The story so far: The group – minus Mat who has decided he did not want to risk his life – use the Ways to travel to Fal Dara. Nynaeve and Lan get to know each other better and it is revealed the Warder is the heir to a fallen kingdom. After Rand realizes he is The Dragon Reborn he and Moraine leave the others behind and sneak off alone to face The Dark One.
The season one finale to The Wheel of Time is the perfect bookend to the show’s premiere. The series started with an attack on a small village and ends with an all out battle at a large fortress-city. “The Eye of the World” builds to the eventual siege of Fal Dara. This includes preparations and the anxiety of those who are preparing to fight. This leads to a number of scenes in which people question what they are going to do next.
This has always been well done in The Wheel of Time. It has never been about anyone being scared to fight. It is always been about the fear of losing others. This adds a level of gravity to the proceedings while showing the heroism of the characters. The fact that it is fought on three fronts heightens the tension. The result of the initial armed conflict is never in doubt and still manages to draw viewers in emotionally.
Events at the city see moral struggles and a feeling of helplessness. At the same time, Moraine and Rand confront The Dark One with shocking results. The Wheel of Time cuts between all three constantly keeping the audience on edge. This is done expertly and never breaks the episode’s flow. If anything, it adds to the suspense.
Since it is the season finale, one of the main questions will be the effectiveness of ‘The Eye of the World’. The first season of The Wheel of Time has done an excellent job of building its lore with everything leading up to this moment. There are callbacks to previous episodes and major decisions that show development. On top of everything else, the importance of the episode is a great lead in for the next season.
The Wheel of Time airs on Prime Video.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login