Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Season 2 of The Wheel of Time.
There are so many fascinating characters inThe Wheel of Time, especially the five main characters who left the Two Rivers. Despite coming from the same home, their personalities are as divergent as the paths this journey has taken them in Season 2. All of them have shown a great deal of courage and integrity when faced with adversity, and their experiences have made them wise beyond their years.
No one has shown more growth since the first episode, though, than the young Wisdom Nynaeve al’Meara (Zoë Robins). Regardless of the fact that she’s the most powerful channeler in a thousand years, she’s never lost touch with her values or doubted her purpose in life. Many others who have discovered how powerful Nynaeve is are hiding an agenda of their own with the hope that she will guarantee their desired outcome in the Last Battle. She sees right through all the manipulative power players trying to weaponize her, though, and has assertively stayed true to her original goal of protecting those she loves.
It’s Not About How Powerful Nynaeve Is in ‘The Wheel of Time’
Nynaeve is the Wisdom of the Two Rivers, a healer and leader of the community. She lost her parents and was adopted by Doral Barran, the Wisdom at the time; when Doral died, she became the youngest Wisdom in the history of Two Rivers. Becoming a leader of the entire community at such a young age forced her to mature much faster than other townspeople her age. Convincing people with far more experience than her that they should trust her judgment takes a lot of determination and confidence, and Nynaeve has plenty of both. Wisdoms don’t exactlychannel the way an Aes Sedai does, but instead extend their awareness of the world around them which they call “listening to the wind.” That had been Nynaeve’s only exposure to the Source until she saw an entire room of people slaughtered, including Lan (Daniel Henney), whom she was falling in love with. Instinctively, the power burst out of her, defeating the False Dragon (Álvaro Morte) while healing everyone who had been killed moments before. After discovering how powerful she is, though, Nynaeve became even more resolute to uphold her values and never forget where she came from.
For much of her life, Nynaeve has been self-reliant. She had to take care of herself after her parents were killed until Doral finally found her and brought her to Two Rivers. She began training as a Wisdom almost immediately and helped a young Egwene (Madeleine Madden) survive the agony of breakbone fever when Doral was about to give up. Nynaeve has a very strong sense of right and wrong, with a deep passion for helping others no matter what it takes. Even as she discovers so many new things about herself through her newfound connection to the Source, she always remains as virtuous as she ever was.
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Nynaeve Is the Leader the World Needs in ‘The Wheel of Time’
Through Season 1, all the power players inThe Wheel of Timeassumed that the Dark One’s imminent return indicated that the Last Battle had begun. Moiraine Sedai (Rosamund Pike) and others in the White Tower believed that if they found the Dragon Reborn, the reincarnation of the most powerful male channeler, they could convince this new Dragon to defeat the Dark Lord for the rest of this turn in the Wheel. While the prophecy may be trueabout the Dragon Rebornbeing the only one who can imprison the Dark Lord, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re going to be the leader that everyone else needs to fight back against the Dark Lord’s minions.
Nynaeve’s maturity and her leadership in Two Rivers isn’t the only reason she’s found herself in a pivotal role in the Last Battle. It was Nynaeve’s determination to save those she loves that even caused her to leave her home in the first place. She wasn’t originally invited to the White Tower in the beginning because Moiraine assumed she was too old to be the Dragon. She had become an incredibly skilled tracker while training to be a Wisdom under Doral, though, which is how she found her way to them, following Moiraine’s trail. Her massive connection to the Source changed the entire course of the war multiple times in the first season, but her loyalty to her people in Two Rivers, especially her friends, is the foundational reason why their world hasn’t been destroyed.
Nynaeve Answers to No One But Herself in ‘The Wheel of Time’
Nynaeve had already proven her leadership skills with her experience as a Wisdom in Two Rivers, but even after leaving Two Rivers, she has shown that she trusts her own mind and intuition far more than she trusts anyone else. She has a lot of experience making decisions for the greater good of her community prioritizing compassion and fairness. She has a strong aversion to manipulation and has called out many of the Aes Sedai. They must always tell the truth, as they say, but Nynaeve is quick to recognize how they lie by omission.From a very young age after her parents were killed, she’s been made to learn and adapt much more rapidly than most people. That’s why she’s able to face each new challenge that comes her way with sheer will and determination.
Many women in their world can only dream of channeling and becoming an Aes Sedai living in the White Tower. Nynaeve is completely disgusted with the politics and masked agendas that seem to be a part of everyday life in that place, though. When someone feels as passionately about helping others and doing what’s right as Nynaeve does, that kind of toxic behavior simply can’t be ignored because someone always gets hurt in the process. She has absolutely zero regard forthe hierarchy of the Aes Sedaiand the respect they feel entitled to. She has the courage to call out any deceitful behavior regardless of their station in life, and she has the empathy to help anyone in need despite their past mistakes. Her ability to adhere to her values while constantly adapting to these new situations and environments makes her one of the deepest characters onThe Wheel of Time, and that’s why she’s the best character so far.
New episodes ofThe Wheel of TimeSeason 2 premiere every Friday on Prime Video.
