honestly there is only one thing I truly missed. And that is what we haven’t met Elayne yet. And that means that Rand didn’t climb up the wall and fall into the castle grounds in Caemlyn. Is that scene extremely important, I’m not sure, honestly, no it isn’t. But it is one of the moments of just fun from the series.

The Wheel of Time has a lot of adventure to it. It is generally a pretty dark series. The Caemlyn scene is a lot of fun. And just in general Elayne is one of my favorite characters, both her and Min. So I am curious when she gets into the show how we’ll be. I don’t know much about the actor playing her, so I’ll have to see.

I also missed, as I talked about, the fever “dream” that Tam tells Rand. We get it later, but I would love to instead see the story play around with Rand’s questioning of everything. Maybe that is too internal, but I think seeing that one scene would improve the story for me.

Wheel of Time Final Spoiler Thoughts

I really liked the series. I thought with the characters they did such an amazing job that it stands out as unique and better than most things. There are a few elements that I really need to see what happens with them. How is Elayne introduced? Where is Rand going away to and when will he come back? What is Mat up to? How will the story change now that Moiraine has been stilled?

Those are massive massive changes, but in terms of story I still think that it works. How it will work long term, and how much it’ll diverge I’m very curious about. I still definitely love the series, though, will all the changes. It reminds me of Lord of the Rings where most of the changes have been done for the good. And I am really curious to see what is coming forward.

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The Eye of the World Recap

Moiraine and Rand have headed off into the blight to go to the Eye of the World. Leaving the rest of them behind in Fal Dara, where there are troubles of their own. There are dark friends in the city which is an issue because Tarwin’s Gap, the land between the blight and the rest of the world is having trollocs and fades amass in front of it. So Egewene, Perrin, Nyneave, and Loial all need to help make a stand. But will it be enough to keep the trollocs from coming out of the blight.

What Didn’t Work?

Keeping the group split was an odd choice for me in this episode. Some of that is because they weren’t in the book. Having Moiraine and Rand head off on their own works, but it’d have worked better to then have them all meet up again. There was some decent dialog that would have be missed had they not, but that could easily have been added in at a later time. But it also would have changed, in my opinion, a good change that they made from the book.

I also think that the Aes Sedai aspect, or the use of the power, that part was not needed. I’m not sure what the payoff from that scene was in the episode. I won’t spoil what happens in it, but for me, that was a scene that didn’t develop characters anymore. I don’t think it set-up anything that was going to be useful going forward in the story, maybe a minor thing, but it could have been done without that being a part of it.

Finally, there is a change with Moiraine during the episode. This is not something that happens in the book at this time. I need to see what happens with it going forward. I don’t believe it’ll be a massive deal breaker for the story, because of some changes already made. But it is an odd choice to make. Something that is added in for drama but I don’t see how it’ll be added in for plot as well.

What Worked?

I think the Eye of the World, itself, worked out pretty well. The whole confrontation that we head into, in the finale, it works. And how they play it, I think is more interesting than how it is in the book. Now, not maybe, everything leading up to it. But the introduction of the Dark One, I think is well done. And his interaction with the characters, is also well done. It makes a convincing villain who is clearly bad, but not moustache twirling type of villain.

I also think, while there was an odd change with Loial, that the part with Perrin and Loial, that worked well. Loial is almost taking over the role of Elias from the books. Kind of that mentor figure to Perrin, and it works. At least to some extent.

And I like that they moved a key piece from the Eye of the Eye of the World. Because we were introduced to the Aes Sedai before Fal Dara, not at Fal Dara, like in the book, we don’t need to spend the time getting to know them. That is a chunk of the second book, at Fal Dara with the Aes Sedai and Suian Sanche. So the big plot point from there can instead by added into what is going on in Fal Dara now, and it worked for me. It tightens up the story, which I don’t always want them to do. But it does so in a good way.

The Eye of the World Final Thoughts

I liked this episode, generally. I do have some complaints, but I think the biggest one is around Moiraine’s change. It is a change that needs to be explained for plot reasons and we don’t get that in this season. I need to see more of what their plan is for it in the second season really.

But, I think that they get the Dark One right. You will never get the feeling that the Dark One is good, but like I said, he isn’t so obviously bad that you don’t like him. He’s creepy and twisted but not coming across as evil for the sake of being evil.

I don’t think this is the strongest episode in the series. But it is a good finale. And it makes me want more. Is it the biggest cliffhanger, not really, but it leaves a lot of things open ended. Plus it leaves you wondering where some of the characters are going and who might be changed in season two. I’d probably give this a 8 out of 10.

Did you like the finale, The Eye of the World?

Spoilers

Alright, let’s talk about Moiraine a little bit more. She isn’t stilled in the books. Things happen to her, but she isn’t stilled. So I don’t know what their plan is with her losing her powers. It isn’t something that makes that much sense to me because it feels out of place. Does she really need her powers to do a lot of what she does, well, sometimes yes, but generally know. She more directs things, but still, it’s an odd choice.

Also, Loial, is he going to be dead? It is certainly possible, but I hope not. We didn’t get to know his character that much in the first season, and i really like him in the books. He most definitely does not die in the books. So I don’t see him dying here, but they certainly seemed to imply that Padan Fain killed him. I think that’ll be a reveal to start season two is that he is severely injured but not killed.

Let’s talk about two changes that I do like though. First, the Horn of Valare being at Fal Dara, that works well. Like I said in the non-spoiler section, it tightens up a chunk of the story. While it is interesting and a good introduction to the Aes Sedai as Rand, and the group, in the books, go back to Fal Dara after the eye of the world, it isn’t needed here. And it is time where not much actually happens. Low action but good character development. I think that is being moved around, instead, which is okay.

The other thing changed, or really the other thing removed, was the whole idea of the Green Man protecting the Eye of the World in the middle of the blight or on the far side of it. To me this is a Tom Bombadil type thing from Lord of the Rings. It isn’t needed. Now, I forget if there is any future payoff for that character, but from what I remember of the books, he isn’t that important. I feel like it is more of an interesting idea that isn’t paid off on well. Now, it isn’t done poorly, but not that interesting either.

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Nerdy Resolutions

Make It To GenCon This Year

I rolled my ticket over, obviously, in 2020. And then I did so again in 2021, just it would have been hard to make it work with the different time. And I missed it. I don’t know what I would have thought about being masked all day, I say that not having an issue wearing a mask but for wearing a mask for a long period of time because of allergies.

We’ll see what it is like this year, but I plan on going. I missed the excitement of walking around the show room floor and playing random demos. Some of them were great, some of them were bad. But for the most part glad to have tried them. And then the random other games, and demoes that we got into. I doubt another North American Ice Cool Championship will happen, but there are always fun events.

Watch 5 New To Me Anime

Now, this is kind of in progress already. We have started watching My Senpai is Annoying, and it is great. But this is more of a challenge just to keep up with anime. 2020 had so much anime watched. Why, I worked from home a lot, so I watched a lot. 2021 had some watched, I came up with five, but not all of them were as great. I want to checkout more new anime and generally I like to binge stuff in the winter, so we’ll see what I get one.

Read The Keeper Of the Lost Cities Series

This one is also in progress. I picked up the first book, on a whim, because the premise looked cool. It is a middle grade series, but I am liking it better than Harry Potter thus far, and I really enjoyed Harry Potter. But this series just flows better. This is a 10 book series, I think, and they aren’t short books. I’d say that they are comparable in length to say book 3-4 of Harry Potter. But my goal is to finish all of them, which will take a little while, plus I want to start reading more comics again as well, but books first.

Listen To All Of Wheel of Time

Another in progress one, but with the show, which I still need to finish, I wanted to listen to all the books again. I enjoyed the series on my first listen through, and I’ve read the first in paperback a few times. The series is really long, but I enjoy it, and I want to get through it again because of the show. Plus, when I listened to it before, I didn’t get the last books. So while I “know” how it finishes, I’d actually like to see how Brandon Sanderson wraps Robert Jordan’s epic series.

Nerdologists Resolutions

So, honestly, I don’t plan on changing up much on the site for 2022. You might notice a bit more of a focus onto the board game side, but it’s been leaning very heavily that way. My main goal with Nerdologists in 2022 is to get it out there more. I have advertised before on Facebook, but I also want to try and find other ways to get the Nerdologists name/brand out there to help the site grow. To be determined as to how that will work though.

10 Minute Marvel Resolutions

This is basically going to be the same as last year. My goal is going to be putting out 50+ episodes this year. Now, I did do two double length episodes this past year. I can see that happening again if a show and a movie overlap when they come out so there is a lot to talk about. But otherwise, I hope not to miss any weeks like I did this year when I saw sick, granted, that’s a good excuse to miss.

Malts and Meeples Resolutions

Malts and Meeples is probably where I want to focus the most on growth. It is a blast streaming, and we already know what I want to get through a game of Sleeping Gods. I am going to play it this weekend so that I can be ready for Wednesday. But beyond that, I want to start doing more with the channel. In particular, while I wasn’t sure I wanted to do reviews, I think that is an area that I am going to start jumping into. I talk about board games so much on the website, I think doing a video review or two would be good as well. Don’t expect a highly edited project, but I want to figure out a nice format that I like to do.

But that is going to be it for me. What resolutions are you doing that are nerdy, if you have any? I try and keep mine small and attainable. Though, some of them are a bit vague for the site and podcast coming up. Let me know yours in the comments below.

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The Most Faithful Adaptations

It should be just like the book. I know what I liked about the books, and I need to see them. I want the same monsters, characters, plot points, everything to be like I think it is.

The upside to that style of adaptation is that the fans of the book are going to love it. All the nods and details that are from the book are going to stand out and feel like you get what you want. It also means that it won’t diverge too far from the story and give the show runners and writers a chance to mess it up. We can all think about adaptations, like late Game of Thrones or Bourne Identity that don’t feel like the book.

On the flip side, it can make it harder to get into. Let’s look at Lord of the Rings, or Wheel of Time. Do we need a massive section of the movies of Lord of the Rings with Tom Bombadil? As a fan of the books I might have liked it, but probably even I wouldn’t have enjoyed it that much. That isn’t what makes the book(s) interesting. The first Wheel of Time book would need to be 15-20 episodes to really cover everything at least.

The Least Faithful Adaptations

So instead you could just let the show runners do what they want. Once it’s out of the authors hand, it can be someone else’s vision of what it should be. They own the story n ow so don’t make a big deal out of the fact it has changed.

This can be good in some ways as well. It updates a story, potentially, for a wider audience. More appeal means better chance to long term success of the show or movies. So if there are a lot of books in the series to be adapted, better shot that we get them all. Sure, they might be different in a lot of ways, but it is still an adaptation of the series.

The downside is pretty big, though. You might get a show or movie that cuts out massive parts of the story. You end up with characters being completely skipped over. The main character changes completely. The bad guy has completely different plans. The murderer in a who-done-it is a different person. And now the heart of what made the book(s) special has been removed.

Somewhere In Between

Now, both of those are extreme examples of everything the same or everything different. I think that basically all adaptations end up here. Somewhere instbetween. And they lean towards either side. Even The Bourne Identity which just basically has Jason Bourne (the name) and amnesia as the main things it takes from the books, is technically here. Game of Thrones, which was very faithful in the first season, ends up here as well as they dropped out plot lines.

I think that this is the right spot for things to be. Let’s look at a few examples

Wheel of Time

Wheel of Time meanders through the first section of the book. Everyone goes to Baerlon together. Shadar Logoth takes longer than it does in the show. It really breathes and gives you a chance to get to know the characters. It spends time explaining in more detail who the White Cloaks are and their intentions. We meet characters in different spots and get to see Moiraine use her power in different ways.

But that wouldn’t work as well in a show. Characters who are spending time learning things, Perrin for example, need the time to breath and think in the book. But thinking doesn’t translate well for television. A way was needed to show his struggles. While I think the show was heavy handed with how they did it, I know why they needed to do it. Plus a lot of traveling is only so interesting.

The Bourne Identity

This is an example of maybe how not to do it. Why, because it stripped a lot of the soul of it out. Now, the movie did well enough to get several sequels. So I know that I’m a bit in the minority on this one. But in terms of being a Bourne movie and someone who really liked the books, this isn’t a great adaptation. So a good action film.

But what made it not work for well what took it too far away. I think the idea of Treadstone being the bad guy for the whole of the movie. The books definitely don’t make you like Treadstone, but there is something else bigger pulling the strings, or maybe less bigger but scarier. The movie felt dumbed down from what the books were. The books are spy thrillers, the movie is an action film.

Game of Thrones

Now, admittedly, I didn’t watch all of Game of Thrones. I thought that the books themselves were average at best, and gave up after book four which was bad. But this one falls between, for me, what I’ve seen of Wheel of Time and The Bourne Identity. I think that they made some very needed changes to the show. Lady Stoneheart and that element of magic were pretty dumb in the books.

At the same time, they meandered through a number of pretty boring storylines. Bran’s story was never interesting in the book and the show didn’t do anything to make it more interesting. Even when things started to happen with that story, I still wasn’t interested in it. I think the number of characters and scope was just too big for the show and they never cut it down.

What Do We Do As Viewers?

First, know that it will be changed. Even things that are highly faithful, Game of Thrones probably the most faithful of my examples, will change. It’s not a knock or a negative that things change. It is needed sometime. Five episode of the Wheel of Time just with them traveling to places and listening to Perrin’s inner monologue to switch to Nyneaves and then to Rands, that’s not interesting.

Shows and movies have the ability to, well, show things. So a major point to a character that takes up pages in a book, that might be five minutes of showing something different on the screen. Different mediums need different things. So I always look for what the show feels like, and how well the aesthetic matches.

That’s the second thing, really, pay more attention to the feel of the show than the precise story points. Are they getting the feel of the characters right? Is the plot progressing to those key moments that it needs to. Even if those moments are tweaked slightly does it hit the major plot points. Wheel of Time is a good example of this, a lot has changed, but the major beats are getting used in the story. Sometimes in different ways but leading us in the right direction.

Finally, sometimes you need to just let it go. Don’t hold onto the book at all. For me, I had to let go of the fact that the Bourne Identity isn’t The Bourne Identity, it is it’s completely own thing. Now, I don’t like it still as an action movie, but that doesn’t have to do with the story or name but with the filming of the fight scenes. Change is going to happen, and it might be big changes, so sometimes I, and everyone, need to enjoy it for what it is.

What is your favorite adaptation of a book? And what book would you really love to see get adapted?

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The Dark Along the Ways Recap

Moiraine has led them into the ways with Loial to guide them. But will that be enough as there are things along the ways that are out them. Plus Mat has not come, so what will that mean for Moiraine’s plans. Is he the one who needs to be brought to the Eye of the World? Is another one of them the dragon reborn? Or does Moiraine have it all wrong that those who come along who aren’t the dragon will die?

What Didn’t Work?

Mat not being there. I really like Mat’s character for the show and for the books. Now I don’t think it breaks the story by not having Mat there. In fact, he doesn’t have to show up at all for a little bit, I’d say. But it is a bit odd, and I wonder a little bit if this stems from them looking at replacing the actor. I believe he is being replaced, could be for a lot of reasons, but I think it’s a shame. I liked him a lot.

I also thought the re-introduction of a character was somewhat clunky. There is a slower build with it in the books, and that works better for me. Now, I’m glad that they didn’t skip over them being around more completely. And they did need to get to where the group is at this point. It’d just have been nice to be laying the groundwork for this return throughout the season. Because that is what the books do, and they make it a bit more meaningful as you wonder what is going on.

What Worked

Most of it did, honestly, and my issues are more quibbles than anything. But let’s start out with the character we meet. We should have met her before now, but it’s one of those changes that really doesn’t matter. And while this might not have been my favorite casting, it is a minor detail because the acror is very good. And the acting itself is still very good. And the right characters interacted with her.

I think that they also did a solid job with the ways. They described them and showed them well for what they are. They maybe weren’t quite as menacing as they were in my head, but close. And the intensity of them, while shortened, was real and compares well to the books. And they got one of the threats in the book done very well in the ways.

The Dark Along the Ways Final Thoughts

The Dark Along the Ways is a very good episode. It helps the episodes when we get to meet a character I am excited to meet. We’ve had that with Suian Sanche and Thom Merrilin and now another one I’ve been waiting on for a long time. This one was really fun to her on the screen. And it was a good way to introduce her. I think for people just watching the show it works well, and doesn’t take away from her character for book fans.

And this had a lot of not so much action, but plot. There were great moments for a lot of the characters. And I don’t want to spoil stuff, but I keep on going back to it, they do some stuff in the Ways that are very important and drive good plot. Plus the opening of this episode is something I’ve been waiting on for ages.

This is probably a 9.5 out of 10 for me. It does what I have wanted for a long time. I could see it being a bit slower for some people. But it is really plot focused, and we find out so much about some of the characters. That’s one thing the book series is really good at and I hope the show will be too. The books create moments and then pay them off much later in great ways.

What did you think of this episode? Does the plot feel like it’s coming together?

Spoilers

We got Min. I have been waiting to see Min for so long. They, in the books, meet her before they even get to Shadar Logoth, and also the first time we see Padan Fain again. But it works well to bring her in here. Mainly because we now have a better idea as to who the Dragon Reborn is, Rand, like it’s always been, Rand. Since they were trying to hide that from us, poorly, it makes sense to wait on bringing Min and Padan Fain.

I also really like how we get Lan’s story. They do that in a real way, and while Nyneave and him hook up much faster than they do in the book, it works well enough. It’s one of those TV things where I always expect it but most of the time it’s a question of when and the tease of will they are won’t they. But for a show like The Wheel of Time, it’s probably not the biggest deal that they don’t stretch that out. It’s not that plot that keeps us watching.

And let’s talk about Machin Shin. I thought that this was used really well in the ways. We haven’t had Rand in doubt or denial throughout the show. Maybe some but not as much as the books. The question in the books so often is will he or won’t he take his spot as the Dragon. Now, only with the threat of death for his friends do we see him struggle with it more. Plus the whole madness of Machin Shin is done well. The words that they hear to twist them against each other is a nice touch. Different from the books, but pushes Rand forward.

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The Flame of Tar Valon Recap

With everyone converging on Tar Valon, Moiraine is working to keep her plans in order. Not only that but the Amyrlin seat is returning from Caemlyn to Tar Valon, and Moiraine, Alanna and Liandrin are going to need to face her for what they did to Logain in gentling him without a trial. All the while, Moiraine is finding that the others have made it to Tar Valon as well. But separately and she must bring the group together again and figure out what the next steps are which may include the Ogier Loial.

What Didn’t Work

This episode was 60 minutes, I don’t mind have 60 minute episodes of The Wheel of Time. In fact, if more were that long, I’d be happy. But as rushed as the first episode was, this one was too slow. Now, not to say that important things didn’t happen, very important things did. But more that the pacing was too slow. There needed to be another story element to what was going on.

As you can tell from my recap it is very Moiraine focused, and she’s a good character to focus on. But it did seem to leave some of the other stories generally hanging. I want to see more struggles of Nyneave not liking the Aes Sedai which we get hints of. or Egwene’s eagerness to start training. Or Mat not trusting them, Perrin not trusting himself, or anything with Rand at this point because they haven’t done much with his character.

What Did Work

I think that Sophie Okonedo as Siuan Sanche was good. Going from being quite formal in the halls of the White Tower, but then is much more relaxed and slips into her rough upbringing as the daughter of a fishing family. There’s some interesting stuff that they do with her and Moiraine’s relationship, though not in a way that affects the overall story. Is it a change from the books, sure, does it really matter that they changed it, not at all.

The Flame of Tar Valon episode also sets up and gives some reason for Moiraine to continue traveling. That’s one of the things in the book is that she is never there. Liandrin has been trying to get Moiraine to return. Her own Aja, the blue aja, wants her to stay in the tower more. So I think a change that was made so she can travel more easily and more with those from the Two Rivers makes a lot of sense.

The Flame of Tar Valon Final Thoughts

This was a good episode but not a great episode. I thought that there was some good story progression, and also reason for them to progress in a specific direction that the books go. If the episode hadn’t ended up the way it did, it really would have started to diverge even more heavily from the books.

As an adaptation of the books, I think that the Wheel of Time is doing fine. And this episode is one of the weaker in terms of a direct adaptation. But in terms of the story, I do think that they are doing a solid job with it. It feels like The Wheel of Time even if it doesn’t match up perfectly with the books.

With that said, this episode is kind of like the first, it gets a lower score around a 6.5-7 out of 10 range. Do important things happen, yes. Does it matter massively for the plot, yes. But it just felt a little bit lacking in what it did. Like I said in my negatives, the episode needed tighter editing. There is a difference between deliberate pacing and slow pacing. This fell on the slow side of things where it could have be deliberate pacing with the same thoughtfulness and just less shown.

What did you think of The Flame of Tar Valon?

Spoilers

The jumping off point to talk about I think it would be Moiraine’s romantic relationship with Siuan. I think that for some people this is going to be something that bugs them. And I’m just looking at it from the perspective of it not being part of the books. But when I look at it from a plot, it doesn’t matter. It kind of makes sense in some ways, I know there are book things that might contradict that, but not major plot points.

Then at the very end, as they go into the Ways, Mat seemingly doesn’t come with them. Now, this is again, a does it matter change? Mat seemingly has already been healed from his connection with the dagger, that doesn’t happen until later. He also doesn’t trust Aes Sedai or want to be there. In the show he really doesn’t want to be there because he’s worried about his family. So I don’t know that there is a major importance for him being on this journey.

Overall, I get the changes they are making from the books, and I’ll keep on coming back to this. I think that they are doing the story justice and keeping the tone right. Would I love to have seen more of Shadar Logoth and other characters and places, most certainly. But it’s more about the tone of the show for me. And this is the first time that I thought it’d been too slow, generally they have paced it well.

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5. Fate: The Winx Saga

This is an odd one for the list. I almost put Lucifer on the list again because the last season is very good. But I wanted to write about a new show. And it came down to this and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Fate: The Winx Saga beat it out.

Fate: The Winx Saga is just that type of over the top mystery and fantasy that I like for some reason. It has some likeable characters and the premise is fun. Why is this girl from the regular world coming to the Winx school? It’s actually going to be a premise of a book I’ll be talking about as well. It’s most definitely overly teen dramatic, but it works for great entertainment. I’d probably not have it on the list, but anime is it’s own category.

4. What If?

Now, of course there is going to be some Marvel on the list, even if The Falcon and the Winter Soldier didn’t make it. What If? is just a fun show. It does ask the questions What If something small had changed and what that would mean for the Marvel Universe.

And each of the episodes is cannon. It is it’s own portion of the Multiverse where something like T’Challa becoming Star-Lord happens instead of Peter Quill, and you get a funny episode. But what if there was a zombie virus? Or what if when Fury was trying to recruit the Avengers they were all killed? Or what If Christine Palmer had died in the accident that led Doctor Strange to magic?

3. Loki

Another Marvel show, Loki was just so much fun. My one knock on the show is that they took the “evil” Loki from after Avengers and quickly got him back to where he was at the end of Ragnarok. It’s a minor quibble with the show though. Loki is a fun romp through time with a great reveal at the end.

And Owen Wilson, I didn’t know I wanted him in the MCU. But I am really glad that he is here. The show shows off the humor that Marvel can do, while creating a look and feel that is just different than any other show. For some people it seemed pointless, but I disagree, I think it set up a whole lot for upcoming Marvel shows and movies.

2. Shadow and Bone

A non-Marvel show, had to be one. But this is a really close #2 behind my #1. Shadow and Bone is a wonderful fantasy series with some really good characters. While Winx was a bit more of a popcorn sort of show, Shadow and Bone crafts a great world and a great story. It makes me want to read the books, but I’m waiting for more of the show.

The characters are really interesting, and the magic in the world is very cool. Just the whole premise seems different than what you see in a lot of fantasy series. But it’s a show that the characters really drive. And an amazing aesthetic to go with everything doesn’t help, but I want to know what happens to the characters next.

1. WandaVision

Final one on my list shouldn’t be a surprise to podcast listeners because I had it as my #4 MCU property overall. I love WandaVision. The story is compelling, and while there were a thousand theories that were spawned and then proven wrong by the show, I really like what the show did. It told a story of Wanda and her grief from everything she’d been through.

And that story was told with some really interesting characters. Beyond that, it was told in a fascinating fashion as Wanda controlled everything as if it were a sitcom, or did she? And we got to see everything travel through decades and different styles. There is something so wonderful about the familiar story that is being told, but in the weird way it is told.

What were your favorite shows of the year? I have a lot I need to catch up on, even just on Netflix. I’m watching through Locke & Key season 2. I have Arcane I want to see and other shows like Sweet Tooth that came earlier in the year that I want to watch and never got to. It is really a situation where there are so many good shows. And like I said, Hawkeye would be on this list were it done and same, most likely, with Wheel of Time that I’ve been really enjoying.

What are your favorite new or new to you shows of 2021?

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