Amazon Prime’s hit series The Wheel of Time reveals sheepherder Rand al’Thor as the Dragon Reborn, and actor Josha Stradowski explains his view of the development for his character and the series. The series is adapted from a 14-volume work with the same title by Robert Jordan, which spanned from the '90s to 2013. The premise of the series follows Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a magic user belonging to an organization called the Aes Sedai, who is in search of the Dragon Reborn, an all-powerful individual who is said to either save the world or destroy it. Moiraine and her Warder (Daniel Henney) search for the Dragon Reborn in Two Rivers, a small region where either Rand al’Thor, Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford), Egqene al’Vere (Madeleine Madden), Nynaeve al”Meanre (Zoё Robins), or Mat Cauthon (Barney Harris) may be the Dragon Reborn.
Rand was revealed to be the Dragon Reborn in episode 6, the series’ penultimate episode, which surprised many viewers who were expecting the reveal during the final episode. The latest and final episode of season 1 opens with events that happened 20 years prior to the main events in the series. Instead of its usual insight into the character and world, the episode opened with an action-packed sequence that explains Rand’s history and identity. Wheel of Time was renewed for season 2 as it concluded filming season 1 in May, so any questions about Rand’s future will be revealed soon.
As the Dragon Reborn’s identity becomes known, Stradowski shares what that means for his character in an interview with Collider. The next phase of Rand’s journey includes understanding his new identity and how that fits with his prophesied journey to either save the world from The Dark One or destroy it. Stradowski says it’s fitting that Rand was revealed to be the Dragon Reborn, because he was a leader and "not someone that follows blindly." Through the first episodes, Stradowski could see Dragon-like behavior in Rand. Read Stradowski’s full comment below:
“Well, it's not an easy thing to accept. I mean, who would dare to face such a truth? I think it needs all those other moments to finally come to that conclusion in Episode 7. Rand has always been someone that was kind of behaving as a leader, not someone that follows blindly. He was questioning Moiraine from the very start, and he was seeing what was going on. Also with Mat, trying to take care of him and actively trying to reunite with his friends. That's just his behavior and that's that kind of leader Dragon behavior that I saw in those first episodes.
Then, of course, you have the hints, the little ones. Recognizing Dragonmount or being recognized as an Aielman. Then there's a bigger one, and that's about a huge part of his identity, and that's the fever dream of Tam. That his dad might not be his real dad. And Min can only confirm that.”
When talking about what Rand’s new identity means for season 2, Stardowski says that season 2 may be about Rand "becoming the Dragon Reborn and all the difficulty that comes with that." The challenges Rand must face include his being away from his home and friends, meeting a slew of new characters, as well as coming to terms with his history and his new identity. The identity shift is enough to cause a character distress, but on top of the pressure of saving the world, it only amplifies the importance of Rand’s position.
The series does an excellent job at keeping Rand’s true identity under wraps through the first season until the reveal. In the novels, it is clear to the reader that Rand is the Dragon Reborn. However, the series makes the change of keeping the Dragon Reborn’s identity a secret even to the audience. The hints Stardowski mentions are breadcrumbs those observant viewers may find, but with an equal focus on other characters, the series truly does keep the mystery alive until the reveal. This is one of a few changes made to the series in its adaptation, the other being the Dragon Reborn prophecy itself, that makes Wheel of Time different enough to make it feel new while remaining faithful to the original novels.
Source: Collider