By completing the show’s Horn of Valere story, The Wheel Of Time season 2 finale set up the next chapter in the Dragon Reborn saga. After several episodes of buildup for the final showdown in Falme with the Seanchan, The Wheel of Time season 2 finally brought the storyline to fruition, paying off multiple plotlines and adapting key moments from the books.
Picking up where episode 7 left off, The Wheel of Time season 2 finale saw the main characters step into an all-out war between the Seanchan and the Whitecloaks. Fortunately, the protagonists came out on top, with Rand killing both Lord Turak and Ishamael. Featuring heavy casualties, the battle culminated in Rand being proclaimed the Dragon Reborn before the people of Falme. As a result, the stage is set for The Wheel of Time season 3, which is on track to adapt a different book in Robert Jordan’s fantasy series.
Wheel Of Time Season 2’s Ending Kills Off 6 Book Characters
Not All The Deaths Were Consistent With The Books
The conclusion of the Horn of Valere arc coincided with the deaths of six characters from Robert Jordan’s books: Ishamael, High Lord Turak, Ingtar Shinowa, Renna, Geofram Bornald, and Hopper. In some cases, these deaths were expected. In The Great Hunt, the book that serves as the foundation for season 2’s story, Ingtar, Geofram, and Turak die during the climactic fight. Ingtar sacrifices himself to save his friends, Geofram falls fighting the Seanchan, and Turak loses his life in a duel with Rand.
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All three deaths occur in the show, with the biggest change being that the TV show’s Geofram is killed by Perrin – not the Seanchan. Though Ingtar died in a manner reminiscent of what happened in the books, the motivation for it appeared to be different. In the book, Ingtar turned out to be a Darkfriend secretly working against his friends. Overcome with guilt over his actions, Ingtar tried to redeem himself by giving up his life for them in the final battle.
As for Renna, she didn’t die until book 10.
Curiously, the TV show hinted at Ingtar being a Darkfriend when he urged Perrin to consider that Padan Fain might have good reasons for serving the Dark One. But, this connection was never outright proven, with Ingtar dying after seemingly being inspired by Loial's speech. As for Renna, she didn’t die until book 10 (The Crossroads of Twilight), but as an extremely minor character in the grand scheme of things, her dying at the hands of Egwene is far from a surprise.
The same can’t be said for Hopper, though, as his wolf friend was meant to journey alongside Perrin for quite some time in books. Instead, the show killed him off, giving Perrin a reason to kill Geofram. Another massive casualty worth mentioning is Ishamael, especially since the book character survived his book 2 defeat and died fighting Rand in book 3, The Dragon Reborn. Apparently, their epic rematch at the Stone of Tear isn’t part of the plan for Amazon’s show.
Mat Blows The Horn Of Valere, Sets Up More Book Stories
Uno Nomesta Was Also A Hero Of The Horn After He Died
Among the most important events from The Great Hunt carried over to The Wheel of Time was the blowing of the Horn of Valere. Mat using the Horn in Falme is easily one of the character’s biggest moments in the books, thus making it a highlight of the season 2 finale. Activating the Horn of Valere summoned the Heroes of the Horn, the spirits of long-dead, legendary figures from Wheel of Time lore. The TV interpretation of the story added Uno Nomesta to the mix by revealing that he became a Hero of the Horn after his death.
The Heroes disappeared after the fight, but that’s unlikely to be the last time they’re used. In the prophecy, the Heroes of the Horn are expected to be called to help the Dragon Reborn win the Last Battle. They answer to the Hornsounder, a role that Mat unwittingly just claimed. What’s more, the show revealed a connection between Mat and the Heroes, with the latter recognizing him. Apparently, the tea Mat drank really did allow him to his “past lives,” which lays the groundwork for his new memories to become relevant to future stories.
The Wheel Of Time Season Fulfills A Key Part Of The Dragon Reborn Prophecy
Rand Becomes The Dragon Reborn
For much of season 2, there’s been talk about Rand being proclaimed the Dragon Reborn, “bannered ‘cross the sky in fire.” Not only is this a key part of the Dragon Reborn prophecy, but it’s also a huge moment from The Great Hunt’s finale, making it inevitable that it would happen in some form in season 2’s ending. In the book version, Rand battles Ishamael in the clouds, with the people of Falme watching in awe.
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The series changes this by having Rand kill him in one blow atop a tower. Rather than have Rand channel the fire mentioned by the prophecy, the show instead has Moiraine create a fiery dragon to symbolize the Dragon’s return. What happened to Rand’s hand when he killed Ishamael relates to the prophecy. The Dragon Reborn is meant to be marked by “the heron” twice in the books. The heron mark from the sword being burned onto his hand fulfills half of this tease, just as it did in the book. Presumably, he’ll be burned one more time.
What Happens Next For The Wheel Of Time’s Main Characters
Season 3 Is Skipping To Book 4
Where The Wheel of Time leaves its main protagonists creates a blueprint for where the series may go. Its ending lines up with book 2’s ending, implying that their book 3 stories are next. That said, it’s already been confirmed that book 4, The Shadow Rising, will be the focus of season 3. What that means is that some characters may have their next adventures in the books skipped or combined with their book 4 arcs. This looks likely, given that Aviendha has identified Rand as the Car’a’carn.
In the books, Rand meeting the Aiel leads to him, Moiraine, Lan, Mat, Egwene, and Aviendha embarking on a long trip to the Aiel Waste. Based on the setup and what occurs in The Shadow Rising, an Aiel-centric storyline makes a lot of sense for The Wheel of Time season 3. Like The Great Hunt, book 4 splits the characters, sending Perrin and Loial to Two Rivers and Nynaeve and Elayne to Tanchico. But since the two girls never got far in their Aes Sedai training, the show may have them go back to the White Tower for a time first.
How Wheel Of Time Season 2's Ending Was Received
Fans Seemed Split Based On Their Love Of Rand Or Egwene
The Wheel of Time season 2 was mainly praised by critics and audience , with an 86% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 80% audience score. One audience reviewer wrote that they had a problem with the ending, but overall, it was a good experience. "A marked improvement in season two is encouraging. I have issues with the execution of the ending, but the added episode runtime made a huge difference in this season, and we are getting some more character development."
A major criticism of The Wheel of Time's season 2 ending was discussed in a Reddit thread in the WoT subreddit. The OP pointed out that the divide is between fans of Rand's character and those of Egwene's character:
"I've noticed a lot of the people defending the finale liked Egwene in the books and the show, and some even say (major book spoilers) they are upset with Brandon for killing off Egwene so early in the final books...if you were a big Rand book fan, you're going to be upset he isn't getting as much screen time or epic moments in the show."
This led to people commenting on Rand (The Dragon Reborn) not getting enough big moments. "Rand is the Dragon Reborn. Give him some moments," one Redditor wrote. After losing all the times he was saved or helped, they said, "There’s a bunch of times he’s saved by others in the story, not to mention the times he’s saved by healing."
The Wheel Of Time Sets Up Moghedien & The Other Forsaken As Season 3’s Villains
Moghedien Is Coming
As for who they’ll be up against now that Ishamael is out of the way, The Wheel Of Time isn’t making any effort to hide the show’s next big villain. Namedropped earlier by Lanfear as the “insane” member of the Forsaken, Moghedien has emerged as the next villain. What’s worse, Ishamael freed the rest of the Forsaken before his death, meaning Rand and the others may be fighting several of the Dark One’s generals in The Wheel of Time season 3.
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As Moghedien’s debut scene implied, her mastery of the World of Dreams aka Tel'aran'rhiod outshines even Lanfear’s, making her a formidable enemy that the main characters will have to find a way to deal with in the near future.
What We Know About Season 3
The Rest Of The Forsaken Is Likely Coming
There will be significant changes in The Wheel of Time season 3 compared to the books. For one thing, many characters go off on their own journeys rather than teaming up as they did in the books. With that in mind, what happens to the characters will be based on storylines from book 4 in the novel series, The Shadow Rising. As a result, the series will either skip the events of The Dragon Reborn (Book 3) or implement part of it in this series. This means the story is set to follow the characters on their quests.
Aviendha of the Aiel has identified Rand as the Car'a'carn.
In the novel, Rand, Mat, and Egwene go to the Aiel Waste, while Perrin returns to the Two Rivers. Since Aviendha of the Aiel has identified Rand as the Car'a'carn, Rand is likely headed to Airl Waste in season 3, although not necessarily with the companions he had in the books. As mentioned above, the villain is likely Moghedien, a previously unseen member of the Forsaken. Also likely coming is the remaining Forsaken, so this is what the heroes should be facing in the new season.
The Wheel of Time season 3 has added several new characters, including Elaida do Avriny a’Roihan, Queen Margase Trakand, Prince Galad, Lord Gaebril, and Lord Gawyn. Also ing the cast is Isabella Bucceri as Faile Bashere, Nukâka Coster-Waldau as Bair, Salóme Gunnarsdóttir as Melanie, Synnøve Macody Lund as Melindhra, and Björn Landberg as Rhuarc. The Wheel of Time season 3 premieres on March 13, 2025.
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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