The Wheel of Time boss reveals details of deleted scenes

The fantasy television discourse this year was mostly dominated by House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power. 2023 will see the return of another heavyweight: Amazon Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time. Based on the bestselling novels by Robert Jordan (and finished after the author’s death by Brandon Sanderson), The Wheel of Time is an epic story that spans 14 door-stopping tomes and a prequel novel. There’s an obscenely huge amount of source material to draw on, so much so that it’s impossible to fit all of it in.

To wit, we’re now starting to find out more about some of the deleted scenes that were planned or even shot for The Wheel of Time season 1. Showrunner Rafe Judkins dropped some info about them while fielding questions from longtime Wheel of Time fansite Dragonmount.com over on Twitter.

Things we missed in The Wheel of Time season 1: Lan and Moiraine kicking ass in iconic book scene

The biggest reveal came when Dragonmount.com asked Judkins about what scenes may have been cut from Episode 2. The first two episodes of The Wheel of Time revolve around a chaotic escape from a Trolloc army and its Fade masters, with Moiraine, Lan, and their new companions from Emond’s Field desperately trying to stay one step ahead of their pursuers. “There were so many cut from this episode that I miss,” Judkin wrote. “Some at script stage and some after we shot (hopefully those will eventually make it to your screens) — I’ll talk about two I miss from the script.”

"One was Lan fighting and killing the Fade, and seeing it take down the large group of Trollocs that were controlled by it. It was a great moment for Lan and helped lay out the rules of our world.Another was Moiraine creating her wall of fire to hold back the Trolloc army chasing them. I remembered loving that in the books and missed that we couldn’t have it."

While it would have been awesome to get either of those scenes (in particular the one with Moiraine, which is one of the first real displays of her power in the novels), it’s also pretty easy to understand why these scenes might have been cut in the name of budget constraints or time.

Judkins talked about another scene that was cut from Episode 2 which would have added even more depth to the show’s characters:

"And a bonus third (there’s too many) was Lan teaching the boys to defend themselves (with sword, staff and axe, each with its own emotional implications)."

We haven’t really seen any of Lan teaching Rand, Mat, or Perrin how to fight. In Jordan’s novels, the dynamic between Lan and Rand al’Thor is developed mainly through their training sessions where Lan tries to drill the way of the blade into Rand’s woolheaded skull. It’s a shame we didn’t see any of that in season 1, but there’s always hope for season 2.

Thom Merrilin’s song “Man Who Can’t Forget” held special significance for Rand

Judkins also answered a question about “The Man Who Can’t Forget,” the song gleeman Thom Merrilin sings in Episode 3. When Rand and Mat arrive in a small mining village following their escape from Shadar Logoth, they cross paths with the performing gleeman, who belts out a gritty, haunting melody while strumming on a guitar.

"We wanted Thom to have more of an old western vibe to him in the show so that brought a lot to the tone of the song. But Dave Hill actually wrote the lyrics for “The Man Who Can’t Forget,” about the Dragon himself after he’d broken the world. Rewatch and you’ll see how it hits Rand."

As we know by now, Rand al’Thor is the Dragon Reborn, the fabled reincarnation of the ancient hero known as the Dragon. So when Judkins talks about this song hitting Rand differently, it means a lot. The song is literally about one of Rand’s past lives.

Moiraine once had an Irish Wolfhound as a pet

The final question Judkins answered was fun: one fan wanted to know whether “Jenny the dog,” aka the dog that Alanna recalls Moiraine sneaking into the White Tower when they were both apprentices, is a real dog or just a code used by Alanna to remind Moiraine she’s worthy of her trust.

“Jenny the dog is really a dog,” Judkins said. “An Irish wolfhound (hard to hide). And yes, Alanna is subtly reminding Moiraine of their friendship and her ability to keep Mo’s secrets. Something we will see more of in Season 2.”

What secrets will Alanna keep for Moiraine in the future? We’ll find out when season 2 of The Wheel of Time premieres on Prime Video, hopefully sometime in 2023.

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h/t Reddit