The Wheel of Time is a legendary book series written by Robert Jordan (and finished by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan's death in 2007). The books had been delighting readers for decades before Amazon premiere its Wheel of Time TV series in 2021, finally satisfying fans who had long longed to see an onsceen adaptation. At last, Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, battling the Forsaken in color. At least, the magic-wielding Aes Sedai brought to life onscreen. At last, a book series that had quietly sold tens of millions of copies ove the years getting the respect from Hollywood it deserved.
Unfortunately the recaption wasn't universally rapturous. The Wheel of Time found its fanbase, one that hopefully continues to grow as Amazon rounds the corner into a third season, but newbies and longtime readers alike had complaints, about internet logic, about textual fidelity, about creative choices.
Overall, we here at WinterIsComing are fans of The Wheel of Time TV show, especially after the second season improved on the first. May that continue. But there were some things that left us scratching our heads. In the interest of getting the poison out, here are five of the biggest mistakes the show has made so far in adapting Jordan's books to the small screen:
1. Perrin has a wife now, kills her immediately
One of the perplexing decisions the show makes comes right at the top, as we're introduced to lead character Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford) and his...wife, named Laila (Helena Westerman). I pause there because in the books, Perrin doesn't have a wife. Like fellow lead characters Rand (Josha Stradowski) and Mat (Barney Harris), he's a young single guy at the start of the story, which is pretty standard for this kind of adventure tale.
Perrin doesn't stay married for long. At the end of the very first episode, the sleepy town where he lives — Emond's Field — is invaded by monstrous Trollocs, and in the confusion, Perrin himself kills his own wife, thinking she's a Trolloc and slashes before making sure. He's horrified, and spends the rest of the season tortured over what he's done.
According to The Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins, they added this element to Perrin's character so we can see right at the start that he struggles with his own violent impulses, which is indeed a theme for Perrin throughout the books. But the way they chose to explore this struggle is, at best, inelegant. They've created a brand new character in a close personal relationship with Perrin, majorly diverging from the books, only to kill her off almost immediately, leaving the impression that she only exists to drive forward Perrin's character growth. This is a pretty hackneyed way to develop a character, especially one who is destined to be forgotten in the grand sweep of the show as the producers adapt later books where Perrin has relationships with other characters. It feels like a disrespectful storytelling shortcut.
I get that the show wanted to externalize the feelings of a character who often keeps his thoughts to himself, but this was a clutzy way to do it, and gives the impression right from the start that the show doesn't care much about staying true to the source material. Largely, that impression is unearned, but now it's just hanging there.
From the start of season 1, let's now jump to the end. Click the button below to continue: