The Wheel of Time Season 2 Review

The Wheel of Time (2021-)
Season 2 - 8 episodes (2023)

Watch The Wheel of Time on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the books on Amazon (paid link)
Created by: Rafe Judkins
Based on: The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson
Starring: Rosamund Pike, Daniel Henney, Madeleine Madden, Zoë Robins, Josha Stradowski, Marcus Rutherford
Rated: TV-14
Watch the trailer

Plot
Set in a high fantasy world where magic exists, but only some can access it, a woman named Moiraine crosses paths with five young men and women. This sparks a dangerous, world-spanning journey. Based on the book series by Robert Jordan.

Verdict
It's heavy fantasy with lots of characters, allegiances, and all kinds of magic. I thought the first season was okay, and I really needed a refresher before I started the second season. This season gets stronger with each episode, but even then this boils down to good versus evil. While the changing allegiances and betrayals keeps things interesting, it leans a bit too much into chosen one tropes. There are so many different factions whose names I can't remember, but their purpose is create obstacles for the characters without developing them much.
It depends.

Review
In season one Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) gathered the five protagonists on a journey to save the world. At the end of season one, Moiraine fights and defeats who she thinks is the dark one, only to realize that fight may have set the true dark one free.

I didn't find season one memorable, so I had to catch up starting this season which was a hindrance. The season starts with the characters in different locations, working through their own problems. While the overall goal of the show is to stop evil, this season didn't seem to have a goal other than each character trying to improve their situation.

Zoë Robins plays Nynaeve

Not remembering much about the first season meant I wasn't invested. I considered quitting, but episode three got better with Nynaeve (Zoë Robins) training to become some sort of magician that involves mental trials. Nynaeve is lost 'in the arches' and presumed dead until she appears. It seems she's the first to ever make it back after being gone for so long. This was the turning point of season two.

Egwene (Madeleine Madden) escapes the magic school only to be imprisoned by another group that wants to make her some kind of weapon. Episode six is tough, as Egwene's captors try to break her will to escape. It's intense.

Madeleine Madden plays Egwene

There's also a plot with Rand (Josha Stradowski), but he's 'the one' that can't control his power. It was one of the less interesting plot lines.

I probably would like this more if I could remember season one and if I could keep the different factions straight. I can't remember all of their names partly because their goals are only to serve the plot. This gets better with every episode as the story builds, but I started from wanting to quit. Overall it's generic. This is the scenic route to the inevitable good versus evil battle. This ends strong with the final episode as all the characters and plot pieces converge. The war isn't over, but they're victorious in this battle.