Making Mat a petty criminal who has to steal from his neighbors and fence the goods with a disreputable peddler to pay his gambling debts is a travesty. Making his parents, who were respected members of the community in the books, drunks and his dad a philanderer is nothing more than lazy writing - ooh let's explain Mat's issues via a tortured upbringing. That's unique, right?

Speaking of lazy and frankly shitty writing, what could be worse than a. giving Perrin a wife and b. immediately fridging her to "explain" his internal conflict with violence?

Meh, if you like it, fine. If I continue to watch at all it will be solely for the pleasure of hurling vile invective at the television.