The Wheel of Time: What the Must Watch reviewers think
Every week, the Must Watch podcasters review the biggest TV and streaming shows.
This week Hayley Campbell and Scott Bryan review The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime Video. Based on Robert Jordan’s fantasy novels, Rosamund Pike stars as Moiraine, a member of a powerful organization of women who can use magic.
She takes four young people on a journey around the world, believing one is the reincarnation of an individual predicted to save the world - or destroy it.
Amazon Prime Video
Scott says: “Takes itself too seriously”
“I would say it is a Must Watch, but only if you like the genre already. There is a lot of fantasy stuff out there at the moment that this one might slip through. Of course there is Amazon’s very big and very expensive ‘The Lord of the Rings’ series on the way too.
“What frustrates me is from the outset of The Wheel of Time is that it does that thing where it spends five minutes quickly explaining a world you don’t know with terminology you have never heard or really understand. You spend the first while thinking ‘What is the darkness and why are they trying to cage it?’
“It also often takes itself too seriously. Everyone is speaking very seriously all the time. Even ‘Game of Thrones’ had bits which were funny and had a bit of light-heartedness in it.
“But, I do like the fact that it has some very good fight sequences. It is well-plotted, well-acted. I’m putting this show for now as something which is just a bit silly and helps fill an hour, it might become something great but I agree with Hayley, a bit too early to tell.”
Amazon Prime Video
Hayley says: “Better than The Witcher”
"It’s kind of uneven. You get the people who are really acting their outfits, like Rosamund Pike - she's wearing this big fantasy show dress, she's got this big bad wig - and she's really leaning into it. And then you've got the other people who seem as though they've wondered in off an episode of The Bill or something.
"I don’t want to say this isn’t a Must Watch because it's kind of hard to tell. I didn’t like the first series of Game of Thrones all that much but I really ended up loving it despite the fact that I am not a big fantasy person. I liked Game of Thrones despite everything that was in it, like the dragons and faux medieval outfits. It was basically a cheesier version of The Sopranos in clothes from the dress-up box. Whereas this leans far more into the fantasy stuff than I would like.
"I would say it is better than The Witcher but I would say most shows are better than The Witcher. I don’t think this is a fantasy show that will pick up non-fantasy fans like me, but I think it's probably fine."
Amazon Prime Video
The first three episodes of The Wheel of Time are available now on Amazon Prime Video. New episodes are being released weekly.
Must Watch is released as a podcast every Monday evening from BBC Sounds and all other good podcast providers.
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