WoT’s Dragon Reborn Reveal Was Disappointing (If You Haven’t Read The Books) | Pretty Reel

Rand al’Thor’s reveal as the Dragon Reborn at the end of Season 1 of The Wheel of Time may not have come as a big surprise, but it was disappointing, especially for viewers who don’t know. hadn’t read the books in the Prime Video series. based on. The reveal was true to the source material, in which Rand is the dragon, but the show also changed so much from Robert Jordan’s original story and teased things in a much more interesting direction with its adaptation.

In the world of The Wheel of Time, the Reborn Dragon is a prophesied figure who is the reincarnation of the legendary Dragon Lews Therin. Moraine believes the Reborn Dragon is destined to both save and destroy the world and to be a key figure in the battle between light and dark. Although there have always been hints that Rand was the Reborn Dragon, the show and its promotional material have gone out of their way to suggest that one of the four other youngsters Moraine takes to Emond’s Field might turn out to be the Dragon.

In the Season 1 finale of The Wheel of Time, Moiraine realizes that Rand is the real Dragon, leading to his first confrontation with the Dark One. This is true for the books, and was perhaps seen as necessary to avoid rewriting the source material even more drastically. However, from the perspective of someone who only watches the series on stream, Rand is probably the least attractive choice for the Dragon, creating an element of disappointment in The Wheel of Time season 2.

How Amazon’s Wheel Of Time Show Changed The Dragon Reborn

In Robert Jordan’s The Eye of the World, which is the basis for the first season of Amazon Prime Video’s Wheel of Time series, Moiraine only considers Rand, Perrin, and Mat as possible dragons. The Dragon is presented as an exclusively male figure in the gendered scheme of Jordan’s magical system, and its association with the male inability to control the One Power without going mad is part of what makes him such a threat to the light. and darkness. In fact, it was Lews’ attempt to seal the darkness that led to the corruption of the male force of “saidin” and the end of the male Aes Sedai.

However, Amazon’s Wheel of Time teases that Egwene or Nynaeve could also be the Reborn Dragon. In promotional appearances before the series’ release, its creators announced that Dragon Reborn’s identity was a mystery and said it could be a female character or someone different from the books. . There are also suggestions that there have been female false dragons in the past claiming the mantle of the legendary figure. These teases are a major factor in why the show’s decision to make Rand the dragon after all was so disappointing, as the teases of something more interesting made it too safe to choose books.

Why The Wheel Of Time Revealing Rand As The Dragon Was Disappointing

Amazon’s Prime Video series Wheel of Time previously signaled that it was willing to make major changes to Jordan’s source material, including omitting characters from The Eye of the World and making its main cast more diverse and slightly older than in the original novels. However, making another character the Dragon would have been an even bigger and bolder change that would make both book readers and show fans unsure of what was to come.

Part of the reason the Dragon reveal might be particularly disappointing for fans who got started with the streaming series is that the show did a poor job of introducing Rand as an interesting character. All of the other “ta’veren” have intriguing subplots, whether it’s Perrin’s connection to the wolves, Mat’s corruption by the cursed dagger, or Egwene and Nynaeve’s enthronement in the Aes Sedai. Rand, on the other hand, comes across as a generic hero. In the books, this is toned down somewhat by having him be the most frequent point-of-view character, making readers empathize with him, but it’s harder to build into visual medium. The series also removed an important subplot involving Rand and changed the ending of the first book, reducing his agency at the start of the final showdown.

Revealing Rand as a dragon also undermines efforts to introduce more diversity into The Wheel of Time’s fantasy setting. Despite all the expanded roles given to women and people of color in the Amazon Prime Video adaptation, it’s ultimately always a white man who becomes the chosen one, as in so many fantastical stories that have come before it. A bolder but more interesting choice would have been to change the identity of the Dragon or completely subvert what the Reborn Dragon means.

Who Should Have Been Dragon Reborn in Amazon’s Wheel of Time

There were a number of potentially more interesting answers to The Wheel of Time’s Dragon Reborn mystery. The most interesting single person to be the Dragon would have been Egwene. A female Dragon as part of the Aes Sedai would have caused some interesting conflict and tension both within the White Tower and the rest of the world. This choice could also have created an interesting character arc for Rand, as he tries to come to terms with the ever-growing power of his lover and his prophesied role.

Another option would have been to subvert the notion of the Reborn Dragon and reveal that the five ta’veren of Emond’s Field were the Dragon, and they would all collectively lead to the saving and destruction of the world. This would turn The Wheel of Time into much more of an ensemble show, with equal weight placed on the arcs of all five characters. However, it’s possible that this ending will be seen as a cop-out, especially by viewers new to the story.

The world of The Wheel of Time is rooted in prophecy and recurrence, with the titular “wheel” referring to a pattern of history that repeats itself over and over again. Given this, one of the most interesting options might be to reveal that there was no Dragon after all, i.e. the prophecies were wrong and our heroes must create their own fate. That would make Amazon’s adaptation a direct subversion of Robert Jordan’s original Wheel of Time books and far more unpredictable for fans new and old. Even maintaining lingering doubt about whether Moiraine’s belief in the prophecy is correct would have made for a more interesting adaptation.

However, the real problem is not that The Wheel of Time stuck with Rand as the Dragon, but that it went to such lengths to create doubt among viewers that the show didn’t deliver the reveal. satisfying finale, especially for new fans. By including more of Rand’s story in the books and being simpler in the marketing around the series, Amazon’s Wheel of Time could have prevented Rand’s reveal from being a disappointment. As it stands, the series raises many intriguing possibilities that it ultimately doesn’t pursue.