So The Great Hunt is a far more emblematic novel of the series than The Eye of the World is for me. The objective appears a little smaller in scale (at the outset), the scale is actually larger (people locations, threads at the same time), and the stakes are even higher. The first book/season has to establish a lot of world items quickly, and since Jordan wasn't sure how many books he could write, I think it moves at a break neck pace in terms of getting to places and accomplishing goals in case he never got the 14 books (originally signed to six when he thought of three) worth of space. It always felt to me, that knowing it was successful and he would get enough space to fill out his story, the second book feels a little more complex and opens way more doors than season one could have. As it should be, even in a TV series there needs to be escalation. As such the chapter density of each episode is going to vary a lot more than it did in season one where I managed to arrange it so that no episode covered more than maybe 7 chapters and the smallest covers 5. This season we need to pack a lot in early on so that we have space to do justice to the visual sequences and action set pieces at the end of the story. The first half will be a lot more dense as the climax of the second half of this season is a lot of action that fits into the last 1/3rd of the book. There is also more passage of time this season which will need to be conveyed. This is also the first point where I believe you would need some padding to flesh out the TV story where the book did not. This will be necessary to show some of the time passage as well as perhaps add a little of tower life that is kinda skimmed over, relationships move fast in the WoT, so we can add a little extra life to relationships like Egwene/Elayne so that their decisions to act together feel a little more natural than in the book with the amount of page time they are given.
Once again, you will see [1/2] or [2/2] next to a chapter in my listing, that means I have broken apart the narrative of the chapter for how I would want to present the material inside each episode. It does not mean a neat 50/50 split of the material. Chapters connected with a , are concurrent. Chapters connected with a / are POV or narrative shifts.
Episode 9 - Leavetakings
Chapters - 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9[1/2]
The winds blow across the land to Shienar where we can see the long winter has finally broken and spring has come to the continent. This first episode has a lot to cover, but it's also setting up the entirety of the plot for the rest of the season which we could not do in the 1st season. More is established, we will introduce some important new characters, and we should finish with a great deal of urgency. There are two sequences in here with the Whitecloaks and Bayle Domon that will hint at the trouble on Toman Head which I think need to be included, but can be short. They should come prior to Fain's breakout so that we have been given some hint of the importance Falme/Toman Head will carry this season. That way when he breaks out and Rand finds his message we can know some of this is connected. The biggest bit of this episode I think would really be casting, there are major players introduced here that have to be around for the haul in terms of the season and the larger story; Siuan, Leanne, Verin, Liandrin, Hurin. We can see that the cast is going to expand a lot as we move forward in this episode. This episode I would end with attempt on Rand/Siuan's life for a small cliffhanger.
Episode 10 - The Great Hunt
Chapters - 9[2/2],10,11 / 12 / 14 / 13,15,16,17 / 18
We can open with the resolution of everyone leaving Fal Dara, the women to the Tower and our men on Fain's trail following the quick mystery of who the arrow was for (Domon's sequence was used earlier from Ch 9 in Ep 1). Otherwise I think this episode is straight forward. We get to do the Portal Stone adventure, a little of the ladies trip down river with the Amyrlin, and most importantly Selene (aka Lanfear) will be brought into the story. I think the portal stone adventure needs to be one flowing chunk as I've reworked this a few times. We need to have the bridge sequence before Rand & Crew wake up that we see they've disappeared. I like that a little better as a flow than realizing they've been separated. I think the scene flow will work better picking that story point up in the real world before going to the alternate one. I want to finish this episode with the arrival at the White Tower. I thought about breaking that sequence up, but really it just needs the lesson to be a very quick component. We want to finish looking right at the White Tower bright and ominous as they are lead to it by Sheriam.
Episode 11 - Friends and Enemies
Chapters - 23 / 19,20,20[1/2] / 22 / 24 / 21[2/2],25,26
The opening of this chapter should be a continuation of where we left the last one, in the White Tower. We need to be awoken as Nynaeve is and then we should have a good length sequence of her testing (this will be at least 1/3rd of the episode imo). Her testing is tenuous and should set the tone of wary distrust this episode. Rand and Co recapture the Horn & Dagger, but still haven't heard from Ingtar or Mat/Perrin so they get on the run. Before we leave them, we should see Selene's discontent and the end of the night at the Nine Rings, but will leave the morning for later. There needs to be a mounting sense of danger, so we get Moraine's encounter with the retired sisters Aes Sedai and the attack that implies the Black Ajah's involvement which may be our first notice of them in the show. We will then get the arrival in Cairhien and our reunion with Thom. This will setup the urgency in needing to leave after the next episode. We should finish with the knowledge Thom is going to be playing Daes Dae'Mar whether he wants to or not at the parties upcoming, hinting at the danger that surrounds Rand.
Episode 12 - Daes Dae'Mar
Chapters - 28 / 27,30 / 29 / 21,32,33 / 34
Having not visited with the Shienarians it will be important to show they are catching up with Rand & Co to setup the episode. We should then get the excursion into the Illuminators compound and the Trolloc ambush, which should then be followed by their decision to wait it out for Ingtar. This will lead to the invitation burning and the press of the horn/dagger being stolen again as Ingtar/Mat/Perrin arrive. We now get some interlude on Falme w/the Seanchan (namely we should see the Whitecloak arrival quickly, and then visit our friend Bayle Domon again so we can be introduced to Egeanin who will be important later on). We need this setup because its going to be the second half goal of the season. We should then get the Party that Goes Wrong, along with their resolve to visit the stedding to ask for help with finding a Portal Stone. I would reverse the order of the narratives between Fain & Tom so that we discover Fain's arrival at Falme, and we close with Cairhien burning from Thom's perspective.
Episode 13 - Trust
Chapters - 35,36 / 38,39 / 37 / 40[1/2]
The setup with the stedding and the elders is first up. Their mission was the most pressing one coming out of the last episode. This first sequence will carry up to the elders agreeing to show them where the portal stone is. This is where I think we get to flesh out a little bit because we need some tower life before their exit. Liandrin's trip into the Ways is a major trust moment that serves to reinforce the worst impressions a lot of our characters have of Aes Sedai. After they enter the ways, we should get the trippy Portal Stone alternative lives viewing, however I would include a little of our other protagonists as well. In the book we only see Rand's future visions, but the show will allow for a little room to visit Mat/Perrin too I would think. What you put in there is up for debate, but there are plenty of branch points in the story where a different decision would have doomed them all to point towards (or invent). Their arrival should be shown to have put them months past their intent, which will serve to contrast and establish how much time Egwene and their crew will have been on Toman Head as well. We will close with their exit from the Ways and the ambush by the Seanchan. I want to split this narrative to focus on Egwene here, Elayne & Nynaeve's escape will be saved for the opening of the next episode. We should close on her screams as she recognizes what the adam is doing along with the pain put on her by the Sul'dam.
Episode 14 - Falme
Chapters - 40[1/2],42[1/2] / 41 / 42[2/2] / 44 / 43, 45[1/2]
I want to open with the other component of the ambush which is Nynaeve and Elayne's escape establishing them as free to cause trouble. This is also a sequence where I think we are going to expand on what the book provides and show more of Egwene's time being "trained" by the Sul'dam leading into the current time which is close to Rand & Co's arrival. This will provide some chronological context to her time in captivity, and will show some of what she has learned, but also how unsympathetic the Seanchan are in their treatment of female channelers. We need good reason to dislike them beyond their invader status. We will jump to Rand & Co trying to figure out where exactly to look with the growing pull from our trio to Falme. That part can be quick to setup the dream sequence that teases the finale battle. We will return to Nynaeve and Elayne's efforts, including mention of Bayle. We can leave them having found Egwene's location and their need to plan. We will jump back to Rand & Co searching for Fain's trail & their discovery by the Whitecloaks that will instigate that confrontation. We will leave them putting the party together to head into Falme. We then need to see that Nynaeve's plan with Elayne and Rand & Co's arrival are occurring at the same time that morning, we should leave the ladies as they prepare to enter and we will finish with our group being confronted by Lord Turok in his display room. I want to leave this as a bit of a cliffhanger, our ladies are nearby about to get into trouble and our trio are in trouble too having found what they were looking for but now being seemingly trapped.
Episode 15 - The Grave is No Bar to My Call
Chapters - 46[1/2] / 45[2/2], 46[2/2], 47[1/2]
This episode is going to get a lot of additional action material compared to what we get in the book which is only a vignette of the chaos that begins in Falme. I want to open with the concurrent scene of Nynaeve and Elayne sneaking in while recognizing next door there is some sort of commotion, but it's time to rescue Egwene and start the fight in the streets which bleeds across the whole town as they work to escape. We then need to return to the confrontation in Turok's residence. This is where a lot more action can be shown than the single combat between Rand/Turok we get in the book. That should be a central focus of this sequence, but let's also get Ingtar/Mat/Perrin fighting as well. When they do manage to finish the fight and make it into the alley to recover a moment we should cut to Bayle trying to stay as long as he can, and Bornhald preparing to engage the Seanchan at Falme. This will also include him sending Byar away. We should then cut back to the alley with Ingtar's confession and sacrifice as our trio move to escape Falme, but find themselves caught between the Whitecloaks and Seanchan armies which brings us to the title of the episode as Matt makes his decision to blow the Horn of Valere and we end with it echoing across the plain as the fog rises.
Episode 16 - the dragon reborn
Chapters - 47[2/2],48,49
Time for our first huge battle sequence. There probably would have been a small glimpse of that at the end of S1 in Tarwin's Gap, but that's a real side tour from the main action unlike this one. We can have some large combat sequences, along with the arrival of the heroes of the pattern, coupled with the battle in the sky. We should see the back and forth between the armies as parallel to Rand's fight with (Ishamel) Ba'alzamon. We should get glimpses of our other heroes, the ladies, and the heroes of the pattern battling as well to add to the visuals and the run time. Once it is finished we need to make real emphasis on his wound, and of the second heron mark brand on his other palm. We get the Lanfear reveal, and Byar's ride off vowing revenge before wrapping up with Rand being filled in on the events during his recovery and finishing with him declaring himself the Dragon Reborn as the Shienarians vow their loyalty to him. I would close the season with a shot of the Dragon Banner rippling in the wind.
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