Wheel of Time’s showrunner wanted you to be ‘100% in love’ with those bad guys

As the author Robert Jordan observed, the Wheel of Time turns, Ages come and go. The same is true of the quality of TV shows, including Amazon Studios. Wheel of Time adaptation, which has just wrapped for a second season. Apparently, the focus of the season 2 finale, “What’s the Significance,” is protagonist Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski) taking yet another step toward embracing his destiny as the world’s Messiah/Destroyer of the Dragon Reborn.

But let’s get real here: the episode — like the rest of this season — is really ad The Wheel of Timebaddies With that in mind, we took Rafe Judkins’ show to take stock of where the Major Video series’ villains are at the end of season 2, and where they’re trying to escape in a timely manner 3 .

(Ed. note: This post contains spoilers The Wheel of Time season 2, part 8.)

Seanchan

Photo: Jan Thijs/Prime Video

First, there is the Seanchan. These would-be conquerors of the world suffered their first major setback in “What was meant to be,” from the unlikely combination of Rand’s allies, the religious fanatics of the Whitecloaks, and a team of specters best described as The Avengers meets The Lord of the Rings’ Army.

Normally, such a crush would be enough to rule out the next comeback, but the Seanchan are no ordinary opponents. According to what we have seen through The Wheel of Time season 2’s eight episodes (not to mention the larger narrative outlined in Jordan’s original writing), it’s safe to say that the armed insectoid invaders will remain as much of a threat as ever when season 3 finally rolls around.

In a Zoom call, Judkins indicated that the Seanchan will remain a part of our collective heroes for the foreseeable future. “One thing you hear (Seanchan) is they call themselves pioneers. And I think it might be a word that people cringe at the first two times they hear it, but it’s a really big word because it means that this is a small group of major power that exists on the Seanchan continent.” Judkins said, also noting the Seanchan Empress was a major character yet to be met. “So, truly the tip of the spear of the Seanchan world and (…) as we encounter defeat here, I think it is good to remember that it is just the tip of the spear and it can and will be the Seanchan force that continues to make an impact in the world of Wheel of Time.

The Seanchan invasion force will be under new management Wheel of TimeThe third season, after Random accidentally destroyed their leader, High Lord Turak (Daniel Francis), at the end of season 2. High Lady Suroth (Karima McAdams) now holds the top job, and the spells are disturbing — and not just because she’s Suroth (as directed by Sanaa Hamri was declared in the late-August Polygon Wheel of Time set visit) from “rock”. The real concern here is Suroth’s connection to the right hand man of darkness, Ishmael (Fares Fares) – more on him later – which means that one of the greatest forces on the planet is now fighting at the beck and call of the ruthless Darkfriend.

Suroth can’t call the shots for long, though. Judkins’ reference to the Seanchan Empress hints at not just one introduction, but two we have only met men capable of bringing the Seanchan to order in all manners, including the newly promoted Suroth, opportunely 3. The first of whom is the Empress herself, her second daughter Tuon, who acts as the key supporter. Jordan’s role in his later books. Tuon’s push to solidify his claim to the throne — as well as his romantic entanglements with the rogue Mat Cauthon (Dònal Finn) — will certainly spice up the third batch of episodes, although his inclusion in season 3 is currently speculative.

Whitecloaks

Photo: Jan Thijs/Prime Video

Regardless of whether or not Tuon does show up next season, it’s clear that Suroth stepping in to fill the void left by Turak will have serious repercussions going forward. The Seanchan weren’t just left to deal with a power vacuum at the end of “What was meant to be.” The Whitecloaks also lose one of their big guns, Commander Geoffrey Bornhald (Stuart Graham), who is on the run from the furious, axe-wielding Perrin Aybara (Marc Rutherford). The most likely candidate for Bornhald’s place is easily the even less carinated Eamon Valda (Abdul Salis), which could mean a more extremist direction for the self-proclaimed sons of light. The Wheel of Time finally returns to the screens.

Speaking of darkness, Bornhald’s son, Dain (Jay Duffy), will almost certainly seek revenge on Perrin in The Wheel of Time season 3. Comments by Judkins but confirm that this was assumed in money, although Dain’s innate nature was temperate. “(Dain’s) kind of born into the Whitecloaks, and I don’t believe everything the Whitecloaks believe,” explained Judkins. “He certainly, clearly, has a lot of questions to ask. And I think that what is important about him is that someone is the whole life of him who said the race; I don’t think things are so black and white. I don’t think everyone is a Darkfriend like you do.

“And you know someone like Perrin, who has a good relationship with earlier in the season, Valda told this Darkamic man: Look into his eyes. What is? This is the devilgenerally He then sees him trying to trust, and with the benefit of doubt, he puts the ax into his father’s chest. So I think Dain came out of it to investigate everything he believed and began to wonder if Valda was right. And I think it should be seen that Dain is at the center of the struggle between good and evil within the Whitecloaks.

Black Ajah

Image: First Video

The Seanchan and the Whitecloaks covered this – what about their mutual enemy, the Bronze Sedai? The order of the female canals is as much to be feared as what happens within the walls of the White Tower as outside The Wheel of Time Season 2 is anything but. Therefore, this season of eight episodes of the final season unfolds the uncertainty surrounding the sinister Liandrin’s (Kate Fleetwood) true obligations as a member of the legendary Black Ajah: a secret society serving the Dark Bronze Sedai.

While we can assume that Egwene al’Vere (Madeleine Madden), Nynaeve al’Meara (Zoë Robins), and Elayne Trakand (Ceara Coveney) — whom Liandrin betrays midway through season 2 — will reveal the Red Sister’s treachery to the wider community; which still leaves most of the more potential Black Ajah agents Verin Mathwin (Meera Syal) expediently uprooted 3 .

“As season 2 ends, we know that Aes Sedai is a Darkfriend. We know that Liandrin swore her oath (To the Dark One),” Judkins said of the Black Ajah subplot. I think for our characters it could be the Aes Sedai of all people sworn in the Dark, and I think some of them are worried about the possibility -. what if something else? What if there are more? Is it really possible? And I think that’s where the race is in the head of the characters in our world, but also in the books.

“I think they are starting to see what other people are doing (…) it’s a real problem, because a lot of it leads to the issue. Such an idea as the shadow of a foot in the White Tower cannot be imagined. And the danger of that to the world, because essentially the righteous Aes Sedai who swore dark oaths three thousand years ago have been abandoned. So the idea that there are Aes Sedai today that could be Darkfriends as well – it’s one of the most dangerous things that exist in the world at the end of season 2. So I think it’s something that will be a lot of focus. advancing characters. “

Abandoned

Photo: Jan Thijs/Prime Video

However, as Judkins rightly pointed out, the specter of even the treacherous Aes Sedai pales in horror. The Wheel of Timebig bad things: Abandoned. These persons in the possession of one power and completely devoted to the Darkness return to the scene after several millennia in hibernation. “What was signified” ends with the apparent death of the deserter leader Ishmael, at the hands of Randa, following the latter’s unsuccessful attempt to attract him to his side. While the destruction of Ishamael seems to be the most beautiful finale (as in the finale of “Crushing Ashes”), anyone who has read the doors of Jordan’s high fantasy knows that the charismatic nihilist has a habit of inflicting fatal wounds on the survivors.

What’s more, Rand’s ex, Lanfear (Natasha O’Keeffe), remains at large, despite her plan to backstab Ishmael. Wheel of Time at the end of season 2 it yields a mixed result. The Daughter of the Night indeed succeeds in taking her main rival as the Dark One onto the board, but it does not prevent the return of the rest of the Forsaken – whose ranks are so much thinner than those described by Jordan – as she wished. This includes Moghedien (Laia Costa), who convinces Lanfear (and nods to the audience) that he and his comrades have recently been released, as much head of Rand and the gang as the late boss once his season 3 rolls around.

However, even for the great evils of the ongoing story, Judkins has seen how deserts are presented in history at any time. “One of the things that’s so interesting about books about the abandoned is that they’re evil in a human face, you know? They all act in the most humane ways, and have very different ways of swearing to each other.

Photo: Jan Thijs/Prime Video

It shows that each of the Forsaken is just as interesting and complicated as Ishamael or Lanfear, both in their reasoning and their attitude towards evil. But when most of them are in the books beyond the second and third, Judkins and sang “More of them before the front” and “really pour, what they feel later in the books about the abandoned learned.”

“The race was a bit disappointing, we think about the lot. (…) Who has intercourse? How do they act in the story?” Judkins said. “When is it entirely fair for the audience to be left completely in love with each of them? And when are there too many lefties who are performing together so that a little mess and confusion begins? That is, for us, we put a lot of effort into it, because (…) every scene that has been abandoned in something must be impactful.

“And so the reason we did that was that the Moghedien scene was really to feel the impact of another desert at the end, even just feeling the fear of Lanfear – like, a character that you don’t see being afraid all the time is suddenly afraid of the rest to show how the role of the desert has been introduced in someone.

So they all said, the forces of the Light must fight a lot The Wheel of Time 3. Fortunately, they arguably fight like they always do at the end of season 2. Rand has already embraced the power — and luck — of Dragon Renato. Mat and Perrin, too, had previously invaded their own unsettled, supernaturally charged bodies. Egwene comes out of her Seanchan service stronger and easily tougher than ever. Then Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike), who restores both his connection to the One Power, and with his faithful guardian Lan (Daniel Henney) during the next battle with the shadow.

As such, there is a decent chance at that time The Wheel of Time they will belong to heroes, not to villains. It’s a good thing, too — the World of Wheels can’t take a chance otherwise.