Warning: Spoilers for The Wheel of Time season 3, episode 6

13 Forsaken in The Wheel of Time books - launched a surprise attack. Rand won the battle, but his spectacular use of the One Power had devastating consequences: the death of Alsera, a young Aiel child and the granddaughter of Rhuarc.

Rand battling - and potentially killing - Sammael in the Aiel Waste and accidentally killing Alsera in the process didn't happen in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time books. However, that's not to say the scene was an invention of the TV series. Rather, it was a homage to an important moment in Rand's character development and one that occurred in The Shadow Rising, the book season 3 is adapting. This particular scene was one of many expected to find its way into Prime Video's interpretation of the story, but it was unclear if it could match the emotion of the original version.

Rand's Failed Attempt To Revive Alsera Is Based On A Memorable Scene From The Shadow Rising

Rand Tried To Resurrect A Dead Child At The Stone Of Tear

What happened to Alsera was inspired by an event that occurred early in The Shadow Rising, prior to Rand's decision to head into the Aiel Waste. While at the Stone of Tear, which Rand seized at the end of The Dragon Reborn, he was beset by two different groups of Shadowspawn, sent by Sammael and Semirhage respectively. To combat them, Rand uses Callandor to channel an immense amount of the One Power and creates a powerful lighting storm. During the chaos, Rand finds the body of a young Tairen girl.

Sammael was behind both the book and TV version of the attacks, but didn't personally take part in the battle in The Shadow Rising. The TV version of the character, on the other hand, coordinated and led the ambush himself.

Rand felt responsible for what happened, even if it wasn't his use of the One Power that killed her. It was his opinion that he didn't act sooner in the battle, and that perhaps he should have left the Stone of Tear earlier. Fueled by his guilt, he sought to save her, believing - incorrectly - that the additional strength granted to him by Callandor would enable him to bring back the dead.

after a short while, Rand painfully accepted that resurrection was not within Rand's capabilities as the Dragon Reborn

Moiraine told Rand that what he was trying to do was impossible, but Rand pressed on and channeled weaves of the One Power into the child's corpse. Finally, after a short while, Rand painfully accepted that resurrection was not within Rand's capabilities as the Dragon Reborn, gave up, and wept over the dead girl.

How The Wheel Of Time Season 3 Makes The Resurrection Scene Even Sadder

The Wheel Of Time Set Up The Scene By Developing A Friendly Bond Between Rand And Alsera

The Wheel of Time made some notable changes to this particular moment from The Shadow Rising, but kept its most intrinsic elements. It doesn't happen at the Stone of Tear, nor does it involve Callandor in any form, but the underlying emotions it's meant to convey transfer neatly from the page to the screen. In both versions, Rand has reasons to feel a degree of responsibility for the tragedy. But the show's version offers an even greater gut punch to Rand, partially because it doesn't shy away from the idea that Rand caused her death.

Rand did indeed topple the building that killed her, whereas the book character simply blamed himself because he didn't stop the attack. It was never confirmed whether it was Rand's lighting storm or something else that killed her. Sadly, the circumstances of Alsera's death are much less ambiguous, and therefore her fate provides a very direct reminder to Rand of the great cost that comes with using the male half of the One Power.

What's worse for both Rand and the audience is the familiarity of the person he was trying to save. The Shadow Rising never named the child Rand was trying to resurrect, as she was never a character in the story. The show took a decidedly different approach, introducing Alsera as Rhuarc's granddaughter and someone who Rand actually interacts with. The seriousness in which she treated Aiel honor and her exchanges with Rand immediately made her likable. Attributing a face and personality to the dead child lent itself well to the scene's effectiveness.

By having this happen with someone Rand knew and liked made it deeply personal, in a way that it never really was in The Shadow Rising. Taking this route made it all the easier to feel the disbelief that Rand experiences when he realizes what's happened and the heartbreak that hits him when he knows that it can't be undone, not to mention the overwhelming guilt that's taken hold of him in this moment.

Why Rand Trying To Save The Dead Child Is Such A Significant Moment In The Wheel Of Time

Rand Needs To Know He Can't Save Everyone

By skipping Rand's trip to Tear in The Dragon Reborn, The Wheel of Time risked a situation where several moments from the source material would be left out of the narrative. Such omissions were inevitable, as season 3 hasn't featured Rand's interactions with Berelain or Perrin's painstaking search for Rand. But even though season 3 didn't begin with the Stone of Tear, there was an expectation for the resurrection scene to be worked into the story regardless. After all, it's a key stepping stone in Rand's journey of who he is and who he has to become.

Loss is a fundamental part of the Dragon Reborn's destiny; the Dragon isn't meant to be the grand hero who saves everyone. People will die in his efforts to reach (and win) the Last Battle

As Rand says in the show, he believed at the time that he "can do anything." What happens here in The Shadow Rising teaches Rand a valuable lesson about the limitations of his abilities as the Dragon Reborn. But perhaps most importantly, it helps Rand comprehend the burden that comes with being the Dragon Reborn. Loss is a fundamental part of the Dragon Reborn's destiny; the Dragon isn't meant to be the grand hero who saves everyone. People will die in his efforts to reach (and win) the Last Battle.

Defeating the Dark One is not a task that Rand can accomplish alone, meaning that Rand has to be prepared to accept the sacrifices that others will make along the way. It may be difficult to see someone who can harden themselves to that kind of loss as relatable, but The Wheel of Time cleverly avoids that, thanks in large to part to the incident with the child. It's an emotionally powerful moment that beautifully highlights how Rand isn't just the most powerful channeler in the world, but also someone who cares deeply about human life.