Review: The Wheel of Time is a solid adaption that welcomes newcomers

The Wheel of Time review: Episode 3, “A Place of Safety”

“A Place of Safety” starts with our heroes anything but safe, as the new pairings attempt to make their way to the White Tower, headquarters of the Aes Sedai. Nynaeve unexpectedly rejoined the living in “Shadow’s Waiting,” and this episode opens with an extended look at just how she survived being abducted by Trollocs in the first episode. It’s an impressive sequence that reinforces the fact that Nynaeve is not someone to trifle with.

Overall, “A Place of Safety” feels like more of the same from Episode Two. Lan and Nynaeve’s interactions are a welcome addition as the two engage in a battle of iron wills. It plays better than it ever did on the page, so it’s especially fun to watch as a book reader.

Also like the previous episode, the show does a fair job of peeling back the layers of the wider world, both for the heroes and for us in the audience. I’m beating a dead horse, but the visuals are just stunning. The wide open plains, the mountains and hills…this episode is downright beautiful.

After we take in the windswept vistas, Mat and Perrin finally reach a town and quickly land themselves in trouble. They come across fan favorite character Thom Merrilin, played with a bit more gravel than I expected by Alexandre Willaume. The gleeman (a sort of wandering entertainer) Thom quickly replaces Moiraine in guiding Mat and Rand through the dangers of the wider world. Also like Moiraine, Thom eventually saves the pair from a particular threat neither is equipped to face, and one that sends the duo back out into the wilderness for safety.

While the first two episodes featured threats from Trollocs and the rot that haunts Shadar Logoth, in this episode the threat is far less horrifying, at least on the surface. Like any proper villain, the Dark One has servants everywhere, in this case a seemingly innocent barmaid named Dana. Through seduction and charm, Dana attempts to corner Mat and Rand, who hints at his true power while trying to escape from her. Ultimately it’s Thom who saves the pair, but the hint of Rand’s power is there for those paying attention.

Meanwhile, Perrin and Egwene meet the Tinkerers, a sort of traveling gypsy folk who espouse a non-violent philosophy that runs counter to all the horrors we’ve seen so far. After being hounded (or helped) by wolves for most of the episode, the Tinkerers offer a welcome respite for Egwene and Perrin, although the kindness shown to them feels just as unnatural as the evil hunting them. Which is not to say the Tinkerers are evil themselves — far from it — just that kindness seems rare enough in this world to put us on edge.

Overall, “A Place of Safety” is a solid episode that introduces us to new characters and continues to slowly reveal this world. Not every episode can have the giant moments of the first two episodes, but I can’t fault “A Place of Safety.” The strength of the episode comes from its smaller character moments, and from the realization that snarling, grotesque monsters might not be the only danger our heroes face. Evil can take many forms, a hard lesson for the Two Rivers folk to learn.

Episode Grade: B+

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