Nynaeve Struggles With Power Block in Season 2

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Season 2, Episode 1 of The Wheel of Time.

In Season 1 of Amazon Prime Video’s television adaptation of Robert Jordan’s book series The Wheel of Time, Nynaeve struggles with accepting the Aes Sedai and the powers that they wield. In the village, Nynaeve works as a Wisdom, which means she is trained in healing, and part of her skillset is that she has the ability to “listen to the wind.”

However, when Moiraine shows up to the village in Season 1 to find the Dragon to fight the Dark One, she tells Nynaeve that she is actually tapping into the One Power. In the first season of The Wheel of Time, Nynaeve consciously taps into the One Power to help save her friends, but in the finale, she tells Egwene that she can no longer hear the wind.

Adapting a major storyline from the books, the TV series has set Nynaeve up to experience a block in her powers, which is a struggle that is evident in the Season 2 premiere.

During the premiere episode of Season 2, Nynaeve is unable to hear the wind or channel the One Power — a frustration that is evident among some of the Aes Sedai. When Liandrin steps forward to tell the Aes Sedai that she will train Nynaeve, they shut her down.

At the end of the first episode, Liandrin corners Nynaeve and uses her power against her, which forces Nynaeve to tap into the One Power.

This confirms that Nynaeve is experiencing a block in her powers. Similar to the books, Nynaeve can only tap into her powers when she is angry. Will Nynaeve be able to free herself of this block in Season 2?

Though most Aes Sedai are only able to proficiently channel one or two of the elements — earth, air, fire, water, and spirit — Nynaeve is able to channel all five. While she has not fully tapped into her full capabilities, fans of the books know Nynaeve is a strong force within the Wheel of Time world.

“I think [her power] terrifies her actually because she’s lived her life unaware that she can access this,” actor Zoë Robins told Entertainment Weekly in 2021. “She also hasn’t necessarily thought much of people who can channel, namely the Aes Sedai. So to be able to relate to them and to harness something that she has not the slightest idea of how to control, I think is incredibly unnerving for her. Nynaeve is someone who wants control more than anything else.”

Watch The Wheel of Time Season 2 on Fridays on Prime Video.