This article contains spoilers for The Wheel of Time season 3, episode 6. I can't believe The Wheel of Time has made major changes to the books. Season 3, episode 6 features one of the most surprising to date, as Faile tells Perrin about her family history.
Faile reveals that her mother was a Darkfriend, sworn to serve the Dark One. Her mother, Deira, revealed this to Faile herself as she tried to persuade her daughter to become a Darkfriend too; shocked, Faile made the mistake of telling her brother, who confronted Deira and was killed for her goodness. This, it seems, was the whole reason Faile left home to begin her hunt for the Horn of Valere. It's a shocking moment, and it feels like a hint that Darkfriends really do lurk around every corner. But it's also a major change from the books.
Deira Wasn't A Darkfriend In The Wheel Of Time Books
Image via Prime Video
This gives Deira (and, by extension, Faile) a very different backstory to the books. In Robert Jordan's telling, Deira was an influential Saldean noblewoman who was utterly devoted to her husband. Her love for her husband made her a problematic ally for Rand, who she feared would get her husband killed; they both tragically died in battle.
It would be an exaggeration to call Deira an antagonist for Rand al'Thor as the Dragon Reborn, but she certainly wasn't an ally. But that was the beauty of Robert Jordan's story; people don't fall into simple roles, just as they don't in ordinary life. Now it seems Deira has been changed quite a bit, and there'll be a significant impact.
How The Wheel Of Time's Deira Change Could Impact The Show
It's reasonable to assume this is setup, with Deira actually serving as an enemy later on in The Wheel of Time - notably when the show gets around to sending Rand to Illian. At the same time, though, it's difficult to figure out exactly how this story will be changed; Perrin and Faile interact a lot with Deira in Jordan's books, and both already know she's a Darkfriend. This could make for further changes down the road, with Amazon's retelling perhaps keeping Perrin and Faile away from Rand for a little longer so he can unwittingly allow a Darkfriend to serve among his ers.
The Wheel of Time
- Release Date
- November 18, 2021
- Network
- Prime Video
- Showrunner
- Rafe Judkins
Cast
Moiraine Damodred
al'Lan Mandragoran
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Sanaa Hamri, Ciaran Donnelly, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Thomas Napper, Maja Vrvilo, Wayne Che Yip
- Writers
- Amanda Kate Shuman, Dave Hill, Rohit Kumar, Justine Juel Gillmer, Celine Song, Rammy Park, The Clarksons Twins, Katherine B. McKenna
- Franchise(s)
- The Wheel of Time
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