I get where you're coming from, but most of those moments were setups for major Foresaken downfalls...
I enjoyed a different Forsaken experience. None of my top 5 moments are on your list. In no particular order, my top 5 are:
1. Rahvin lounging in his shirtsleeves, exuding Forsaken power, confidence and sheer "aura" like some lion or tiger languidly eying its domain. In that scene he toys with an Aes Sedai, and demonstrates a casual belief in his own power that truly set the scene for how I perceived the Forsaken from Book 5 onwards.
Except his perception of control was completely invalid. He was soon to be played into painting a target on his forehead for Rand.
The scene that shows that Demandred is still unsure about the extent of the Dark One's power and clueless about his motives? How does that reflect well on Demandred?
Hmmm... this comes closer to being a cool moment, and kind of complements Graendal's later observation that perhaps he was the true danger in the Semirhage-Mesaana-Demandred trio.
This is meant as a joke right? Because Cadsuane would have been able to whup his ass while he stood clueless as to why his weaves were ineffective on this "useless" third age woman.
I agree with that one. To this I would add Graendal's observation that Rand and his Asha'man were dangerous, which was one of the rare moments of Foresaken sanity in the series.
Except that they completely fail in most ways to convince us that the Third Age "gnats" were actually as ineffective as they thought they were. Except for the few who acknowledged that the Third Agers were actual threats (coincidentally, these are the people who survive, mostly), the rest made statements that only reflect on their ignorance of the actual abilities and strengths of the people from this age. For all their superiority in the One Power, they totally failed to see that a woman barely strong enough to open a Gateway would end up completely exposing a large majority of their fellow associates, for example.
I enjoyed a different Forsaken experience. None of my top 5 moments are on your list. In no particular order, my top 5 are:
1. Rahvin lounging in his shirtsleeves, exuding Forsaken power, confidence and sheer "aura" like some lion or tiger languidly eying its domain. In that scene he toys with an Aes Sedai, and demonstrates a casual belief in his own power that truly set the scene for how I perceived the Forsaken from Book 5 onwards.
Except his perception of control was completely invalid. He was soon to be played into painting a target on his forehead for Rand.
2. Demandred at the Pit of Doom. Enough said. The single most powerful Forsaken scene in the books.
The scene that shows that Demandred is still unsure about the extent of the Dark One's power and clueless about his motives? How does that reflect well on Demandred?
3. Demandred's unconscious aura of superiority in the scene where he conveys the Lord of Chaos message to Semirhage and Mesaana. The bit where he cuts Mesaana off in mid sentence, telling her to wait until everyone was there, so that he wouldn't have to repeat himself brilliantly depicted his utter belief in his own supremacy. He considers himself so important that he feels it an imposition for anyone to expect that he should have to repeat himself.
Hmmm... this comes closer to being a cool moment, and kind of complements Graendal's later observation that perhaps he was the true danger in the Semirhage-Mesaana-Demandred trio.
4. Dashiva asking Rand if he wants him to "clear out the women". That's when Rand is abed in CoS, and the Aes Sedai are making themselves unwelcome pests as usual.
This is meant as a joke right? Because Cadsuane would have been able to whup his ass while he stood clueless as to why his weaves were ineffective on this "useless" third age woman.
5. Asmodean's reaction when Rand recalled the day Sammael was named the Destroyer of Hope, "When he betrayed the Gates of Hevan, and led the Shadow into the Rorn Mdoi and the Heart of Satelle. Hope did seem to die that day. Culan Cuhan wept."
Asmodean's reaction to that had a very powerful impact on me.
Asmodean's reaction to that had a very powerful impact on me.
I agree with that one. To this I would add Graendal's observation that Rand and his Asha'man were dangerous, which was one of the rare moments of Foresaken sanity in the series.
As can be seen, I prefer Forsaken scenes that conveyed a sense of their psychological hierarchy towards one another, or somehow juxtaposed them to the insignificant gnats from the Third Age (like Dashiva casually offering to clear out the Aes Sedai with some powerful and very painful weave, as if they are simply nuisances to be swatted aside), or else scenes that somehow gave us some insight into their abilities, attitudes or stature.
Except that they completely fail in most ways to convince us that the Third Age "gnats" were actually as ineffective as they thought they were. Except for the few who acknowledged that the Third Agers were actual threats (coincidentally, these are the people who survive, mostly), the rest made statements that only reflect on their ignorance of the actual abilities and strengths of the people from this age. For all their superiority in the One Power, they totally failed to see that a woman barely strong enough to open a Gateway would end up completely exposing a large majority of their fellow associates, for example.
Cool Forsaken moments
- 21/11/2011 02:49:46 PM
1514 Views
Moggy torturing Nynaeve, getting shot, and afterwards squashing Liandrin (Moggy's my favourite..) *NM*
- 21/11/2011 03:49:50 PM
369 Views
That's an oxymoron
- 21/11/2011 06:41:34 PM
880 Views
If you disagree with his choice moments then...
- 21/11/2011 07:48:04 PM
836 Views
*NM*
My top 5 are all different from your list...
- 21/11/2011 08:51:43 PM
1400 Views
Except...
- 29/11/2011 06:08:37 AM
730 Views
My point is that the ILLUSION of Forsaken greatness reflected the REALITY that should have been
- 29/11/2011 01:58:21 PM
753 Views
All the awesomest moments come from the same bad guy.
- 21/11/2011 09:20:05 PM
960 Views
You sort of have a point, that ties in to why the Forsaken suck
- 22/11/2011 03:37:14 PM
762 Views
Some thoughts.
- 22/11/2011 06:30:04 PM
958 Views
Re: Some thoughts.
- 22/11/2011 09:11:50 PM
715 Views
Re: Some thoughts.
- 22/11/2011 11:09:28 PM
952 Views
Any Cadsuane moment. *NM*
- 24/11/2011 04:45:59 AM
389 Views
Oh please! My mother is more evil by 10 A.M. than Cadsuane gets up to all day
- 24/11/2011 11:05:02 AM
630 Views
Re: Oh please! My mother is more evil by 10 A.M. than Cadsuane gets up to all day
- 30/11/2011 05:29:09 AM
722 Views