Rand’s ending in The Wheel of Time season 1 finale sets up five more changes to his original story. So far, Amazon’s adaptation of Robert Jordan’s books has taken a number of twists and turns that separate it from the source material. Arguably one of its most consequential deviations from Jordan’s novels is how it ended things with Rand.
In The Eye of the World, Rand discovered his ability to channel the One Power and succeeded in defeating Ishamael. His journey resumed in the second book, which picked off where The Eye of the World left off with the characters in Fal Dara. The TV version of the story, on the other hand, saw Rand convince Moiraine to allow the others to think he’s dead while he goes off alone. By taking such a surprising direction with Rand, the series has effectively set up even more changes occurring when season 2 begins. Here’s what Rand’s ending means for his next adventures in Amazon’s Wheel of Time show.
5 Rand’s Search For Padan Fain
In The Great Hunt, Rand plays a key role in the search for Padan Fain and the Horn of Valere. He, along with Perrin, Mat, Loial, and a few others embark on a long quest to retrieve the Horn. The season 1 finale set this mission in motion by having Fain make off with the horn and Mat’s cursed dagger, although it looks like Rand won’t be a part of it. With Rand traveling solo for the time being, it’s unlikely he’ll be sharing an adventure with Perrin, Loial, and Mat. If that’s the case, many of the characters involved in that storyline, such as Ingtar and Hurin, may be interacting primarily with Loial and Perrin.
Of course, none of this is to say that all of Rand’s Great Hunt story has been retconned. Much of what happened to Rand after he, Hurin, and Loial were separated from Ingtar’s group may still happen, albeit not as a result of his efforts to find Fain. After all, it’s hard to imagine The Wheel of Time not covering Rand’s time with Selene or his trip through the alternate world. It’s possible that the show has elected to tell these stories right away, rather than distract him with Padan Fain first. The latter may be a problem for Perrin to handle.
4 Rand May Not Learn Swordsmanship From Lan Anytime Soon
Rand’s greatest asset in the books is the One Power, but it’s not the only thing he brings to the table when it comes to combat. Thanks to a great deal of one-on-one time spent with Lan, Rand is also an accomplished swordsman. In the books, Lan trained Rand in using Tam’s heron-marked sword while they were still in Fal Dara. But in the show, Rand left without ever undertaking these training sessions. Moiraine’s party splitting apart at the end of season 1 creates an obstacle toward that story happening in The Wheel of Time season 2.
The Wheel of Time hasn’t ruled out Rand learning his sword-fighting skills, but it does seem to have delayed it. As things stand, it’s hard to say when his paths will converge with Lan and Moiraine’s again. If it goes by the books, he may not have another opportunity to travel with either of them again until the show progresses to the events of the fourth book, The Shadow Rising. What’s more is that Rand will need his training if he’s to have a book-accurate version of his fight with the Seanchan warlord, Turok.
3 The Wheel of Time Can Already Tell Rand’s Dragon Reborn Story
By cutting out Rand’s time with Ingtar’s group, The Wheel of Time will be able to speed up his story, thus allowing room for moments that weren’t shown in the books. In spite of Rand being the subject of the third book’s title, The Dragon Reborn, the character himself was hardly in the story. He was mostly an unseen figure for the majority of the novel. But now, this adventure can now be shown in full. Plus, it can now happen much earlier in relation to the other plotlines expected to play out. While The Wheel of Time is busy telling Egwene, Nynaeve, Perrin, and Mat’s Great Hunt stories, the show may have already moved on to Rand’s Dragon Reborn arc.
2 Wheel Of Time May Not Adapt Rand & Loial’s Friendship
The narrative choices made by Wheel of Time risks the show missing out on one of the most important friendships in the books. Rand and Loial are traveling companions throughout several of Jordan’s novels, namely The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt, and A Crown of Swords. Season 1 gave them some screentime as well as a near word-for-word recreation of their first meeting from The Eye of the World, but didn’t go much further than that with their relationship.
This could have been rectified in Wheel of Time season 2, especially since Loial is one of the characters that wound up in Rand’s company when Ingtar’s group splits up in The Great Hunt. A great many of his scenes in the book are actually with Loial, but with the character still with the main group in Fal Dara, their friendship may unfortunately not get any attention in season 2. Leaving Loial out of Rand’s adventure could lead to the show replacing him with another Wheel of Time character.
1 Rand’s New Journey Can Change Masema’s Introduction
Rand taking a different path sparks a change to the introduction of a key supporting player in Jordan’s books. Masema Daggar, one of the Shienaran soldiers in Ingtar’s party, took a strong disliking to Rand as soon as they met. However, his disposition took a surprising turn at the end of The Great Hunt when he saw Rand fighting Ishamael in Falme. Witnessing his use of the One Power inspired a new attitude in Masema, who pledged allegiance to Rand and became the Prophet of the Dragon. From that moment on, Masema became one of Rand’s most loyal supporters.
Despite Rand not being in a position to join the hunt for Padan Fain, The Wheel of Time can still see Masema become the Prophet of the Dragon, but Rand’s season 1 ending indicates that Masema may not reach this point in the same way as his book counterpart. So if he doesn’t travel with Rand, he may not encounter him until the battle at Falme. If that’s the route the show takes, his character won’t go through an about-face in regards to his opinion of Rand. This would in turn make Masema’s transformation into the Prophet of the Dragon significantly less meaningful.