I tend to agree - Edit 1
Before modification by Sidious at 11/12/2009 06:53:32 AM
I guess he "sowed some chaos," but at least on-screen, Demandred hasn't done anything major, so that's the only reason he isn't a failure.
And Demandred is at least the only Forsaken who never died, was never defeated by Rand & Co. (except for the Cleansing, but that was a group defeat) or humiliated by the DO/SH yet. That's not so bad!
Graendal has been in this category until her probably death by mega-balfefire in TGS...
Graendal is presumed dead (okay odds are heavily in favor of her beign gonzo) ... and really, Demandred might as well be dead for all the use he's been! Regardless, Demandred's being alive merely points out that the friggin coward is hanging around doing nothing! He's as bad as Moghedien!
It's a huge condemnation when your only accomplishment is to still be alive. "Is she a good lawyer?" "Well, she isn't dead yet." Hmm.. of all the Forsaken he had the means to truly destroy Rand at any stage of the series, but now Rand is truly more powerful than all of them.
I still maintain that Demandred is a huge coward, despite his rants about being a risk taker. He will never face Rand unless his odds of winning are overwhelming - even his closest ally said so. His preference for proxies is a strong indicator of cowardice and self-preservation, and even at the Cleansing he was very upset that he had to be there to channel personally. It's so ridiculous because only a chapter or two before he was excited to get to kill Rand, but when the time came he moaned about it. I think Sammael saw through Demandred, and a great many readers do. I think he's arguably the most intelligent and skilled man walking the planet, but he'll never challenge a reasonable enemy. He shares a trait with Moghedien like that.