Fantasy fans are very lucky these days. Live-action entertainment is rich with fantasy offerings right now, including the current runs of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon. Because of all the hype surrounding those two shows, it might be easy to forget another series that stormed onto the scene in 2021. Amazon Studios adapted Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson’s The Wheel of Time, and it’s gearing up for its second season. At NYCC 2022 yesterday, the cast and producer Rafe Jenkins gave us insight into what’s to come.

Big changes are in store for the season. Jenkins confirmed that the Seanchan (who loom large in the books) will have a huge presence in The Wheel of Time Season Two. The Seanchen will send things “as sideways in the show as the do in the books,” according to the showrunner. Mat (newcomer Dónal Finn) will see quite a bit of screen time in the new season. A sneak peak of Mat ,imprisoned in the White Tower, show’s him seeming to develop a connection with his captor, Liandrin (Kate Fleetwood). ”Mat’s path is more of a redemption song,” said Finn of his character’s arc in show’s sophomore season.

The Wheel of Time spins back for Season Two

The Wheel of Time
The cast and producer of The Wheel of Time talk Season Two at NYCC 2022. (Image: JJ Goodman/That Hashtag Show, LLC)

Madeline Madden (Egwene) will see her character evolve in many ways in the second season, as well. Her story will include her burgeoning relationship with Elayne. We got a sneak peek at the beginning of Egwene’s relationship with the daughter-heir, and it was as awkward as portrayed in the books. Ceara Coveney also joins The Wheel of Time in Season Two as Elayne. From what we’ve seen, her casting is perfect; Coveney plays Elayne with perfect naivete.

Perhaps the new season’s biggest challenge (for its characters) will be reforging the relationship between Moiraine (Rosamond Pike) and Lan (Daniel Henney)…. If possible. Henny was on scene to remind fans that Lan “is a boy with no home; a king with no kingdom.” Moiraine had become his home, and now he’s lost that, as well. Her isolation following her loss of connection to the One Power took a significant toll.

Will Moiarane and Lan recapture what they once had? Will Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) be able to escape the violence in his nature? “The only way to stop all this suffering is to stop the Wheel of Time.”

Image: Amazon Studios

Though they made no official announcement, expect the show’s return to Amazon Prime Video sometime in 2023.