Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time book series has been successfully translated into a vastly entertaining television series on Prime Video, one that just got cancelled. The first four books from this 14-book series have been crammed into three seasons and just 24 episodes, and many changes have been made to the source material.
It was inevitable that changes would be made when adapting this enormous story to a new medium. Some of the changes have made sense and some have not. One of the biggest changes are the character deaths. There have been several surprising deaths that do not follow the timeline set forth in the books. Some of these wouldn't have impacted the overall story much, but others are drastic changes that prevent the story from progressing along the same path.
For instance, take the case of Uno Nomesta, a Shienaran soldier sent out with Rand, Matt, and Perrin when they leave Fal Dara to chase down the Horn of Valere in the second book in the series, The Great Hunt. This character, who in the book provides a bit of comic relief when he tries to control the coarseness of his language around Aes Sedai, is shockingly killed in season 2 of the Prime Video series. While not a central character by any means, Uno does have a minor role to play later in the books.
Still, eliminating Uno early in the story doesn’t have any significant ramifications for things down the road, although it begs the question of why he was introduced in the first place in the TV series if they were just going to kill him.
Other characters’ fates are more puzzling. For instance:
4. Eamon Valda, Lord Captain Commander of the Children of the Light
If there were one aspect of the books the show could have easily pruned for the show, it would have been the Children of the Light, aka the Whitecloaks. They take up valuable space in the books that could have been put to better use onscreen. They don’t serve much of a purpose in the story in general other than to provide a bevy of villains, something The Wheel of Time does not lack.
In the TV series, Valda’s role is greatly expanded. He barely appears in the early books, yet he plays a much bigger role in the show. In the show, he is obsessed with finding and brutally murdering Aes Sedai. That is not a part of his character in the books at all.
Valda also develops a hatred for Perrin. There is a Whitecloak officer who hates Perrin in the books, but it's not Valda; it's Jaret Byar, who doens't have enough power to do much about it.
In the books, Valda meets his end in book 11, Knife of Dreams, in a duel with Galad. In the show, he is killed when Trollocs attack Eamond’s Field in season 3.
Valda played a more significant role in the show than in the books, but since he was set up as a major villain, why kill him so early?
3. Sammael
The TV series’ handling of the Forsaken has been puzzling at best. There are 13 of these ancient channelers in the books, but only eight in the show. Sammael barely appears in the first four books, as Rand and his friends deal with other Forsaken.
On the show, Sammael is killed in season 3 by his fellow Forsaken Moghedien. In the books, he is killed much later, in a battle with Rand at Shadar Logoth. This is after Sammael spends much time during books five and six trying to kill Rand while disguised as Lord Brend, the head of the Council of Nine in Illian.
In the books, Sammael plays a significant role in Book Seven, A Crown of Swords, when he disperses the Shaido across the continent to spread chaos after their defeat at Dumai’s Wells. In the books, these actions have a great impact on Perrin’s storyline.
For the TV show to introduce Sammael and then eliminate him so quickly was nonsensical. In the books, he is someone Rand has to account for throughout several books. With so little airtime available for the show, why did they bother wasting time with Sammael? Why not leave him offscreen entirely, like they did with some of the other Forsaken?
2. Loial
Before proceeding, let’s clarify something: I am not convinced that Loial is dead on the show. In an interview with IMD369, showrunner Rafe Judkins seemed a bit cagey when discussing it. During the Battle of the Two Rivers, Loial, a gentle giant of the Ogier race, volunteers to close the Waygate near Emond's Field to staunch the flow of Trollocs into the area. In the process, he sacrifices himself by hammering through the pass to the gate from within the Ways. Audiences see him fall into darkness, which implies that he dies, but since we don't see a body, anything is possible.
Loial is an interesting character in the books. He is often sent on errands for Rand and is offstage from the action, appearing only periodically. For most of the books, he is a lovable character who rises to whatever challenge is set before him. He is a beloved character, and to kill him off in the show — IF that is what has happened — is almost unforgivable.
Loial does have one important thing left to do in the books: he is writing the history of the end of days, chronicling the adventures of Rand and his companions. He is the historian for future generations, if civilization continues once the story is finished. Even considering eliminating this character, if that is what has happened, is a huge misstep by the producers.
Had the show continued, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Loial again down the line.
1. Siuan Sanche, Amyrlin Seat of the Aes Sedai
In the same interview with IMD369, Judkins says that after having discussions with the Academy Award-nominated actress Sophie Okonedo, it was decided that it would be a waste of her talents to be a laundress moving forward, as happens to Siuan Sanche in the books after she is deposed as the leader of the Aes Sedai and stripped of her ability channel. In the show, she is not only deposed but executed in the season 3 finale.
That is a total cop-out. Okonedo, one would assume, knew the breadth and scope of the character she agreed to play from the get-go. Siuan’s role after the White Tower coup is way more than that of a laundress. While the power of the role is diminished, Siuan does play a significant part in Egwene’s development as the Amyrlin Seat. Siuan is a hero who loses her power only to regain it and help shape another character who is central to the story.
It is more likely that with no guarantee of renewal, Okonedo couldn’t be asked to wait around. This is 100 percent speculation, but it makes way more sense than to kill off such a central character, even one who takes on a more minor role in the books going forward.
Part of the reason reading about this character is so satisfying is because she falls from power only to eventually return in grace. Killing her off for shock value seems a poor exchange.
Making a TV show from such voluminous source material is undoubtedly a challenge. Add in things like COVID and recasting issues, and it is amazing the show has made it as far as it has. The Wheel of Time TV series has improved upon the books in many ways, but expanding characters like Eamon Valda seems like a waste of valuable screentime. To introduce Sammael only to knock him out so quickly also makes little sense. And eliminating two beloved characters like Loial and Siuan will not earn much support from the fans of the books.
It's nothing the show couldn't have come back from. A shame it won't get the chance.
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