Has the TV show backtracked!?

I watched season 1 and, as a massive fan of the books, I was perplexed as to the amount of free rein Rafe and co had to change so much. However, I stuck with it as the wheel weaves as the wheel wills. I saw the backlash from people on various social media saying that it wasn’t true to the source material. There were a lot of emotions, which is understandable given how beloved this book is. You don’t read 15 books on a whim.

Season two…..felt different for me. It felt like the writers were trying to steer back towards the source material more. Yes there were still deviations, but it felt more like I was watching what I have read several times over.

No spoilers here, but season three….feels even more so. There are scenes from this season that are straight out of my own head that I envisaged when I was reading the books. It’s almost like they have put exactly what was in the books onto the screen.

Now I’m left wondering, is this due to the pressure and the backlash they received after season one? I follow Sarah quite a bit and I really felt sorry for how much she had to defend the show to begin with. It almost seemed relentless. Or have they naturally had to keep with the source material due to the complexities of rewriting it?

I’m glad I didn’t give up after season one and I am trying to get others who gave up to give it a fair crack. Your thoughts??