So far, so good, IMO. I came into the show expecting a departure from the books, and by Episode 5 the show is almost completely on its own path now. The first 3 episodes really felt like a whirlwind getting things going, and now we've had a couple episodes to more thoroughly develop some character motivations and internal politics.
The cinematography is excellent, and the casting feels really good to what my mind's eye expected for many of the characters. The way they're filling in the details of the world at large, avoiding big internal monologues, has been really good. Removing knowledge from characters (such as Perrin and Egwene not knowing what the Traveling People are about) also helped ease unfamiliar viewers into the story a lot better.
My wife has never read the books, and she's really come to enjoy the show. I've only answered her questions about certain things she saw in the show and tried to avoid direct comparisons to the books. One metric I think I can use to call the show a success is that most of her questions are answered in the next episode, so they're dishing out information at a good pace.
I'm 3/4 of the way through Book 4 right now and really hope to see some of the scenes in this book turned into a TV show. It'll make for really great viewing.
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