WoT 1x07, lights in Vienna

[schneefink]

Quoting DD: "If you had told me after the first episode how much I would come to enjoy this series I would have laughed in your face."
I wasn't as skeptical in the beginning but I too did not expect to enjoy this as much as I do.

Things I didn't like in this episode:
- Perrin has a crush on Egwene? Huh? That completely surprised me.
- After their fight in the evening, every character got at least one scene of reflection etc., except Perrin
- Loial apparently just disappeared after they arrived at Fal Dara, okay

Things I liked:
- the spear-fighting in the beginning looked cool
- The Black Wind – especially it telling Moiraine that she is wrong about everything and will just get these kids killed, which explains why afterwards she is so adamant that doubt is a tool of the Dark
- Moiraine sent a message to the Red Ajah to look for Mat!! (Does Mat know how to channel, or was that only the dagger?)
- Moiraine finally being forthright with her companions, to give them "a semblance of a choice"
- Egwene being mad that Mat left them, and being the first to decide that she will risk her life for this plan, and being mad Rand thinks she doesn't care about Mat
- the stakes being so high that Rand is finally forced to stop his denial and admit to himself that he can channel
- Min the seer (and Moiraine blackmailing her, and Min telling her the Amyrlin Seat will be her downfall)
- Moiraine and Lan – her worries that she took so much from him, him refuting that, she telling him she likes Nynaeve; knowing that he will at first think her masking the bond to be because she wants to give him privacy, instead of her sneaking away
- Lan and Nynaeve – I don't necessarily think them sleeping together at this point was a good decision but it was an understandable one, and I liked seeing his family
- the look of the blight.

Only one more episode this season!

We also watched the "Origins" animated shorts, and I thought those were meant to give more background worldbuilding information but instead I'm just more confused, especially about the timeline of the breaking etc. I think I'll just wait to see what the show tells us.


This evening there's a "sea of lights" planned in Vienna's first district as a memorial to those who died of COVID and as a show of support to those working in medical/nursing professions. Originally I planned to go, but with reports of how infectious the new variant is I feel less comfortable - yes the demonstration itself is supposed to be distanced but I'd have to get there via public transport. I'm not entirely sure how much of that is an excuse, after all I do take public transport to work five times a week (though not during rush hours, at least.) I both hope and don't that there'll be many people there - it's important to show that those idiots doing weekly protests every Saturday are the minority, but every large gathering is a risk.
Instead, I'll probably put a candle in my window and try to meet the deadline for a uni project I have barely started that's due tomorrow instead of on Wednesday as I'd thought. And maybe in the afternoon I'll find the time to take a short walk in the sunshine, I could use that. I would like to have an extra weekend day, please. This week I've woken up twice in the middle of the night dreaming of unfinished projects and that's very rare for me and very annoying, I'm barely getting enough sleep as it is.

Comments

[out_there]

I liked Nynaeve and Lan sleeping together. It makes narrative sense -- here you both are, about to face danger tomorrow, both recognising that you have prior loyalties to other people -- and I also think it will help it work better later. And getting to see Lan with family and get his background, I did love that.

The blight was fantastic. I'd never been able to clearly imagine it, but that was a wonderful organic growth/spread of the creepiest forest ever.

- Perrin has a crush on Egwene? Huh? That completely surprised me.

Yeah, I'm not sure how true that's supposed to be. Like, if he once had a crush on her or if it's mostly stress blowing it all out of proportion. I'm not a fan of love triangles and Perrin seemed pretty certain to Egwene that he wasn't in love with her, so I'm hoping it was just blown out of proportion.

I did love the black wind and how scary running through the Way felt. That was very cool.

[schneefink]

I could have seen e.g. Perrin having had a crush on Egwene in the past and Nynaeve and Rand overestimating that, but even the Black Wind seemed to allude to it, which was odd. I thought it would go a more general direction with him, more "you killed her because you were jealous and you are a violent person." We will see where it goes.

[princessofgeeks]

I'm enjoying it too!

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I really look forward to the season finale, I hope it will be satisfying :)

[dolorosa_12]

The 'sea of lights' sounds really lovely, but I think your decision to give it a miss and make your own contribution via a candle in the window is sensible.

I hope you're able to finish the project without too much stress and difficulty.

[schneefink]

Thanks!

Yeah, in hindsight I think staying home was the right decision. I did put a candle in the window and it looked very nice :) I should light candles more often.

[scintilla10]

Your decisions about attending the sea of lights seem reasonable. <33 And I hope your sleep will stop be interrupted by annoying dreams!

[schneefink]

I hope so too! I could use more sleep.

[alessandriana]

'm not entirely sure how much of that is an excuse, after all I do take public transport to work five times a week

I don't think it's an excuse; that's one less chance of running into someone with covid.

[schneefink]

Very true!

[dhampyresa]

I had no idea you watched this show!

I wish Loial hadn't disappeared and I am SUPER curious what the Black Wind said to him.

[schneefink]

I hadn't even realized that we didn't get to hear what the Black Wind said to him! Now I'm super curious too.

[dhampyresa]

JUSTICE FOR LOIAL 2K22

[schneefink]

*signs the petition*