The Wheel of Time season 2 got a “complete rewrite” after Barney Harris left

The second season of Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time is speeding toward an epic conclusion. Based on the beloved book series by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, The Wheel of Time is a huge, complicated story with tons of different characters and factions at play. Take out any one of them, and it can shake the foundations of the whole thing. The show learned that the hard way when actor Barney Harris, who played key character Mat Cauthon in the first season, left the show. He was recast with Dónal Finn for season 2.

Finn’s performance has been praised by fans, but Harris’ departure had a big impact on the production. When Harris left in the middle of filming season 1, much of season 2 had already been written. This resulted in producers having to make major changes from the source material going into season 2.

“It was a complete rewrite of the entire season,” showrunner Rafe Judkins revealed to Screen Rant. “We always wanted to tell the story in season 2 of, ‘Mat is a hero who doesn’t think he’s a hero,’ and I would have loved to tell the story of the three boys on the hunt for the Horn of Valere, but we didn’t get to tell that story. In TV, you can never be apologetic about the story you’re telling. so [since] we couldn’t do that story, we wanted to lean in fully to the story of the five of the Emond’s Field Five being separate for the first time, [with] each of them on their own path.”

Barney Harris’ departure hugely affected Rand’s story in The Wheel of Time season 2

In the first Wheel of Time book, Mat goes to Fal Dara with Moiraine, Rand, Perrin, Egwene and Nynaeve through the Ways, and takes part in a raid into the Blight. After that, Mat, Rand and Perrin all set out together to get the Horn of Valere after it’s stolen from Fal Dara by Padan Fain.

Since Harris left before the show filmed the final two episodes of season 1, Mat never went to Fal Dara, and therefore couldn’t take part in the hunt for the Horn of Valere that followed. Once The Wheel of Time’s writers knew this was going to be the case, they had to adjust not only Mat’s plotline, but the plotlines of other characters like Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski), who faked his own death at the end of season 1 in order to go off on his own.

Screen Rant asked Judkins point blank if Rand’s choice to go into exile was a result of the changes caused by Mat’s recast, and The Wheel of Time showrunner confirmed as much. “Yeah. That was a big part of it; committing to this idea of all of them being separate was something we needed to do, and so we did, and I think we told really effective storylines of each of them on their own.”

Judkins and the rest of The Wheel of Time team managed to turn a difficult situation into really compelling television. Mat, Rand and the rest got much fuller arcs this time around. With an epic confrontation looming at the city of Falme, we’re expecting big moments for many of our favorites, including Mat Cauthon.

The Wheel of Time season 2 finale drops on Prime Video tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT.

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