The Wheel of Time season 1 finale review: This is just the first battle that keeps you at the edge of your seat

3.5/5

Story:

Based on Robert Jordan’s best-selling fantasy novels, The Wheel of Time stars Rosamund Pike, Josha Stradowski, Marcus Rutherford, Zoë Robins, Barney Harris, Madeleine Madden and Daniel Henney. Moiraine and The Dragon Reborn Rand manage to reach the Dark One and contain him but this is just the beginning of many battles yet to be fought.

Review:

The Wheel of Time finale is perhaps the best episode of all in season one. It is engaging and keeps you hooked with some surprising twists and revelations, especially if you have not read the book.

Spoiler alert ahead! The episode begins with a flashback of 3,000 years ago where a male and female Aes Sedai are seen arguing about One Power and how they can use it to destroy the Dark One. It then cuts to the current time where The Dragon Reborn and Moiraine are seen walking towards the Dark One in the underground. Rand has visions of Moiraine getting killed by the Dark One. The Dark One reveals its identity, which was totally unexpected. One would only think it to look like a monster but the series gives it a human face, which is thoughtful and clever on the part of the makers. It indicates how there is the dark one inside all of us. And though the dark one might seem alluring and more powerful, the good always wins over the evil. Rand is seen initially giving in and getting attracted towards the Dark One but later realises and chooses the Light.     

The last episode of season 1 of the Amazon Prime series The Wheel of Time will keep you hooked with several twists and turns and more importantly, the action sequences. The fight sequence with the Trollocs army is fun to watch. The close-up shots are great but the CGI they used for long shots of the army could have been better. The women, including Egwene and Nynaeve, help others to channel their power and fight against the army. They managed to defeat the army but they all die in the process except Egwene. Later, when it is revealed how important all five of them from Two Rivers town are and the Dark One is ensuring that they are alive to maintain a balance, Nynaeve is seen coming back to life. The episode shows how this is just the beginning of the many battles that they are yet to fight, which was quite evident as Season 2 has already been announced and they are the five main leads. 

The direction is good but one of the best shots in the episode is its opening shot where it shows the close-up of the symbol and then zooms out to show the person wearing it. Another highlight is, of course, the much-discussed diversity in its casting and how the show does not place them in stereotypical roles but as an equal and important part of the show. That in itself speaks volumes.

Though the series slowly grows on you and might get you to go crazy about it totally, it will still create curiosity in you to find out what happens next. The way the finale explores balance, be it between the genders, the bad and good, and within ourselves, is interesting. The entire episode focuses on it as the creator had earlier said in a press statement about the twists and turns in the final episode of the fantasy series.

Verdict:

This is the best episode of the entire season. It keeps you hooked and the big revelation towards the end will leave you shocked.