A Critical Review of Amazon Prime’s The Wheel of Time Series

The Internet often creates a common misconception that people can only love or hate a show, but with the first season of The Wheel of Time, I find myself in the middle. This review aims to offer a balanced look at the series, exploring both its strengths and shortcomings.

Introduction

The Wheel of Time has been a staple of fantasy literature since the series began in the 1990s. While the books have a fairly standard fantasy setup, they brought innovation to the genre with their scope and influences. The series has many differences from the books, some of which were absolutely necessary to adapt a sprawling series. It also carries a darker tone, perhaps aiming for something more like Game of Thrones.

Positive Aspects

On the plus side, the show is anchored by a strong performance by Rosamund Pike and the newcomers that make up the rest of the principal cast, all of whom turn in strong performances. The on-location shots are stunning, and the filmmakers clearly appreciate the book, putting a lot of effort into getting many details right. For a detailed breakdown of these details, check out an article by a respected gaming site titled “22 Details You May Have Missed.”

Negative Aspects

The main downside is how many of the key plot threads and character arcs feel rushed. More episodes might have helped, but so could making better use of the time that they did have. A large part of the fifth episode is taken up by a character who isn’t in the books and serves no real purpose to the plot. Despite these issues, most of the episodes still make for a likeable and diverting escape, with the season finale being the only episode that’s actually bad. It is suggested that the filming disruption of the last two episodes, particularly due to a key actor leaving and the Covid-19 pandemic, might have contributed to the problems. However, it does not excuse the bizarre attempt to introduce a love triangle between Rand, Egwene, and Perrin, which has no set-up anywhere prior and is seemingly completely dropped after.

The Overall Quality and Adaptation

As a standalone fantasy show, The Wheel of Time is passable at best. As an adaptation of one of the best-selling American fantasy series ever, it is atrocious. The overarching plot of the series is a trite and unambitious “mystery.” In service of this mystery, scenes are added to give the Dragon candidates “moments of cool.”

Aesthetic and Technical Issues

Aesthetically, the special effects are poor. Trollocs are hairy beastmen differentiated from one another only by size. Poor design and worse lighting remove any ability to distinguish much in the way of detail, and there’s certainly no evidence of the body-horror evoked by Jordan's descriptions of these creatures. Even the Myrddraal in the show, while having somewhat better effects, are nowhere near the throwbacks to the human stock used to create the Trollocs. They are more like walking leeches or hagfish. (Channeling in the show looks best when done by men but is ridiculously accompanied by silly interpretive dancing to perform the simplest weaves. Set design often feels like the characters are playing on a claustrophobic set, and lighting and framing are persistent and ongoing issues. Prop design and costume design is sanitized and too clean, and there’s no clear reason for intentional differences from descriptions in the work being adapted.

Conclusion and Recommendation

Despite the numerous issues, the strong performances and on-location shots are worth noting. However, the rest of the series lacks the depth and consistency of the source material. If you are worried about spoiling the books for yourself by watching the show, don’t. The relationship between the two is largely in name only. But really, just read the books. The show is not worth the time you will spend on it. I do, however, recommend the bonus materials, the animated shorts. Those were very well done.