'The Wheel of Time' Season 2 review: A character-driven step up
While The Wheel of Time's first season started off unevenly and improved steadily throughout, Season 2 finds its footing right from the get-go. The gears are greased, the wheels are turning, and the epic fantasy show has settled into itself.
That's great news, because the series still has a lot of ground from Robert Jordan's original novels to cover. Given that Season 2 picks up with its seven leads scattered across the world, it's clear The Wheel of Time is trying to march through Jordan's tomes as efficiently as it can without sacrificing quality storytelling.
What's new with Moiraine, Rand, and the rest of The Wheel of Time's cast of characters?
Season 1 of The Wheel of Time ended with the major revelation that Rand al'Thor (Josha Stradowski) is the Dragon Reborn: a male Channeler prophesied to either save the world or destroy it entirely. After making this discovery, Rand went into self-imposed exile, begging Aes Sedai Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike) to inform his friends that he died in a fight against the forces of darkness. Now, he wanders alone, seeking answers on how to control his newfound abilities. For her part, Moiraine researches how to protect Rand and how to stop the Dark One's Forsaken servants who have been set free in the world.
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Elsewhere, Egwene al'Vere (Madeleine Madden) and Nynaeve al'Meara (Zoë Robins) train to become Aes Sedai; Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford) joins the hunt for Darkfriend Padan Fain (Johann Myers), who stole the legendary Horn of Valere; and Mat Cauthon (Dónal Finn) reckons with a cursed dagger he stole in Season 1. And that's not all: An invading Seanchan force from the West brings great trouble and powerful magic to an already fraught fantasy landscape.
Depending on your preferences, some storylines will certainly resonate more than others. I'm a devotee of stories of magic academies and powerful young women coming into their own, so I enjoyed Egwene and Nynaeve's training journey the most. Not only does it give us a deeper look into the Aes Sedai order — already the most interesting aspect of Jordan's world — but it also results in some of the biggest emotional pay-offs and twists of the first four episodes provided to critics.
By contrast, Rand's story suffers somewhat thanks to a stilted romance with innkeeper Selene (Natasha O'Keeffe), and Mat's imprisonment at the hands of Liandrin (Kate Fleetwood) threatens to fall into stasis. However, the threads of The Wheel of Time weave past these unsatisfying elements rather quickly, and you can't help but get excited at what's coming.
The Wheel of Time Season 2 dives deeper into our heroes' personal journeys.
The sheer volume of plot may seem like a lot to swallow, but The Wheel of Time deftly balances its many spinning plates. What's more, these disparate stories bolster the show's cohesion instead of detracting from it, all while adding new dimensions to its heroes. The Wheel of Time is still very much focused on the great battle between light and darkness, but the separation between characters also allows for more personal journeys of self-discovery rooted in this larger conflict. As their familiar support systems fall away, they're left to wonder, "where do I truly fit in in the world?"
Take the Emond's Field Five, for example. Rand, Egwene, Nynaeve, Mat, and Perrin all left the Two Rivers together, but now they're isolated in a world they don't fully know. Even Egwene and Nynaeve begin to draw apart in the White Tower, as Nynaeve's greater power draws greater attention from the Aes Sedai. Season 2's questions of, "how will these characters adapt to their new surroundings and their loneliness?" becomes far more interesting than Season 1's, "who's the Chosen One?"
Even the older, more experienced characters face major doubts. Exiled from the White Tower of Tar Valon and cut off from the One Power, Moiraine must re-evaluate how she can aid the Light in its forces against the Dark One. She's also severed her bond with Warder al'Lan Mandragoran (Daniel Henney), cutting him off from the one person he knows the most. After serving alongside her and knowing her most intimate thoughts and feelings, Lan struggles with Moiraine's barriers and whether she values him at all. Theirs is no doubt one of the richest relationships on the show, so to see them so at odds with each other proves a nice change-up from their Season 1 dynamic.
All this focus on character makes the fantasy fun of The Wheel of Time pop even more. We're so invested in Nynaeve and Egwene's magical trials because of how much we've grown to care about them. We're terrified by the Seanchans — whose grinning helmets and long statement nails make for the accessories of the season — because they pose such a great threat to our heroes. Season 1 may have given us the building blocks of The Wheel of Time, but with Season 2, we truly get to play in the world.
The Wheel of Time Season 2 premieres Aug. 31 at 8 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
Topics Prime Video Streaming
Belen Edwards is an Entertainment Reporter at Mashable. She covers movies and TV with a focus on fantasy and science fiction, adaptations, animation, and more nerdy goodness. She is a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Television Critics Association, as well as a Tomatometer-approved critic.
