Prime Video’s panel for The Wheel of Time held on October 7, 2022 at the New York Comic Con featured plenty of interesting tidbits on season two. Showrunner Rafe Judkins joined cast members Marcus Rutherford (“Perrin Aybara”), Madeleine Madden (“Egwene Al’Vere”), Daniel Henney (“Lan Mandragoran”), Dónal Finn (“Mat Cauthon”), and Ceara Coveney (“Elayne Trakand”) on stage at Javits Center to share some of what’s in store for the highly anticipated new season.
Judkins said season two will include a dive into the Seanchan world and will take the story through the end of Robert Jordan’s third book in The Wheel of Time series. Key characters will be going on journeys on their own, rather than the group dynamics we saw in season one. Judkins also promised that after the hard work of setting up this world in the first season, season two will allow viewers to spend more time with the characters without having to establish who they are.
And Judkins confirmed there are already people in London working in the writers room on season three.
“The Seanchan just kind of come in and sideswipe every story in the show,” explained Judkins, discussing season two. “A couple people on this stage, including lovely Madeleine, have an experience with the Seanchan. And Marcus as well – really everyone. They sideswipe the show just as much as they do the books. It’s a really cool storytelling device that Robert Jordan built. I think it’s so special and I’ve been so excited to bring it to screen.”
Daniel Henney, who plays fan favorite Lan, confirmed Moiraine’s separation from magic will affect his character in the new season.
“It affects Lan directly because of their bond that they have – or do not have, at this point – her being cut off from the source. So, I think it’s kind of like anyone in life who has a profound catastrophic moment come into your personal life. I think he finds himself in a place of uncertainty, a very unfamiliar and foreign place to him. And it’s a journey this season for Lan. And it was really fun to play because I think being with Moiraine for so long, for many, many years, traveling together searching for the Dragon Reborn, obviously there’s a huge connection there. Not only because they’re bonded through the One Power but because they’ve spent so much time together.
And I think everyone knows that Lan is a boy with no home, a king with no kingdom. I think he found a home in Moiraine. When that home is altered it puts him in a very strange, vulnerable place. That’s the journey you find Lan on, and it’s a deeper dive into who he is as a man. I think it’s a very formative season for him, so I’m really excited for everyone to see it.”
Madeleine Madden believes being an independent woman is “the whole damn meal,” and we can look forward to seeing Egwene fall into her own destiny in season two. “I think a reoccurring theme for all of the characters is dealing with this loneliness that they all face, whether that’s losing the One Power or losing a companion or a sense of home or what your destiny is. All of our characters are kind of isolated in this loneliness. I think this is a really wonderful foundation for them to build themselves back up, particularly Egwene.
Obviously, we dive a bit more into the Seanchan world. And, yeah, it was a difficult season to shoot but I really am so pleased with the Egwene that I found – the Egwene that so many of the fans grow to love. She’s a really strong human being. The only person who’s going to get in her way is herself. And so, we see her break through these internal obstacles.”
Asked how Perrin’s grief (and guilt) will impact him on his hero’s journey, Marcus Rutherford replied, “He gets a rough start. Bless him, Perrin. He has this interesting relationship with violence in the books. It’s a conflict that he has, and I think in the books Robert Jordan can beautifully explore it with an inner monologue of what’s going on in his head. But when you translate that to the screen, if you have a character who’s very introverted and introspective and quite shy, you have to kind of maybe navigate it in different ways.
And I think that moment, that relationship that he has right at the start, obviously is a very traumatic experience for him but a very distressing scene that the audience will remember. It lays that foundation so as he goes out into the world, even though he is a gentle giant he constantly finds himself at the forefront of warfare, violence, bloodshed… He has to kind of decide if it’s worth picking up a weapon again or if it’s possible to kind of navigate without it. And it’s something that troubles him.
That dichotomy is something that we stick with. He starts to meet different people who have different perspectives on violence. And he knows he has this animalistic sort of side to him that he’s fearful of if he unleashes. And I think what’s really exciting is seeing him move forward in that and realizing is violence something that he can escape? Is it something that’s deep within him as well?”
One of Judkins’ favorite new faces in season two is Dónal Finn as Mat Cauthon. Mat also happens to be one of Judkins’ favorite characters in the books. Mat won’t be traveling with his friends as we catch up with him in season two, and Finn described what Mat’s going through.
“Well, I suppose he’s by nature a very social creature. He thrives in the company of others, and he loves his mates from home,” said Finn. “I think maybe there’s a bit of doubt there as well that means sometimes he feels that he has to protect his mates from him which leads him to kind of withdraw a bit.”
A clip was shown for the NYCC audience that revealed Mat is in isolation. “I think we probably all have some experience with isolation lately,” said Finn, laughing. “And that just leads to a bit of reflection. It leads to looking inwards and assessing decisions that he’s made in the past and the way that he’s treated his friends. I think that probably means the journey onwards is a bit like a redemption song.”
The Wheel of Time Panel Tidbits:
– Perrin will “go there” – fans will know what that means – in season two.
– It took four days in the freezing Czech Republic to film the opening of season one episode seven.
– There will be “loads” of Mat and Liandrin banter, according to Dónal Finn.
