Here's what to remember about The Wheel of Time going into season 2

When The Wheel of Time returns for season 2 on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, it will be almost two full years since the season 1 finale hit the service in December 2021. So don't worry too much if you've forgotten some of the finer points of the adaptation of Robert Jordan's fantasy series. We're here to refresh you!

Jan Thijs/Amazon Studios Josha Stradowski as Rand al’Thor and Rosamund Pike as Moiraine Damodred in 'The Wheel of Time.'

Most of season 1 revolved around the question of who was the Dragon Reborn, the long-promised magical messiah whose power can change the world for good or bad. After spending years searching the continent, the Aes Sedai mystic Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) found five possible candidates from the rural village of Two Rivers: Rand (Josha Stradowski), Egwene (Madeleine Madden), Perrin (Marcus Rutherford), Nynaeve (Zoë Robins), and Mat. By the end of the season, Rand had been revealed as the Dragon Reborn, and he and Moiraine entered a special area known as the Eye of the World in the hopes of using his power to defeat the Dark One once and for all.

It didn't go down the way they wanted, exactly. Although Rand seemed to triumph in his magical duel with the Dark One, he didn't permanently defeat the enemy. In fact, their struggle damaged the magical prison enough to release one of the Dark One's top lieutenants, a figure (played by Fares Fares) who had been taunting Rand in his dreams all season. Now, he's free to walk amongst the living once again — and Moiraine can't do much about it, since the Dark One severed her connection with the One Power. That has damaged her relationship with her bodyguard Lan (Daniel Henney), who was also revealed to be the heir to the lost kingdom of Malkier.

Being the Dragon gives one access to a lot of magical power, but it also leaves one prey to going mad. To protect his friends from his dark potential, Rand went off on his own, and Moiraine agreed to tell everyone that he was dead.

The Two Rivers group has now gone their separate ways. After proving their magical powers beyond a doubt during the season 1 finale battle, Egwene and Nynaeve have gone to the White Tower to be trained in the ways of the Aes Sedai. Perrin discovered that Padan Fain, the peddler who used to visit Two Rivers with fun gifts from faraway lands, is actually a Darkfriend in service to evil, and was the one who helped the Trollocs destroy their village back in the first episode. Padan has now stolen the Horn of Valere, a magical artifact supposedly capable of summoning the heroes of the past.

Meanwhile, Mat went off on his own, and by the beginning of season 2 has ended up in the custody of the Red Ajah faction of the Aes Sedai. He still seems somewhat tainted by his contact with an evil dagger he stole from the haunted city of Shadar Logoth. By the way, don't be surprised if Mat doesn't look exactly the way you remember — the character was played by Barney Harris in season 1, but will be portrayed by Donal Finn going forward.

As long as you remember all that, you should be ready for season 2 of The Wheel of Time!

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