Even before watching it, I'd seen several effusive reviews of The Wheel of Time, season three, episode four. Thankfully, I was able to avoid most spoilers.
Now, the episode feels like a missed opportunity, a chance to add more depth to what was fast becoming a rushed plot. While there's indeed a lot of material to cover, the decision to devote an entire episode to Rhuidean while glossing over the details that make Aiel culture so unique is polarizing.
The Car'a'carn is no small thing. The Car'a'carn is the prophesied messiah and doomsday symbol for the Aiel. The Aiel should be after Rand in droves the minute the party crosses the Spine of the World.
The minute he is anointed in Rhuidean and the tattoos appear on his arms, Rand becomes the Chief of Chiefs. The significance of this part of the story is poorly emphasized and fails to highlight a crucial link between Rand and the Aiel.
The basis of Rand's relationship with the Aiel isn't the knowledge he finds in Rhuidean. It's in the bonds he forms with Aviendha, the clan chiefs, Wise Ones, and the understanding of their politics. But, here, we see the screenwriters put all their money in the Rhuidean bank, counting on the flashback effects to convey a plotline the original author certainly didn't gloss over.
That said, the flashbacks were quite good. It just seemed a disappointing waste of screentime when lots of stuff could've been happening. A lot of plot progress was made between books three and four of The Wheel of Time, but we've barely seen any of it in The Road to the Spear.
Right before this episode kicks off, it's clear that the deviation from the source material will only continue rather than abate. From the choice to enter Rhuidean before Tear, to Rand's relationship with Aviendha, the story has only strayed further from the books.
Aviendha is supposed to be Rand's third wife. It's Rand, Min, Elayne, and Aviendha all taking turns at the Dragon Reborn. The Aiel aren't explored deeply enough, with too much emphasis on their past. We could get the reveals later. Just get things going.
We need more Forsaken scenes. The Wheel of Time, season three, episode four ought to cover more material, but it's so slow.
All the signs point to a ninety percent deviation from the source material by the time season five rears its head. Perhaps Amazon Prime intends to produce a limited amount of seasons; no one knows. Still, I believe it takes a ton out of the story to see the screenwriters deviate so strongly from the core themes that the author of The Wheel of Time books pushed.
Matrim Cauthon, dear Mat, is a passenger character now, sadly. It was a grave error not to bring him to Rhuidean, instead likely shipping him to Tanchico or elsewhere. Perhaps the screenwriters intend to use Mat in the fight against the Black Ajah in the White Tower. Who knows?
It's a shame to see Mat, the best character in the book by far, get upstaged by Lan. I mean, Moiraine was brilliantly cast. Aviendha, Elayne, Range, Lan, Egwene and Nynaeve were, too. But the fact that Dońal Finn is the second actor to play this character already speaks volumes. They're fumbling it big time.
The Road to the Spea is one of the most enlightening episodes in the series so far. Cramping Rhuidean into one episode doesn't sit well with me, but we can't deny its impact on the story.
Suddenly, plenty of questions are popping up, and the audience is even more keen to find out what happens next. Credit to the all-female director crew for that.
Despite everything I mentioned previously, The Wheel of Time is an excellent production. Three seasons in, and the standards have barely dropped. I'd go as far as saying The Wheel of Time already tops HBO's Game of Thrones as the best fantasy series of all time. This may not be apparent now. But it will be.
