The first four episodes of The Wheel of Time season 2 are a confidently different beast from the first. Not that I’m disparaging the first season. I thought it was a great attempt at adapting The Eye of the World. And in limiting seasons to only eight episodes apiece, The Wheel of Time is taking big swings to fit everything in and still have it make sense
My memory of the books is fuzzy at best, so while watching The Wheel of Time season 2, I am trying to remember if what’s happening on screen is what happened in the novels. Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t but even when the show veers wildly away from the source material it keeps within the boundaries of the stories Robert Jordan wrote all those years ago.
In the time since the first season, the creators have worked not only to streamline the storytelling but to ensure that season 2 is a bigger, stronger and more confident series. None of the awkwardness of the first season remains and instead, The Wheel of Time season 2 hits the ground running.
The Wheel of Time Season 2
Season 2 picks up some time after the events of the first. Rand al’Thor has faked his death and disappeared while Egwene and Nynaeve have returned to The White Tower for training. Mat’s whereabouts following his abandonment of the group at the entrance to The Ways remain unknown while Perrin and Loial travel with the Shienaran soldiers in search of the Horn of Valere. Moiraine struggles to come to terms with the events at the Eye of the World which drives a wedge between her and Lan. Basically, the group is splintered and each faces their own struggles.
Interestingly, episode one doesn’t feature Rand at all and instead focuses on the non-Dragon Reborn characters. The White Tower, which always could have felt like Hogwarts, thankfully feels more in line with Aretuza Academy from The Witcher. It’s a place rife with secrets, politics and intrigue. Egwene, Nynaeve and newcomer Elayne do get a bit Harry, Hermione and Ron at times but their time at the Tower is the connective tissue of the first four episodes. The show returns to the trainee Aes Sedai time and again and it gives the story an anchor.
Egwene, Elayne and especially Nynaeve are frequently reminded that they are some of the most powerful channelers to appear in hundreds of years which leads to some jealousy and tension amongst the group. Elayne (Ceara Coveney) is an excellent contrast to both Egwene and Nynaeve and the very different lives they’ve led. That being said, like season 1, The Wheel of Time season 2 moves at a blistering pace and at times it can feel like certain characters or plot points haven’t quite been established enough. Elayne is integral in the novels and certainly makes her mark in season 2 but her screen time doesn’t feel like it’s enough. Hopefully, she has much more to do in the second half of the season.
The same criticism can be levelled at the rest of the characters and storylines. Because there are so many characters to keep track of and only eight episodes for the entire season, it can feel as though nobody quite gets their own time to shine. In season 1, all of the characters were, by and large, together so it was easier to feature all of the characters equally. With the splintering of the group in season 2, it becomes a lot more difficult to balance the story. In order to give the show more time, the opening credits have been drastically cut back. Where season 1 featured the pattern being woven and a long elaborate sequence, season 2 simply has an image of the great serpent ring flash on screen for a few seconds. It’s a vast improvement.
The changes made to the plot in order to make The Great Hunt’s 706 pages work in just eight one-hour episodes are, so far, excellent. Some elements of season 2 are incredibly far removed from what occurs in the book, but they serve the same purpose. Rand and Mat’s journeys in the first four episodes of season 2 are vastly different from what occurs in The Great Hunt but they’re still very much in keeping with the plot of The Wheel of Time. Speaking of Mat, Dónal Finn replaces Barney Harris from season 1 and does a fine job. Harris was immediately one of the brightest lights in season 1 so knowing he was to be replaced was a bummer. Thankfully, Finn brings his own take on the character to the show and still makes Mat a joy to watch. I’m excited to see his portrayal continue to develop as season 2 continues.
In the first four episodes of season 2, The Wheel of Time succeeds at continuing to develop the plot that was established in season 1 while introducing new characters, new factions and new enemies. Fans of the novels will be excited to see a certain invading army and their subjugated secret weapons. The Wheel of Time Season 2 feels much bigger than the first. The threats to the world seem to have increased exponentially and our heroes seem even less equipped to deal with it than they were before. Fan favourite characters from the novels appear and not always as you’d expect but always interesting and exciting.
The first four episodes (provided to reviewers by Prime Video) are packed to the brim with story, characters and developments but seem to serve as a jumping-off point for the second half of the season. A lot happens in these first four episodes but you can feel the real action simmering away underneath and getting ready to jump out in the latter half. The ending of the fourth episode certainly points towards a much more action-packed and dangerous second half.
I’m looking forward to seeing the game get back together in the remainder of the season and seeing just how all the threads come together. So far, The Wheel of Time season 2 is bigger, better and bolder than the first and is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. I can’t for more.
The first four episodes of The Wheel of Time Season 2 were provided by Prime Video.
