The Wheel of Time: Another Turning (No Book Spoilers)

[Which Tyler]

Mid season, and a rushed hire does NOT sound like a good option. Off the top of my head, I can't think of anywhere else that's ever happened.

New actor for a new season? yeah, sure, loads of time; with a few months to head hunt, audition etc; but mid-season with potentially no time? nah, not good.

[Maltaran]

1 hour ago, Which Tyler said:

Mid season, and a rushed hire does NOT sound like a good option. Off the top of my head, I can't think of anywhere else that's ever happened.

New actor for a new season? yeah, sure, loads of time; with a few months to head hunt, audition etc; but mid-season with potentially no time? nah, not good.

The new actor won't appear until next season, it's just the writing him out that had to be rushed because of the Covid-enforced break between filming the first 6 episodes and the last 2

[wolverine]

On 12/7/2021 at 5:24 PM, Infidel said:

Isn't the idea that the Real(tm) Dragon Reborn would not go mad? Just all these imposters?

Not really.  The taint affects all male channelers.  Plus, the Dragon Reborn could have other issues from being "reborn."

[Which Tyler]

1 hour ago, Maltaran said:

The new actor won't appear until next season, it's just the writing him out that had to be rushed because of the Covid-enforced break between filming the first 6 episodes and the last 2

I know - I was replying to the suggestion that they should have recast him before filming the last 2 - elsewhere I've also seen suggestions that they should have done that AND reshot more scenes from S01E06, and have him face change as Moiraine sucks the evil from him, and use that as the hand-wave

[Werthead]

41 minutes ago, Which Tyler said:

I know - I was replying to the suggestion that they should have recast him before filming the last 2 - elsewhere I've also seen suggestions that they should have done that AND reshot more scenes from S01E06, and have him face change as Moiraine sucks the evil from him, and use that as the hand-wave

I mean, they could have had him screaming "I'm regenerating" and the rest of the story proceeds with Mat as a Time Lord. The Tower of Ghenjei turns out to be his TARDIS.

[Which Tyler]

4 minutes ago, Werthead said:

I mean, they could have had him screaming "I'm regenerating" and the rest of the story proceeds with Mat as a Time Lord. The Tower of Ghenjei turns out to be his TARDIS.

1 pick-up scene with Barney Harris "I don't want to go"

 

Actually, he pretty much did that as the others went through the waygate

[Myrddin]

2 hours ago, wolverine said:

Not really.  The taint affects all male channelers.  Plus, the Dragon Reborn could have other issues from being "reborn."

Hi! Long time no see, Wolvie.  

(as in, our paths haven't cross in recent threads, not that you've been absent or something)

[DaveSumm]

5 hours ago, Which Tyler said:

Off the top of my head, I can't think of anywhere else that's ever happened.

Not quite the same calibre as Wheel of Time, but beloved Aussie soap Neighbours once had a character fall in a river and emerge immediately as a different actress. Just so you know where the bar is.

[karaddin]

On 12/12/2021 at 8:27 AM, DaveSumm said:

Ah shit, that sucks. I like him as Mat. That does make sense of the scene though.

Yeah I thought he was great in the role. He's deleted his entire online presence and there's been no rumors about why he left that I've seen. So it might well be a major health issue, possibly mental health which necessitated both stepping away immediately and cutting his profile. If so I hope he's doing better.

I almost think the show just needed to put up a text card explaining that this happened. It sucks, it completely derailed some of the season climax planning and disrupts the longer character arc. I think most people will be sympathetic to making the best of a very disrupted situation (the pandemic on top of this) if they know about it, but there will be plenty of viewers who don't.

[john]

I thought the Mat scene worked out remarkably well in the end. Moraine just finished making a speech about how the wheel weaves as it will, or something. So yeah, why would you bother going into a dangerous situation when you’re being told it doesn’t really matter what you do. Seemed like he was the only one listening and picked up on Moraine avoiding the question as usual.

[Darryk]

I really feel for Barney Harris if it's a health issue. I wonder if Amazon could have been  more supportive and given him time to recover before resuming filming. Seems harsh to go and immediately recast the character, but I guess that's what we've come to expect of the sociopath known as Jeff Bezos (I know he may not have made the decision himself but his ethos runs throughout the company).

 

[fionwe1987]

I doubt it's that simple. Holding a multi million dollar production for one person sounds like something no one would do. There would be so many domino effects from that decision...

 

[BigFatCoward]

Let's blame things on Amazon that are actually their fault. There is enough to be getting on with. 

[Myrddin]

Producers will halt production for major stars (like when Harrison Ford or Tom Cruise hurt themselves), not for a new actor who is part of an ensemble. Also, let's not forget all the people who would effectively lose paychecks during a hiatus - all the camera and lighting crew, make up and support personnel, and everyone who gets paid by the hour not by the episode or production. 

The only choice were to write him out of the last two episodes or recast midseason. OR reshoot all of his scenes with the new guy. But the cost there would outweigh the benefit, especially for a new show.

From a casual viewer's perspective, it will leave an open thread with people wondering what happened to Mat. 

[Zorral]

1 hour ago, Myrddin said:

From a casual viewer's perspective, it will leave an open thread with people wondering what happened to Mat.

I think we all will roll easily with this, as it's so early into the show -- before the first season finished.

We didn't have any trouble with B-5's replacement for Sinclair after the first season with Captain Sheridan.  Death in Paradise has replaced the DI about 5 times already, just as Midsomer Murders replaced Barnaby with Barnaby -- though those three were not intended to be the same character.  Yet it worked out fine.

[Ran]

OTOH, the replacement of Linda Hamilton in Beauty and the Beast for its final season killed that show stone dead, and everyone acknowledged it.

Mat's a lot less central, though.

[wolverine]

21 hours ago, Myrddin said:

Hi! Long time no see, Wolvie.  

(as in, our paths haven't cross in recent threads, not that you've been absent or something)

I haven't been around...busy busy busy.

 

I thought the actor portraying Matt was doing well.  Reminds me of all the different Gregor Clegane's already.

[Werthead]

On 12/14/2021 at 3:01 PM, Myrddin said:

Producers will halt production for major stars (like when Harrison Ford or Tom Cruise hurt themselves), not for a new actor who is part of an ensemble. Also, let's not forget all the people who would effectively lose paychecks during a hiatus - all the camera and lighting crew, make up and support personnel, and everyone who gets paid by the hour not by the episode or production. 

John Cho broke his ankle, which shut down production on Cowboy Bebop for six months. Just as the six months were ending, COVID happened.

Of course, Cho was the lead, more comparable to if Pike had an injury (well, a serious one, Pike did have a nasty cut on her hand during the Trolloc fight but they could hide it and focus on closeups for the next few days). And I've seen some speculation that Bebop was so on the bubble that the not-inconsiderable expense of holding production for six months and then COVID could have been the difference between the show being cancelled or not.

[Freshwater Spartan]

Damn. Mat was the best character. We'll have to see how the new actor does. 

[Zorral]

 

Ep 7 “The Dark Along the Ways “ Last night's penultimate episode showed that the hiatus in production from the first 6 episodes to the last two was a problem for the writers.  It was the most confused episode so far, despite

Spoiler

the biggie reveal, Rand is the Dragon, or least he's convinced he is the Dragon, or seemed to have convinced Moiraine he is the Dragon,

leaving us side-eying a bit, wondering, "The point of this is .... ?"  Maybe because of the socko opening, which we sure as heck weren't expecting.

Spoiler

Where are we? Who are the people fighting? Why are they fighting. Who is this Pregnant Woman who is fighting?  Omigawd she's also giving birth right this minute?  Do I believe any of this is being done by woman literally giving birth? So of course the baby was Rand but this feels anticlimactic, not like a Big Reveal. 

And then, and then, and then, we're in darkness with lots and lots and lots of talking about our feelings. If there is anything on screen to lose my attention it's first, talking about our feelings. second,

Spoiler

it's fighting monsters underground in the dark.  I think we were underground? This Way stuff isn't making much sense at this time

because I had no idea where they came out wasn't, then, where Moiraine was taking them out in the first place.

The YA perspective tended very much to dominate this episode, which at least was off set

Spoiler

by two of the adults in the room, Lan and Nynaeve, who talk about real stuff, which makes their bedding with each other more than plausible.  Yay Lan and Nynaeve!  

And, of course, Rosamund Pike – is as splendid as before.  She’s the most perfect main mast WoT could have on tv.  I cannot even describe what it is she does, beyond presenting as sheer force of presence, yet w/o anything remotely resembling grandstanding.  She has it even sitting quietly in a tavern, hair believably disheveled.

~~~~~~~~

I've been watching the BBC adaptation of Deborah Harkness's fine All Soul's Trilogy, A Discovery of Witches.  Witches in this series also 'weave' spells -- and on screen when they weave, it's the same kinds of special effect stranding as in WoT.  DoW is, of course, an earlier production than WoT -- first season 2018, second season 2021. The third season will be next month, 2022.