2020 was a rough year for pretty much everyone on this planet. We all found our own coping mechanisms—some people baked bread, some people took up hobbies, some people binged the entire run of Suits.

I joined the Wheel of Time fandom.

I’d first discovered the series in 1995, when a friendly school librarian ordered Eye of the World because she knew several of us were voracious fantasy fans. My little high school group tore through all the books available—five at the time—and waited impatiently for the release of book six. (Don’t fact check me—we had to wait for the paperback versions!) But over the years, I drifted away from the books and the friends who had shared them with me. While I did eventually finish reading the series, it never took up much space in my life.

Until they announced the TV show.

From the first casting announcements, I was sold. I lurked on the fringes, devouring any news I could get about what was increasingly looking like something uniquely special. And that quirky, wholesome, obsessive fandom slowly drew me in. They welcomed me in a time that felt dark and overwhelming. Our shared passion and anticipation helped patch together my mental health. When the first trailer dropped, I cried.

This show was special. It gave us a cast that looked like the world we live in. It gave us mysterious and powerful women with schemes and plots maneuvering through breathtaking sets, wearing unbelievable costumes. The props were amazing. The music haunted our dreams. We obsessed over translations on stone road signs, and tried to guess the Forsaken from tiny statues that appeared briefly in one scene. Even the changes to the plot hid little winks to deep lore, promising the fans of the books that they were in good hands while tempting new viewers to come deeper into this world.

And somehow, every season, every part of it got better. The special effects, the sets, the cinematography, the locations, the costumes—THE COSTUMES! And every actor they cast in every role, no matter how big or small, made us love them. Sometimes against our will. We started to jokingly dread when our least favorite characters would arrive on the show and make us fall in love, because that was what the show did. Made us fall in love, again and again.

I truly believe this is a special show worth saving. I even believe we have a chance, because I think there are people out there who recognize how unique it is.

But even if that shot of Rand channeling is the last bit of this turning of the wheel we ever get to see, I will be grateful to the cast and crew for giving us something that brought us joy in a time when the world often feels overwhelming. You poured your hearts into it, and we felt that in every episode.

You are statistically the best.

Tai’shar Wheel of Time.

Kit Rocha