All the biggest book changes in The Wheel of Time Episodes 201-203
By Daniel Roman
Episode 3: “What Might Be”
Nynaeve’s Accepted trial
In the show: Nynaeve is put through her Accepted trial. She gets trapped in the third arch and everyone assumes she’s dead. But Nynaeve finally does return through the arch.
In the books: Nynaeve undergoes her Accepted trial as soon as she arrives to the White Tower, and doesn’t get trapped in the third arch. She moves on to being an Accepted at the tower while Egwene is enrolled as a Novice.
Nynaeve’s visions are different in the books; the first recreates her battle with the Forsaken Aginor at the end of book 1. The second vision, the one in Emond’s Field, is somewhat similar to the show version. The third vision features the bit where Lan jumps off his horse and they embrace each other, but Nynaeve living out a whole separate life before being able to come back through the arch is new to the show.
Egwene meets Elayne after Nynaeve’s Accepted trial, as well as Elayne’s brother Gawyn, who is at the tower to become a warder.
The episode title, “What Might Be,” is also a reference to a chapter where Rand al’Thor sees visions of other lives he might have lived, similar to what happens to Nynaeve in her Accepted trial.
Rand al’Thor
In the show: Rand tries to convince Logain Ablar to teach him to channel. Logain gives Rand a side quest to get some wine, which leads to him and Selene going to a party thrown by Cairhienen nobility.
In the books: Rand never encounters Logain in this manner or asks Logain to teach him to channel. He does end up spending time in Cairhien with Loial, where they wait for Perrin, Mat and the rest of the Shienarans after being separated following Rand’s initial run-in with Selene. Rand receives letters from the Cairhienen nobility but burns some, which leads the Cairhienen to misinterpret his apathy as political savvy and send even more invites. Rand is reunited with his friends in time to avoid having to actually attend any events, though. He spends far less time with Selene than in the show.
A major deviation in the TV series is that the gleeman Thom Merrilin never appears in Cairhien. In the novels, this is how we find out that Thom survived his encounter with the Fade in The Eye of the World, which we saw happen in season 1. Thom Merrilin actor Alexandre Willaume has confirmed that Thom won’t appear this season, but is expected to return for season 3.
Mat’s escape from Tar Valon
In the show: Liandrin releases Mat from captivity following the supposed death of Nynaeve. Mat then releases Min and the two escape the White Tower together. However, it’s revealed that Min is secretly working for Liandrin, who is having her lead Mat to some unspecified location.
In the books: Mat is still hunting for the ruby-hilted dagger with Rand and Perrin throughout The Great Hunt. In the third novel, The Dragon Reborn, Mat is released from his captivity at the White Tower by Nynaeve, Elayne and Egwene, who charge him with carrying a letter to Elayne’s mother, Queen Morgase of Andor. He is also visited in his cell by Selene, adding to the mystery of this woman who floats in and out of several main characters’ lives at suspicious moments.
Perrin, Uno and the Seanchan
In the show: The Seanchan capture the village of Atuan’s Mill along with the Shienaran search party. When Uno Nomesta refuses to yield, the Seanchan kill him. Later, Ishamael confronts Perrin before he’s broken out of captivity by Elyas. The Seanchan still hold Loial and the rest of the Shienarans captive.
In the books: The Shienarans aren’t present for the attack on Atuan’s Mill, and aren’t captured by the Seanchan. Uno does not die at the hands of the Seanchan and goes on to have a role in later novels. We see more events from the point of view of the Seanchan, which allows us to get an idea of how they are conquering this region before the rest of the cast comes into contact with them.
We’ll see what other interesting book-to-screen changes await in the rest of the season! New episodes of The Wheel of Time drop Thursday nights at 8 p.m. EST / 5 p.m. PST.
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