Warning: This article contains spoilers for Wheel of Time season 1, episodes 1-3.
The change made to Egwene al’Vere (Madeleine Madden) and the Dragon Reborn prophecy in Amazon’s Wheel of Time show may be divisive among book readers, but it actually works well for the TV adaptation. Marketing for Wheel Of Time indicated that both Egwene and Nynaeve (Zoë Robins) would get roped into the mystery surrounding the Dragon Reborn’s identity. The release of the first three episodes has now confirmed that at least Egwene is among one of Moiraine’s primary suspects.
In Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time books, the focus of the story is on the Dragon Reborn, the prophesized reincarnation of an incredibly powerful, fallen hero fated to both save and destroy the world. At the beginning of the series, the Dragon Reborn’s identity was a mystery. Based on clues they had gathered, Moiraine and Lan were able to narrow the list of possible candidates to Rand al’Thor, Perrin Aybara, and Mat Cauthon. Since the original Dragon – Lews Therin – was male, they knew the same had to be true for the Dragon Reborn too. However, Amazon’s Wheel of Time story has revealed the Dragon could have reincarnated into a boy or a girl. This change allowed Egwene to join Rand (Josha Stradowksi), Mat (Barney Harris), and Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) as Dragon Reborn candidates.
The possibility of Lews being reborn as a woman and Egwene being targeted by the Dark One’s forces are deviations from Jordan’s original story. However, they could be good for the show because they provide it with a better reason to pull Egwene into Wheel of Time's story. In the books, Egwene was driven by a desire to leave the Two Rivers village and see the world. For her, Moiraine and Lan’s plans to reach Tar Valon was a huge opportunity. She insisted on going with them to pursue her interests. The problem with this explanation is it wouldn’t mesh well with how the show handled their departure from the Two Rivers.
In Amazon’s version of Wheel Of Time, Egwene’s decision to leave Two Rivers made much more sense - simply because she didn’t have a choice. She was forced into leaving with Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), Lan (Daniel Henney) and the three boys because she too was a target of the Trolloc army. Unlike her counterpart in the Wheel of Time books, Egwene leaving with them wasn’t motivated by a desire for adventure outside the Two Rivers. Moiraine’s group was being hunted by Trollocs, so Egwene volunteering to go (and abandoning her family in the wake of a slaughter) just so she could see the world wouldn’t have worked. Egwene needed a stronger reason than that to become a member of the group.
By incorporating Egwene into the Dragon Reborn mystery and essentially forcing her to leave, Wheel of Time has succeeded in doing just that. Most importantly, the change is unlikely to have a long-term impact, especially since she and any other female candidates should be removed from the suspect list once the true Dragon Reborn is discovered. But by that point, it shouldn’t matter anymore. The journey has just begun and she’s already developing an interest in learning the One Power and becoming an Aes Sedai in the future.