There is immense freedom in watching a series without being “bound” to the knowledge of books or characters because it frees you to appreciate what is being offered without judgment or expectations. This applies even more to the Wheel of Time, whose intricate universe, detailed in no less than 14 books, divides those who are enjoying the adaptation on Amazon Prime Video. At least everyone agrees that the second season surpassed the first and delivered a conclusion that was worth following the story.
Ishamael’s (Fares Fares) simple plan to “break the wheel” (such a strong echo of Daenerys Targaryen!) seemed foolproof, but as the story should go, there are flaws even in the dark side’s thus far perfect strategy. He, who has lost faith and doesn’t understand the point of endlessly reliving everything (we have to agree that he has a great point), wants to destroy everything. And his desire is not new, 3 thousand years ago he was defeated by Lews Therin, and today, Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn. That’s what the Wheel of Time shows us in the final episode of season 2.
After having a debut full of potential, the series has established itself as a great source of fantasy, better than others on the same platform (I’ve said this before). The costumes are stunning, the effects are reasonable “for TV” and we embark on the magic, the emotion, the surprises of non-linear and detailed content. Fans considered the final episode to be epic, I thought it had great potential.
Our young heroes, so friendly and forced to discover their own destiny, spent much of their time apart, it was obvious that their reunion would be powerful. And it was. The path was difficult, and they showed resilience, protagonism, and power against clearly superior forces. Not all loose ends have been tied up, there is a lot of danger even with the defeats of Ishamael, Turak, Suroth, and Renna.
Now that The Dragon Reborn is officially “presented”, we can celebrate the reconciliation of Moraine and Lan, worry about the traumas that will certainly remain in Egwene and Perrin’s pain, as well as the certain romance between Elayne and Rand. Mat also overcame what seemed like his sad fate, so I’m looking forward to what’s to come because the Great War is just beginning.
Therefore, when we meet again sometime in 2025 (there is still the actors’ strike to end!), we will see how the forces will organize themselves. Lanfear’s surprise at discovering that Ishamael released other Forsaken before his death signals that there is still much (worse) to come. Even more so, Moghedien (Laia Costa) is much stronger than Lanfear itself.
Doing fantasy on TV is much more challenging than in cinema as it can quickly fall into the trap of lameness. The Wheel of Time is already on another level, overcoming the challenge of its debut and surpassing the narrative in its continuation. Explosive and unexpected. As everyone assures: it is in the obligatory club.
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