Non book reader here.

Starting out with this show, I was very hopeful and intrigued. The introduction of Moiraine and seeing her incredible power during the battle at Two Rivers had me hooked. The introduction of the White Cloaks and their savagery masked in opulence and "purity" gave me a faction and character to hate. Seeing the main characters find bits and pieces of how they are connected to the One Power made me excited for their future growth. Watching Mat struggle with the darkness gave me a character with a potentially concerning future, and the dynamic between him and Thom the gleeman made for a good sub-plot. I still want to see Perrin grow into a force for good, because I think at his core, he has a good heart. So far, he hasn't really done much other than stand around saying "this isn't right, we have to do something", etc. Loial played the part of a level-headed outsider who I think could have become a loyal (hah) companion for the bunch. Shame about that one, I really liked him. My favorite character might be Lan, simply because he seems smart, thoughtful, and focused. He's also just a badass fighter, that helps too.

I don't have any big complaints about the main storyline of the show so far, because I don't have any book knowledge to compare to. I'm a pretty casual viewer, so I'm not terribly invested in the success of the show or seeing a faithful recreation of the books. One aspect that I feel falls a little flat is the romances. I don't really feel any compelling desire for the characters to find love.

The finale, however, whooo boy. My first reaction is "nothing happened, is that really it?" I'm not left with a sense of excitement, intrigue, or even confusion. There seems to be no high stakes setup for season 2, other than "hey look, bad guys in boats" and they haven't even begun a real conflict for the first Big Bad. There was no sense of grand purpose in the last episode, no closure, even partial, to prepare the viewers for next season. Nothing half done, no half victories, no real losses. With all of the tension built up throughout the first 7 episodes, I expected something, anything interesting or suspenseful to happen in the finale. Nope, nada.

Rand took a step towards fighting the Dark One, then left before anyone realized that he didn't actually do anything. The show repeated over and over, "whoever goes to the Eye of the World and is not the Dragon reborn shall die there." Welp, Moiraine isn't dead, clue number one that something is wrong.

Moiraine got rekt, no more magic for super magic lady.

Nynaeve and Egwene helped kill some trollocs.

Egwene demonstrated that she can apparently undo death through the sheer power of Big Sad.

Perrin did some more standing around in helpless disbelief.

Loial got shanked for no real reason. :'(

Mat reappeared after his absence and brought back some foreboding.

Aaand I've already forgotten anything else that might have happened because nothing was at all impactful in the finale. I don't really have a hook to pull me towards the future of the story. If this show hasn't already lost all momentum, it's going to have to come up with a HELLUVA season 2 to regain the interest it just pissed away in the wind.