The Wheel of Time is one of Amazon’s big swings, a splashy adaptation of Robert Jordan’s 14-book strong fantasy series. The first season came out last year and told the story of an Aes Sedai sorceress named Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) who came to the sleepy Two Rivers region and risks five young men and women off on the adventure of a lifetime. A season later, Moiraine had lost her powers, Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski) was revealed be the Dragon Reborn, and the other characters were coming into their gifts.
That includes Nynaeve al’Meara (Zoë Robins), who has a lot of talent with the One Power, meaning she would make an excellent Aes Sedai sorceress. A shame she hates them. “I think what you can expect for everyone is a lot more trauma, emotionally and physically,” Robins told Inverse about the upcoming second season. “She keeps growing and expanding. We learn more about her, and she’s put to the test emotionally. We see her battle with a lot of her own insecurities, and she learns to face herself more. She comes to grips with what her destiny is.”
"I think we see more of her vulnerability, which is a lovely trait of hers. People often overlook it when they first read Nynaeve as a character in the book."
It’s true that Nynaeve is one of the more strident characters from The Wheel of Time books, which is what endears her to some fans and repels others. (She was always one of my favorites, personally). “She’s been undermined her whole Wisdom career,” Robins said. “She’s had people be condescending towards her. She’s definitely felt like she’s had something to prove for a long time. I think that’s something a lot of us can kind of relate to, wanting to prove that you are actually good at what you do.”
Amazon has renewed The Wheel of Time for season 3, before season 2 even airs
In the first season, Nynaeve struck up a romance with Lan Mandragoran (Daniel Henney), but it’s left in an uncertain place after Lan leaves to help Moiraine fight the Dark One. Now that she’s lost her powers, it’ll be more necessary than ever for him to serve as her protector. “It’s a different kind of love,” Henney said. “It’s non-sexual. But I think it’s interesting to present this new idea of what love can be. bond is really incredible. That’s something I talked to about in the beginning, wanting to showcase this new idea of love.”
"He’s kind of a boy with no home. He’s been on this journey to find a semblance of home. His bond with Moiraine represents that. He’s her protector, guardian, friend, and confidant. He’s very loyal and task-oriented."
That said, his attraction to Nynaeve may tear him away from Moiraine. “I think you’re going to see him have to ask some very difficult questions of himself, where he belongs in the world,” Henney said. “His dynamic with Moiraine is a focal point of the first few episodes. You’re going to see a side of him we haven’t seen yet in Season 1. It’s an exciting journey for him.”
Even though they end the first season in different places, there can be little doubt that Nynaeve and Lan will meet up again before season 2 is over. “I don’t know how much I can reveal, but Zoe and I have amazing chemistry together,” Henney said, speaking not long after production on season 2 had gotten going. “We’re really enjoying working together. I couldn’t ask for a better partner in terms of the love line. We’re excited about where that’s gonna go.”
We don’t have a release date for The Wheel of Time season 2 yet, but we know it’s coming after The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres on Amazon Prime Video on September 2. And Amazon has already renewed the show for season 3, so it seems like they want to see this story through to the end.
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