In The Wheel of Time’s very first episode, trollocs attacked the quaint farming village often known as the Two Rivers, calling on the would possibly of 5 tethered teenagers and a decided Aes Sedai (Rosamund Pike) to maintain their humble residence from falling within the carnage. After all, ill-prepared and overwhelmed farmers had been no correct military then, and it took Rand (Josha Stradowski), Mat (Barney Harris, now performed by Dónal Finn), Perrin (Marcus Rutherford), Egwene (Madeleine Madden), and Nynaeve (Zoë Robins) fleeing their residence for the onslaught to stop. Now, 23 episodes and 4 years later, the destiny of the Two Rivers has been referred to as into query as soon as once more in season 3’s bloody, battle-ridden seventh episode. However very like the Wheel’s meticulous weaving, this full-circle second speaks to the general success of The Wheel of Time’s bold, centuries-spanning story and its distinctive place in our trendy fantasy panorama.
As a result of whereas that first battle was a devastating push to convey Wheel’s most influential teenagers nearer to their future, episode 7’s brutality is triumphant, bloody proof that the youngsters that fled that day have since modified this world for the higher. Perrin, faraway from his pals and struggling to turn into a pacesetter in a city that used to really feel like residence, steps into his future in the identical means Rand and Mat did in season 2’s equally triumphant finale, lastly granting him his long-awaited redemption for the lingering guilt he has shouldered. And it’s by means of this highly effective and shifting return that The Wheel of Time cements its dedication to weaving an earnest fantasy epic, freed from the strings connected to just about all of its trendy counterparts.
As Perrin sits by the fireplace within the very inn his pals used to drink and gamble in, stands within the very forge the place he swung an ax into his spouse, and appears onto the faces of these he’s identified and cherished his complete life, the ghosts of his previous lingering in each body elevate the stakes of his return. He tells Loial (Hammed Animashaun) to hold on the reminiscence of the Two Rivers, to make sure that others “study from [their] tales” in order that “when the Shadow comes for them, they’ll win.” It’s that dedication to carrying the torch for the previous whereas forging a path into the longer term that elevates the collection’ bold epic. With characters like Lanfear (Natasha O’Keeffe) white-knuckling previous lives and figureheads like Siuan (Sophie Okonedo) considering the likelihood that Rand might break the world as soon as once more, Wheel’s panoptic consciousness of its sprawling fantasy weave ensures every lore dump and punctiliously plotted reveal is load-bearing and satisfying.
When Perrin breaks out in tune through the group’s lengthy trek to Tar Valon within the collection’ first season, the story of Manetheren and its decided folks feels so distant. However as the parents of the Two Rivers start to take up arms, realizing full effectively that they stand alone in defending the house they cherish, Manetheren’s distant reminiscence enhances their battle — the story of sacrifice and willpower singing on the wind as soon as once more. The Wheel of Time locations reverence in repetition, and makes use of the historical past of each the collection itself and the characters inside it to focus on the facility and magnitude of selection and can. The Wheel might wind its pawns by means of its unending cycle, but it surely’s the knowledgeable selections of those central gamers (and the knowledgeable irony of its viewers) that permits Wheel to craft a narrative that’s as a lot in regards to the previous as it’s in regards to the future.
Picture: Prime Video
Picture: Prime Video
In contrast to its trendy fantasy friends — prequels partaking with the previous in shallow, referential methods (Home of the Dragon, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy) or unwieldy pseudo-franchises spinning off in quite a few unsuccessful instructions (The Witcher) — The Wheel of Time uniquely interlays each second of its unfolding historical past alongside the characters we care about within the current and the methods their futures might unravel.
So when swords start clashing and arrows start flying, the epic highs and heart-pounding lows of this battle don’t come from its relation to a different piece of media from a long time in the past, an adrenaline-shot of nostalgia from a reflection, or a payoff for one thing revealed in a supplemental collection unwatched by most informal viewers — the stakes come from a significant funding within the story being instructed in this present, a collection dedicated to exploring the previous, current, and way forward for this advanced story by means of the Wheel’s well-revved narrative engine. Whereas its friends vend in nostalgia bait and use Easter eggs as shorthand rather than connective narrative tissue, Prime Video’s different fantasy outing offers weight and reverence to each its previous and its future. And episode 7’s bloody battle for the Two Rivers completely encapsulates The Wheel of Time’s cautious stability between its weaving Wheel and its expansive ambitions.
The Wheel of Time spends its seventh episode referencing its previous not as a reward for sure audiences’ continued funding in its dad or mum corporations’ valuable IP, however as ample payoff for investing on this particular story with these particular characters, and believing in each them and the collection itself sufficient to keep it up by means of its mid-COVID woes and its streaming-typical prolonged hiatuses. By being tethered to nothing however its (admittedly overly lengthy) supply materials, The Wheel of Time basically depends on these satisfying full-circle moments to raise itself above its friends, all whereas doubling down on its central messaging.
As a result of, even in a fantasy world dominated by the undulating Wheel and the very actual penalties of being caught unaware of the previous, The Wheel of Time pulls no punches in drawing mirrored comparisons to our present second. As our nation is pulled additional and additional into the previous by the present administration, The Wheel of Time’s dedication to questioning simply how a lot a folks can let historical past repeat itself earlier than change is pressured and cast is refreshing and eye-opening for its fantastical implications and its real-world, stomach-churning relatability.
Whereas every other fantasy collection might have drawn out the bloodshed, full with flashy filmmaking and over-the-top motion, The Wheel of Time’s comparatively quiet buildup to the all-out brawl locations emotional reunions and intimate conversations above fantasy showmanship. And when the trollocs start to invade in earnest, the episode is healthier for having spent the time permitting for delicate ruminations on the previous earlier than questioning whether or not or not these characters will dwell to see the following daybreak. Greater than something, The Wheel of Time has correctly utilized each second of its usually overstuffed seasons to help in telling one among trendy TV’s most intriguing and shifting fantasies, permitting its previous, current, and the brilliant chance of its future to information the characters we all know and love into every magnificent chapter.
