I’ve mentioned a while back how I canceled my Netflix subscription and switched to Amazon Prime (at least for about six months, after which I returned to Netflix, an easier decision now that they have cut prices in my region). Prime had a number of series I wanted to catch up on, including The Expanse. I should review them in the order I’ve watched them, but since I’m terribly behind and The Wheel of Time is set to release its second season this September, I might as well check this one off the list to avoid mixing my impressions of the different seasons.
Since my first encounter I’ve had a mixed attitude towards this book series: I remember noticing the local editions in a bookshop years ago, being intrigued by the cover and synopsis. But I remained hesitant to reading them because of how massive the series is – 14 volumes and over 4 million words! At the time its prospects were uncertain, with several books outstanding and Robert Jordan diagnosed with a terminal illness. Even after Brandon Sanderson stepped in to author the last three books, I never felt it would be worth my time to go through so much content when I already knew the general outline. At some point I tried reading an extensive summary written by a fan, but soon gave up because it felt that the plot was going nowhere and was heavily bogged down with superfluous details. I was more fascinated by the glimpses of the Age of Legends than the main story.
I welcomed a TV adaptation as perhaps my only way to experience this complex world. Despite its flaws, I enjoyed the first season; despite the uneven final episode, I was left intrigued and craving for more, which for me is the best indication of a fundamentally good story. After finishing the season I started following the various discussions around it on YouTube and Reddit, familiarizing myself with the lore and various criticism. Most seem exaggerated though, as the common tendency towards polarization in current social media takes hold and quashes any semblance of nuance. After watching and being underwhelmed by the recent Dune adaptation, I can relate to dedicated fans feeling aggrieved, but many seem to overreact to the slightest change or omission – if there ever was a work in need of streamlining, it’s certainly The Wheel of Time!
I won’t go too much into the plot, except to say that it shares a number of similar elements with the fantasy classic Lord of the Rings: a looming threat of a Dark One and his minions and creatures, a band of innocent village folk (even their tally is the same, four, of which only one will carry the ultimate burden) plucked from their pastoral lives and flung into an epic quest under the guidance of a wise one (here Moiraine) and a skilled warrior (her Warder Lan). The travelling party gets separated, then reunites and seeks council from the powers of the time. Some of the backstory also shares broad outlines, like dividing history into Great Ages, the decay of civilization since the last age, which ended on an epic conflict, even a Breaking of the World was featured in the Silmarillion after the defeat of Morgoth.
They share a theme of great power corrupting its wielder, though here the stories start to diverge: in The Lord of The Rings, the final triumph comes from resisting the use of the One Ring, destroying it instead to weaken Sauron. In The Wheel of Time, the Dragon Reborn has little choice but to use his own tainted half of the One Power, thereby risking madness and breaking the world once again. The magic systems are also quite different, The Wheel of Time relying on intricate rules, power hierarchies, and certain skills that can be taught and objects that can be acquired and tapped to enhance a channeler’s capabilities. The Lord of The Rings obviously has significant objects of power too, the rings being the most prominent ones, and the wizards’ staffs would fall into this category as well. But overall the magic there is more vague and mysterious.
I couldn’t help noticing parallels to Dune – this happens almost reflexively for me. Society of women with supernatural powers and political influence, appreciated as trusted advisers by most rulers? Check! A male Chosen One who can tap into a power forbidden for women? Check! Fierce desert warriors with strong ties to this Chosen? Check! There’s even an offhand remark in the final episode about ‘plans within plans within plans’, which I’m fairly convinced is an homage to Dune.
Personally I enjoyed the middle episodes of this season, four and five, the most, which to my understanding stray furthest from the original text, but offer good insight into the Aes Sedai sisterhood and the dangers posed by male channelers turning mad because of the Taint on Saidin – a good foreshadowing for the possible fate of the Dragon Reborn. I also found Stepin’s funeral touching, and cannot understand the constant griping about Lan’s emotional display being out of character; as we find out later, Lan has lost a great deal in his youth, and this was a reasonable occasion to express his own grief, and perhaps his fears that he may lose his own Aes Sedai, Moiraine, in the quest she embarked on.
I enjoyed the third episode the least, with Moiraine ill and the party in disarray. The Trollocs felt like cheap generic Orc-like foes, badly recreated on screen. Among the main characters, Perrin felt the least appealing, with a muddled arc that seemed to lack aim, and emergent powers that nobody bothered to explain or tie into the larger narrative. Mat’s arc was much more interesting, despite falling off in the last two episodes because of external issues (the actor abruptly left the cast and the pandemic cut the filming schedule short); his torments with the tainted dagger from Shadar Logoth mirror the much larger internal conflict of the Dragon Reborn to overcome the madness inherent to male channelers.
Next to Egwene’s drive and Nynaeve’s intensity, Rand almost blended into the background, despite being the lead character – something I was aware of beforehand. I didn’t mind the show’s choice to obscure the identity of the Dragon Reborn and to entertain the possibility he may have reincarnated as a woman, a major point of contention among fandom – the books themselves later introduce a mysterious woman figure in Nakomi, who some have speculated may in fact be a Dragon from another age.
Needless to say, I look forward to the next season, though I will probably wait for all the episodes to be released before starting to watch it. I certainly hope that Amazon will keep producing it until the end of the tale, but unfortunately nothing is guaranteed in these uncertain times for streaming services.
Post a Comment