This article contains SPOILERS for The Wheel of Time season 3 Episode 7.
Battle came to the Two Rivers in the newest episode of The Wheel of Time, where Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford) had to lead the folk of his idyllic hometown in a desperate battle against the forces of darkness. "Goldeneyes" succeeds on every level; it's the show's most ambitious battle sequence by far, as well as a great episode for Perrin, a lead characters who has finally stepped into his own.
When the dust settled, Perrin made a fateful decision: rather than let things escalate once more into violence with the Whitecloaks, he agreed to go with them and face judgment for the murder of Geofram Bornhald, a Whitecloak general Perrin killed during season 2. It was a shocking turn of events that speaks to how far Perrin has come as a character, and his constant conflict with the need for violence.
We spoke with Marcus Rutherford about "Goldeneyes" and Perrin's fateful decision. Despite being in the show since the start, this is the season where Rutherford says "we really get to meet Perrin," as he makes peace with who he'll have to be for the long battle against the Shadow.
Winter Is Coming: What has been either the thing that's been hardest for you to keep quiet about or that you've been most excited for people to see in this episode?
Marcus Rutherford: I think in honesty, like myself with the journey of this character, it's been a long arc and it's probably been developing maybe at a slower rate than some of the other Emond's Field kids, and I think, there's probably been moments where people have been like, 'Oh, I wish you'd, you know, stop grieving, or I wish you'd kind of get stuck in a bit more.' So there's kind of a nice payoff for someone who's had an arc that has kind of been developing a little bit slower.
I think we really get to meet Perrin. I know it's three seasons in, but there's something about his personality that, with some of the grief gone and some of this having to step forward and not having Rand or Moraine or these other characters kind of to maybe hide behind, there's a level of exposure and intimacy with Perrin that I think the audience gets this season, which is really lovely.
WiC: I want to ask you about his kind of final moment of the episode, because he's got such an interesting relationship with violence in both the books and the show. After the battle, we see Perrin surrender to the Whitecloaks even after they accidentally let Darkfriends into the Two Rivers. Do you agree with Perrin's decision to surrender to the Whitecloaks? And what do you think the fallout from that decision will be for the people who care about him?
MR: Yeah, I think I do kind of agree with it in a sense. I think there's a moment with him and Dain [Bornhald] having a conversation which I love because it's what The Wheel of Time is about. It isn't as obvious as just sort of like morality, hero and villain. There's a kind of merging. Like, Perrin is fallible in certain things he's done in previous seasons and so is Dain, so there's a weird kind of relationship and familiarity with those two characters. And I think the next morning after the battle, he can sense violence brewing again and even though Faile or Bain and Chiad or the Whitecloaks are ready to get going, he kind of feels like in the start of the season when he went home, that jeopardy has followed him through. And he has Ila, almost kind of like this guardian angel or this conscience that's floating there, the Tuatha'an. I think he kind of realizes what was [said] in season 1, that violence doesn't end until someone says enough. And I I think he feels like has has to remove himself. Similar to Rand in certain parts of the show, he feels like, 'I am the person causing destruction to the people around me, and this isn't going to end until someone decides it.'
And I think in the similar moment with Padan Fain, where he has that monologue in season 2 of like, 'When I get there, I don't know if I'm going to be able to stop myself.' That kind of conflict with violence, and I think realizing that I'm no better than this person. If I kill Padan Fain here, what actually does that mean? I killed Geofram Bornhald at the end of season 2, and now I've gone home and all that violence has followed me.
So there's a level of like decision making and, what I love from the books, that level of considered nature of how he makes decisions and he's very thoughtful. I think he just has to remove himself from it and that there's a silent nature to his heroic nature this season. I don't think it's big and ostentatious, it's subtle, it's handing himself in so Faile can't hear what he's saying. And that's what I love about the character.
WiC: Obviously, we're all hoping that The Wheel of Time gets more seasons. If it does, what's one aspect of Perrin that you're hoping to dig into more in season 4 and beyond?
MR: I think I watched some of the episodes come out now, there's something about the dynamic with Faile [Isabella Bucceri] that I just think is exceptional. I love working with Isabella. I think there's some parts maybe in the books that people like, 'Oh, you know, Faile gets captured and then there's kind of this long drawn out thing,' but I just find it quite interesting that Perrin's handed himself in and how that could change the dynamics. I think utilizing their level of confidence and leadership now in tandem with Rand and the Last Battle, I think there's something really exciting and special about that.
And yeah, just developing that relationship. Like I said, I know there's parts where she's captured and how that happens, but just how that would develop further in a different dynamic. I was only kind of getting started working with Isabella, but there's something...she came in in Episode 3, but [it] almost feels like she's been there since episode one when you feel what she's done [on the show]. I think one of my favorite things, when I kind of understood how good she is, we have a conversation in episode 6, where she essentially has to tell me to stop grieving about my wife, whilst in the next scene we see, we're getting intimate. And I don't think people realize the level of performance that requires to come across still likable.
[W]hen you have 8 episodes and you have a lot to get in...it's why I say I don't think we've really met Perrin fully until season 3, because there's a lot of characters who speak a bit more openly, a bit more clearly, who've had the moment in the limelight, so I think it's been really nice. If everyone kind of thought Perrin might be a bit slower...I was saying to someone, in the books his first description is he 'might appear to be of slow wit,' and I always thought that was quite interesting, that like, if he's grieving or if he doesn't want to cause anyone danger, he kind of is this big giant who's a bit quiet. And I thought, if that's what people see him as from two seasons, that's fine because I know there's that development coming in season 3, where his shoulders are back, he's a bit more open, he's a bit more confident. So it'd just be really exciting to carry on that journey, man. You know, it's been sort of thought out, how I wanted to play it, and it's been a privilege to get this far in the storyline to be honest. So I'd just love to continue, to see where he's at now.
A huge thank you to Marcus Rutherford for stopping by the site to talk about Perrin's journey!
"Goldeneyes" is streaming now on Prime Video. Only one more episode of The Wheel of Time season 3 remains. It premieres next Thursday, April 17.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.