The Wheel of Time cut this key moment from season 2, but winked about it in season 3

The Wheel of Time fans didn't get to see Rand and Ishamael battle in the sky during the Battle of Falme, but at least the show acknowledged it in the season 3 premiere.
Fares Fares (Ishamael) in The Wheel of Time season 2.
Fares Fares (Ishamael) in The Wheel of Time season 2.

The second season of The Wheel of Time ended with the Battle of Falme, where Rand and his friends defeated the Forsaken sorcerer Ishamael while the invading Seanchan army was driven back in the city below. At the end, Rand is proclaimed the Dragon Reborn for all to see.

The battle roughly plays out more or less like it does in The Great Hunt, the second book in Robert Jordan's massive Wheel of Time series. But there are differences. For one thing, in the book, when Rand fights Ishamael, their forms are projected into the sky above the city, so all can see their battle. That may have been a bit grand for the show and I don't think many fans thought too much about it being cut. Still, it's a cool and it's a shame that it didn't show up onscreen.

In the season 3 premiere of The Wheel of Time, "To Race The Shadow," we at least got a nod to this cut moment. At one point, Rand is chatting with his friends Mat and Perrin in a tavern in Tar Valon. Mat is having an artist create an image of himself holding the Horn of Valere, which he blew during the battle (and won't shut up about). Rand, looking around, sees another artist drawing this:

That is definitely Rand and Ishamael fighting in the skies above Falme! In this continuity, it seems that while the pair didn't literally fight in the sky, that's the story getting around.

Since the source material for The Wheel of Time is so massive, it's inevitable that the show will have to do some nipping and tucking to tell the whole story. So far, I think they've done a pretty judicious job. We'll see if that keeps up as the new season continues. Episodes drop on Thursdays on Prime Video.

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