With the time until the release of season 3 of Amazon’sThe Wheel of Time, there’s been a lot of debate about whether the season will redeem the show or not, which has garnered a significant amount of criticism so far. Most of the concerns relate to howfaithful the show is to theWheel of Timebooks, as numerous changes have been made from the source material, many of which fans have seen as completely unnecessary.
One seemingly minor yet important difference is the relationshipRand al’Thor has with his signature weapon– the sword. By the equivalent point in the books' timeline, Rand has spent a lot more time learning about the way of the sword, but Amazon’s series has glossed over much of that; now, asseason 3 ofThe Wheel of Timeapproaches, it seems like the show may be prepared to make up for lost time.
Rand Will Train With Lan In The Wheel Of Time Season 3, Fixing A Big Book Change
The Dragon Reborn Will Finally Learn Which End Of The Sword Is The Pointy One
A new set ofstills fromWheel of Timeseason 3show that, at least once, Rand will practice his sword forms with Lan, Moiraine’s Warder. This is a scene that’s been a long time coming, as by the events ofThe Shadow Rising, the fourth book in the series, Rand was already well on his way to being worthy ofthe heron mark on his father Tam’s sword.
A sword marked by a heron at the base of the blade or on the hilt, in the world ofThe Wheel of Time, signifies that the wielder is a true swordmaster. Tam al’Thor earned that title during his service with Illian’s elite Companions. In the books, Tam’s sword is destroyed when Rand uses it to wound Ishamael at Falme; the blade melts, but not before marking both of Rand’s palms with the heron, as foretold in the Karaethon Cycle (the prophecies that dictate the course of the Dragon Reborn’s struggle against the Dark One).
In the Prime Video series, Rand has spent very little time with Lan at all, except during their collective flight from Emond’s Field back in season 1. Rand choosing to fake his own death at the end of that season after confronting Ishamael changed the flow of events, as in the books, the whole party returns to the Shienaran city of Fal Dara afterward and spends time recuperating there; it’s in that downtime that Rand learns some of the most important lessons of swordmastery from Lan. Thankfully, that’s one of thebook moments the season 3 trailer teases.
Why Rand Training With Lan Is So Important In The Wheel Of Time Books
A Hero Who Starts The Series As A Shepherd Needs To Have Their Growth Shown
Rand’s arc of learning how to use the sword is absolutely critical to his character, because it serves as a narrative parallel for his growth as a whole, as well as factoring into the Karaethon Cycle. When Rand first picks up his father Tam’s heron-marked blade and uses it against a Trolloc, it’s his first time wielding a blade in anger; it’s only over the course of time, and with the advice of his father and Lan, that he becomes worthy of the heron mark.
One of the first sword forms Lan teaches Rand in the books is Sheathing the Sword, where the blademaster willingly takes a potentially fatal blow from an opponent in order to guarantee a killing strike of their own. This foreshadows Lan’s fate at the end of the books, when he uses this technique to defeat the Forsaken general Demandred.
Early on in the first book,The Eye of the World, Rand and Tam discuss the theory of the Flame and the Void, a meditative trick Tam taught his son as an archery technique (but that Tam learned during his own swordmaster training, although Rand knew nothing about that). In later conversations with Lan over the next few books, Rand learned to apply the Flame and the Void to first his sword forms, then to his use of the One Power; without Lan’s training, Rand would likely have died against any number of opponents, particularlythe Forsaken leader Ishamael.
The Wheel Of Time Season 3’s Rand Fix Might Be Too Little, Too Late
Amazon’s Series May Not Survive Another Season Of Lukewarm Reviews
Even if season 3 does have one or more scenes of Rand training with Lan, it may not be enough to assuage jaded fans of the series.The Wheel of Time’s accuracy to the booksin the upcoming seasons is critical, if the show wants to retain viewers that may otherwise jump ship to shows likeRings of PowerorHouse of the Dragon. GivenThe Wheel of Time’s slow increase in ratings over its first two seasons, season 3’s success or failure may well prove to be the show’s breaking point.
10 Moments From The Books The Wheel Of Time Needs To Get Right
Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time adapts Robert Jordan’s book series of the same name, and the show must get 10 crucial book scenes right.
It does go without saying that the showrunners forThe Wheel of Timearen’t beholden to the fans; they’re trying to stay true to their own creative vision, and fan complaints shouldn’t derail those efforts. Yet many of the changes that have been made, such as not showing Rand’s time practicing and improving with the sword, have resulted in the series often feeling inconsistent and missing the heart and struggle that are so central to the story of the books. Hopefully, the events of season 3 will finally provide a narrative justification for some of the more egregious changes.
The Wheel of Time
Cast
The Wheel of Time follows Moiraine, a member of the powerful all-female organization Aes Sedai, as she leads a perilous quest with five young individuals. Moiraine suspects one among them could be the prophesized reincarnation of a mighty figure destined to either save or doom humanity.
