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The Wheel of Time

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Watch The Wheel of Time with a subscription on Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Apple TV.

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Rafe Judkins

Rosamund Pike

Moiraine Damodred

Daniel Henney

al'Lan Mandragoran

Josha Stradowski

Rand al'Thor

Madeleine Madden

Egwene al'Vere

Marcus Rutherford

Perrin Aybara

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Amazon reinvents 'The Wheel of Time' for the small screen, with surprising turns

Glen Weldon

Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) visits a remote village in search of something — or someone — in Amazon's The Wheel of Time . Jan Thijs/Amazon Studios hide caption

Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) visits a remote village in search of something — or someone — in Amazon's The Wheel of Time .

This isn't the article about Amazon's adaptation of Robert Jordan's epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time that you were supposed to be reading right now.

It isn't one I'd planned to write.

You were supposed to be reading a sort of chatty, funny, and ultimately invaluable introduction to the sprawling world of the series, and its many characters, factions, lands and institutions drawn from Jordan's books. It would be the product of a deep knowledge of, and affection for, the scope and details of the 14-volume saga (the last three of which were co-written by Brandon Sanderson, following Jordan's death in 2007). It would offer a refresher course for those who've read the novels, and much-needed guidance to those going into the Amazon series without knowing the difference between the Red Ajah and the Blue Ajah.

Celebrating Petra Mayer's legacy and the joy she brought to NPR

It would also be filled with incisive, clear-eyed critiques of the series — noting with effusive praise what it got right, and ticking off, with withering barbs, what it got wrong.

You're not reading that piece, because my friend and colleague Petra Mayer isn't around to write it like she was supposed to. She died suddenly last weekend.

We'd traded texts about the Wheel of Time primer she was planning to write for NPR. It would have been something to bookmark, a rich and satisfying stew of information and opinion to keep by your side as you watched the series, I know that with an ironclad certainty.

Instead, you get this comparatively thin gruel — a review, written by me, someone who has never gotten around to reading the books. To the impossibly long list of reasons to be angry that my brilliant, funny, profoundly nerdy friend died so suddenly, it's way down at the bottom.

But it makes the list.

For 'Wheel Of Time' Fans, The Last Battle Is At Hand

The shadow of the past.

Gotta admit, that ferry scene gave me pause.

Early in the Amazon series, several of our doughty heroes escape from their isolated, bucolic village at night, via ferry. In hot pursuit: A hooded creature, dressed in black, astride a black horse — he's a servant of a powerful malevolent entity called The Dark One, who has, it appears, returned after a long absence to threaten the world once again.

Huh , I thought. How about that.

That certain elements of The Wheel of Time would echo elements of The Lord of the Rings seems inevitable, of course. Tolkien's massive work inspired scores of imitators, and later, interpolators — writers who would create high-fantasy worlds that would inflect and invert the now-hoary tropes Tolkien helped usher in: A Chosen One, A Dark Lord and his Dark Riders, a Foul Army of Orcs, A Council of Wise, Color-Coded Wizards, etc.

But for a scene so early on to so closely map itself over one of the more memorable events in The Fellowship of the Ring — both the Tolkien book and its Peter Jackson film adaptation — seemed to bode ill.

I needn't have worried.

Want To Start Reading Sci-Fi And Fantasy? Here's A Beginner's Guide To The Galaxy

Because the ferry scene in question doesn't end with the heroes' escape, as it does in Tolkien — it goes further, and includes a turn of events that raises the stakes and reveals that the world of the series will admit many more shades of gray than the tidy Light/Shadow duality of Middle-Earth.

Yes, the plot involves the search for The Chosen One — in the lore of the series, the long-prophesied person called the Dragon Reborn, who alone can defeat the Dark One. This, too, is familiar ground.

But the series introduces a twist, and introduces it early: The Dragon Reborn may be one of four people in the remote village of Two Rivers. There is Rand (Josha Stradowski), a humble farmboy; Egwene (Madeleine Madden), a young woman recently admitted to the ranks of the village's matriarchy; Perrin (Marcus Rutherford), a hulking young blacksmith; and Mat (Barney Harris), a charming wastrel.

And that "Reborn" business? Turns out the clash between Dragon and Dark One has happened before, many times, and will continue to happen. ( Wheel of Time, geddit?) But another twist: The last time the Dragon faced the Dark One, he blew it, and the world was broken.

Moiraine Layer: An Aes Sedai (Rosamund Pike) gets her magic on. Amazon Studios hide caption

Moiraine Layer: An Aes Sedai (Rosamund Pike) gets her magic on.

Attempting to patch things up: An elite organization of women magic-users called the Aes Sedai. We first meet Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) and her warder, the taciturn Lan (Daniel Henney), who are searching for the Dragon Reborn before he or she can be found by the Dark One, his servants, or his army of Trollocs (think Orcs with horns and goat-feet).

Again and again, the series executes familiar story beats and fantasy tropes with a contemporary sensibility that would likely cause old Professor Tolkien to spill his Twinings all over his tweed waistcoast: A matter-of-factly diverse approach to casting, storylines that foreground women, the existence of same-sex couples, and of it all taking place in a moral universe where characters make choices that aren't dictated by their noble blood, or the relative swarthiness of their skin.

In the six episodes made available to the press (the first season consists of eight episodes, and a Season 2 has already been picked up), the central storyline splits off into several threads, giving each of our main characters room to breathe, and their situations time to complicate, in ways that feel necessary and intriguing — without the sense of narrative bloat the bogs down so many streaming series.

The dialogue mostly avoids the fantasy-genre trap of sounding falsely stiff and heightened, as if the screenwriter entered Beowulf into Google Translate; neither does it sound too jarringly contemporary (i.e., "Word comes from the North! We are to just like chill here for the nonce!")

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You won't need to have read the sprawling, 14-volume fantasy saga to know instinctively that what you're seeing on the Amazon series only skims its surface.

Feints are made to indicate the scope of Jordan's world, and its history — a bit of dialogue here, a snippet of song there. Characters gets a moment or two to invoke their homeland, or their ancestry. But the ultimate effect is to cause the world underpinning the events depicted — the world that always seems to hover just offscreen — to insist upon itself, and always compete for our attention with the story we're watching.

It's not that the show looks cheap, by any means. There are plenty of breathtaking vistas and vibrant, richly textured costumes and elaborate sets. It's just that it can't help but feel scaled down, reduced, distilled, made for television. Something about the quality of light in certain scenes seems a bit too sharp, too clean, for a world lit only by sun and fire. The sinister Children of the Light, for example, wear cloaks so blindingly and pristinely white, even as they trudge through muddy forests, that you can't help wondering about their OxyClean budget.

If the world of The Wheel of Time doesn't come off as satisfyingly grimy and lived-in as the world of other fantasy series, and it never quite musters the sweep and scope of its older brothers — Jackson's Lord of the Rings , HBO's Game of Thrones — it does manage to tell its story in a way that's compelling, unique and, frequently, surprising, full of narrative twists and character turns that even the most jaded fantasy reader might not see coming.

I know Petra had a deep affection for the book series (and also strong caveats, because: Petra). I don't know what her ultimate of the opinion of the show might have been, but I do know this: The last time we talked, she was just beginning to watch the Amazon show, so I braced myself to spend a few days reading a series of her stream-of-consciousness, expletive-studded texts about it, full of joy and outrage, effusive praise and bones to pick.

I'm still waiting.

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Review: This ‘Wheel of Time’ Goes Nowhere Fast

Amazon’s ambitious fantasy adaptation is bursting with magic and monsters, but it’s no heir to the “Thrones.”

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By James Poniewozik

There is a great wheel that turns and turns, and history turns with it. When it completes its circuit, the departed souls from the previous age return in new forms.

This is the cosmology of Amazon Prime Video’s new fantasy spectacle, “The Wheel of Time,” hence the title. It’s also a philosophy of TV programming, in which the old inexorably becomes new again. “Game of Thrones” left this mortal plane in 2019, and it is not far-fetched to assume that Amazon hopes “Wheel,” whose first three episodes debut Friday, is its second coming.

Here is where I need to pre-empt readers of the fantasy novels the series is based on. (Review a fantasy-saga adaptation and you will inevitably need to deal with the readers .) Robert Jordan’s cycle of 14 novels (plus supplemental reading) began years before the George R.R. Martin books that were the basis of “Game of Thrones.” And both Jordan and Martin were following, or responding to, the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.” (To complete the circle, or re-spin the wheel, Amazon will also have a “Rings” series next year.)

But as a TV adaptation, “The Wheel of Time” sure looks as if it wouldn’t mind your confusing it with “Thrones,” right down to the opening credits with their circular Ouroboros-like logo, not unlike the emblem in the “Thrones” credits.

The good news for fantasy-hungry viewers is that this lush and ambitious series quickly approaches “Thrones,” and even Peter Jackson’s Tolkien films, in grandeur and polish. It’s in the verve of life and depth of character that “Wheel” is a few revolutions behind.

Vast series like Jordan’s (which was completed by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan’s death in 2007 ) can be quagmires to adapt; an abortive pilot aired like a thief in the night on FXX in 2015. This new attempt, developed by Rafe Judkins, hints at a mammoth world and mythology to be built out, based on a mix-match of eastern and western philosophies and aesthetics.

But it begins simply and approachably, in what you could call Modified Frodo’s Quest Mode: There’s a prophecy, a wizard, a band of ordinary folk swept up in history, a perilous journey, a shadowy foe and talk of a decisive final battle.

The Gandalfian figure here is Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) of the Aes Sedai, an all-female order of enchanters who weave smoky strands of magic. She turns up in Two Rivers, a region nestled amid “Sound of Music” mountains, because the auguries say that one of the local young people is the incarnation of the Dragon, an epochal figure who appears at the end of each age.

The twist: She doesn’t know who it is. When an army of trollocs — beast-faced minions of the unseen Dark One — show up to unleash Dungeons & Dragons havoc, she flees Two Rivers with her swordsman-sidekick, Lan (Daniel Henney), and a gaggle of potential reluctant saviors.

Their journey to the Aes Sedai stronghold, which takes up much of the six episodes screened for critics (of eight in the first season), gives us time to take in the scenery and get to know the characters.

The former is splendid. Scene after painterly scene looks like the lavish cover of a 1980s fantasy paperback . The latter are mostly bland stock types, especially the young Dragons-in-waiting.

Rand (Josha Stradowski) is a moony, earnest shepherd boy smitten with Egwene (Madeleine Madden), the empathetic apprentice to the village healer, Nynaeve (Zoë Robins). The blacksmith Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) is a gentle giant; Mat (Barney Harris) is a cynic with a sad past and a knack for trouble. Two of the more distinctive performances come from antagonists: Álvaro Morte (“Money Heist”) as an uprising’s leader and Abdul Salis as an inquisitor for a band of religious fanatics who oppose the Aes Sedai.

The series’s dramatic drive comes from Pike, who gives Moiraine a burdened gravity and fearsomeness. But she’s too often saddled with Fairport Convention lyrics like “The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills,” and try saying that 10 times fast.

The ideas behind “Wheel” do have potential. Its worldview is not as realpolitik as that of “Thrones,” but its concept of good and evil is promisingly complicated.

The Aes Sedai, for instance, are high-minded but ruthless, riven by internal politics and not to be trusted even by one another. There are doubts about whether the prophesied Dragon will be the salvation or the ruin of the world. Even some followers of the Dark One — so far, a vague offscreen threat — believe that their master means to do good by breaking a historical cycle of suffering.

The series’s gender dynamic may be its most thinkpiece-friendly feature. Women control magic in the world of “Wheel” for historical-mythological reasons — something-something about the One Power being tainted in a way that afflicts males who try to use it — which in turn leads some men to resentment or fear of being superfluous.

It is a provocative premise, though it’s not clear what, if anything, “Wheel” is trying to say with it. In general, the show’s long game — that is, why you should care enough to commit — is elusive, even as it strings episodes together with matinee-serial cliffhangers. Somehow it manages to feel fast-paced and static at the same time.

“Wheel” does have time to develop; it has already been picked up for a second season. What it lacks is a voice. Or rather it has one, but it’s the stiff New Agey dialect of generic high fantasy. Maybe this is a carry-over of Jordan’s ponderous prose; maybe it’s the effect of too much cautious respect for the source material. But listening to one character after another hold forth on the turnings of the Wheel, I longed for a Gollum or an Arya Stark to kick some life into the works.

From its opening minutes, “The Wheel of Time” is epic in scale. But deep into its first season, it is not yet human in scale. It’s pretty to look at, though. Early on, the wanderers take refuge in a cursed city, its deserted streets lined with baroque architecture and statuary. “Wheel,” as a production, feels like that. It’s a breathtakingly detailed edifice with no people in it.

James Poniewozik is the chief television critic. He writes reviews and essays with an emphasis on television as it reflects a changing culture and politics. He previously spent 16 years with Time magazine as a columnist and critic. More about James Poniewozik

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‘Wheel of Time’ Grinds Things Like ‘Plot’ and ‘Character’ to a Screeching Halt

By Alan Sepinwall

Alan Sepinwall

When you play the game to be the next Game of Thrones , you win, or you waste a whole lot of money.

You remember Game of Thrones , right? Epic fantasy drama adapted from a beloved (but still unfinished) book series, kicked off a new blockbuster era in television in terms of both scale and audience size, then alienated most of its audience by the end? Ring a bell?

Now, get ready for the Thrones clones. HBO has an expensive prequel series, House of the Dragon , coming sometime next year, and their execs are no doubt hoping that the 300-year time gap between the events of the two shows will allow viewers to forget how much they disliked the GoT finale. Next fall, Amazon is introducing a Lord of the Rings series for which they spent a quarter of a billion dollars just to acquire the rights to the J.R.R. Tolkien books, never mind how much they’ve spent actually making it. First to market, though, is another Amazon fantasy adaptation, this time of Robert Jordan’s beloved, massive (more than a dozen books, several of which were completed after Jordan’s death) Wheel of Time series, with a reported $10 million budget per episode — more than the comparatively modest $6 million-per-episode cost of that first GoT season with Ned Stark, though less than the $15 million of that last batch of installments, with all their CGI ice zombie and dragon battles.

We’ll have to see next year how effectively House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings have used their budgets, but the underwhelming Wheel of Time is a reminder that money alone does not make a fantasy world go around.

Wheel takes place in a world where magic — frequently referred to as “the one power” — exists, but is largely the province of a group of women known as the Aes Sedai(*). The titular Wheel refers to a civilization-wide belief in reincarnation, with people being reborn again and again in different circumstances. Mostly, this is fine, but one of those on track for returning is a figure called the Dragon, who in its last iteration broke the world. The Aes Sedai witches have fixed things as best they can, but no one knows whether the new Dragon will be a destroyer or a healer, or even what gender it will be. So the powerful sorceress Moiraine ( Rosamund Pike ) travels the countryside with her bodyguard (or “warder”) Lan Mandragoran (Daniel Henney) looking for this new Dragon, in hopes of harnessing its power for good instead of evil. In the first episode, she arrives in a small river community and is surprised to find four potential candidates — stoic archer Rand (Josha Stradowski), warm bartender Egwene (Madeleine Madden), mighty blacksmith Perrin (Marcus Rutherford), and the rascally hustler Mat (Barney Harris) — plus a local healer (or “wisdom”), Nynaeve (Zoë Robins) with intriguing abilities.

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(*) It’s pronounced more or less like “I said hi,” and is one of many names that will make closed-captions feel essential.

The books have been adapted for the screen by Rafe Judkins, a veteran writer of nerd-friendly shows like Chuck and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (*), and a professed lifelong fan of the Wheel of Time series. Perhaps his approach will please fellow Robert Jordan obsessives, but as someone approaching the show as a total newcomer to the world (as I was to Thrones ), the appeal of the story — and, in particular, of the central characters — proved elusive.

(*) Fun fact: He was also a contestant on Survivor: Guatemala , where he finished in third place.

In one episode, Moiraine gets into a philosophical argument with an opponent about the nature and purpose of the Wheel of Time itself. Moiraine argues that the Wheel can’t want things any more than a river or the rain do, but that, “It’s people who want.” The people, though, are the big problem here. Most are bland and forgettable, and a few are outright annoying. Moiraine and Mat are the only two who stand out even a bit, and that’s owing more to the performances by Rosamund Pike and Barney Harris than anything either is given to do. (And Harris has reportedly been replaced for the second season, which is in production now.) Almost everyone gets one note to play, maybe two — Rand, for instance, alternates between exasperatingly pouty and generically heroic — in ways that are perhaps meant to make them seem archetypal and instead render them fairly dull. One of Moiraine’s colleagues complains that it’s hard having a conversation with someone like her who won’t say anything, which sums up our overly cryptic heroine. That said, Pike’s sheer presence is often the most compelling thing in a given scene, and the show suffers even more during a stretch where Moiraine is sidelined by injury.

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The Wheel of Time

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 journ... Read all 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. 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.

Rafe Judkins
Rosamund Pike
Daniel Henney
Madeleine Madden
3.7K User reviews
47 Critic reviews
1 win & 7 nominations total

Episodes 21

Building an Epic Fight Scene in "The Wheel of Time" Season 2

Moiraine Damodred

Lan Mandragoran

Egwene Al'Vere

Nynaeve al'Meara

Rand al'Thor

Perrin Aybara

Liandrin Guirale

Alanna Mosvani

Logain Ablar

Mat Cauthon

Elayne Trakand

Leane Sharif

All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Did you know

Trivia Author Robert Jordan was good friends with fellow fantasy author, George R.R. Martin , author of the ongoing Song of Ice and Fire series. There are elements within Jordan's original novels that Martin included in his series, including the term "Game of Houses" thay comes up in later books, and which probably inspired Martin's "Game of Thrones." Martin included a character in his books, Lord Trebor Jordayne of House Tor, and Trebor Jordayne is a modified anagram of Robert Jordan. Tor is also the publishing company of Jordan's Wheel of Time series.
Crazy credits The opening titles are of a string breaking into different strands that crisscross and merge through looms to form a tapestry of the Aes Sedai group.
Connections Featured in Jeremy Vine: Episode #4.235 (2021)

User reviews 3.7K

Dec 24, 2021

Behind the Scenes of "The Wheel of Time"

How many seasons does The Wheel of Time have? Powered by Alexa
November 19, 2021 (United States)
United States
Bánh Xe Thời Gian
Bovec, Slovenia
Sony Pictures Television
Amazon Studios
Little Island Productions
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

Runtime 1 hour

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The Wheel of Time First Reviews: Amazon Created an 'Inviting' Big Budget Fantasy, Critics Say

The streaming giant's adaptation of robert jordan’s book series will please die-hard fans, critics say, but some worry newcomers may not connect with the sprawling story and its characters..

TAGGED AS: Amazon Prime Video , Drama , Fantasy , streaming , television , TV

The next fantasy book series to get the television treatment is Robert Jordan’s hugely popular The Wheel of Time , which premieres its first three episodes to Amazon Prime Video on Friday, November 19.

Following the lives of five villagers whose reality is changed forever when a powerful woman arrives, stating one of them is marked as the “Dragon Reborn,” a reincarnated essence who may follow through on a path to either bring darkness unto the world or save it. The balance between light and dark is tested, bringing forth an epic journey for all the characters involved. Rosamund Pike and Daniel Henney play magical warrior Moiraine Damodred and her bodyguard Lan Mondragoran, respectively, and lead the ensemble cast that includes Marcus Rutherford as Perrin Aybara, Madeleine Madden as Egwene al’Vere, Barney Harris as Mat Cauthon , Josha Stradowsky as Rand al’Thor, and Zoë Robbins as Nynaeve al’Meara.

Big expectations are riding on the series, considering it’s based on 14 books. Does it live up to the hype? Here’s what critics are saying about The Wheel of Time season 1:

HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO THE BOOKS ?

If you’re a fan of the genre and just want to partake in the spectacle of an imaginary world filled with Not Orcs and Kinda Witches, you’re probably in for a decent time. (And if you’re a fan of Robert Jordan’s books, hoping these beloved novels will inspire TV’s next great fantasy show… well, lower your expectations.) – Ben Travers, IndieWire

The books have been adapted for the screen by Rafe Judkins, a veteran writer of nerd-friendly shows like Chuck and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. , and a professed lifelong fan of the Wheel of Time series. Perhaps his approach will please fellow Robert Jordan obsessives, but as someone approaching the show as a total newcomer to the world (as I was to [Game of] Thrones ), the appeal of the story — and, in particular, of the central characters — proved elusive. – Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone

It’s tough, though, to know what the average TV viewer, used to the cynicism of Game of Thrones and sarcasm of the MCU, will make of such an earnest saga of friends embarking on a clear-cut quest to save the world. Amazon’s The Wheel of Time is the show that Robert Jordan fans want, but who else does? – Megan O’Keefe, Decider

When The Wheel of Time does fire on all cylinders, it’s proof that it might actually be possible to fit the book into a coherent TV show. – Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge

HOW IS THE STORYTELLING AND WORLD-BUILDING?

If this is an attempt to match what “Thrones” became in popular memory, Judkins and his team would be well-advised to recall that much of that drama’s first season was a high-stakes character drama, not a war with a new front opening each episode. This perversely gives the show a pinched and narrow-feeling universe, with its focus limited to what peril lies directly ahead. – Daniel D’Addario, Variety

This is a series that really could only be adapted by a studio with the ambitions and budget of Amazon, which is reportedly spending $10 million per episode to build and destroy elaborate sets and fuse CGI with practical effects to make its magic and monsters come to life. Every aspect of the production is lushly realized, from the intricate armors and costumes to the way Aes Sedai and their Warder guardians fight in concert with a beauty reminiscent of wuxia films. – Samantha Nelson, IGN Movies

That frenetic pacing and structuring of the story do make it somewhat difficult to follow at times — there were frequent scenes where a character might have a single line before moving onto the next, or ones that felt they were there just to dump exposition out. – Preeti Chhibber, Polygon

The show does generally look good, with sweeping shots of the lovely Czech landscapes, impressive costumes, and expensive-looking sets. The depiction of the primary form of magic (“channeling”), where characters are meant to be drawing in power from the world around them and weaving it into blasts of fire or bursts of air, is more hit or miss. Some scenes manage to portray it as powerful and compelling magic, while others consist of characters just standing around while white wisps of smoke fly around them. – Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge

The Wheel of Time novels have had the benefit of thousands of pages to explain the ins and outs of the fantasy world, but this series drops you in with minimal exposition. We are forced to quickly determine who the various factions are, their importance to the plot, and how magic impacts everything. – Alex Maidy, JoBlo’s Movie Network

HOW IS ROSAMUND PIKE’S PERFORMANCE?

Pike’s sheer presence is often the most compelling thing in a given scene, and the show suffers even more during a stretch where Moiraine is sidelined by injury. – Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone

Pike is an odd, absorbing centerpiece. Even when she sleeps through an episode (literally), the “Gone Girl” star gives just enough to keep you invested in Moiraine’s good health and grand plans. (The actor’s measured approach also helps keep the show from tipping overboard when select colleagues go way too big.) – Ben Travers, IndieWire

Pike is more than up to the task, embodying the agelessness and wisdom Jordan wrote of, but layering in a needed thread of humanity — even if her perfected tear-filled eyes do get to be a bit overused at times. – Preeti Chhibber, Polygon

WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE CAST?

The main cast perfectly embodies the characters who have been taking up space in my head for months, and showrunner Rafe Judkins cleverly juggles the show’s extensive lore. – Megan O’Keefe, Decider

The actors, aside from Rosamund Pike and Daniel Henney, are forgettable and generic. The fact that Barney Harris departed at the end of season one to be recast by Donal Finn should be a testament to how interchangeable these characters are. – Alex Maidy, JoBlo’s Movie Network

After a few episodes the young actors do start to come into their own, but there’s a lot about the performances that feels hesitant or even tropey. That’s not helped by the fact that we don’t really get to know any of them with any depth, even when they split off into pairs. – Allison Keene, Paste Magazine

Abdul Salis is a real stand-out with his role of the painfully reprehensible Whitecloak Questioner Eamon Valda, part of a group of zealots who arbitrarily designate people as Dark Friends and who hate and hunt the Aes Sedai. He’s terrifying and his first appearance calls to mind John Noble’s Denethor in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. – Preeti Chhibber, Polygon

Related: New The Wheel of Time Character Posters Debut

IS THIS THE FANTASY HIT AMAZON’S LOOKING FOR?

In its early episodes this big Wheel has enough sweep, mystique and momentum to suggest that it can keep on turning and give Amazon the global hit it dearly craves. – Ed Power, Daily Telegraph (UK)

The Wheel of Time is an interesting attempt at adapting Robert Jordan’s behemoth of a book series, but it’s also dragged down both by its unwieldy source material and its efforts to twist itself into a second coming of Game of Thrones . – Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge

We’ll have to see next year how effectively House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings have used their budgets, but the underwhelming Wheel of Time is a reminder that money alone does not make a fantasy world go around. – Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone

The Wheel of Time can’t be the next Game of Thrones . It’s just not in the source material’s DNA. But Prime Video’s series has the chance to be the first true Wheel of Time , and that excites this all-too-earnest nerd to bits. – Megan O’Keefe, Decider

ANY FINAL THOUGHTS?

The Wheel of Time is too accomplished to be a total wash but not nearly distinct enough to set itself apart from everything else on TV these days. – Alex Maidy, JoBlo’s Movie Network

For all its intricate world building, “The Wheel of Time” tends to spin smoothest if you don’t examine its pieces too closely. – Ben Travers, IndieWire

The Wheel of Time has enough potential to ride past these initial frustrations thanks to a high budget and deep commitment from the actors to faithfully bring the magic of this story to life. – Jon Negroni, TV Line

“Wheel” seems able to satisfy new viewers and superfans alike, creating an inviting and rich world that isn’t too confusing to understand. – Kelly Lawler, USA Today

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Aes Sedai top banana … Rosamund Pike in the The Wheel of Time.

The Wheel of Time review – Jeff Bezos’s Game of Thrones is destined to be forgotten

Amazon’s new epic provides a stopgap for fantasy fans, but it’s hardly the stuff of legend – and Rosamund Pike was surely just thinking of the cash

T he Wheel of Time, the new fantasy series on Amazon Prime, is what happens when Jeff Bezos orders you to come up with a Game of Thrones-type hit. This adaptation of Robert Jordan ’s 11-novel series also functions as a stopgap while fans await Amazon’s Lord of the Rings prequel – Telling “Unexplored Stories” Based on JRR’s Works But With Creative Restrictions Imposed By the Estate! – which is expected to launch late next year.

In the meantime we have the tale of a matriarchal land overseen by the magical ladies of the Aes Sedai, who channel the One Power to keep the peace. Men used to be able to harness the power too, until they – led by what we must presume was a rather charismatic figure called The Dragon – ruined everything. Now the few magical men left are hunted down and put to death by the sisterhood.

Top Aes Sedai banana is Moiraine Damodred (played by Rosamund Pike, whose air of being fundamentally detached from, if not slightly above, proceedings serves her well here). She and her sidekick Lan Mandragoran (Daniel Henney) are on the hunt for the reincarnation of The Dragon. She knows he’s been reborn (“The Dark One is waking”), but precisely where and in what body she cannot be sure.

Her search takes her to Two Rivers, a village full of surprisingly clean and dentally sound peasants. One of the local twentysomethings is likely to be the reincarnation (and all of them look as if at least one of their parents was Ryan Phillippe or Jonathan Rhys Meyers, a phenomenon I think requires as urgent investigation as the whole Dragon reborn business). They include: irrepressible scamp and wheeler-dealer Mat (Barney Harris); responsible, happily married Perrin (Marcus Rutherford), Egwene (Madeleine Madden), who has recently undergone the hairbraiding and rapids-shooting-in-a-diaphanous-gown that constitutes passage into womanhood round these parts; and motherless Rand (Josha Stradowski), who has no distinguishing characteristics apart from wearing a mohair jumper I’m sure I had in 1987 and being the prettiest of all the Meyers-Phillippe offspring. There is also Nynaeve (Zoë Robins) – a Wisdom who, despite looking like a zygote, seems to be a protective village elder. She is not pleased to see Moiraine, reckoning she is a sure sign of trouble. And so it proves.

The village is attacked at length by some pleasingly well-rendered (Amazon Prime has money) monsters called Trollocs. Much grisliness ensues – including Perrin’s accidental killing of his wife in the heat of battle – until Moiraine throws magic at the problem. Off they go, to find themselves, their destinies and enough sex scenes to keep the punters happy (the characters’ ages in the books have been raised to keep them firmly out of YA territory).

It’s absolutely fine. It’s got brio, it’s got style and it’s got enough portentous voiceover book-ending events to make everything feel high stakes. “The Wheel of Time turns, and ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend,” says Moiraine as she and the young villagers set out and Pike thinks of the money and Harrison Ford’s plangent cry to George Lucas back in the day. “Legend fades to myth and even myth is long forgotten when the age that gave it birth comes again.” You can type this shit, but you sure can’t say it. Except, of course, sometimes you must.

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Amazon’s Wheel of Time tries a little too hard to be Game of Thrones

The wheel of time works best when it doesn’t try to follow in hbo’s footsteps.

By Chaim Gartenberg

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The Wheel of Time is Amazon’s second-biggest TV bet ever. “I want my Game of Thrones ,” CEO Jeff Bezos is reported to have said . And The Wheel of Time , along with Amazon’s eye-wateringly expensive Lord of the Rings show coming in September 2022 , are the results. It’s a big adaptation of even bigger fantasy novels, an attempt to beat HBO’s blockbuster hit at its own game and give Amazon a prestige genre series of its own.

But for all the money and effort that’s gone into the show, Amazon hasn’t made a Game of Thrones successor, try as it might. The Wheel of Time is an interesting attempt at adapting Robert Jordan’s behemoth of a book series, but it’s also dragged down both by its unwieldy source material and its efforts to twist itself into a second coming of Game of Thrones .

To understand the difficulty of what Amazon and showrunner Rafe Judkins are attempting, you need to understand the sheer scale of the source material, which spans 14 novels and a prequel. The original books weigh in at over 10,000 pages (over twice as long as the completed A Song of Ice and Fire books) and were published over a span of 30 years by two authors (with Brandon Sanderson stepping in to finish the saga after Jordan’s death in 2007). There are no fewer than 2,782 named characters mentioned over the course of the series, 148 of which are point of view characters at one point or another.

What distinguishes the initially generic Wheel of Time from other Lord of the Rings -inspired fantasies is its setting. Thousands of years before the show begins, magic was corrupted, tainting the source of power such that any man who tried to use it would go mad. Women, on the other hand, were still spared that disaster, leading to a group of powerful magic-wielders known as the Aes Sedai, who hold considerable sway — both sorcerous and politically. The world of the Wheel of Time is a cyclical one, though, where people are reborn in each age. That includes the Dragon, the person who caused magic to be tainted in the first place and who is destined to either destroy the world again or save it.

The Wheel of Time does its best to ease viewers into all that, paring down some of the more esoteric names and concepts and spreading out the minute details of how the world and its magic works over time. Amazon is also promising animated shorts that will be available alongside the show to help explain some of the backstory and lore (although those weren’t made available ahead of the premiere).

The Wheel of Time does its best to ease viewers in

The show starts off leaning heavily on cookie-cutter fantasy tropes, though. One of the Aes Sedai, Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), is searching to try and find the prophesied Dragon Reborn to usher them onto their path of destiny. She, along with her Warder (a warrior ally who travels with and protects an Aes Sedai), Lan Mandragoran (Daniel Henney), follows the trail to the Two Rivers, a town far in the mountains and recruits five young individuals who might fulfill the prophecy. There’s Rand (Josha Stradowski), a shepherd boy; Perrin (Marcus Rutherford), a blacksmith; Mat (Barney Harris), a gambling thief; Egwene (Madeleine Madden), the innkeeper’s daughter; and Nynaeve (Zoë Robins), the village’s healer — any of whom could be the Dragon Reborn. I did mention that there were a lot of characters.

Judkins does make some key changes to update the series. The cast is aged up and far more diverse than Jordan’s iteration of his protagonists. Egwene and Nynaeve are given bigger roles, in particular, whereas Rand, Perrin, and Mat tend to take up most of the spotlight in the books.

Other changes are less thoughtful. One male character, for example, is paired up with a spouse that’s created from whole cloth for the series solely for the purpose of fridging her in the first episode so that he can have something to be sad about over the course of the season. And the first season over-commits to making the central mystery of the series the basic question of which of the five main characters is going to be the prophesied Dragon Reborn, capable of wielding massive power and challenging the Dark One. It feels like an odd choice, given that it’s a fairly easy-to-guess answer, unless the show plans to diverge in far greater ways than it has in the six episodes that I got to see.

The series also focuses more on Rosamund Pike’s Moiraine as the protagonist for the show, fleshing out her role in the story and her screen time. That’s not a bad thing, given that Pike is both one of the most recognizable members of the cast and one of the best parts of the show. But it does stand out, much in the same way as making Dumbledore the main character in the first Harry Potter film.

The show does generally look good, with sweeping shots of the lovely Czech landscapes, impressive costumes, and expensive-looking sets. The depiction of the primary form of magic (“channeling”), where characters are meant to be drawing in power from the world around them and weaving it into blasts of fire or bursts of air, is more hit or miss. Some scenes manage to portray it as powerful and compelling magic, while others consist of characters just standing around while white wisps of smoke fly around them.

The Wheel of Time’s hit or miss channeling in action

The Game of Thrones influence is problematically strong, though, with extra sex, blood, and gore added in. It’s enough to be jarring, although nothing here quite reaches the often-gratuitous levels of its HBO predecessor. The Wheel of Time is also a much grimmer show than its source material, having excised nearly all the levity and humor in an effort to be more mature, to its detriment.

And that’s a big part of The Wheel of Time ’s problem. It spends too much time trying to be Game of Thrones, even as it tells a very different kind of story. Game of Thrones reveled in its darker world, characters, and the machinations to try and seize power. The Wheel of Time , on the other hand, doesn’t have the games, and it doesn’t have the throne. There are few, if any, grey areas; the big bad of the world is literally “The Dark One,” served by his army of bestial, unthinking Trollocs (think orcs, crossed variously with wolves, bears, and boars) who literally eat people.

The Wheel of Time might actually succeed — if it stops trying so hard to be another Game of Thrones

When The Wheel of Time does fire on all cylinders, it’s proof that it might actually be possible to fit the book into a coherent TV show. And Amazon is definitely confident that it’ll be able to find some success; the company has already renewed the show for a second season, out of a planned eight that Judkins has envisioned . A story this big definitely needs some time to get going — and at the very least, Amazon seems to be giving Wheel of Time that much.

The first three episodes of the Wheel of Time debut on Amazon Prime Video on November 19th.

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'The Wheel of Time' Review: Rosamund Pike Anchors an Intimate Fantasy Series About Power and Prophecy

The first three episodes of 'The Wheel of Time' premiere November 19 on Prime Video.

Among many of the sci-fi and fantasy properties finally tackled in 2021 on both the big and small screens, The Wheel of Time has long been regarded as one that could possibly be "unadaptable" — and since the rights were first optioned back in 2000, it's been a long and winding journey for the sprawling world of the late Robert Jordan 's novels to finally become translated into a series format. With showrunner Rafe Judkins ( Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ) now behind the wheel, so to speak, both long-time readers of the books and anyone who was even mildly intrigued from trailers and scene teases have been waiting to see whether the upcoming Prime Video adaptation is fully worth tuning in for. The good news? Those of you who found yourselves more than a little burned by the ending of another epic genre series (and I'm including myself within that group) may have just found your latest fantasy obsession to succumb to.

First, the overarching summary: The Wheel of Time is set in a world that is inherently matriarchal in its construction — a group of women known as the Aes Sedai wields the "One Power," wherein they channel saidar (aka magic) to access various elements and draw them together to create weaves that can be used for battle, shields, or other various means. Men are forbidden from channeling because every previous attempt has been known to drive the wielder insane, so over the years, the Aes Sedai became a female-only institution, with a particular division (or Ajah) tasked with tracking down male channelers and effectively neutralizing the potential threat.

It's through this powerful group of women that we're first introduced to Moiraine ( Rosamund Pike ), an Aes Sedai who has been on a secret search of her own for many years for someone called the Dragon Reborn, an immensely powerful individual who is prophesized to either save the world or lead it into destruction. Accompanied by her loyal Warder, or bodyguard, Lan Mandragoran ( Daniel Henney ), Moiraine makes her way to the small mountain region known as the Two Rivers, where it's possible that the reincarnation of the Dragon might exist from among a quintet of characters — sheepherder Rand al'Thor ( Josha Stradowski ), blacksmith Perrin Aybara ( Marcus Rutherford ), innkeepers' daughter Egwene al'Vere ( Madeleine Madden ), gambler and thief Mat Cauthon ( Barney Harris ), and Wisdom (or healer) Nynaeve al'Meara ( Zoë Robins ). Within the first season, tracking them down is actually the easy part for Moiraine; taking them all back to the White Tower, where the Aes Sedai reside in the city of Tar Valon, proves to be a lot more complicated — but as any fantasy lover will tell you, the quest is an essential part of any good story, and The Wheel of Time delivers on that front.

RELATED: 'The Wheel of Time' Producers on How Many Seasons the Show Might Run and Why Rosamund Pike Wears Pants

Everything I've taken time to explain already might seem like a lot to wrap your head around, but the truth is that The Wheel of Time doesn't necessarily feel like a show where you have to be absolutely caught up on the source material before diving in. I'll admit to not having been very familiar with the books at all myself prior to my watch, and maybe the fact that I'm a big genre reader and grew up on thick sci-fi and fantasy doorstoppers makes me somewhat more predisposed to enjoy a certain amount of worldbuilding and lore with these types of shows. But The Wheel of Time also doesn't get bogged down in too many confusing made-up terms or overly complicated politics, and once our small group of heroes begins their trip to Tar Valon, it's actually fairly easy to just follow along with them, uncovering much of the story as they themselves do.

Although The Wheel of Time boasts a broad main and supporting cast, it is Pike's shoulders on which a large amount of the story rests — and while the first season does take significant time to explore many different relationships, much of its emotional center revolves around Moiraine herself. In the world of the series, the bond between an Aes Sedai and her Warder is described several times as being closer than anything romantic or familial that exists, and Pike and Henney commit wholeheartedly in giving their characters both the unspoken weight and affection that two people who have been fighting side-by-side for years would possess. It's this connection that we see echoed in multiple Aes Sedai/Warder pairs (and at least one apparent instance of a throuple) that becomes one of the season's most poignant as well as heartwrenching threads: when you're magically bonded to a person and can feel everything they're feeling, from pain to grief, it makes the stakes that much higher and the threat of loss that much greater.

And, as it turns out, the Aes Sedai have more than one threat to contend with on a broader level. Not only is there a dangerously powerful male channeler going around claiming to be the Dragon Reborn ( Álvaro Morte ), but an independent organization of religious fanatics, the Whitecloaks, is also viciously targeting female channelers and burning them at the stake. One Whitecloak in particular ( Abdul Salis ) derives a particularly sadistic pleasure of killing Aes Sedai and then wearing their rings on his belt as trophies. All of that aside, The Wheel of Time has a lot more going for it than the Aes Sedai-related plots — but they are some of the biggest reasons to watch. Over the course of the first season, the plot makes the choice to split up the core five (plus Moiraine and Lan), with various pairs forced to make their way separately to Tar Valon, but the advantage there is that these characters are given more room to breathe apart from one another, narratively speaking. We learn more about the unique powers that each of them might possess — and how some may not be the Dragon Reborn after all but something equal to or even stronger than that, outside of prophecy.

The Wheel of Time also, quite frankly, gives the small-screen genre adaptation the injection of inclusion it desperately needed — and what's more, it makes it look so easy, taking Jordan's books and turning them into a world that feels effortlessly diverse, effortlessly queer, with women at the heart of power, and all something that requires no in-universe explanation or justification for why; it simply is . The extended exploration of character and relationship development might also feel slower by comparison to a recent series' very rushed final season, but digging into these dynamics only works to the story's benefit. The result is a show that satisfyingly deals more in intimate moments rather than overly relying on big action set pieces or CGI'd mythical creatures to conjure excitement. One particular scene early in the season, in which Pike's Moiraine delivers a nearly four-minute monologue on horseback, is as enthralling as any intense battle sequence we're given later on.

By the end of the six episodes that were given to critics for review, it really feels like the adventure is only just beginning — so it's fortunate that the streaming series has already been renewed for a second season. Like any good fantasy epic, The Wheel of Time is one that promises very impressive returns, provided audiences are willing to settle in for the long haul.

The Wheel of Time premieres its first three episodes on November 19, exclusively on Prime Video.

Entertainment

Article updated on November 19, 2021 at 2:00 AM PST

The Wheel of Time review: Flat-pack fantasy fills time before Lord of the Rings returns

Streaming now on Prime Video, Amazon turns Robert Jordan's bestselling sword 'n' sorcery series into an inoffensive TV adaptation.

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Gather round the fire, travelers, for I must weave a tale of another age: an age of rings and thrones, shadows and bones, witches and witchers. They called it: the age of streaming. And into this age of warring streaming services rode The Wheel of Time. But will it fulfill the prophecy and defeat the hordes of fantasy shows to become a smash hit?

Streaming now on Amazon Prime Video, The Wheel of Time is based on Robert Jordan's long-running series of novels . The first three episodes stream on Friday, followed by a new episode each week. It's set in a fantasy realm rebuilt after a cataclysm, except the darkness threatens again as a champion called the Dragon returns to the world. The show follows a warrior witch and her samurai sidekick as they recruit a handful of youngsters who each may be the reincarnated Dragon, heading off on a quest across a treacherous land of sword and sorcery.

Having sold over 90 million copies, the Wheel of Time saga must have a unique hook. But from watching the first few episodes of the TV show, I'm Bilbo'd if I can tell you what it is. From the obligatory ominous opening voiceover to the beastly trolls hounding our heroes, the TV adaptation is built from entirely familiar flat-pack fantasy stuff. Everyone wears tunics (or capes if they're fancy/morally ambiguous) and argue about prophecies in hushed tones as they ride through a forest in Hungary or somewhere. They go on a quest and have a big swordfight each episode. Haughty priestesses declaim their magic. Nobody ever smiles.

It's kinda impossible to tell if the whole thing is really expensive or really cheap. Every now and again there's some sudden squelchy nastiness, but nothing too nasty. There's some CGI magic and monsters, but the scariest thing is, you guessed it, people.

Obviously if you're a fan of the books you may be delighted to see your favorite characters brought to life, but long-time fans of Jordan's richly detailed realm surely deserve better than seeing their beloved stories flattened into such formulaic fantasy filler.

The mystery element of the show is intriguing as you ponder which of the main cast might be the reincarnated Dragon, which is at least a diverting twist on the "chosen one" prophecy narrative. And things get spiced up a few episodes in when another contender to the mantle shows up. But the characters themselves just aren't that interesting. Three or four episodes in, I still couldn't tell you the names of the main players. And after decades of debating their dream casting, fans end up with a main cast of blandly handsome drama school types doing their best, while Rosamund Pike wafts around in a cape like a Scottish Widows advert .

Rosamund Pike wheel out the fantasy formula in The Wheel of Time.

Ooh that's magic.

The world itself does have some interesting gender politics going on, as the warrior witches of the Aes Sedai are the most powerful faction in the land and specifically target men who dabble in magic. This is just one of several elements in the show that are crying out for more compelling development, or are done with more oomph elsewhere (Motherland: Fort Salem and Y: The Last Man both tackle gender-upended worlds, for example).

The Wheel of Time deserves to be measured on its own merits, and it is inoffensive enough entertainment. But it just invites comparison at every turn. The monsters look cool, for example, yet you can't help thinking of Lord of the Rings' snarling orcs and hooded ringwraiths.

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It's been 20 years since the Lord of the Rings movies showed how modern visual effects and character-driven storytelling could make fantasy thrillingly emotional. It's been 10 years since Game of Thrones made fantasy TV unmissable. As every streaming service scrambled to make the next GoT , The Wheel of Time must have seemed ripe for adaptation. But some things work better on the page, and this bloodless version fails to capture whatever magic the books have.

Game of Thrones had sex and dragons, The Witcher has Henry Cavill, Shadow and Bone has sexy con artists. The Dark Crystal has amazing puppets, and Carnival Row has a whole steamy steampunk thing going on. The fantasy genre more than ever has scope to be wildly imaginative and deliciously unique, but that's not the case with The Wheel of Time. Still, next year we come full circle with Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon and Amazon's wildly expensive Lord of the Rings adaptation in September. While you're waiting, spin your wheels with Wheel of Time.

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‘The Wheel of Time’ Suffers From Too Much Story, Told Too Hurriedly: TV Review

By Daniel D'Addario

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Amazon Prime Video ’s new television series “ The Wheel of Time ,” based on the series of novels by Robert Jordan, draws upon a rich, deep history. Or so this viewer, unfamiliar with Jordan’s work, was left to presume when the show began with Rosamund Pike explaining the backstory and the stakes in rushed voice-over.

There’s nothing wrong with voice-over in principle: It can be used well or poorly. But there is a sense, from this show’s first moments, that it’s bursting out with story, so much so that it can’t tell it all subtly, or using the tools of dialogue and characterization. The result is a show that may well please Jordan’s core fandom from the first but which makes for a frustrating watch for viewers who care less about whether “The Wheel of Time” outdoes “Game of Thrones” for spectacle than about whether the show they’re watching is coherent and well-crafted on its own terms.

It’s hard to disentangle “Time” from its “Thrones”-sized ambitions: The surface similarity, and the reputed notion that Amazon is hungry for its own global smash, have been widely noted in the run-up to this new show’s launch. And pitting the two against each other hardly seems forced. Both shows’ origins, both drawn from fantasy novel sequences, are similar. So are the stakes, and the language used to describe them: In “The Wheel of Time,” we’re repeatedly told that a conflagration with “the Dark One” is coming, and that a chosen one — “the Dragon” — must rise to meet him.

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Moiraine (Pike) is in search of this Dragon. As a member of a powerful circle of magical women, she finds five young people with great potential, believing one of them to be the reincarnated Messiah figure who might save the world. (These five are, to a one, played by appealing actors, whom we may wish we got to see drawn out at a less breakneck pace.) Moiraine’s faith is deep, and must be: We learn that there’s a high likelihood that those she tests who are not the dragon may die in the attempt.

This premise would, on its face, seem to lend itself well to episodic drama. And yet the series, created by Rafe Judkins, finds itself stranded on various morasses. Part of the issue with “Wheel” is its addiction to spectacle: We seem to be constantly moving toward or coming down from violent conflagration, so much so that the show’s power to startle us quickly dwindles. If this is an attempt to match what “Thrones” became in popular memory, Judkins and his team would be well-advised to recall that much of that drama’s first season was a high-stakes character drama, not a war with a new front opening each episode. This perversely gives the show a pinched and narrow-feeling universe, with its focus limited to what peril lies directly ahead.

This hurts its ability to draw out character. We see more of the five’s skills than of their interactions or group dynamic on a pretty unusual mission, though the actors portraying them try their best. And Pike can easily summon imperiousness, as fans of her films from “Gone Girl” to “I Care a Lot” already know well. But it’s only in the sixth episode that we get to see her do significantly more than intone gravely — during which time many may have lost interest. And the young people she shepherds rarely transcend their roles in the story as cogs in, well, a wheel, significant for how they collectively affect the story but not in and of themselves.

About that wheel: The fictional world of this series is one dominated by a religion that believes fiercely in reincarnation and in something that edges up to predestination. (It’s summoned in an opening credits sequence that literalizes the conceit as on “Game of Thrones”: There, the show’s action was summed up by a game board, here by a spinning loom.) That’s what propels the hunt for the Dragon, as well as the belief in a coming grand war. A powerful woman of magic (Sophie Okonedo) lectures two of Moiraine’s charges: “The wheel does not care if you are young or afraid, petty or weak. It certainly doesn’t care what you want. The wheel calls you to this, whether you can bear it or not. The last battle is coming. What any of us wants now is meaningless. The only thing that matters is what you do.”

It’s worth quoting in a block to lend a sense of the flavor — or flavorlessness — of the writing here, and its tendency to come in large, blunt chunks. It also gives a sense of ways in which the characters’ beliefs work against other aspects of the show that appear ready-made for television. These characters’ duty, from the first, to a conflict greater than themselves tends to blot out who they are; if they’re being told at the midpoint of the first season that what they want doesn’t matter and should be sublimated to the cause, where is there for them to go in seasons ahead?

There is potential here: The sixth episode, of six provided to critics, is the strongest of the show’s early run, even despite containing the seemingly limiting Okonedo monologue. The episode, more generally, expands the show’s vision of what it can do beyond the chase of the week; it shows us new sides of Moiraine, and develops her relationship with her charges well beyond where it had been. If it is to run even half as long as did “Game of Thrones,” “The Wheel of Time” will need to settle into itself and eventually do this sort of work, the sort it had neglected in dazzling the audience with a rush of exposition and of cataclysm. It has already proven it can do grandeur. What it needs to do, now, is to really show us who lives within it.

“The Wheel of Time” will debut its first three episodes on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, Nov. 19.

Amazon Prime Video. Eight episodes (six screened for review).

Production: Executive Producers: Rafe Judkins, Larry Mondragon, Rick Selvage, Mike Weber, Ted Field, Darren Lemke, Marigo Kehoe, and Uta Briesewitz.
Cast: Rosamund Pike, Daniel Henney, Zoë Robins, Madeleine Madden, Josha Strawdowski, and Marcus Rutherford.

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Wheel Of Time’ On Amazon Prime Video, An Adaptation Of Robert Jordan’s Novel Series

Where to stream:.

The Wheel of Time
Rosamund Pike

'Wheel of Time' Star Josha Stradowski Thinks the Show's Version of Rhuidean Will "Surprise Fans"

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You can find all available episodes of The Wheel of Time streaming on Amazon Prime Video . For even more Wheel of Time , check out the epic book series , also available on Audible .

It’s hard to adapt sprawling fantasy novel series. How many attempts did people make at The Lord Of The Rings before Peter Jackson nailed it? People still think Game Of Thrones lost what made it great during its final seasons. But there is a lot of fantasy IP out there for streaming services to throw money at; one of them is The Wheel Of Time by Robert Jordan. Amazon finally stepped up to take on this task; did they do a good job?

THE WHEEL OF TIME : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A woman dresses to get ready for an expedition; we hear her in voice over talk about how a man called the Dragon almost destroyed the world, and a group of magic-wielding women called Aes Sedai was left to pick up the pieces. Now he’s been reincarnated and she’s tasked with finding him.

The Gist: Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike) is an Aes Sedai who has been tasked with finding the born-again Dragon before The Dark finds him or her. She sets off with Lan Mondragoran (Daniel Henney), her right-hand man, to find him.

After seeing a rival Aes Sedai named Liandrin Guirale (Kate Fleetwood) kill one man that might be the Dragon, she senses that it isn’t him; she and Lan will go to The Two Rivers to find him. There, next to a massive cliff over a raging river, Nynaeve al’Meara (Zoë Robins) inducts young Egwene Al’Vere (Madeleine Madden) into the influential Circle of Women; part of the initiation is to be pushed into the raging waters. If she trusts the river, she should be able to survive.

At a local pub, old friends Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford), Mat Cauthon (Barney Harris) and Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski) discuss the mercenary activity going on in the south, but then attention turns to Egwene, triumphantly returning from her initiation. When Moiraine and Lan come to the inn for a place to stay, everyone’s curiosity is piqued, but not in a good way.

Nynaeve, the youngest Wisdom (she talks to the wind) the region has ever had, doesn’t trust Moiraine’s presence; the Aes Sedai turned her mother away because of her youth and poverty, and that’s colored how she sees the group. She also wants Egwene to apprentice under her, a lonely life that Rand, who is in a relationship with Egwene, doesn’t think is right for her.

Lan, seeing some carnage in the woods, tells Moiraine that The Fade is about to attack the village, with hundreds of violent Trollocs as their soldiers. But she can’t go, because she knows that one of these five young people is the born-again Dragon. She just doesn’t know which.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? The Wheel Of Time is based on Robert Jordan’s popular novels, but it’s not hard to think of it as Amazon’s attempt to mount their own version of Game Of Thrones, or at the very least, The Witcher .

Our Take: Rafe Judkins ( Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. ) has taken the bold challenge of adapting Jordan’s sprawling novels for television, and it’s a daunting task. Because the ultimate story is that Moiraine is taking Nynaeve, Egwene, Mat, Perrin and Rand on a journey to avoid the Dark and its minions while she tries to figure out which of them is the Dragon, there are a lot of characters for Judkins to introduce in the first episode. And he takes his time to do so. But what that leaves is a story that meanders along and is hard to follow.

We found our attention wandering during the many, many scenes of setup, to the point that when the Trollocs attacked the village, it felt like a surprise attack to us. But a re-watch let us know that Lan knew they were coming, and warned Moiraine that they should leave. But her confidence that one of the villagers is the Dragon kept her in place.

This is a case where there might be too much concentration on establishing the characters before the real meat of the story starts. It could be because none of the setup distinguished these characters as anything but generic fantasy-show villagers. The mysticism of the Wisdom, and things like the relationships between Mat and Egwene and Egwene and Nynaeve are not well-explained, leaving a newcomer to the material like us scratching our heads.

When the Trollocs attack, the battle takes up most of the last third of the episode, we don’t have a sense of who we’re rooting for to survive and why. For instance, we forgot an earlier scene between Perrin and someone who works with him at a foundry, so when an accident happens during the Trolloc attack, we have no clue about how that impacts him. And when Moiraine comes in to use her magic during the attack, we’re wondering why it seems like she can’t protect the people she’s come to protect.

Listen, this could be a case where the narrative will tighten up as this group goes on their journey. But the first episode has a lot of talking but not a lot in the way of interesting story, meaning we’ll unlikely take this journey with them.

Sex and Skin: Moiraine and Lan get in a bath together, and she warms it up for him with her magic. But that’s about as risque as the first episode gets.

Parting Shot: As the group leaves the village, Moiraine says in voice over “There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.”

Sleeper Star: We’ll go with the steely brooding of Henney as Lan.

Most Pilot-y Line: None in particular, but when Amazon’s X-Ray feature fills in information about the show that makes you actually understand just what the hell is going on, then that’s a bad sign.

Our Call: SKIP IT. The Wheel Of Time is definitely a talky mess of a show, at least to start. It throws a lot of characters at us, but somehow all the time taken to establish them doesn’t give us any more idea about them than when the episode started.

Will you stream or skip Robert Jordan's fantasy epic #TheWheelOfTime on @PrimeVideo ? #SIOSI — Decider (@decider) November 20, 2021

Joel Keller ( @joelkeller ) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com , VanityFair.com , Fast Company and elsewhere.

Stream The Wheel Of Time On Amazon Prime Video

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The Wheel of Time Review: Prime Video’s High Fantasy Adaptation Is Worthy of Such a Grand Adventure

Jon negroni, contributor.

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The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend . These are the opening words of the late Robert Jordan’s The Eye of the World , the first book in his 14-volume high fantasy series known as The Wheel of Time , with the final three books completed by Brandon Sanderson.

It should be no surprise, then, that Sanderson serves as a consultant on the highly anticipated TV adaptation, which releases its first three episodes on Prime Video starting this Friday, Nov. 19. The series faces an uphill battle for fans of the novels versus fans of prestige television: How does Jordan’s arguably old-fashioned story about chosen ones and dark lords translate to modern audiences hungry for something new?

After screening the first three episodes, the strategy employed makes decent sense. Seize on the forward-thinking ideas and concepts already in the original story — there are more than enough — and focus far less on the tropes. No need to dwell on this being yet another tale about farm boys realizing their destinies. Lurking behind the pages of Jordan’s first novel is a morsel of mystery behind who the chosen one really is, even if it might be somewhat obvious to some.

By that count, the TV series wisely picks up on an opportunity to center more of its tale on the female leads. While The Eye of the World mostly fixated on one point of view throughout the first half or so, later books were far more varied and complex when it comes to who this story is truly about. So TV’s The Wheel of Time kicks off with that very approach by utilizing a large cast and plenty of conflict to get the swords and magic going sooner than readers of the books might expect.

Set in a possible future perhaps thousands of years from now, mankind has already gone through an apocalyptic reset or two. The current “Age” looks a lot like Middle Earth and Westeros, but closer to a Renaissance period in terms of the clothes, technology and the arts. In this world, human beings can channel incredible, magical powers, but there’s a catch. Women can learn to control these abilities quite well, but men “go mad” when they try it themselves, and are therefore deemed a threat to society.

Moiraine (played by Gone Girl ‘s Pike) belongs to an order of female channelers known as Aes Sedai. But unlike her contemporaries, she’s less concerned with seeking out and defanging male channelers. She wants to find the “Dragon Reborn,” a prophesied reincarnation of a powerful individual who could either save the world… or destroy it.

The potential for absolute greatness (or destruction) leads Moiraine and her blade-wielding Warder companion, Lan ( Criminal Minds ‘ Daniel Henney) to a remote village where four young adults apparently fit the description of the Dragon Reborn and must be protected at all costs from the seemingly all-powerful “Dark One” and his deadly hordes.

Yes, it’s a standard setup as far as high fantasy narratives go. But the central characters are where things get a bit more surprising and distinct. There’s Mat Cauthon (Barney Harris), a quick-witted sleuth who’s always up for a game of dice. Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford) is a gentle-natured blacksmith who fears hurting others with his large size and potentially dark nature. Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski) is the strong-willed leader of his friends, and he has eyes for Egwene al’Vere (Madeleine Madden), who has been all but promised to him as a wife from birth but has larger aspirations of her own.

When these characters and mystical forces collide with one another, it results in fairly satisfying intrigue and set pieces, plus some much-needed tension between those with power and those without. Because the books have been completed, Jordan’s meticulous world is filled to the brim with baked-in ideas and stunning world-building that the screenwriters can pick and choose based on where they want everything to ultimately end. In some cases, the show takes some welcome shortcuts and adds a few nice updates to an already well-worn story.

There’s no meandering around the Two Rivers and getting to know all of Emond’s Field before the adventurers set off for what fans really want to see, and rightfully so. Logistically, it would be a nightmare to do a single book’s worth of content per season. Let the books be the books and the show be the show appears to be a mantra for showrunner Rafe Judkins ( Chuck, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ).

A nice addition to the drama, for example, is a bit more motivation behind Mat’s gambling. He isn’t purely a selfish character, he simply struggles to trust others and wants to do right by his two sisters. These characters are also aged up slightly, so the romantic elements are far more pronounced and less reduced to schoolyard crush material. (That was fine for the books, but in the show, cutting to the chase will probably be for the best.)

Still, The Wheel of Time has enough potential to ride past these initial frustrations thanks to a high budget and deep commitment from the actors to faithfully bring the magic of this story to life. It’s simply a thrill to see these cherished characters finally get an adaptation worthy of such a grand adventure. Assuming future episodes and seasons continue to innovate ( it’s already renewed ), even if not every bold departure hits the mark perfectly.

THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: Prime Video’s sleek, ambitious The Wheel of Time is off to a promising start, though this heroic journey risks getting a little too ahead of itself.

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So thrilled and excited. Nov. 19 is my birthday! WoT party woohoo!

How many books does the first season cover? I’m trying to re-read the books before each season.

The showrunner said it covers book 1 and parts of 2

I am interested in trying it out.

I’m glad they’re taking their own road with the series and not trying to recreate every aspect of the books. I put down The Eye of the Worlds 3 times because I was so bored with it. I had to push through the Edmond’s Field part and once I did I was hooked. Also, the later books were a drawn-out mess of filler. Looking forward to watching this weekend.

The later books WERE chock full of filler, but it seems like the show is doubling down on the “filler” parts that the fans were so angry about. We wanted MORE focus on the Ta’veren, and the more notable female characters. The primary complaints in the later books was LESS time was spent on the central leads. . If anyone thinks the fans wanted MORE Aes Sedai politicking, they are sadly wrong. I’m really worried about this.

I quite agree

You know, except half the books already focus on the female leads without making one of them “maybe the dragon”… The thing no one wants to be. The female characters are already just as important as the men. This was an unnecessary change that either requires massive changes to the story or creates massive plot holes. Just to say… Sure, Rand is the dragon, but it COULD have been one of the woman… Um, includeing Moirain if you really think about it.

And if an Ais Sedai can be the sragon reborn than the white tower can’t exist. The Aes Sedai have been hunting the dragon for years, almost all of them with the goal of destroying him. If any one of them could BE the dragon reborn the tower would fall to suspicion and mistrust… Like it does after they discover the existence of the black ajah.

She can’t,she’s too old to have been born during the Aeil war. It also can’t be a woman because Lews Therin was a man. Some idiotic setup the show has done.

The previews I’ve seen haven’t impressed me, but I plan to watch and give it a go…

I’ll probably watch this but totally off subject, every time I see Rosamund Pike all I think is how the author of An Ember in the Ashes said that would be her dream casting for the role of Commandant. I guess that project is dead as it’s been years since I’ve heard anything :-(

I don’t see Rosamund Pike as Moraine. I think of someone as Halle Berry height and looks. Aes Sedai were known for their ageless looks. Looking much much younger than their age, but the carelessness by the expression the look in their eyes.

Excited to see it come and holding my breath. I pictured Moraine like what they put on the cover. Someone the height of Zoe Saldana and cute, Aes Sedai have the ageless look. This actress doesn’t. I understand the hurry to get the plot moving, but it’s important to get the characters developed enough. Will Perrin “dance with wolves”. I can see trimming away alot of what’s in the middle books. Sounds like it’s all about the heroism of Moraine. Can’t wait to see what a Trolloc or Fade look like. Anyone listen to the audio book? I enjoyed them. Fingers crossed.

Great review, thanks for writing it up. Can’t wait to see this show, it sounds like just the perfect escape the world needs right now from the coronavirus! The cinematography, landscapes, sets, and costumes look really well done. Plus the bad guys (trollocks and fades) were very realistic and scary in the previews! Having lived through Game of Thrones, I am really excited that this show is based on a COMPLETE set of 14 books, so there’s tons of material for them to draw on, and the ending of the books is supposed to be really satisfying. If all goes well we could get a 10 season high budget fantasy show that never loses an interesting story line. That would really be something!

As an avid fan of the books (full read through 3 times, early books a half dozen+), it would be easy to criticize the differences and shortcuts. But I have been pleasantly surprised and am excited to see how the show develops on its own.

If they had tracked the books too closely (a) the show would get bogged down in too much world building and (b) there would be zero surprises for me. Other book fans may pan the show because of deviations, but that seems very shortsighted. With Brandon Sanderson and Harriet McDougal consulting, the legacy of Robert Jordan’s vision will be honored, of that I have no doubt.

I thought Episode 2 was brilliant – Shadar Logoth was as eerie and scary as one could hope – and the introduction to Darkfriends in Episode 3 spot on.

I remain unsure about how the changes to Mat’s and Perrin’s backstories will affect future events, but again, I am looking forward to seeing those events play out.

More than anything, I simply want the show to go to the end because I want to see each of these characters meet their destinies.

I was disappointed in that they didn’t explain at all why it is problematic that Matt took that dagger from Shadar Logoth.

aAa fan of the book series, there were a few things that annoyed me in the first 3 Episodes, mostly leaving out needed characters, having Moraine looking for 4 kids instead of just the 3 boys. and the changing of characters roles. i.e. the show doesn’t give you any reasoning behind why the Wolves are following Perrin and Egwene as they don’t introduce Elyas Machera before the interaction with the Tinkers. And the addition of the love connections is not needed. overall I will continue to watch the show just to see where they take it, but some of the changes that so far have been made are making me wonder what else are they going to change that didn’t need to be changed.

Garbage…. absolutely garbage. I never expected a play by play per the novels but this is just bloody awful. Probably the only chance for this story to make it to a TV screen and its destroyed RJs total storyline. Im sorry Rafe but you had one job dude…

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The wheel of time, common sense media reviewers.

Nudity, alcohol, fantasy violence in flawed book adaptation.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

There are messages about power, loyalty, committme

Pike's Moiraine is the show's main character; she'

The cast is diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, a

Violence is frequent though it's of a fantasy vari

Nudity is frequent, though it's often non-sexual:

Language includes "bastards," "ass," and "s--t," a

Many scenes take place in bars with characters dri

Positive Messages

There are messages about power, loyalty, committment, duty, and obligation running through this drama, as well as enviromental themes. All the magic and medieval-style trappings may distract from the messages somewhat, though.

Positive Role Models

Pike's Moiraine is the show's main character; she's strong, powerful, and can be merciless, such as when she dispatches powerless people as a means to an end. She can also be empathetic, and her overall goal is to protect as many as possible. Many characters make questionable choices, and have shifting loyalties.

Diverse Representations

The cast is diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, age, and body type. Women are in strong and central positions; they're tasked with wielding magic in this world. People of color are cast in major and minor roles, though race isn't mentioned in this fictional fantasy world.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Violence is frequent though it's of a fantasy variety: CGI monsters, swooping and charging creatures, swords, magical incantation that result in people falling over dead. Hand-to-hand combat is shown, and combatants are slashed and stabbed; scenes show blood oozing from a slashed neck. In other graphic scenes, a dog nibbles at a human's intenstines, and a woman is burned alive.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Nudity is frequent, though it's often non-sexual: male and female bathers are nude at a bathing facility; religious rituals are performed in the nude. Expect talk of romance and sex, as well as on-screen kissing and romantic intrigue.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Language includes "bastards," "ass," and "s--t," as well as words like "piss."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Many scenes take place in bars with characters drinking brandy and other alcohol; some drink too much and laugh loudly and become sloppy and violent.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Wheel of Time is a series based on a fantasy book series set in a world with sentient creatures and magic. Though there are deaths, they are often bloodless: a sorcerer does a spell or waves their fingers and someone falls down dead. However, in other scenes, we see graphic sights such as blood oozing from a slashed neck, a woman burned alive, and a dog eating a human's intestines. Several scenes depict non-sexual nudity: men and woman bathe at a group facility; breasts and buttocks are visible. Religious rituals are performed in the nude. Many scenes take place at bars, and characters drink too much and get sloppy and violent. Language includes "bastards," "ass," and "s--t," as well as words like "piss." A diverse cast features women and people of color at the center of the action; women are the magical "muscle" of the series. Messages about power, committment, and duty may be overshadowed by magic and action.

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

Parents say (37)
Kids say (14)

Based on 37 parent reviews

Common sense

Horror rather than fantasy genre - gory and graphic and disturbing, what's the story.

Based on the fantasy book series of the same name, as THE WHEEL OF TIME begins, this world's all-female magical police force, the Aes Sedai, are amidst a quest: They must find the prophesied Dragon, a man or woman now coming of age who was born to save (or to end) the world. At the head of the pack is Moiraine ( Rosamund Pike ), a powerful enchantress aided by her right-hand man Lan ( Daniel Henney ). When a mission in the sleepy region of the Two Rivers goes awry, Moiraine is tasked with the protection of four possible Dragon candidates: humble Rand al'Thor (Josha Stradowski), fledgling spiritual healer Egwene al'Vere (Madeleine Madden), muscle man Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford), and troubled trickster Mat Cauthon (Barney Harris), and the town's "Wisdom" (spiritual leader/healer) Nynaeve al'Meara (Zoë Robins), as she leads the group to the Aes Sedai fortress.

Is It Any Good?

It's clear from curtain rise on the first episode that this ambitious book-adapted fantasy epic is angling to be the heir to the Thrones ( Game of Thrones , that is), but alas, it misses the mark. Nor does it hit the world-building heights of the Lord of the Rings franchise, though The Wheel of Time , a 14-volume series with each book hovering at the 1,000-page mark, surely must have given plenty of world to build onscreen. Instead, both characters and the world they inhabit feel generic; their arcs don't have the bite and intrigue we wish for. For one thing, some more thoughtful set-dressing would have helped. Everything's too clean: spotless clothes, pristine squire-like hobbit houses. People are supposed to live in those houses; people are filthy; why are they so clean if they're not supposed to be brand-new?

The lack of depth and thoughtfulness extends to characterization. Perhaps the coolest idea in The Wheel of Time is that this world's muscle is an all-female clan of spiritual warriors, Aes Sedai. It's Aes Sedai who set the series' plot in motion by seeking the one true hero (or villain), the Dragon. It's a simple setup, one that Game of Thrones managed to pull off so successfully by creating an alternate world where magic gave women equal or sometimes even more power than men. There's a early moment that may make viewers think the show may actually pull it off: Pike, an actor with nothing but gravitas, tersely gives us exposition in voiceover as her assistant (or Warder in the show's parlance) helps her dress. She twirls a cape with flash and strength, and it's thrilling. It's rare to see women depicted onscreen as powerful warriors in this way. Unfortunately, this thread of intrigue is abandoned to begin a ho-hum quest, with lots (and lots) of long shots of its cast on horseback. The Wheel of Time is as beautiful as a painting, and has plenty of source material to work on, but it feels like we're on a road to nowhere.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how this adaptation compares with the book series. When books are made into movies or TV shows, fans of the book often complain about what's been changed or left out. If you've read the books, what are the differences between the books and the show? Did the changes improve upon or detract from the appeal?

What are women's roles in this series? Are they important players, or accessories ? What about people of color? Where do they fit in? Is it typical for fantasy shows to have strong roles for women or people of color? What examples can you name of shows/movies with and without a diverse cast?

Fantasy stories with creatures and spells and magical ideas have been popular thoughout recorded history. Why? What can storytellers accomplish if they are freed from the rules of reality? Does this freedom make for better stories, or not?

Premiere date : November 19, 2021
Cast : Rosamund Pike , Daniel Henney , Madeleine Madden
Network : Amazon Prime Video
Genre : Drama
TV rating : TV-14
Last updated : September 12, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, prime video's the wheel of time continues its dull fantasy worldbuilding in season two.

In a world where even Prime Video's multi-billion dollar “Lord of the Rings” series doesn’t seem to have broken through to mainstream popularity the way they expected, another season of “The Wheel of Time” feels particularly superfluous. The first season premiered on Prime Video less than a year before “The Rings of Power,” presumably as an amuse-bouche for the high-fantasy epic to come. By its proximity in both release date and approach, it seems like an also-ran, a suggestion the algorithm can pop up on your screen after you’ve exhausted your “Lord of the Rings” binge. “Viewers also suggested…”

The problem is, in both last season and this one, “The Wheel of Time” doesn’t have much to offer the discerning fantasy fan. Besides, of course, lengthy runtimes, a glossary of high-fantasy gobbledygook, and plot threads as gossamer-thin as the magical waves the “channelers” of Robert Jordan’s fantasy world twirl around themselves, “Last Airbender”-like, when using their abilities.

Following a first season that struggled to build momentum, it’s doubly frustrating to see “The Wheel of Time” keep up that go-nowhere sensibility. At the end of Season One, our five villagers from River’s End are scattered to the four winds: Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) struggles to understand his potential abilities as a “wolf brother,” Nynaeve (Zoë Robins) and Egwene ( Madeleine Madden ) begin their training as Aes Sedai—the magical female warriors who scheme and set policy in this magical land—and Mat ( Dónal Finn , replacing Barney Harris who did not return after the show resumed production after COVID-19 lockdowns) stews in a Sedai prison after being potentially corrupted by the Dark One last season.

Meanwhile, their mentor Moiraine ( Rosamund Pike , who also produces) reels at the loss of her powers at the end of last season, and the fracturing bond between her and her Warder, Lan Mondragon ( Daniel Henney ), who’s no longer tied to her by life and death in the same way other Warders are to their magical mistresses. All of them fret about the fate of Rand ( Josha Stradowski ), who discovered last season that he ’s the chosen one meant to save or destroy the world. He’s presumed dead to most, but in reality, he’s shaved his head and gone into hiding, struggling to understand his newfound powers and destiny ... and might consult some darker forces to do so.

If that sounds like a lot of plot ground to cover, that’s because it is; “The Wheel of Time” is as dense a fantasy tome as you’ll find, and showrunner Rafe Judkins and his team of writers do their best to streamline it for a streaming audience. But it’s still too unwieldy by half, burdened by too many protagonists in too many similar-looking fantasy locations—pitch-black forest, stately castle, muggy tavern, hay-covered village—to make any of them truly stand out.

The sleepy performances and overwrought dialogue don’t help; so much of “The Wheel of Time,” in both seasons, involves young, hot actors mumbling samey dialogue peppered with silly names with nary an ounce of humor. Season Two attempts some much-needed levity, particularly in its first episode, as two older Aes Sedai women titter amongst themselves while they watch Lan do some shirtless sword training. But most of the time, we get a constipated smirk as some poor actor tries to elevate the thee-and-thou dialogue with more than grave import.

To the show’s credit, the production is still impressively assembled: Sharon Gilham ’s costumes, in particular, are gorgeous, from the flowy robes of the Aes Sedai to the gilded-cage masks of the Seanchan, a new gang of baddies our heroes must face. The effects remain seamless and sparing, with a few hazy tricks here and there, and the few bursts of action that punctuate the end of each episode are a welcome respite from all the leaden conversations in alabaster rooms.

But it's those conversations, and the nagging feeling these conversations aren’t going anywhere interesting, hamper any momentum “The Wheel of Time” wishes to build. Even at the end of the four episodes provided for review, the characters still seem like they’re licking their wounds from the first season, the writers shuffling characters from place to place in a kind of narrative fantasy limbo. It’s sometimes worth it, like when Lindsay Duncan shows up as a royal with interesting connections to both Rand and Moiraine or the Seanchans roll into a recently-conquered village, like the Persians in “300,” and demand fealty at the edge of a spike. But these moments require our characters to speak in more than a haunted whisper, which seems beyond the reach of much of “Wheel of Time”’s cast.

In the rare moments our fellowship is actually assembled, the show starts building some livelier energy. But by insisting on sending a half-dozen protagonists on their own indistinct hero’s journeys and spending an agonizing hour-plus each episode flitting between them, “The Wheel of Time” threatens to hobble off its axle before it has a chance to pick up speed.

Four episodes were screened for review. Season Two of "The Wheel of Time" premieres on Prime Video on September 1st.

Clint Worthington

Clint Worthington is a Chicago-based film/TV critic and podcaster. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Spool , as well as a Senior Staff Writer for Consequence . He is also a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and Critics Choice Association. You can also find his byline at RogerEbert.com, Vulture, The Companion, FOX Digital, and elsewhere.

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THE MOVIE CULTURE

The Wheel of Time Series Review and Summary

The Wheel of time is an epic fantasy television series produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios. Rafe Judkins serves as the showrunner. The Show is based on the novel series of the same name by Robert Jordan. The show consists of 8 episodes in the first season with a second season on the way.

The Wheel of Time Series Plot

In the world of The Wheel of time, the dark one wants to take control of the earth and the only one who can stop him is the dragon reborn. The previous dragon trapped the dark one and 3000 years later, the dark one is getting his powers back as he sends his army of Trollocs and dark allies to serve his purpose.

An Aes Sedai, Moiraine along with her warder, al’Lan Mandragoran travels to the Two Rivers in the search for the Dragon Reborn. She believes that the dragon has been reincarnated as a resident of the Two Rivers and there are four possible candidates, Rand, Perrin, Mat and Egwene. Unaware of there being another possible candidate, she takes the four of them with her to The White Tower as they escape before the Trolloc army could catch hold of them.

The Wheel of Time Series Cast

Rosamund Pike as Moiraine Damodred, an Aes Sedai
Daniel Henney as al’Lan Mandragoran, Moiraine’s Warder
Zoë Robins as Nynaeve al’Meara, Wisdom of Emond’s Field
Madeleine Madden as Egwene al’Vere
Josha Stradowski as Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn
Marcus Rutherford as Perrin Aybara
Barney Harris as Mat Cauthon
Kate Fleetwood as Liandrin Guirale, an Aes Sedai
Priyanka Bose as Alanna Mosvani, an Aes Sedai
Hammed Animashaun as Loial, an Ogier
Sophie Okonedo as Siuan Sanche, the Amyrlin Seat
Kae Alexander as Min Farshaw
Fares Fares as Ishamael, one of the Forsaken
Johann Myers as Padan Fain, a travelling merchant
Abdul Salis as Eamon Valda, a Whitecloak
Álvaro Morte as Logain Ablar

The Wheel of Time Series Review

A fantasy television series adaption of the books is seen more and more in recent times like The Wheel of Time, The Witcher, Shadow and Bone, Game of Thrones, the new Lord of the Rings series by Amazon and many but each one of them has its essence which makes them unique. All of them follow a basic formula to introduce a new world unknown to the audience and from there, the path is taken towards their story. Each one has a good and evil, just like every other fantasy and what makes all of them similar is “THE ONE”. “THE ONE” who will save them from all evil. What makes these fantasies unique is obviously the story, their rendition of the good and the evil but also what makes “THE ONE” different in all of them. “THE ONE” has some unworldly powers but how does it control itself and defeat the evil for the greater good, that is what makes each of these fantasies similar but different in a sense.

The One in this fantasy, The Wheel of Time is referred to as the Dragon. Dragon is the only one who can wield such powers to defeat and sustain the dark one. The Wheel of Time takes a different approach with it having The One but its fate is intertwined with four others. All five of them are essential to the fight against the dark one. It is still to be known as to how they will contribute but in some way or other, all will come to an end at the last battle.

The Wheel of Time leads the audience into the story through many different perspectives, even if many are not explored as much you might want them too but still establishes the world and the lore in a somewhat diligent manner. The first few episodes fail to hit the mark enough to generate high interest but hanging around for more is definitely fruitful. Season 1 is meant to establish the lore of the dark one and dragon and take a look into the characters who are and will play an important role throughout the narrative. The many places like The White Tower, Two Rivers, Malkier, Shadar Logoth etc play a significant role in the story as does any place in epic fantasy. The history and such significance add a lot to the world-building and also towards amplifying its realism. A treat about fantasy books is they are best at describing and introducing a new imaginary world where the audience can submerse themselves in and television or movie adaption makes those words into a reality which takes it to the next level by being even more immersive. The Wheel of Time doesn’t fail at doing so either, the massive plains and vegetations, mountains and cities, land and sea take us long to jump into its grand world.

The Wheel of Time isn’t perfect, it is good at many things but still needs to achieve more at some other to reach the height that it can. Mainly from the storytelling point of view, the characters are well cast and they do play their respective roles credibly. But it becomes hard to attach yourselves to them, root for them, the characters needed to be explored more. A deeper dive into themselves makes it more accessible for the audience to understand their point of view as they are the protagonists. There are more seasons to come where we can see the real them but more could be done in this season itself.

The fact that Perrin isn’t in love with his wife, Laila as he loves someone else is made very obvious, but it left me desiring more from his character in terms of being vulnerable and expressing what he truly feels. I feel like even though at the time, he did not love Laila but eventually there was a growing bond that lead to the feeling of love being blossomed. Perrin is being underutilized and more can be explored and likewise for some other characters.

Another important part of the story that feels forced is the revelation of Rand being the Dragon. Even though there were some subtle hints of him being the dragon it still isn’t believable as each one of them showed some form of power unique to themselves. Even after the revelation, it was still doubtful if he was the dragon or not, which is confirmed later but there isn’t any increasing development that could substantiate him as the dragon.

The season ends with the dragon trapping the dark one and leaving to protect the others. Moiraine realized that this wasn’t the last battle but the first of many. And a fleet of ships from a foreign world attacks the westernmost part of the land/continent. Which leaves us on the cliffhanger as to whether the dark one that was defeated is really the dark one? Was he really defeated? How is all five of their fates intertwined? The fleet of the foreigners attacking is the start of the war? and What is more to come from the fight for good versus evil?

The Wheel of Time Series Critical Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a rating of 82% based on 75 reviews. On Metacritic, the series scored 55 out of 100 based on 24 critics and on IMDb, the wheel of time has a rating of 7.3 out of 10 based on 70k ratings.

The Movie Culture Synopsis

The Wheel of Time has a slow start but still can pique interest because of a new and unknown world. As the series goes on it becomes more interesting and rewarding as the lore is revealed and the dark one is confronted. Season 1 is fun but it does come along with its faults, but a show of such massive scale can become better as they do have a solid start. Season 2 is already in shooting and it is exciting as to what will be next, mainly with the foreign invaders’ storyline.

The Wheel of Time season 1, the complete season is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video . It is available to watch worldwide.

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The Wheel of Time Origin Movie in the Works With an MCU Director

Kari skogland will direct the age of legends, the first of a planned trilogy..

It looks like we’ll be getting even more of The Wheel of Time on screen, as a new live-action film is being developed exploring the origins of Robert Jordan’s best-selling book series.

Deadline first reported the news on Thursday, which IGN has confirmed with a press release from production companies iwot Productions and Radar Pictures. Kari Skogland, who most recently directed all six episodes of Disney+ MCU series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, is set to direct The Age of Legends, which the production companies are calling the first film of a planned trilogy.

In another MCU connection, Zack Stentz, who co-wrote 2011’s Thor (as well as X-Men: First Class), is writing the screenplay. Stentz is also writing The White Tower, an animated Wheel of Time prequel film .

Eva Longoria is among the executive producers of The Age of Legends, along with James Leon, Mike McGuiness, and Justin Smith.

The Age of Legends will be set “several millennia before” the timeline of Jordan and Brandon Sanderson’s beloved fantasy novels, “in an era celebrated for extraordinary achievements in magic and technology.” Per the official synopsis of The Age of Legends:

“Utopia was lost with the emergence of the Dark One, and the world descended into darkness and war. The film will delve into the corrosive nature of power and pride, as seen through the tragic tales of the Forsaken – once honored leaders who fell victim to the Dark One's seduction, each personifying distinct elements of human weakness and ambition.”

“Directing The Age of Legends is a remarkable opportunity to bring a beloved universe to life and delve into the rich lore that has long-captivated the hearts of millions of book readers around the world,” Skogland said in a statement in the announcement. “My vision is to honor the worldbuilding of Jordan’s masterwork, while peeling back the layers of legend and myth to reveal the flesh-and-blood characters underneath — flawed heroes and villains alike — ordinary people forced to make extraordinary choices as their world unravels.”

The Age of Legends is only the latest on-screen take on Jordan and Sanderson’s vast fantasy world, with Prime Video airing its second season of The Wheel of Time earlier this year. That series, however, follows more closely the events of Jordan’s initial Wheel of Time novels, centering on Moiraine Damodred and five young people from the village of the Two Rivers as they attempt to save the world from The Dark One.

Interestingly, the Prime Video series and The Age of Legends have some creatives in common; Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon of iwot Productions and Ted Field of Radar Pictures are producers on the film, and separately also produce Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time. Iwot is also producing The White Tower.

There’s no word, however, on when The Age of Legends might release or head into production. We’re also still awaiting information on the already-announced third season of The Wheel of Time .

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.

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Is breaking bad really getting a heisenberg sequel movie in 2024 not so fast.

A poster revealing a 2024 Walter White-centered Breaking Bad spin-off movie has gained traction online. Is it real? Here's what we know.

The 2024 Breaking Bad Heisenberg movie poster is fan-made, not legitimate, and not part of any planned continuation of the franchise.
AMC Films is not a real production company, and there are no current plans for a Breaking Bad movie sequel at any point in the future.
After Better Call Saul ended in 2022, Vince Gilligan has moved on to new projects, with no intention of continuing the Breaking Bad franchise beyond it.

A poster has surfaced for a 2024 Breaking Bad Heisenberg movie sequel, bringing its legitimacy into question. For over a decade since the show's ending, audiences have inquired regarding the future of Breaking Bad characters , or at least the select few who survived. The prequel series Better Call Saul offered a few glimpses throughout its run, and the sequel film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie followed up Jessie Pinkman's story in 2019. Still, passionate and dedicated fans of the series crave more, causing a reactive internet response to a poster going around.

Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and El Camino are all available to stream on Netflix.

The poster depicts Walter White lying in a hospital bed, indicating that he awoke after his supposed death in the Breaking Bad ending. The headline reads " Heisenberg," suggesting the film's name, with an August 2024 release date. The Facebook post revealed a detailed synopsis in its caption, which explained that the movie would follow Walter White escaping prison. Breaking Bad is one of the best TV shows of all time , so there's no surprise that such a poster would trigger a quick, explosive response.

Breaking Bad Is Not Getting A Heisenberg Movie Sequel In 2024

The breaking bad sequel poster is fan-made, and there is no movie planned for the franchise.

Simply put, the poster is fake. There is no Breaking Bad movie coming in 2024, nor is there one currently planned at any point in the future. In addition, AMC Films is not a real production company. Bryan Cranston, who led the Breaking Bad cast as Walter White, has returned to the role multiple times for Better Call Saul and a Super Bowl commercial where he appeared alongside Aaron Paul. However, neither of those appearances altered the Breaking Bad ending, as one took place before his death chronologically, and the other is a joke for a commercial.

It's hard to imagine any of the creative talents involved in making a well-crafted series like Breaking Bad would have any interest in such an idea.

Breaking Bad had one of the best TV show finales of all time , making the idea of retroactively changing it for a movie sequel ludicrous. Walter White evidently died in Breaking Bad , completing a five-season arc with cathartic moments in Ozymandias and Felina . Having him return for a prison break, portraying an unhinged Heisenberg, would absolutely betray that arc. It's hard to imagine any of the creative talents involved in making a well-crafted series like Breaking Bad would have any interest in such an idea.

There Are No Current Plans To Continue The Breaking Bad Franchise After Better Call Saul

After better call saul ended in 2022, breaking bad creator vince gilligan has moved on to new projects.

As of now, Better Call Saul is the final installment to the Breaking Bad franchise . The show ended in 2022 to overwhelming critical acclaim, concluding the final arcs in Vince Gilligan's world of Albuquerque crime. Realistically, there aren't many promising narratives to follow in future spin-offs, hence why Gilligan has moved on to a new project. The Breaking Bad creator is now working on a TV series for Apple TV+ which is set to star the magnificent Rhea Seehorn, who played Kim Wexler for all six seasons of Better Call Saul .

Breaking Bad

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Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, follows a chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin named Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as he attempts to provide for his family following a fatal diagnosis. With nothing left to fear, White ascends to power in the world of drugs and crime, transforming the simple family man into someone known only as Heisenberg.

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The Wheel of Time
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Rosamund Pike stars as a mysterious enchanter in "The Wheel of Time," a lavish adaptation of the Robert Jordan fantasy novels. Jan Thijs. By James Poniewozik. Nov. 18, 2021. There is a great ...
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But fantasy, like every other genre, needs to give potential viewers a reason to care. Wheel of Time is arriving in this long gap between the end of Game of Thrones and the premiere of several ...
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The Wheel of Time: Created by Rafe Judkins. With Rosamund Pike, Daniel Henney, Zoë Robins, Madeleine Madden. 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.
The Wheel of Time First Reviews: Amazon Created an 'Inviting' Big
The next fantasy book series to get the television treatment is Robert Jordan's hugely popular The Wheel of Time, which premieres its first three episodes to Amazon Prime Video on Friday, November 19. Following the lives of five villagers whose reality is changed forever when a powerful woman arrives, stating one of them is marked as the "Dragon Reborn," a reincarnated essence who may ...
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The Wheel of Time is Amazon's second-biggest TV bet ever. "I want my Game of Thrones," CEO Jeff Bezos is reported to have said.And The Wheel of Time, along with Amazon's eye-wateringly ...
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We review the upcoming Prime Video series adaptation of The Wheel of Time, starring Rosamund Pike and based on the books by Robert Jordan. The first three episodes of 'The Wheel of Time' premiere ...
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The Wheel Of Time ©2020 Amazon Prime Video; photo by Jan Thijs. Fearsome beasts, dark lords, scrappy young heroes and world-weary sorceresses. Throw these in the cauldron with a few dashes of ...
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Streaming now on Amazon Prime Video, The Wheel of Time is based on Robert Jordan's long-running series of novels.The first three episodes stream on Friday, followed by a new episode each week.
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The Wheel of Time Season 2 Finale Review. Oct 6, 2023 - A big battle with a messy story shows off all of the show's strengths and weaknesses. The Wheel of Time Samantha Nelson. 251. The Wheel of ...
'The Wheel of Time' Review: Too Much Story, Told Too Hurriedly
Amazon Prime Video's new television series "The Wheel of Time," based on the series of novels by Robert Jordan, draws upon a rich, deep history.Or so this viewer, unfamiliar with Jordan's ...
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The Wheel of Time TV Review
Parents say ( 37 ): Kids say ( 14 ): It's clear from curtain rise on the first episode that this ambitious book-adapted fantasy epic is angling to be the heir to the Thrones ( Game of Thrones, that is), but alas, it misses the mark. Nor does it hit the world-building heights of the Lord of the Rings franchise, though The Wheel of Time, a 14 ...
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The problem is, in both last season and this one, "The Wheel of Time" doesn't have much to offer the discerning fantasy fan. Besides, of course, lengthy runtimes, a glossary of high-fantasy gobbledygook, and plot threads as gossamer-thin as the magical waves the "channelers" of Robert Jordan's fantasy world twirl around themselves, "Last Airbender"-like, when using their abilities.
The Wheel of Time (TV series)
The Wheel of Time is an American high fantasy television series developed by Rafe Judkins for Amazon Prime Video.The series is based on the book series of the same name by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.. The first season, consisting of eight episodes, premiered on Prime Video on November 19, 2021, with the first three episodes released immediately and the remaining five on a weekly basis ...
The Wheel of Time Series Review and Summary
The Wheel of Time Series Critical Reception. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a rating of 82% based on 75 reviews. On Metacritic, the series scored 55 out of 100 based on 24 critics and on IMDb, the wheel of time has a rating of 7.3 out of 10 based on 70k ratings.
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