The Wheel of Time Challenge is Complete

Have you ever been right about something but still feel the other person got the better of you? That’s how I feel after watching this ridiculous show.

If you’ve been following this series, you know about “The Great Wheel of Time Challenge of 2021.” It happened after a coworker got upset because I panned this fantasy series on its trailer alone. He challenged me to watch so that I could have a valid criticism of it. I didn’t like being called out like that, so I accepted his challenge. So, I broke down and watched two episodes of Wheel of Time. It ends up that I was right all along, but the joke is on me.

The Wheel of Time Pilot Wasn’t That Bad

Despite a hackneyed plot and unimpressive villain, I mean. But I won’t spoil the plot for anyone foolish enough to still watch this show. What was most impressive about the opener was that it comes darn close to having all the hallmarks of a big-budget series. I mean, it’s a far cry from Peter Jackson’s expansive (and expensive) Rings trilogy. Keep in mind, the pilot wasn’t some low-budget shlocker like The Toxic Avenger either. There’s just one problem, though…

Wheel of Time Quickly Drops Through the Floor

There’s an almost night-and-day difference between the series’ pilot and all the subsequent episodes. The quality plummets from the start of the second episode, and I can only imagine it continuing to sink like a stone after that. The best way I can describe is that the episodes look and feel like something you’d see on The CW. I expected more from Amazon, and you should too. We’re paying for it, after all.

The Irony of All This Wheel of Time Stuff

My coworker now agrees with me about this show! Can you imagine that? After all that huffing and puffing about being “fair,” he ends up agreeing with me. Even so, this coworker has robbed me of the pleasure of saying, “I told you so.” You see, I still feel like he took me for a fool. He knows me well enough to know that I wouldn’t back down from a challenge. I’m starting to feel like this whole thing was a setup! Okay, maybe my coworker isn’t THAT nefarious. He’s a fantasy fan who’s desperately trying to recapture the magic of other fantasy films and series. Well, Wheel of Time just isn’t it. It’s just not going to happen.

Maybe there’s a silver lining in this whole debacle. It’s the fact that my fantasy film-loving coworker has vowed to finish Wheel of Time. Can you believe that? This is a good example of something called “sunk cost fallacy.” It’s the false belief that someone “should” continue to support a failing thing because they’ve already invested so much into it. That’s the case here. I’d sure love to tell him that he could walk away from this turkey at any time, but he won’t. I guess I’m not the only one who’s a sucker for a challenge.

Watch Encounter Instead of Wheel of Time

I haven’t seen this yet, but it looks like a sci-fi/action thriller. It stars Riz Ahmed as Malik Khan, a former U.S. Marine. After seeing signs of a possible alien invasion, Khan picks up his sons from their mother’s house and goes on the road with them. He’s being chased by humans who are infected by this alien host. To see if Encounter is your type of movie, check out the trailer:

Encounter isn’t the only thing worth watching on Amazon Prime this month. Check out these dates and titles:

December 1

  • Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
  • Alex Cross
  • All Is Lost
  • Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in The Hat
  • Edward Scissorhands
  • End Of Days
  • Guess Who
  • Halloween II
  • Halloween III: Season Of The Witch
  • Jennifer’s Body
  • Little Women
  • Mistletoe Mixup
  • Mr. Popper’s Penguins
  • Pineapple Express
  • Pineapple Express (Unrated)
  • Ronin
  • Sleepless In Seattle
  • Soul Surfer
  • Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
  • The Hunt for Red October
  • The Proposal
  • The Royal Tenenbaums
  • The Thin Red Line
  • The Usual Suspects
  • The Waterboy
  • Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys
  • Under The Tuscan Sun
  • What’s Love Got to Do With It
  • White As Snow
  • A Discovery of Witches: Season 1
  • A House Divided: Season 1
  • Believe
  • Bonanza: Season 1
  • Brad Meltzer’s Decoded: Season 1
  • Christmas Everlasting
  • Hallmark Drama’s Christmas Cookie Matchup: Season 1
  • Hostages: Season 1
  • My Crazy Ex: Season 1
  • Roadkill: Season 1
  • Sanford: Seasons 1-2
  • Sanford and Son: Seasons 1-6
  • Signed, Sealed, Delivered for Christmas
  • The Gulf: Season 1
  • The Jeffersons: Seasons 1-11
  • The Perfect Wedding Match
  • The Tom & Jerry Show: Season 1
  • When Calls the Heart: Home for Christmas: Season 7

December 3

  • Joe Bell
  • We Are X
  • Harlem: Season 1

December 8

  • FC Bayern – Behind the Legend: Season 1

December 9

  • The Ferragnez: Season 1

December 10

  • Encounter
  • LOL: Last One Laughing Mexico: Season 3
  • The Expanse: Season 6

December 12

  • A Christmas Star

December 16

  • Theory Of Everything

December 17

  • Boxing Day
  • Christmas Is Cancelled
  • With Love: Season 1

December 19

  • Joy for Christmas

December 20

  • Who You Think I Am
  • December 21
  • Being The Ricardos

December 23

  • Yearly Departed

December 31

  • Lady Of the Manor
  • Time Is Up

 

About the Author

Jake Buckler
Jake Buckler is a cord-cutter, consumer electronics geek, and Celtic folk music fan. Those qualities, and his writing experience, helped him land a copywriting gig at Signal Group, LLC. He also contributes to The Solid Signal Blog.