The upcoming third season of The Wheel of Time will adapt The Shadow Rising, one of the most beloved books in Robert Jordan's epic fantasy saga. A lot happens in this book. Rand al'Thor heads to the Aiel Waste, there's big trouble in the White Tower of the Aes Sedai in Tar Valon, Perrin heads back to his home village of Emond's Field, and Nynaeve and Elayne head to the seaside city of Tanchico on the hunt for the wicked Black Ajah.
Prime Video has been releasing lots of new images from the third season, including a new batch set in Tanchico. The image above has a big surprise for long-time fans: that appears to be Mat Cauthon, played by Dónal Finn, in the front, draped in the local fashions of the city, wearing an elaborate veil over his head.
The surprise is that, in The Shadow Rising, Mat does not go to Tanchico with Nynaeve and Elayne. Instead, he accompanies Rand to the Aiel Waste where a number of important things happen to him. This is a pretty big change from the books, and it's hard to predict how the show will handle it. Have they written a completely new story for Mat, or will they take some of what happens to him in the Aiel Waste in The Shadow Rising and rework it so it happens in Tanchico instead?
Of all the important characters featured in The Wheel of Time, Mat is the one who has undergone the most changes, many of which were made out of necessity. The writers on the show had to rework his story after Barney Harris, the actor who played him in season 1, wasn't able to finish filming; Dónal Finn replaced Harris starting in season 2. As a result, Mat's story has seemed pretty scrambled up to this point. Having him follow his Shadow Rising path could have been a chance to get it back on track, but I'm also curious to see where the new season takes him.
We'll find out the details when The Wheel of Time season 3 premieres on Prime Video on Thursday, March 13.
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