The first episode of Amazon Prime’s original; “The Wheel of Time”, was released on Nov. 19, 2021. The show has been hyped for months, and is based on a colossal sized high fantasy series of the same name with a close to cult following.
The first four episodes follow the beginning of the first book closely with a few exceptions. The main characters are all aged a few years which confuses the many plot lines converging on the theme of coming of age but is acceptable for a television adaption. The other main change goes hand in hand with the age change, more sexual content, so be warned.
Each episode seems to follow a formula with the climax a moment of extreme violence which is interesting considering the focus of the books. The books have a lot of violence, but the true focus is the lore and this magical religious idea of a turning wheel with ages later reincarnation. The episodes make this balance, but these deep philosophical ideas are just not as interesting in a television show and deep looks into each other’s eyes don’t convey the same message.
The show makes a good attempt to show the Aes Sedai (members of a magical all women’s society) as unageable with modern make-up practices, but from a new-to-the-story perspective, this could be confusing because it seems that the most prominent Aes Sedai just wears a lot of make-up.
In all, the television show is a lot of eye candy and has some pleasant plot surprises and excitement for someone not familiar with the books. But if the show wants to develop a serious relationship with the book’s cult-like following, it has a ways to go with the next few seasons.
