[Harry Lime]

Episode 5 - Hmmmmm.....

Ok, here is what I think happened with this series.

There have been many rumors about Jeff Bezos and his 'criteria for a good film', and whether or not Wheel of Time had to adhere to it during it's production. There has absolutely been a shift in the tone and writing of the series from the first three episodes. I'm starting to think that there is some credence to the rumors, and the beginning of the series was carefully orchestrated to include everything that Bezos felt was important.

Since he doesn't have a clue what he is doing, I believe that what we are seeing now are the true intentions of the showrunner. Things have slowed down, the condensation of the story makes more sense, and the writing is character driven. The downside is that some of the actors need to show more charisma to maintain it, but the two leads in Moirane and Lan are flexing.

The biggest change is Child Valda being a mixture of Valda, Child Byar and a questioner. The actor is doing his best to chew scenery, and it's bordering on comical, but here's to hoping that he is being over the top in order to allow for a long character arc.

Here's also hoping that they stop simplifying the storyline so much going forward. It's ok so the relationships between characters to be subtle.