10 things we’re excited to see in The Wheel of Time season 3
By Daniel Roman
9. Thom Merrilin sings again!
The Wheel of Time has a sprawling cast of characters; according to a recent interview with Daniel Henney, there are upwards of 300 cast members involved in the series as of season 3. One of the most important of the bunch who we really haven’t seen much of is Thom Merrilin, the gleeman who appeared in season 1. Thom seemingly sacrificed himself to save Rand and Mat from a Myrddraal, but in the books we eventually come to learn he survived the encounter. He next appears in The Great Hunt when Rand is staying in Cairhien.
The television show cut that part of the story; we didn’t see Thom at all in season 2. But actor Alexandre Willaume has confirmed that Thom “should be in for season 3.” The gleeman will be making music again!
10. Upheaval at the White Tower
We end with one of the biggest events we’re expecting to see in season 3: the coup at the White Tower. Here come the MAJOR SPOILERS for The Shadow Rising.
One of the biggest twists of the novel is that the Amyrlin Seat Siuan Sanche, along with her Keeper of the Chronicles Leane Sharif, is deposed and stilled by a faction of radical Aes Sedai. The Aes Sedai uprising is led by a prominent member of the Red Ajah named Elaida do Avriny a’Roiha, who it’s been reported will be played by Shohreh Aghdashloo (The Expanse) in season 3. When the dust settles, Elaida is the new Amyrlin and Siuane Sanche sets off on a new journey.
The Wheel of Time show has already foreshadowed the White Tower coup. We got Liandrin telling Leane that if Siuan falls, she’ll fall with her. We got Moiraine telling Siuane that the tower is full of her enemies and that the Amyrlin’s grip on power is more tenuous than she believes. And most importantly, we have Lanfear’s chilling proclamation at the end of Episode 207 that a “broken Amyrlin is more useful than a dead one.” Let’s just say that the Shadow might have a vested interest in having a more pliable Amyrlin Seat at the White Tower.
The setup for the White Tower coup is very clearly there. This is a hugely important event, both because of how it impacts Siuan as well as the ramifications of having someone like Elaida in control. We’re excited for it, we’re dreading it.
The Wheel of Time season 3 is currently filming. There’s no solid word on a release date yet, but we’d mark our calendars for sometime in 2025.
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