It's not a good adaptation, but I don't need it to be a good adaptation. It's entertaining to watch and has neat special effects--and I quite like Pike as Moiraine.
Lightheartedness aside, I watch all sorts of trashy TV, and this is no different. It's gonna mess all sorts of stuff up, but I don't hold WoT so close to my heart that that really bothers me. And I don't have high standards for TV adaptations.
and I was hoping to see something good, so maybe I'm to blame for unreasonable expectations.
In a sense, this adaptation makes me appreciate Dan and Dave for the good seasons of GoT. Making a good and faithful adaptation isn't easy, as it turns out. Seems one's ego is the main hurdle.
BTW Apple's adaptation of Foundation is almost as bad.
But House of the Dragon is awesome, and His Dark Materials was pretty good. Especially every bit with Ruth Wilson.
So that would be 3-0 for HBO in my book.