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:
2. The Battle of Tarwin's Gap is a mess
AT the end of the first season, our characters find themselves in Fal Dara, a cit on the edge of the Blight, where Trollocs and other shadowspawn monsters roam. The people of Fal Dara are living in a constant state of war against the forces of darkness, which attack while our heroes are staying there, because of course they do.
The Battle of Tarwin's Gap is a set piece from the end of the first book in The Wheel of Time series, The Eye of the World. It's when Rand al'Thor first reveals himself as the Dragon Reborn, a powerful Channeler destined to either save the world or destroy it. The show makes a big deal out of it, too, but it can't back up its promises.
To start, on the show, Rand is not involved in the battle. He's at the Eye of the World itself, trying to put a stop to the wicked Dark One once and for all. Instead, defense of Fal Dara falls mainly to any woman within the city who can channel even a trickle of the One Power (which essentially means any woman who can harness the power of magic). All of them are commanded to congregate at the gate and defend the city, making us think a whole mass of channelers is going to assemble. Instead, it's five people, including two of our lead characters: Egwene (Madeleine Madden) and Nynaeve (Zoë Robins). Of the Trollic army itself, and the men of Fal Dara who are fighting them, we see as little as possible.
The show wants this battle to feel epic, but what it shows us onscreen is puny. This may not entirely be the show's fault. These episodes were filmed during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when studios were carefully avoiding having too many people on set together all at once. But still, it all looks kinda pathetic.
Also, after the women have destroyed the army, all but Egwene die because they overused the One Power. Egwene uses the One Power to revive Nynaeve, which plays a bit too loose with the rules of life and death for my liking. Resurrections should be used sparingly, and this one felt tossed off.
3. Moiraine loses her powers for no particular reason
At the very end of the first season, Rand and the Aes Sedai sorceress Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) face down the Forsaken channeler Ishamael (Fares Fares) at the Eye of the World. Ishamael is centuries old and knows how to use the One Power in ways long forgotten by Moiraine and her sisters. He cuts Moiraine off from the One Source, making her unable to use magic.
Moiraine struggles with this lack throughout the second season, and her frustration manifests in some pretty odd ways. Most notably, she gets very frosty with her bodyguard Lan (Daniel Henney), with whom she shares an extremely close connection, eventually banishing him from her presence.
Later, Moiaine will get her powers back when it's discovered that what Ishamael did to her can be undone. I enjoyed the scenes where she regained access to her powers and then later reestablished her magical connection to Lan. But too much of the material in between felt like wasted space. Moiraine was being needlessly chilly and Lan was being pointlessly mopey, hanging out with his polyamorous warder buddies and peeing against trees. What payoff we got down the line wasn't worth it.
I think it's easy to diagnose what went wrong here. The second season of The Wheel of Time largely adapts the second book in Jordan's series, The Great Hunt. Lan and Moiraine barely appear in The Great Hunt, but because Rosamund Pike is the top-billed actor on the show, the writers felt compelled to give her something to do. This storyline feels tacked on because it is.
4. The Hunt for the Horn of Valere is all but dropped
I mentioned that the second season of the show is mostly based on the second book in Jordan's series, The Great Hunt. What is this hunt and what's so great about it? In the books, several important characters — including Rand, Mat and Perrin — join the hunt for the Horn of Valere, a mystical relic said to be able to summon the shades of heroes of old to fight for whomever blows it. After a long journey they lay claim to it, and it helps turn the tide at the Battle of Falme near the end of the book.
The show minimizes the importance of the hunt for the horn. Only Perrin goes after it, and the plot is quickly steered off course when he and his hunting party are captured by the invading Seanchan people. Later, Mat gets ahold of the horn and blows it during the Battle of Falme, just as he does in the book. The heroes of old shows up. All things considered, it's a moving moment. But it's hurt by the fact that the show has spent so little time on the horn that new viewers are probably hard-pressed to tell you what it is or does.
Like the Battle of Tarwin's Gap, some of these problems come down to things beyond the show's control. Originally, it's possible that The Wheel of Time wanted to adapt the Hunt for the Horn story as laid out in The Great Hunt, but things changed Barney Harris — the actor who played May in the first season — wasn't able to complete filming. His season 1 arc had to be rewritten, which disrupted plans for season 2, where he's played by newcomer Dónal Finn.
i give credit to The Wheel of Time for rolling with the punches. It's had to make some on-the-fly adjustments in its early seasons. But that doesn't excuse this final nagging problem:
5. Loial is lame now, Thom Merrilin is barely there
The Wheel of Time is a massive, 14-book strong series. It's unrealistic to expect them to import every plot point, every character, every twist just as it is on the page. Still, some absences hurt more than others, and I don't think any of the characters on the show have disappointed me as much as Loial.
Loial (Hammed Animashaun) is an Ogier, a race of super-tall forest-dwellers with tufted ears and a love of knowledge. And Loial loves knowledge the most. He looks fearsome, but he's actually a giant nerd who loves hanging out in libaries and being helpful to his friends. He's endlessly charming in the books, easily one of my favorite characters, and I was looking forward to seeing him on the show.
Well, I regret to inform you that on TV, Loial is...fine. He's not bad, and the second season does a better job of displaying his adorkable personality than the first, which is a good sign of thing to come. But too many of his plots are cut, like a span of The Great Hunt where the gang visits the steading where he grew up. His charm is muted, his appeal dampened, and that makes me sad.
Another example of a character getting the short shrift is Thom Merrilin, a gleeman (basically a bard) whom Rand and Mat meet while on their way to the city of Tar Valon in the first season. Played by Alexandre Willaume, he makes a decent showing, but he's in and out of the show within two episodes, whereas he feels like he takes up more space in the books. I expect him to eventually come back, as he does on the page, but since the show has already skipped over a lot of his material, it's not going to feel the same when and if it happens.
The Wheel of Time has a hard job to do adapting these door-stopping books and I admire the cast and crew for giving it their best. Even if I have complaints, overall I think the show is pretty solid, and seems to be getting better and more self-assured as it continues. I'll be watching season 3 whenever it premieres, hopefully sooner rather than later.
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