Based on the 14-book fantasy series by Robert Jordan, The Wheel of Time follows a group of young men and women who are whisked away from their country village by the Aes Sedai sorceress Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) to join the fight against the Dark One. The series features an ensemble cast of characters, and many of them go on hugely transformative journeys.
Marcus Rutherford plays Perrin Aybara, a blacksmith who leaves his village alongside his friends in season 1 after accidentally murdering his wife during a chaotic battle. Perrin is a beloved character from Robert Jordan’s books, so there’s a lot of pressure on Rutherford to do right by the character in Amazon’s The Wheel of Time show.
We spoke to Rutherford about season 2 in June, before the SAG-AFTRA strike. He told us about digging even deeper into the character, and dropped some hints about what lies ahead for Perrin in season 2.
“Wolves and violence” await Perrin in The Wheel of Time season 2
“I think what was quite cool about season 2 is that our characters are separated, and I think it just gives them a bit more time for our audiences to understand them,” Rutherford told us. “I think Perrin, especially in season 1, spent a lot of time like, obviously grieving, and especially with this sheer, overwhelming guilt. Which actually meant that we didn’t actually get to see so much about him and what he’s about.”
"I think having that guilt and shame is still definitely there, but he’s in new surroundings now, and I think we start to see a bit more of his character."
Season 1 of The Wheel of Time contained a lot of elements from the book series by Robert Jordan, but there were still plenty of changes. In some cases, characters who have already appeared in the books have yet to make their onscreen debut, such as the princess Elayne Trakand, who will be appearing in season 2 played by Ceara Coveney. Rutherford teased that one of these characters who didn’t make the cut for season 1 is going to have a big impact on Perrin in season 2.
“There’s characters from The Eye of the World, the first book, that have sort of come in in the second season. And I think they kind of warranted a really cool introduction,” Rutherford said. “I think they teach him a bit more about the wolf side, and about that side of his character, which is really cool. And yeah, I think he starts to teach him things about wolves and violence and stuff like that which is really nice.”
One obvious character comes to mind: Elyas Machera, the man who teaches Perrin about his wolf abilities in The Eye of the World. Elyas didn’t appear in the show’s first season, but we got confirmation a while back that we’ll see him in season 2. If anyone’s going to teach Perrin more about his kinship with wolves, it’ll be Elyas.
We’ll find out more when The Wheel of Time season 2 premieres its first three episodes September 1 on Prime Video.
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