The Wheel of Time - Season 2

⭐ 5.0/10

(Originally written by Tim)

I thought this season was a lot like the first season, in fact I thought it started off much better, but the finale was so stupid and terrible with so many awful changes I was angry. I was hoping the show would be cancelled but apparently not and I will be watching another season of this abomination!

I'll start with some of the goods. I actually like the cast, at least appearance wise. Newcomer Lanfear did a really great job, and that's a difficult role imo. The best actress is Rosamund Pike, and they try to give Moiraine more to do, but the artificial plot they set up is so flimsy it just does not work. I see what they are trying to do with the changes they make, because obviously this can't be 14 seasons, but the attempt at added depth for each character just doesn't work.

I think the best part of this season, and one of my favourite parts of the whole book series, is Egwene's storyline in this book. They spent a lot of time on it, events proceeded like they do in the book, and it was very effective! Funny how that works. What she goes through is a perfect display of the abuse of power in this world, and the way she has to submit to this evil before she can be rescued from it is something that noticeably changes her and informs her decisions for the rest of the series. I thought the show nailed most of this, mostly because they took their time with it.

I really think they are trying to be expansive without laying any of the groundwork. Impossible not to compare it to Game of Thrones, which is an expansive series that starts small and builds out. This season just explodes, separating all the characters and putting them on their own quests, which means we spend less time with all of them and care about no one. When they finally reunite its basically a shrug. There is one moment earlier in the season where Mat and Rand reunite, and even though its a new Mat actor this season the chemistry is there and I felt like I was in the book for a scene. Hey showrunners, maybe have all your characters interact!?

As I said they try to give Rosamund something to work with using a small plot beat from the second book fleshed out, with some other details I won't spoil. Its terrible and meaningless, doesn't connect to the other storylines, and is forgettable. Why not have her do the things she was actually doing in the book.

The finale is truly terrible, although I admit it would be hard to pull off. Its an epic moment in the books with supernatural things happening, the conclusion of which ripples across the world in horrified rumours. In the show its a mess of CGI nonsense with moments that are meant to feel meaningful but are not the payoff to any setup. In the book Rand has an epic sword fight that calls back to things that have happened all book, and in the show he dispatches his foe in an Indiana Jones-ish gun-shot sort of way, almost as if its supposed to be funny that the uncontrollable powers he has been struggling with are now a joke that make him OP. Truly insane decision making by the writers here. I like to give them the benefit of the doubt, same with Rings of Power, where they are like, we love these books more than anything and just want to honour them. Do you? And if you do, we have completely different ideas about what makes this story impactful.

I feel bad ranting into the void like this, but maybe WeView was designed for my own personal therapy. I just can't help but feel that Marvel has poisoned our mind and the writers were like, people love a teamup, lets make all the characters do random things all season long then show up at the end and fight in this terribly staged battle. So many things that I hated come to mind when I think of this season. A moment of outrageous violence that comes out of nowhere, probably just because GoT did it. Children leading an army with little smoke canisters to confuse an entire city. Mat putting the ruby-hilted dagger on a spear for the final battle, as if the audience should know how sweet that is but it actually neuters a huge part of his future. Moiraine having no powers all season and then getting restored in a hand wave, as if that is not like the most powerful thing someone in this world could do. An actual dragon of fire roaring behind Rand in the finale battle, instead of the painterly vision in the sky of the book. Just so many stupid things.

I actually kind of liked the finale stinger introducing us to our next Forsaken. The Aiel were kind of cool but like, Irish ginger and not at all how I imagined them. Whatever I will stop. I would be truly baffled to hear of someone who can follow this show and has not read the books, but I would also be baffled if a book reader enjoyed this show. Terrible stuff all around. I will stop the rant here, I do not recommend, in fact don't watch so that this can be cancelled and my memory of the story can remain intact.

Its kind of lame to be like, this is what they should have made, but seriously, this book has awesome moments, our characters stay in groups and tackle things together, there is a sense of foreboding and rising evil without needing the big baddie to be present. The characters learn and grow and get new powers but also suffer. I get that they gotta speed things up, but even the White Cloaks plot here feels tacked on. Just follow the book I'm begging you, you may not get a 14 season run, but you can cut things out and maintain the spirit of the story instead of slicing up the parts they think are cool and doing whatever they want with the rest. Robert Jordan is dead and you are spitting on his grave! Brandon Sanderson finished the books and consulted on the first season but stopped because they weren't listening when he told them how all their ideas were terrible! Why must they do this.

Oh another thing, the music sucks, and they removed the title sequence, which had the best music and I thought really cool imagery, best part of the show. I originally gave this a 6.5 to be on par with my Season 1 review, but that decision alone knocks it down. While this might be a step up from Season 1 that is only because of Egwene. The level of disappointment over the series as a whole is being reflected here. Ok I am actually done now.