The Wheel of Time Episode 1-3 Review: The First Steps Of A Long Journey Great Visual and Costumes

Cast: Rosamund Pike, Josha Stradowski, Marcus Rutherford, Zoë Robins, Barney Harris, Madeleine Madden, Daniel Henney

Creator: Rafe Judkins

Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime

Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and half star) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

There is the atmosphere and emotion of the first steps in this review of the first three episodes of The Wheel of Time, because we write these lines aware that the Amazon Prime Video TV series inspired by the popular fantasy saga of Robert Jordan will accompany us for a long time. An awareness that comes to us from two elements: on the one hand the amount of starting material to draw on, which ensures many potential stories to tell and characters to explore, on the other the awareness of an important investment by Amazon Studios, evident both from the first few episodes in terms of scenery and overall magnificence, which indicates the intention to carry on the story, adapted by showrunner Rafe Lee Judkins, well beyond this first season just started.

The Wheel of Time Episode 1-3 Review: Story

Thus we are introduced to Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) an Aes Sedai – powerful sorceresses who dominate the one known as the One Power and her faithful guardian Lan (Daniel Henney) in their search for the reborn Dragon, the ‘chosen one’ of all life. After this, we meet Rand (Josha Stradowski) Mat (Barney Harris) Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) and Egwene (Madeleine Madden), inhabitants of a small and distant village who are forced to flee to face their destiny. In the novel, the learning process of these four protagonists is important, because little by little they gain experience and courage and, despite having experienced some tragic events at the beginning, they show great energy and fascination when it comes to discovering that world so unknown to them.

However, here all this is lost because they all look tired and too tanned in certain aspects, but at the same time they are sad, flat and lack any hint of charisma. Nor do they care much about what is around them, or at least the series does not give time to stop to explore that nuance. If it exists, of course. As for Moiraine and Lan, they are more knowledgeable about the benefits and dangers that lurk along the way, so they do not hesitate to show it off through explanatory monologues that work better on paper. A pity that some of these dialogues have not been used to narrate sequences that help to build this universe on screen, because if we want to imagine we already have the novels.

On the other hand, Rand, the undisputed protagonist of the book is treated quite differently in this series. And it is that his tragic experiences from the beginning are eradicated and only his love for Egwene is given importance, which without giving details, here becomes completely evident. On the contrary, the other main characters receive a little more attention in their background to try to fully justify their decisions. In fact, in this regard, the scriptwriters will have thought that, in the beginning, the original material lacks sufficient dramatic elements. as to justify its later development -or failing that its operation on television-, so they have seen fit to add some or other even if they are somewhat forced.

The Review and Analysis

From the off-screen voice, that of Rosamund Pike’s Moiraine that kicks off the story of the Amazon series, you get the feeling of a classic approach to fantasy, which harks back to the imagery of the genre consolidated by the success of the trilogy of Peter Jackson rings. In addition to the prologue that illustrates the background, in the first episodes there are long shots and aerial shots that underline the environment in which the characters move, to help us enter the world of the series. A choice that makes sense, both in view of the upcoming arrival of a series set in Tolkien’s world right on Prime Video, which thus proposes itself as the home of this type of fantasy sagas, and because it meets the expectations of the public when it comes to dealing with settings of this type in which to be welcomed and guided.

Also because from the narrative point of view The wheel of time in serial version does not worry too much about having to take the viewer by the hand and immerses him in the action immediately after the introductory prologue, in the wake of Moiraine’s mission with the presentation of the five young people, without wasting too much time outlining every element of the setting. The context is rather enriched with additional information, through dialogues and situations, as the characters move along the main narrative flow of the first three episodes that we have previewed, and which are in the catalog the first week of publication. A choice that seemed sensible to us to satisfy both the needs of those who approach Jordan’s material through the series.

The Moiraine by Rosamund Pike immediately catalyzes the spectator’s attention, guiding him in these first steps in the world of The Wheel of Time, but the attention placed immediately on the female component of the story is equally interesting, with magic and its use entrusted to the women of Aes Sedai. Rasmund Pike aside, it is in fact the whole concept of their organization and the related rituals that are fascinating and characteristic of the setting imagined by Jordan. However, the wheel of time is not made up of women only and in the cast we also find Daniel Hennery in the role of Lan Mandragoran, who accompanies Moiraine in her attempt to beat the darkness in search of the Dragon Reborn, and the object boys also appear immediately in part of the prophecy, from Madeleine Madden as Egwene to Josha Stradowski giving life to Rand Al ‘

There is perhaps a bit of confusion in keeping all the elements that make up the beginning of this journey in balance, in the need to convey the amount of material of the literary saga, but the commitment at the production level is also evident, with sets and costumes that complement the visual experience and balance a CGI that didn’t always seem up to the task. There is also a lot of curiosity for a series that seems to promise a long way (The wheel of time has already been renewed for a second season) and a story to grow through its characters, starting with the five young people forced to abandon their own lives to start a different journey.

The Last Words

At the end of the review of the first three episodes of The Wheel of Time, we confirm the curiosity aroused by the beginning of this journey that promises to accompany us for a long time on Prime Video. You notice the amount of material at the base of the setting, but the choice to deepen it through details revealed as the story proceeds in a setting made up of good quality sets and costumes is appreciable. Fascinating is the character of Moiraine, played by Rosamund Pike, and the Aes Sedai she is part of, a prominent element of a cast that appears mostly in part.