The Wheel of Time season 2: the wheel keeps turning (trailer).
Prayers to the Light have been answered! The first trailer for The Wheel of Time season 2 has just graced our screens, and to say that it was as dazzling as Saidin-saturated fireworks would be an understatement. Hold on to your cloaks, channelers, because the sophomore season of this Prime Video epic fantasy promises to be a wilder ride than a trolloc invasion.
In a surprise move thanks to some unfortunate industry strikes, the anticipated trailer landed online rather than at San Diego Comic-Con, but the resulting tsunami of fandom exhilaration could probably be felt as far as Tar Valon itself. And talk about an explosive release – the trailer dishes out tantalizing snippets of Egwene (Madeleine Madden) and newcomer Elayne Trakand (Ceara Coveney) wrestling with the titanic forces of the One Power. Even Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski) is back in brooding action, grappling with the world-shattering revelation of his Dragon Reborn status and temptations from the ominous Dark side.
Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) delivers the goosebump-inducing line, “Protecting Rand, guiding him, that is the only thing that matters.” Now, if you’ve seen Moiraine drop a wisdom bomb, you know it’s like watching a Myrddraal try to dance ballet – chilling, somewhat amusing, and never to be ignored.
In what may come as a shocker to fans of Robert Jordan’s monumental series, Lanfear (Natasha O’Keefe) is painted as Rand’s ally. Also spotted looking as lost as a Whitecloak in a room full of Aes Sedai is Lan (Daniel Henney), suffering from a severed bond with Moiraine. It’s an emotional sucker punch seeing our beloved Aes Sedai stripped of her One Power by the Dark One in the previous season’s climax.
The silver lining? The triumphant return of Sophie Okonedo, Zoë Robins, and Marcus Rutherford as Siuan, Nynaeve, and Perrin, respectively. In a game of musical chairs, we also have Dónal Finn replacing Barney Harris as Mat.
Season 2 teases with an official synopsis: “In season 2, threats new and very old seek out the young friends from the Two Rivers, now scattered over the world.” The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, and it seems the tapestry of our heroes’ lives is about to get a lot more intricate – and a lot darker.
In the inaugural season, Moiraine, acting on a potentially apocalyptic prophecy, sought out several youngsters, one of whom might be the Dragon Reborn. The looming question is: will this newly-discovered channeler help the Aes Sedai combat the Dark One, or will he be the one to break the world anew? Will Rand tread the path of honor, or will he succumb to darker urges?
The final threads of this pattern will unravel when “The Wheel of Time” season 2 premieres on September 1st 2023.
