I Can’t Wait for Nynaeve To Become Even More Powerful in ‘The Wheel of Time’ Season 4

Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for The Wheel of Time Season 3.

The Wheel of Time has many powerful channelers on both sides of the conflict. Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) first demonstrated her strengths in Season 1 by fighting off an army of trollocs and emerging mostly unharmed, showing what the One Power can do, and she’s not even the strongest channeler in this world. The Forsaken boast unique powers, some of which have been lost to time. Though he lacks training, Rand (Josha Stradowski) has great potential as the Dragon Reborn, and Egwene (Madeleine Madden) has been noted for her considerable power as a Dreamwalker. However, few are as impressive as Nynaeve (Zoë Robins). The series has made it a point to remind the audience that Nynaeve is the most powerful channeler in a thousand years, giving her immediate recognition and helping her rapidly move up to Accepted, but she has rarely displayed her full strength.

In truth, Nynaeve can’t use the One Power the same way most channelers can. Throughout the first three seasons, Nynaeve has been limited despite her level of power. This often puts her in danger, but the Season 3 finale, “He Who Comes with the Dawn,” gives her a great moment where she breaks through her block, setting up an even more interesting story for the character moving forward. While Nynaeve has struggled to access this One Power in the past, she has demonstrated her ingenuity and determination, and I’m excited to see what she can do going forward. As The Wheel of Time hopefully moves into a Season 4, I can’t wait to see this side of Nynaeve, especially as she navigates her immense power.

‘The Wheel of Time’s Nynaeve Has Always Been Powerful, Just Inconsistent

Nynaeve’s powers are innate but not intuitive for her. Throughout the first three seasons, I have been fascinated by her complex arc, as, unlike Egwene and Elayne (Ceara Coveney), channeling does not come easily to her. Even in the White Tower, Nynaeve can’t channel at will because she develops a block, making the moments she manages to channel that much more rewarding because they are hard-earned. Developing a block is not uncommon for channelers who are not trained until they are older, but in Nynaeve’s case, it takes the form of only allowing her to channel when she is angry. In those intense emotional moments, she can wield incredible amounts of the One Power, but normally, she cannot touch the Source despite her rare strength. And, even if she can work herself into anger, she loses access to the One Power if another emotion, like fear, takes control. The block is a considerable inconvenience, but to overcome it, she must surrender to the One Power, which goes against Nynaeve’s unwavering nature.

Nynaeve’s block puts her at a disadvantage because, though the ability to channel is innate, she has no control over it, and that goes against her nature. In Season 2, she can’t summon the One Power during the battle of Falme, putting her at risk and preventing her from healing Elayne. This has led to interesting character development as Nynaeve, who dislikes admitting to any weakness, must acknowledge her shortcomings. However, this issue has also forced her to rely on other skills. As the Wisdom of the Two Rivers, Nynaeve is an experienced healer, and though some of her more miraculous accomplishments are due to her ability to channel, she is skilled in non-magical healing as well. The block provides a chance to show that Nynaeve is much more than her channeling, but with the threats growing, her inability to channel became more of an issue with time.

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‘The Wheel of Time’s Season 3 Finale Shows Nynaeve Overcoming Her Block

One of my favorite Season 3 storylines revolves around Nynaeve’s continuing journey, as she finally takes steps to overcome her block. It starts with more subtle hints. First, Nynaeve gets advice from the Sea Folk Sailmistress Coine din Jubai Wild Winds (Dany Verissimo-Petit), who tells her that the One Power isn’t something to be controlled, encouraging her to give up that need, which is a challenge for Nynaeve. Later, Nynaeve almost manages to break Moghedien’s (Laia Costa) compulsion over her, and, though she doesn’t quite get through, as a Forsaken, Moghedien is a powerful adversary for Nynaeve to be able to combat. Those breadcrumbs ultimately build to an important scene in the finale, in which Nynaeve has a breakthrough that culminates in a major victory for her.

Split from her allies, Nynaeve encounters Liandrin (Kate Fleetwood) by herself. While initially, Nynaeve has the upper hand, holding the male a’dam that both are after, Liandrin uses the One Power to take it away and traps Nynaeve underwater, leaving her for dead. Nynaeve almost drowns before she does the one thing she has never done before: surrender. At that moment, she gains access to her power. With her block out of the way, Nynaeve calmly escapes, parting the water to create a path to safety in an impressive feat that she couldn’t have accomplished just minutes earlier. After watching her struggle, I felt a sense of victory for her, but this moment is only just the beginning of what Nynaeve will be able to do in a potential Season 4.

Nynaeve Will Be Even More Impressive in ‘The Wheel of Time’ Season 4

Nynaeve’s personal victory in the Season 3 finale will send her on a new trajectory now that she has consistent access to her power. With the block gone, Nynaeve can finally reach her true potential as one of the most powerful channelers, and The Wheel of Time has already given hints of what she can do with her abilities. In Season 1, she has a burst of power so strong that it heals several people who are near-death in a single moment without any formal training. Her raw strength suggests she will be able to do surprising things, especially in the realm of healing. In the books, Nynaeve discovers ways to use the One Power that the Aes Sedai believed impossible, and though I can’t see it happening the same way in the series due to certain changes to the narrative, The Wheel of Time has proven Nynaeve to be capable of more than the Aes Sedai can dream of.

Now that she can channel at will, Nynaeve’s talent will get more focus, and none too soon. She promised to find a way to heal Mat’s (Dónal Finn) problem with his memories that the Aes Sedai couldn’t solve, which was set to be a challenge even before Mat complicated the situation by making a deal with the Eelfinn. With the White Tower broken and more dangers rising, Nynaeve being able to access her strength is a major benefit to our heroes. I’m excited to see another side of Nynaeve, who can become an even more complicated character now that she has more power than about everyone. Nynaeve still lacks the training she hasn’t been able to receive because of her block, but with constant access to the One Power, she has just become that much more of a force to reckon with — and I, for one, am here for it.

The Wheel of Time is streaming on Prime Video in the U.S.

The Wheel of Time

Release Date

November 18, 2021

Network

Prime Video

Showrunner

Rafe Judkins

Directors

Sanaa Hamri, Ciaran Donnelly, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Thomas Napper, Maja Vrvilo, Wayne Che Yip

Writers

Amanda Kate Shuman, Dave Hill, Rohit Kumar, Justine Juel Gillmer, Celine Song, Rammy Park, The Clarksons Twins, Katherine B. McKenna