This article contains SPOILERS for The Wheel of Time books, up through book 5, The Fires of Heaven.
The third season of The Wheel of Time is at an end, which means it's now time to look ahead. Over the course of eight episodes, Prime Video's fantasy series based on the beloved books by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson blew us away with its ambitious story, spectacular magic, vast cast of memorable characters, and shocking twists and turns. It wasn't only a solid adaptation of Jordan's book The Shadow Rising, but an excellent season of television all around.
So what comes next? The Wheel of Time season 3 laid the groundwork for a number of major plotlines from the fifth and sixth books in the series, The Fires of Heaven and Lord of Chaos. Given that the climactic ending of Lord of Chaos serves as something of a mid-point for the overarching narrative of the books, I expected the show would speed through the preceding book to get to it in season 4. However, the television show has now set up a few major confrontations from The Fires of Heaven, so all signs seem to indicate we'll be getting a healthy dose of material from that book next season.
In my opinion that's a very good thing, because The Fires of Heaven features some of the most mind-blowing scenes in the entire book series, especially where the Forsaken are concerned. The Wheel of Time TV show has now laid the groundwork for not one, not two, but three of the Forsaken to have crucial moments in season 4.
Rahvin aka "Lord Gaebril"
The main Forsaken antagonist of The Fires of Heaven is Rahvin, the Forsaken who has inserted himself as the consort of Queen Morgase of Andor by twisting her mind with Compulsion. This places Rahvin in a position of power in the most powerful country in the Westlands, meaning he's a significant threat not just for his magical prowess and cunning, but the political capital he now commands.
A large part of The Fires of Heaven deals with how our heroes oust him from that position. The novel culminates with a huge clash in the city of Caemlyn, where Rand al'Thor ultimately overcomes and kills Rahvin. I don't want to give away all the details for how that encounter plays out, because it's one of the most mind-bending parts of the entire book series. But suffice it to say, the show has the opportunity to do something really special with it.
The Wheel of Time has firmly set up Rahvin as one of its next major antagonists. He only appeared in a few episodes this season, but they established his position in Andor. At the end of the season, the gleeman Thom Merrilin reveals to Elayne that "Lord Gaebril" must be a Forsaken, because only one of these ancient channelers would possess the skill needed to insert a lifetime of memories into the heads of Morgase, Elayne, and everyone else around them.
It's hard to predict how the show will handle the confrontation with Rahvin, since some of our lead characters are involved in it and others are off in other parts of the world, but it seems clear that it's coming. Expect him to get a much larger spotlight in season 4.
Moghedien
Of all the new Forsaken who appeared in season 3, the biggest scene stealer was Moghedien, the devious channeler played by Laia Costa. Moghedien made a brief appearance at the end of season 2, but this time around she received a solid focus as she manipulated events from the shadows. From sending Gray Men assassins after our heroes, to using Compulsion on Nynaeve and Elayne, to manipulating the Black Ajah, to murdering her fellow Forsaken Sammael, Moghedien got up to a lot of nefarious stuff this season.
But the best is yet to come. One of Moghedien's most iconic scenes in the entire book series didn't appear in season 3, despite featuring in The Shadow Rising. In the books, Nynaeve runs into Moghedien while exploring the Panarch's Palace in Tanchico, and the two get into a magical duel. Because the emotions of the situation are so high, Nynaeve is able to surpass her block in that moment, and manages to barely defeat the Forsaken. Moghedien slips away, which begins a long, deep grudge between the two characters.
I'll admit, I was shocked this scene didn't happen in season 3. But on reflection, it makes sense. The book series has a tendency of retreading story beats, and Moghedien fighting Nynaeve is one of them. The two also clash at the end of Book 5 in Tel'aran'rhiod. It seems likely the show is going to condense down these two separate duels into one blow-out fight between Moghedien and Nynaeve in season 4. I can't wait to see it.
Throw in the fact that Moghedien has the Domination Bands and their matching collar in the television show, and there's even more opportunity for her to get up to some mischief in season 4. I don't expect her to actually collar Rand — the Domination Bands will likely change hands at least one more time before that threat becomes more real — but the mere fact she has them will still cause problems. I expect her to have a lot of material with Liandrin as well, as the two spend a decent amount of time together in the book series around this point.
Lanfear
Ever since she was introduced in season 2, Lanfear has been one of the most prominent villains in The Wheel of Time. At the end of season 3, she finally lets loose and attacks Moiraine in the Aiel Waste. The ensuing magical battle is thrilling to behold.
Lanfear nearly kills Moiraine in this fight, but after sensing the death of her lover Siuan Sanche in the White Tower, Moiraine finds an extra reserve of strength and manages to wound Lanfear badly enough that the Forsaken is forced to flee. That defeat is certain to make the vindictive Lanfear even more of a threat in season 4.
Lanfear lingers in the shadows for most of The Fires of Heaven, but she does appear near the end of the novel for a key scene that the show would be crazy not to include. Just before Rand heads for Caemlyn to face off with Rahvin, he and his allies are gathering their strength in the neighboring city of Cairhien. Lanfear shows up and launches a surprise attack from a caravan containing a number of magical artifacts — including a twisted redstone doorframe ter'angreal like the one Mat Cauthon stepped through in the season 3 finale when he met the Eelfinn.
Recognizing this as a moment that she foresaw in Rhuidean, Moiraine sacrifices herself by tackling Lanfear through the doorframe. After they pass through it, the doorframe crumbles, sealing both Lanfear and Moiraine inside and seemingly killing them.
The show has built up an even deeper rivalry between Moiraine and Lanfear than in the novels, and has already included some subtle nods to this scene, like when Lanfear booted Moiraine and Lan through a gateway in the Ways during the finale of season 2. However the show chooses to play up the threat of Lanfear throughout the season, this fatal attack in Cairhien is all but assured to show up sometime in season 4. It's important not only for what it means for Lanfear and Moiraine, but also for Rand, who has to move into a new phase of his life without these two powerful women seeking to guide him one way or the other. After this, the Dragon Reborn must make decisions fully for himself, and his choices will shake the world to its foundations.
Will The Wheel of Time season 4 introduce more Forsaken?
Between Rahvin, Moghedien, and Lanfear, there are going to be a lot of Forsaken getting major moments in The Wheel of Time season 4. But what about new Forsaken? So far, every season of the show has introduced at least one; season 3 upped the ante by introducing two we hadn't met before, Sammael and Rahvin. Will season 4 follow suit?
Almost certainly. Not only has The Wheel of Time confirmed the identities of seven out of the eight Forsaken we expect to see in the show, but showrunner Rafe Judkins has teased that there's a secret Forsaken who has already appeared in season 3. There's no doubt we'll see more of them in season 4.
During the cold open for Episode 303, "Seeds of Shadow," Rahvin mentions that he's already met with two other Forsaken, Graendal and Semirhage. The chances are very good we'll see one or both of them next season. My money is on Graendal; she's introduced around this point in the book series, and she becomes relevant to the story earlier than Semirhage. I also wouldn't be surprised if we at least get a name drop for the mysterious eighth Forsaken as well.
That said, I don't expect that any of the new Forsaken will be at the forefront of events in season 4. So far the show has had a pattern of introducing a Forsaken in one season with a smaller role, and then ramping up to making them a proper danger in the following season. Imagine something similar to what season 3 did with Rahvin and season 2 with Moghedien, giving us a glimpse of these characters so that they can play larger roles in the future — which will be good and necessary, since not all of the Forsaken will make it out of season 4 alive.
We'll see how this all shakes out whenever Amazon and Sony renew The Wheel of Time so it can get to filming its fourth season. In the meantime, there's plenty more foreshadowing to parse.
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