How The Wheel of Time season 2 improved on the books (and how it failed them)

Improvement: Liandrin and other characters get more to do

And yet…for as much as the show cuts from the novels, it adds a fair amount too. Maybe the story would flow a little more smoothly if they added more context for the plotlines that matter rather than adding, say, a new storyline where Moiraine loses her powers.

That being said, some of the things they added brought a lot to the table. For example, season 2 gives the Aes Sedai sorceress Liandrin a lot more to do. As in the books, she ends up being a member of the Black Ajah who kidnaps some of our heroes to sell them into slavery. But on the show, we also learn that she has an elderly, dying son. That helps us understand Liandrin better, not to mention the Aes Sedai as a whole; sure, they have long life, but at what cost?

Plus, the actor who plays Liandrin, Kate Fleetwood, sizzles onscreen, so it’s fun to see her take up more space. Her jawline deserves a credit by itself.

The show also introduces us to Moiraine’s sister Anvaere and nephew Barthanes. Both of these characters are in the books, but we don’t meet them this early nor get to know them this well. Seeing Moiraine interact with her family rounds her out as a character, and Anvare gets a nice little hero moment after she learns her son is a Darkfriend, locking him up despite how much she loves him.

Failure: Loial is still kinda lame

One of my favorite characters from the books is Loial, the eight-foot-tall Oiger who looks like he could tear your arm out of your socket but is actually a gentle nerd who wants to spend all of his time thumbing books in libraries. You can’t not like him.

Loial is on the show, but in the first season I was disappointed by how little he had to do and how small an impact he made. I didn’t think his personality from the books came across. The second season does a better job with him; I liked the scene where he demonstrates his Oiger magic by singing to a plant in front of the Seanchan, and we get more moments of him being a big lovable dweeb. But it’s still not enough.

In The Great Hunt, there’s a subplot where we visit the steading where Loial grew up and meet his family. I’m not shocked this didn’t make the cut for the show — there are bigger things to attend to and only eight episodes to work with. Still, the series can only benefit from more Loial, and I’m going to keep whining until he’s as charming on TV as he is in print.