If you look back at the arguments people were having, a lot of them, mine included, were that the concept of Graendal planning this entire thing was ridiculous. And we were right - Graendal didn't plan the whole thing. She couldn't have, it would require an absurd amount of exclusive predictions. That is why I thought that Sidious was wrong then, and that is why I think Sidious is still wrong now.

I do admit that it was clever of Sidious to predict the use of Delana as a sacrificial pawn to explain the disappearing Compulsion. But that was never the central aspect of his theory. It was only one of the elements that Graendal used in her brilliant plan to escape Rand. But there was no brilliant plan, or at least, none for this occasion. Graendal was outplayed.

I have a theory that Cadsuane will die before the end of the series. That theory claims that Taim will be the one to kill her. If Cadsuane were to die from other means, should I be right to claim that my theory was accurate? Maybe you believe so, in which case this is merely a difference in opinions. But I cannot say that a theory that revolves around Graendal's brilliant plan for survival is correct just because Graendal survived despite being completely fooled.

In this theory, I see two things: the conclusion - Graendal survived - and the core reasoning behind it - Graendal survived because she planned for this eventuality.

The rest are what I would consider details - that she teaches Delana Compulsion or that she already knows it, that Graendal planned this from the moment Aran'gar arrived, that Graendal and Aran'gar were working together, that Delana would be used as a scapegoat, that she would rely on Aran'gar sensing saidin, that they would both escape, and so on. I would certainly not begrudge Sidious if he had any of these wrong, if the core of the theory was right. I'd probably point them out just because it's Sidious and I've been faltering in my duties as archnemesis, but I wouldn't claim his theory wrong for this. I doubt he'd be offended either, he himself said he didn't believe that Graendal was alive, and that this was just a thought exercise.

As I remember from the time, there were a lot of people claiming Graendal had survived. And the prime reason given was always thus: Graendal is too clever to get tricked by this plan of Rand's. As you know, this was wrong. The fact that this brings them to an accurate conclusion is coincidental - I could have flipped a coin about Graendal's survival and it would give me 50% odds of getting the correct conclusion. For me, the reasoning matters.