Okay. Real talk about WoT from one who read the books and had many discussions with my husband (who has paperbacks with his own annotated notes in the margins as he read and re-read them over the years. Foreshadowing.) SOME BOOK SPOILERS.
Both he and his brother stopped watching after episode three. I can't talk to them about it because it makes them both passionately agitated and it's not worth listening to them trash something I'm enjoying. I'm not as heavily invested in the series as they were, I read it as an adult and didn't have to wait for new books each time. So, many of the changes haven't really bothered me because I understand what the show runners are doing to try to streamline story elements.
But where is the Waygate Avendosora?! The little leafy key, I feel, is an integral plot device later for locking the gates from the Shadow forces either by moving both keys to one side or defacing them altogether (as the trollocs do later to foil our heroes.) Amazon.. Amazon.. show runners.. someone.. surely that little trifoil leaf could not be that expensive to do. I mean, once in someone's hand it could even be a practical prop.
Is Shadar Haran opening the gates for his Fades and trollocs then? Or is Ishamael? Since apparently all you have to do is channel to open one. Mat staying behind isn't such a big deal as long as he still eventually is the blower of The Horn of Valere. Heck, now he can properly round up the horses and take them back to town if he doesn't dramatically dive through the closing Waygate at the start of the next episode.
Luckily, The Ways themselves look properly dilapidated. But if we're already seeing lightning, is Machin Shin already waiting for them?