A 100% faithful adaptation of the wheel of time would never be possible. Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy series spans 14 books, 15 if you count the prequel, totaling more than 4 million words. that’s simply too much material to fit on a television show. Understandably, the Amazon Prime Video version of Wheel of Time cuts out a lot of its source material.
This first season is mainly based on the first book in the series, the eye of the world. however, showrunner rafe judkins confirmed that this first season will also cover elements from the second and third books, the great hunt, and the dragon reborn.
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Despite a significant number of changes, the story of the Wheel of Time remains the same at its core. Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a member of the powerful all-female Aes Sedai order, embarks on a massive journey with five young men and women, any one of whom could be the mighty dragon reborn prophesied to save the world or destroy it. there’s a little more to it than that. so be sure to check out our handy wheel of time guide to get your bearings fully.
These are the biggest changes the Wheel of Time has made from the books so far. The following contains massive spoilers for the books and the show, so consider yourselves warned.
the dragon is reborn
Episode 1, “Saying Goodbye,” opens with a bit of voiceover that immediately changes something about the central figure of the reborn dragon. Moiraine reveals that the dragon, originally a man named Lews Therin Telamon, has been reincarnated, but no one knows if he has been reborn as a man or a woman. in the books, there is no uncertainty: the dragon is (correctly) assumed to be a man.
I doubt the wheel of time will change the dragon’s identity, as that would have huge repercussions in the future. all this departure from the book does is add to the mystery of who the dragon could be by adding women like egwene (madeleine madden) and nynaeve (zoë robins) into the mix, which doesn’t bother me at all.
different perspectives
Most of The Eye of the World is told from the perspective of Pastor Rand (Josha Stradowski), so it’s pretty obvious that he’s the main character (aka the dragon). To keep us in suspense, the wheel of time positions Moraine as our protagonist, at least during the first few episodes. this choice allows us to understand a little better what is at stake in your quest.
By not just focusing on the rand, we can also learn more about other characters’ lives on the two rivers. we see egwene’s induction into the women’s circle, an addition rand could not have narrated. We also get a glimpse of Mat’s (Barney Harris) troubled home life and Perrin’s (Marcus Rutherford) relationship with his wife. speaking of…
perrin is married?
yes, but not for long! Perrin’s wife, Laila (Helena Westerman), is a new character, who quickly becomes a new corpse in one of the show’s most unnecessary page-to-screen turns. When we first meet Laila, it’s clear that her marriage to Perrin is a strained one. However, before we can get any more information or even get a shred of resolution, she is accidentally killed by Perrin when the Trollocs attack. her death is a classic example of “frimming,” when a character, most often a woman, exists solely to die or suffer in order to further the emotional arc of a more central character. it’s a cheap tactic that could have been easily avoided. Perrin could have had a strong emotional response to literally anything else, like, I don’t know, burning down her house? or nynaeve being kidnapped?
nynaeve is what now?
don’t worry, nynaeve is fine. a Trolloc took her away, leading everyone to believe that she was dead. in the books, she survives the attack without being kidnapped, but she does not leave the two rivers with the rest of the group. She later chases after them, believing they are in danger from Moiraine, and rejoins them in Baerlon. that’s a little harder for her on the show because…
goodbye, baerlón
The first of many stops on our group’s journey to Tar Valon, Baerlon has been completely removed from the wheel of time. Since much of the eye of the world is just the group walking from one place to another, it makes sense that some of those places have been removed. however, we’re missing out on some key encounters as a result, like the aforementioned nynaeve meeting. Also, the role of Shady Padan Fain (Johann Myers) seems to have been reduced to a single appearance (so far). We also miss meeting Min, whose uncanny ability to read people’s auras gives big clues as to who the dragon is. however, we’re sure we’ll see min at some point, as kae alexander has been cast in the role.
mordeth and mashadar
the shadar logoth sequence in episode 2, “the shadow is waiting”, plays out a little differently in the show than it does in the books, but the main beats remain the same. we learn the history of the abandoned city. mat steals a ruby-hilted dagger, and the shadowy entity known as mashadar separates the group as they escape. In the eyes of the world, we get the extra step of Mat, Rand, and Perrin meeting a mysterious man named Mordeth, who is trying to get them to move treasure for him. he then attacks them, only backing away when he realizes mat has taken the dagger.
thom merrilin
We meet the mysterious minstrel Thom Merrilin (Alexandre Willaume) in the third episode of Wheel of Time, “A Safe Place.” jordan introduces thom much earlier in the eye of the world. he comes to the two rivers as entertainment for the bel tine festival and accompanies the group as they leave after the attack. He also advises Rand, Mat, and Perrin to hide their mysterious dreams from Moiraine. When the group splits up at Shadar Logoth, he escapes with Rand and Mat. so introducing it now still means we get to see how this trio interact with each other. it also means we had one less character to worry about remembering in the early episodes. Now that we’re more familiar with our seven leads, we can spend some time getting to know the supporting cast.
a new dark friend
Episode 3, “A Safe Place”, sees Rand and Mat threatened by a dark friend, a human who has been influenced by the dark one. This dark friend is Dana (Izuka Hoyle), not to be confused with Dena, Thom’s mistress from the books. she is a completely new character. But the encounter is rooted in the eye of the world, where Mat and Rand meet dark friends like the merchant Howal Gode on their journey.
meeting the tuatha’an
The wolves follow Perrin and Egwene after Shadar Logoth, chasing them all the way until they meet the nomadic Tuatha’an people. Although this encounter takes place in the eye of the world, it comes after Perrin and Egwene spend time with a character named Elyas. Elyas is a wolf brother who teaches Perrin about his own connection to wolves. The Wheel of Time clearly foreshadows Perrin’s own Wolf Brother story. but as the casting of elyas has not been confirmed yet, it seems that he will not be part of it.
liandrin and logain
In the third episode of Wheel of Time, Moraine, Nynaeve, and Lan (Daniel Henney) cross paths with Liandrin (Kate Fleetwood), an Aes Sedai from the Red Ajah, and Logain (Álvaro Morte), an imprisoned man who claims be the dragon reborn.
liandrin doesn’t show up until the second book of the wheel of time, the big hunt, which means this whole scene is new material. however, parts of it are based on events that happen in the eye of the world. The Aes Sedai imprison Logain and take him to the city of Caemlyn, but we never see the actual imprisonment or the journey to Caemlyn ourselves. one of the many advantages of adapting the wheel of time is that we can experience battles and scenes that take place off the page, like the aes sedai log in experience, for the first time.
the war in ghealdan
The fourth episode of Wheel of Time, “The Dragon Reborn”, begins with a flashback of Logain attacking, and later joining forces with, the King of Ghealdan (Miguel Alvarez). In the eyes of the world, the war in ghealdan is something we only hear about in passing, and johanin, the king of ghealdan, actually strips logain of his nobility rather than join him. this change from page to screen is especially effective. We see Logain’s unique power channeling in action and can understand how some might find the cause of it appealing.
something new from aes sedai
In addition to Liandrin, Moiraine is reunited with two other prominent Aes Sedai: Kerene (Clare Perkins) and Alanna (Priyanka Bose). both are members of the green ajah, also known as the battle ajah. nor does it appear in the eyes of the world. Kerene is a character in the new Spring prequel Wheel of Time; she dies while she searches for the dragon reborn. Alanna also appears in New Spring, as well as The Big Hunt and the rest of Wheel of Time.
moiraine, lan, and nynaeve spend much of the world searching for their lost companions, but the plot change to incorporate logain and other aes sedai is a smart move. allows us to learn more about the different types of aes sedai as well as the conflicts between the ajahs. the change is different enough from the source material that readers of the book will be pleasantly surprised. however, it uses familiar characters, so these new scenes don’t feel completely removed from jordan’s world.
where is whitebridge?
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As with the group’s brief sojourn in Baerlon, Rand, Mat and Thom’s time in Whitebridge (and their earlier trip with sailors on the Spray) is cut from the wheel of time. although we miss seeing the city’s cool namesake white bridge, missing this leg of the journey doesn’t change much of the story. that’s because the wheel of time still includes one of the most important white bridge events. the only thing that changes is the context.
a cast enters a barn…
In the eye of the world, a fade hunts down mat, rand and thom in whitebridge. Thom struggles and urges the boys to leave him behind and run. On the way from Whitebridge to Caemlyn, they stay at a variety of inns and farms, one of them belonging to the Grinwell family, who kindly offer them lodging. the show takes these events and twists them in a different direction. Instead of showing up at Whitebridge, he shows up at the Grinwells’ farm and massacres the family. The rest of the encounter plays out just like in the book, with Thom fighting the blackout and telling the boys to run.
while the addition of laila’s death seemed unnecessary, the new tragic fate of the grinwells is key to the story. Here, the brutality of Fade’s attack is horrific, emphasizing the danger Rand and Mat find themselves in and the extent of the Dark One’s evil. The massacre also forces Mat to doubt himself. Did he kill grinwells with his mysterious dagger? Is the dragon reborn, doomed to go mad and destroy the world?
the aes sedai vs. logain
much of the history of moiraine, lan and nynaeve has been altered from the books. Even so, the battle of the Aes Sedai against Logain’s army deserves a special mention. this fight is a new addition to the wheel of time, but it helps to develop the powers of the aes sedai and their relationship with their guardians. also results in logain being smoothed. in the books, that doesn’t happen until he gets to tar valon.
another big change is that nynaeve heals all wounded aes sedai and guardians, including a nearly dead lan. Nynaeve is a very powerful channeler, but her power doesn’t manifest as strongly or as early in the books. her huge burst of magic on the show not only works as a deception about the dragon reborn’s identity, but it’s also a great new moment to show how strong she is, and to hint at her emotional connection to lan.
cut caemlyn
while the wheel of time has removed several destinations from your characters’ travels (such as baerlon and whitebridge), the decision to ditch caemlyn altogether may come as a surprise. after all, much of the eye of the world is spent trying to get there. Plus, Rand’s time in Caemlyn leads to some key encounters.
Don’t worry too much though: the wheel of time has simply changed much of the action from caemlyn in the book to tar valon, which means we can also see inside the white tower of aes sedai. In the show, Rand still meets Loial the Ogier (Hammed Animashaun), and still sees Logain being paraded through the streets by Aes Sedai.
The login scene also differs a bit from the books. logain is now gentle and rand sees him with mat. In the eyes of the world, Logain can still channel, and Rand sees him alone. in the wheel of time, logain sees mat and also laughs maniacally, a solid addition to the distortions about the dragon reborn’s true identity.
Some characters have not moved from Caemlyn to Tar Valon. elayne and andor’s daughter-heiress, chief among them. Good news for all you Elayne fans: Judkins confirmed that she will be in Season 2, played by Ceara Coveney.
an encounter with the white cloaks
the capture of egwene and perrin by the white cloaks in episode 5, “blood calls to blood” is a little different in the eyes of the world. At this point in the novel, Egwene and Perrin have left the Tuatha’an. After the torture and interrogation, Moiraine, Ian, and Nynaeve rescue them from the Whitecloak camp.
The Wheel of Time allows Egwene and Perrin to rescue each other with the help of the former’s channeling and the latter’s connection to the wolves. it’s a chance to better understand their abilities and a great taste of things to come for both characters.
They are interrogated by white cloak eamon valda (abdul salis), who does not originally appear in the eye of the world, but who plays a role in the later books. The show never confirms if he dies when Egwene and Perrin escape, leaving the door wide open for him to continue to face our heroes.
stepin’s tragedy
Much of “Blood Calls Blood” focuses on the aftermath of Aes Sedai’s battle with Logain, which resulted in Kerene’s death. her guardian stepin (peter franzén) grieves her throughout the episode before dying by suicide. the episode ends with her funeral. kerene and stepin die in the wheel of time prequel new spring so this is new material. however, it is new material with a clear purpose: to establish the meaning of the bond between an aes sedai and her guardian. Although short, Stepin’s arc ends up being one of the strongest and most emotional stories of the wheel of time so far.
white tower exile
Episode 6, “The Flame of Tarvalon”, continues the Wheel of Time trend of developing the White Tower policy earlier in the series. He spends most of his time with the Aes Sedai and introduces their leader, Amyrlin Seat Siuan Sanche (Sophie Okonedo), whose first appearance in the books, aside from the prequel, is in The Great Hunt. We get to see first-hand the decisions made about Logain, more of Liandrin’s intrigue, and Moiraine and Siuan’s romantic relationship.
“the flame of tar valon” throws us a curveball with moiraine’s request to be exiled, an entirely new plot point that changes the dynamic of moiraine with her sisters moving forward. part of moiraine’s oath stipulates that she can’t return until the amyrlin seat calls her, so there’s a chance her time in the white tower isn’t over. however, it’s still a heartbreaking scene, one that emphasizes how much she’s sacrificing moraine in her quest to find the dragon reborn, including more time with siuan.
mat, come back here!
When Moraine joins the group on a catwalk outside of Tar Valon, the expectation is clear: they will all travel to the eye of the world through mysterious paths. however, mat is still a total wildcard and chooses not to follow his friends. “The Flame of Tar Valon” ends, rather forebodingly, with him giving up the quest to stop the dark one. this is a big departure from the eye of the world, which sees mat accompanying the rest of the group through the paths and beyond.
The most likely reason for his change of heart is that pesky ruby-hilted dagger from shadar logoth. Moiraine may have severed her connection to him in this episode, but it’s clear Mat still has a lot of darkness in him. his recovery from the dagger in the books is a much longer process than the healing we see on the show, which seemed like a deceptively simple solution. something tells me we haven’t seen the last of that dagger yet.
fal dara
The seventh episode of Wheel of Time, “The Darkness on the Roads”, brings our heroes (minus Mat) to the city of Fal Dara. There, according to the Eye of the World, they meet Lord Agelmar (Thomas Chaanhing) and learn that Ian is the uncrowned King of Malkier. however, there are still some aspects of his time in the skirt that differ from the books.
to start with, min is here. The Wheel of Time moves its travelers’ encounter with the Seer from Baerlon to Fal Dara, and with good reason. if he had appeared earlier, the visions of him would have revealed the identity of the reborn dragon too soon. Some of the visions of him in the show differ from those in the book, but some, like the sparks fighting the shadow, are drawn almost word for word from Jordan’s work.
Elsewhere, Perrin catches a glimpse of the trader Padan Fain, whom he thought was dead. In the eyes of the world, Moiraine traps and questions Fain until he reveals his connection to the dark one. however, the Wheel of Time seems content to keep that mystery going for at least another episode.
while in fal dara, we also see lan and nynaeve’s romance begin in earnest. In the eyes of the world, Ian actually rejects Nynaeve’s advances even though he cares for her. However, we only see that scene through Rand’s eyes, so it’s nice to witness their interactions up close and personal on the show. the wheel of time has definitely sped up the timeline of their relationship. But given the excellent chemistry between Henney and Robins, I’m not complaining.
dragon drama
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Much of this episode revolves around the main mystery of “who is the dragon reborn?” Moraine states that only the dragon can go with her to face the dark one. all others will perish. this is less of a concern in the books, as moraine doesn’t tell either person from the two rivers that they may be the dragon reborn.
Higher stakes result in one of the best scenes in the episode: Egwene, Nynaeve, Perrin, and Rand argue over whether to follow Moiraine. the conversation quickly turns to conflict, and each actor gets a chance to show off his skills and delve into his characters. there are some strange revelations. (perrin suddenly falls in love with egwene?) but overall the scene is a shocking addition to the story.
the big reveal
It’s official: Rand is the dragon reborn. He discovers it through some strange flashbacks, including a scene from the Trollocs attack in episode 1, in which his wounded father, Tam (Michael McElhatton), reveals that he found Rand when he was a boy. baby. the omission of that earlier scene makes rand’s memories a bit hazy, and feels a bit like a cheap tactic to keep new viewers in the dark, as its earlier inclusion would have made the dragon’s identity extremely unclear. obvious.
However, the wheel of time makes up for that misstep with the incredible fight scene that opens the episode. It’s a flashback to the Aiel War, with Rand’s mother (Magdalena Sittova) fighting her enemies during labor. everything from the choreography to the score to sittova’s performance is on point, bringing this pivotal sequence to life in a satisfying way.
a surprising output
The episode ends with Rand and Moiraine following in Mat’s footsteps and leaving everyone behind. as with the mat output, this is a new addition. and it’s one that may take the climax of the season in a completely different direction. in the book, rand has his friends with him for this final part of the journey, and he still doesn’t know he is the dragon reborn. The knowledge of him in the program of his identity could drastically change his climactic confrontation with the dark one.
the eye of the world
In order to understand how the Wheel of Time Season 1 finale, “The Eye of the World,” differs from its source material, it’s important to say what exactly the Eye of the World is. in the books, the eye of the world is a reservoir of enough untainted sayin (the male half of the one power) to seal the dark one in her prison forever or break him out of her. it is guarded by the green tree-like man and only appears for those in need.
the software version omits the green man entirely, simplifying the journey to the eye. also waiver saidin pool. Moiraine gives Rand a powerful Sa’angreal to channel, and the eye itself appears to be the site of a battle between the original dragon Lews Therin Telamon (Alexander Karim) and the evil Ba’alzamon (Fares Fares).
ba’alzamón, baby!
We finally come face to face with the man who has been haunting the dreams of Rand and his friends. based on his fiery eyes and general villainous demeanor, it’s easy to assume this is the dark one. however, this is not the true big bad of the wheel of time. this is ba’alzamon, also known as ishamael. he is one of the forsaken, a servant of the dark one who is able to channel. In addition to Ba’alzamon, our heroes encounter two other forsaken in the books, but the show limits us to just one. It’s probably a good idea, since we already have a lot of characters to follow.
Even by himself, ishamael packs a punch. he separates moiraine from the one power and tries to tempt rand into darkness with a vision of egwene. Both are big changes from the Jordan books, and Moiraine’s loss of power hints at dire consequences in future seasons.
ba’alzamon’s encounter result is almost the same with rand defeating him with the only power. however, his decision to fake his death is a bit tricky, as he separates him from our other heroes very soon, which could send him down a new path.
the battle of tarwin’s gap
First of all, let us pay our respects to Lord Agelmar and Lady Amalisa (Sandra Yi Sencindiver), who defended the city of Fal Dara and died untimely. seriously awkward, as neither die in the books. Still, their deaths emphasize the stakes in the battle between light and dark and, in Amalisa’s case, the dangers of using too much of the unique power.
This battle shows us why the Wheel of Time parted ways with Egwene, Nynaeve, and Perrin for the climax of the show. in the eyes of the world, the three (and mat) survive the encounter with the forsaken. but we don’t hear much about your experience because we are so focused on the rand. luckily, the show actually gives them something to do here. Nynaeve and Egwene channel alongside Amalisa, destroying Trolloc armies with their unique power. Rand plays the role of army destroyer in the eye of the world, so his absence during this battle may upset fans of Rand. however, this change allows us to see the extent of egwene and nynaeve’s channel abilities, giving characters other than rand a moment to shine.
the horn of valere
While Egwene and Nynaeve stop hordes of Trollocs from invading Fal Dara, Perrin and Loial provide aid within the city. The two help unearth Valere’s horn from under Agelmar’s throne. In the books, she appears in the Eye of the World after Rand defeats Ishamael.
When sounded, Valere’s horn will summon heroes to fight, making it the kind of powerful item you’d want on your side in a battle against evil. Unfortunately, Padan steals it from under Perrin’s nose, setting us up for the events of Book 2, The Great Hunt. In the Jordan series, Fain’s horn theft occurs after he spends time in prison. the show knows it has a lot of ground to cover and wisely gets right to the point.
However, by getting to the point so quickly, the show is quick to reveal it in one of the weaker scenes of the finale. Fain has barely been given time this season, so non-book readers may find this story too surprising, and not particularly exciting. in this scene, the wheel of time also makes the dubious choice of possibly killing loial. however, his death is never confirmed. so I’m hoping he’s hurt, not that he’s gone.
where do we go from here?
If you’re craving more Wheel of Time, fear not: Season 2 is already in production, and the finale has given us a good idea of what to expect in the future.
We will definitely see more stories of the great hunt, including the hunt for the horn of valere. After their displays of power throughout the season, Egwene and Nynaeve will likely travel to the White Tower to begin their journey as Aes Sedai. Another clue to the future comes from the final scene of the season, which shows the fearsome Seanchan army arriving on the western shores. looks like we’ll see the seanchan invasion sooner rather than later.
However, the end of the wheel of time still leaves room for questions. What will Rand do, now that she is wandering alone in the plague? How will moraine fare without her connection to the one power? why did mat (who will be played by donal finn in season 2) go back to tar valon?
final verdict
The Wheel of Time set itself a seemingly impossible task: to bring a dense fantasy series of more than 4 million words to the small screen. Fortunately, he understood what elements were really necessary to tell a good story and eliminated any material that had bogged down a season of television. he also expanded on his source material where necessary, giving all of his characters their own perspectives and fleshing out the world of the aes sedai. the result is a richly political and character-driven world.
While some choices in this adaptation don’t always land, like Fridging Perrin, Laila’s wife, The Wheel of Time more than makes up for it with its bolder choices. Centering Moraine pays off thanks to Pike’s performance, and establishing the mystery of the Dragon Reborn early on gives the season a clear arc. Overall, The Wheel of Time manages to adapt (and in some cases improve on) Jordan’s work, and I’m excited to see where the journey goes.
Wheel of Time Season 1 (Opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Amazon Prime. (opens in a new tab)