Summary
- Season 3 of The Wheel of Time may combine key elements from multiple books to create a cohesive narrative structure.
- The show's adaptation of The Dragon Reborn's ending is crucial for advancing the overall story and character development.
- Combining books 3 and 4 could streamline the plot and allow for a more seamless transition between key storylines.
Rather than cover just the fourth installment, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Seasons 1 and 2 told the stories of the first two books, The Eye of the World and The Great Hunt. Based on what's been confirmed about the chapter of the saga, season 3 is breaking the formula by going out of order and jumping to book 4, The Shadow Rising.
However, the show's plan for Wheel of Time season 3's take on The Shadow Rising.
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The Wheel Of Time Season 3 Would Struggle To Skip The Dragon Reborn
The Dragon Reborn's Ending Is Vital To The Story
With The Shadow Rising on the horizon, it makes sense to assume that it'll begin with Rand departing Falme for the Aiel Waste and end as the book does, with him beating Asmodean in Rhudiean. That lines up with the linear approach taken by the show's first two book adaptations, but the number of important developments in book 3, The Dragon Reborn, complicate that scenario immensely.
Firstly, there's the claiming of Callandor at the Stone of Tear where Be'lal and Ishamael are killed. Rand taking up The Sword That Is Not A Sword s for a huge part of the Dragon Reborn prophecy, particularly since he'll need it for The Last Battle. Not only that, but having Callandor has a lot to do with why the Aiel accept him as the Car'a'carn in the first place. Similar to how it ended book 3, the fight at the Stone of Tear feels tailor-made for a season finale, but a direct adaptation of The Shadow Rising would keep that possibility from working out.
In the books, the Aiel believe that Rand is the Car'a'carn, a figure of legend destined to unite their people. It's because of this widespread belief that he travels to the Aiel Waste in The Shadow Rising.
Other key storylines from The Dragon Reborn are Perrin's party meeting Faile Bashere on the way to find Rand and the time that Egwene, Elayne, and Nynaeve spend in the White Tower. Both see major characters meet their main love interests for the first time, with Faile being Perrin's future wife and Gawyn being the person Egwene falls in love after getting over Rand. This story also serves as an extra step toward Siuan Sanche's downfall and the girls' journeys in becoming Aes Sedai.
How Wheel Of Time Can Realistically Combine The Dragon Reborn & The Shadow Rising
Books 3 And 4 Could Be Combined Without Much Difficulty
When looking at the most significant content from The Dragon Reborn and what happens in The Shadow Rising, it's clear that combining the two entries in the series into one, neat, narrative is far from implausible. For instance, Perrin's adventure and meeting can still happen, albeit with a different goal - returning to the Two Rivers, not finding Rand. As for the White Tower plot, Egwene could go back to the White Tower while Elayne and Nynaeve are in Tanchico fighting Moghedien.
The Stone of Tear could also be incorporated, despite the challenges. Because of the One Power ability known as Traveling (which was teased in The Wheel of Time season 2's ending), Rand could realistically reach the Stone of Tear even though he'll be in the Aiel Waste for the majority of the season. Theoretically, the season could replace Rand and Asmodean's fight over the Choeden Kal access key with the siege at the Stone of Tear. Rather than the access key, the prize for his battle with Asmodean could be Callandor.
Taking this route could work well, given how The Dragon Reborn is structured. It has its fair share of consequential character moments, of course, but also includes content that doesn't exactly require the full-season treatment. One example of this is all the time spent finding Rand. Because Rand himself appears very little in The Dragon Reborn, The Wheel of Time can avoid a long absence for Rand by using parts of the story, as opposed to the whole book.
The Fires Of Heaven Could Secretly Be A Big Part Of Wheel Of Time Season 3
Because Like The Dragon Reborn, It's Unlikely To Get The Full-Season Treatment
While The Wheel of Time would be setting itself up for a massive challenge by adapting The Dragon Reborn and The Shadow Rising in a single season, it could be that The Fires of Heaven will actually be covered extensively as well. Book 5, The Fires of Heaven, sees Rand battle Rahvin, a member of the Forsaken in The Wheel of Time books and a villain who conspired to take over the Lion Throne from Queen Morgase Trakand.
After all, it shouldn't be forgotten that in a lot of ways, The Fires of Heaven feels like a "part two" to The Shadow Rising, in that it continues plotlines from the previous book. It furthers Rand's experiences in the Aiel Waste, pits Nynaeve against Moghedien, and explores the fallout of the Aes Sedai coup at the White Tower. That aspect of The Fires of Heaven arguably makes it the easiest to merge into season 3's take on The Shadow Rising. The show doing that makes more sense than making it the focus of season 4, especially since it still has several more books left to adapt.
As for The Fires of Heaven's finale, it doesn't relate directly to The Shadow Rising, but it does tie into The Dragon Reborn. In The Dragon Reborn, Mat went to Caemlyn, which is when Rahvin's plans first came into focus. But the books diverted its attention from this plotine in The Shadow Rising and didn't resolve it until The Fires of Heaven, which wrapped up with an epic battle against Rahvin. Perhaps through Mat's arc in The Wheel of Time season 3, the series could tell the full story, with Rahvin as his villain instead of Rand's.
The Wheel of Time
- Release Date
- November 18, 2021
- Network
- Prime Video
- Showrunner
- Rafe Judkins
Cast
Moiraine Damodred
al'Lan Mandragoran
WHERE TO WATCH
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.
- Franchise(s)
- The Wheel of Time
- Seasons
- 3
- Streaming Service(s)
- Prime Video
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