Ricky Church reviews the opening three episodes of The Wheel of Time season 2…
After a couple of years between seasons Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time is back with its second season. With the first three episodes having premiered the series wastes little time catching audiences back up and sets the stage for an exciting season by pushing the story and characters in new, darker directions.
The first notable aspect to season two is how the core cast is split up in multiple locations as they follow their own journeys. It can be a risky move to do so, but Wheel of Time pulls it off due to both the strength of the story and its cast. Rosemund Pike again gives a great performance as Moiraine, especially as she is even more enigmatic after the loss of her connection to the One Power and expulsion from the Aes Sedai, forcing her to make her own secret plans. This causes Daniel Henney’s Lan to be unsure of his place in the world as Moiraine leaves him out of her affairs. Henney does nicely with Lan’s simmering anger and his newfound need for agency, showing a different side to the Warder than we’ve previously seen even as he remains devoted to Moiraine despite it all.
Also showing a different side to their character is Josha Stradowski as Rand, following last season’s revelation he is the Dragon Reborn and his decision to make his friends believe he died in order to protect them from his unstable powers. He’s much more stoic and guarded yet still retains his charm and kindness toward others, but there is also a desperation in Rand as he looks to find any way to control the One Power bursting inside him as he makes some ethically questionable choices in his journey.
Watching Rand struggle is both compelling and stressful due to the fact he does not have a proper teacher to help him control the One Power, forcing him to suppress it or find alternative means which might not be healthy for him. It’s a far different hero’s journey than audiences are used to seeing, but Stradowski does a great job in these opening episodes to show how fearful Rand is of himself as much as the dangers around him.
Meanwhile Madeleine Madden and Zoë Robins compliment each other as Egwene and Nynaeve respectively as they begin their Aes Sedai training at the White Tower, though their journeys are paralleled as Egwene actually wants to become an Aes Sedai while Nynaeve wants as little to do with the organization despite being their most powerful channeler in centuries. Both actresses convey how much their characters mean to each other and the individual difficulties they face in their training with Robins delivering a very emotional performance in episode 3, ‘What Might Be’.
Marcus Rutherford shows a quiet, contemplative Perrin as he embarks on a mission with a group of do-gooder mercenaries as his own powers evolve. He still struggles with some of his grief, but in a contrast to last season has largely come to terms with it as he searches for new purpose. Dónal Finn takes over the role of Mat and already conveys a lot of pain and loss behind that charisma due to both the effect the dark blade has had on him as well as his last minute abandonment of his friends in the final season 1 episodes.
The core cast is particularly strong while supporting characters like Kate Fleetwood’s Liandrin and Priyanka Bose’s Alanna get more development and complexity, especially in Liandrin’s case. Newcomers to the series include Ceara Coveney as Elayne, a new Aes Sedai novice, and Natasha O’Keeffe as Selene, a mysterious innkeeper who Rand becomes romantically involved with, and in their short time they share great chemistry with the cast and intrigue into their characters.
In just the first episode alone, the tone for The Wheel of Time is far darker and serious. ‘A Taste of Solitude’ spends most of its time catching viewers up on where the characters are and setting the stage, but the following two episodes continue the more serious and dramatic tone with intricate character development and emotional moments. The action and stuntwork is also raised with much more brutality and graphicness shown between the season’s sword fights and shocking executions. The set pieces are tense and exciting and the new enemies the heroes face are quickly shown to be dangerous and varied from the Trollocs they mostly faced last season.
Fares Fares utilizes his new series regular position as Ishmael to give a compelling performance as the Dark One’s right hand with his quiet and calm demeanor. The set design and costumes also shine as we get a deeper dive into the world and culture of the White Tower and see new locations, all of which are beautifully shot.
With the first three episodes of The Wheel of Time, it is clear the show is building off its own potential and taking further steps to adapt Robert Jordan’s fantastical world as seriously and faithfully as it can. The cast do great work together and the story’s themes and maturity are captivating as the show charts its new course. There is plenty to enjoy and if the rest of the season is anything like these episodes, there is much more to look forward to in the weeks to come.
Rating: 8/10
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
