The adaptation of The Wheel of Time was never going to be possible. The Robert Jordan's epic fantasy series spans 14 books and is over 4 million words. It's too much to fit in a TV show. Amazon Prime Video's version of The Wheel of Time cuts a lot from the source material.
The Eye of the World is the first book in the series. The Great Hunt and The Dragon Reborn will be covered in the first season.
The story of The Wheel of Time remains the same despite a number of changes. The powerful all-female Aes Sedai order, led by Moiraine, embark on a massive journey with five young men and women, any of whom could be the powerful Dragon Reborn prophesied to either save the world or destroy it. There's more to it than that. The Wheel of Time guide is a must have for getting your full bearings.
The Wheel of Time has made some changes to the books. The books and show are covered in the following.
The dragon was reborn.
The opening of the first episode, "Leavetaking," changes something about the central figure of the Dragon Reborn. The Dragon, originally a man named Lews Therin Telamon, has been reincarnated, but no one knows if he is a man or a woman. The Dragon is assumed to be a man in the books.
I don't think The Wheel of Time will change the identity of the Dragon, as it will have huge repercussions down the line. Adding women like Egwene and Nynaeve to the mix will broaden the mystery of who the Dragon could be.
Different perspectives.
We didn't get to see the scene in the books. Credit: Jan Thijs.
Most of The Eye of the World is told from the perspective of a sheepherder named Rand, who is the main character. The Wheel of Time has us pegged as the lead for the first few episodes. We can understand the stakes of her quest a bit better with this choice.
We can learn more about other characters' lives in the Two Rivers by focusing solely on Rand. Egwene's inclusion into the Women's Circle is an addition that would not have been narrated by Rand. Mat's troubled home life and Perrin's relationship with his wife are shown. Speaking of...
Is Perrin married?
Yes, but not for a while. One of the show's most unnecessary page-to-screen changes occurs when Laila becomes a new corpse. It's clear that Laila's marriage to Perrin is strained when we first meet her. When the trollocs attack, Perrin accidentally kills her. Her death is a classic example offridging, when a character is only there to die or suffer in order to further the emotional arcs of a more central character. It could easily have been avoided. I don't know if he had a strong emotional response to the home being burned. Is Nynaeve being kidnapped?
What now is Nynaeve?
Don't worry, Nynaeve is fine. Everyone thought she was dead after she was carried off by a trolloc. She doesn't leave the Two Rivers with the rest of the group despite surviving the attack. She chases after them after she believes they are in danger from Moiraine. That's harder for her to do in the show.
Bye bye, Baerlon.
The first stop on our journey to Tar Valon has been removed from The Wheel of Time. It makes sense that some places were cut since The Eye of the World is just a group walking from place to place. We're missing some key encounters, like the Nynaeve reunion. The role of the shady Padan Fain has been cut down to just one appearance so far. Min's ability to read people's auras gives big hints about who the Dragon is. We're sure to see Min at some point, since he has been cast in the role by Kae Alexander.
They are Mordeth and Mashadar.
Mat, put that dagger down! Credit: Jan Thijs.
The main beats remain the same despite the fact that the show plays out a bit differently than the books do. We learn about the history of the abandoned city. Mat stole a dagger and the group was separated by a shadowy entity. In The Eye of the World, we get the added step of Mat, Rand, and Perrin meeting a man named Mordeth, who tries to get them to move some treasure for him. He attacks them, only to back off when he realized Mat had taken the dagger.
There is a person named Thom Merrilin.
In the third episode of The Wheel of Time, we meet a mysterious gleeman. In The Eye of the World, Jordan introduces Thom. He accompanies the group when they leave after the attack on Bel Tine. He advises the group to hide their dreams from Moiraine. We could see how this trio interacts with each other if we introduced him now. It also means that we didn't have to worry about remembering in the early episodes. We can spend some time getting to know the supporting cast now that we know our seven leads.
A new friend.
The third episode of "A Place of Safety" shows a Darkfriend who has been influenced by the Dark One threatening Mat and Rand. Dana is not the same as Dena, the lover from the books. She is a completely new character. The Eye of the World is where Mat and Rand meet merchant Howal Gode.
Meeting the Tuatha'an.
Wolves chase after Egwene and Perrin until they come across the nomadic Tuatha'an people. The meeting occurs after Egwene and Perrin spend time with a character named Elyas. Elyas is a wolfbrother who teaches Perrin about wolves. The Wheel of Time is similar to the wolfbrother storyline. It looks like he won't be a part of Elyas since casting hasn't been confirmed.
They are Liandrin and Logain.
The Red Ajah are out for blood. Credit: Jan Thijs.
In The Wheel of Time's third episode, Liandrin, an Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah, and a man claiming to be an imprisoned man cross paths with other people.
The whole scene is new material because Liandrin isn't introduced until The Great Hunt. There are events that happen in The Eye of the World. The Aes Sedai imprisons and brings Logain to the city of Caemlyn, but we never see the actual journey to Caemlyn. One of the advantages of adapting The Wheel of Time is that we get to experience battles and scenes that happen off the page for the first time.
We'll update this post as more episodes of The Wheel of Time stream on Amazon Prime Video and possibly deviate from Jordan's books even more.
The Wheel of Time can be watched on Amazon Prime.
