Earlier this week, Amazon dropped the long-awaited for its series based on Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time, giving us a first look at what fans are hoping will be a monumental series.
The teaser trailer kicked off by showcasing the beautiful scenery of Central Europe (the series was shot on location in Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Croatia), and introduces viewers to a place fans of Robert Jordan’s series call home: the village of Emond’s Field. From the first day on set, the show has worked to make this location the perfect place to begin the journey. There’s a sense of familiarity and comfort seeing Egwene (Madeleine Madden), Rand (Josha Stradowski), Mat (Barney Harris), Nynaeave (Zoë Robins) and Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) in the Winespring Inn for the first time.
We also see Tar Valon, the city where the powerful Aes Sedai sorceress train. It looks magnificent, with the smoldering Dragonmount looming in the background. Clearly Amazon has spent a lot of money on this series — the image of Tar Valon reminds me a bit of our first glimpse of the studio’s Lord of the Rings series, which also features a gleaming cityscape.
Inside the White Tower, Shadar Logoth, Trollocs, Myrddraal and the One Power
We also go inside the White Tower of Tar Valon, where the seven different Ajahs live, work, and influence the wider realm. They are led by the Amyrlin Seat, who is “of all Ajahs and none.” At the time of the series the Amyrlin Seat is Siuan Sanche, played on the show by Sophie Okonedo.
We get a glimpse of Shadar Logoth as well. Once a great city turned to darkness, it is haunted by a shapeless evil that manifests as an encroaching fog. In one shot, Rand and Mat are seen climbing through the mountain tops, Lord of the Rings-style, with a ring-walled Shadar Logoth far behind them.
Beloved Perrin doesn’t get much screen time in this trailer, but there’s time yet. The burly, soft-spoken blacksmith is caught frozen staring straight into the ferocious golden eyes of a wolf. That wolf is more than likely Hopper, who will play a vital role in Perrin’s story.
Up next, we see the terrifying Trollocs and Myrddraal, servants of the Dark One. On the hunt for the Dragon Reborn, they give the heroes a good deal of trouble, constantly forcing them to go on the move. The eyeless Myrddraal are terrifying and the half-man-half-beast Trollocs look fearsome. In one shot you can see a Trolloc eating someone in the middle of a fight.
“All over the world there are different names for it. But it’s one thing. One power.” The One Power is arguably the hardest part of the books to adapt for the show. The One Power is tied to the magic within The Wheel of Time, a complicated mechanism of elemental-magic weavings governed by a strict set of rules. In the trailer, we see various Aes Sedai tap into the One Power weave threads of magic, represented visually by these luminescent, colorful bands. These traces of the One Power are only visible to women who have the ability.
There are a few scenes that show off the One Power, like when the Aes Sedai Alanna Mosvani (Priyanka Bose) catches a flight of arrows mid-air. Or when Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) calls down lightning in what is presumably a burning Emond’s Field.
Pictured: Alvaro Morte (Logain). Credit: Jan Thijs. © 2021 Amazon Content Services LLC and Sony Pictures Television Inc
Above we see Logain (Alvaro Morte), a False Dragon the Aes Sedai capture lest he upset the balance of the world. When we see him in the trailer, fans will recognize that he’s shielded. Surrounding him is a weave from another channeler that blocks him from accessing the One Power. It’s great that the showrunners are getting detailed about how this power appears. It will be interesting to see how its functions are explained in the show.
There’s a lot to be excited about in the first trailer for The Wheel of Time. All of the micro-teasers and set photos released along the way have built up to this enormous payoff for fans. And the wait is almost over.
The first three episodes of The Wheel of Time will premiere on November 19. The remaining episodes will be released weekly, all on Amazon Prime Video.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels
