Warning: SPOILERS for The Wheel of Time season 2.
The Wheel of Time season 2 continued to bring Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy series to life, this time adapting elements from Jordan’s second and third books (The Great Hunt and The Dragon Reborn). New player were introduced, new powers were discovered, and each of the core characters were tested to their limit. Even the show’s antagonists were explored in a way that painted potentially black and white villains in shades of gray.
The Wheel of Time’s exploration of its characters also extends to the world of romance. The revealed Moiraine and Siuan romance brings new depth to their on-screen conflict, but it doesn’t appear that Siuan is the only one with an eye for the mysterious Aes Sedai. The villainous Liandrin, an Aes Sedai of the Red (or, more accurately, Black) Ajah, also seems interested in Moiraine judging by a moment when she strokes the Aes Sedai’s face. When the subject of an unrequited love between the characters was raised to Liandrin actor Kate Fleetwood, she had the following to say:
Kate Fleetwood: Again, it’s just adding another layer. I remember that stage direction in that meeting… in season one, there was a stage direction—I’m going to have to go back and look at the script—but she brushes Moiraine’s face. I’m always looking for gesture that can tell another story; my body, or the way I deliver a line. So, yeah, it started to percolate; this notion that there had been, yes. Yeah, I think there was.
It was probably driven through rivalry, but then that can possibly become something. When you feel jealous or you have a rivalry with someone, you can become obsessed. Fortunately, I don’t suffer that myself, but that can become an obsession, which could be perceived as sexual, lustful, or a yearning. But again, it’s probably a projection of what she needs, what she wants, [and] what she’s yearning for herself. She’s just trying to connect; she’s always trying to connect with people, but she sort of slips. She’s unhinged enough for these connections to be kind of really strange. But I think it’s a good vein to plow. I don’t shy away from that notion at all.
Why Liandrin Is A Better Character In The Show Than In The Books
Of all the characters who have enjoyed tweaks to their character during the journey from page to screen, perhaps none have benefitted more than Liandrin. The reveal that Liandrin has a son in The Wheel of Time show gives context for many of her actions and even suggests why she may have turned to the Dark in the first place. This makes her much more nuanced than her literary counterpart, whose thirst for power was not given as relatable of an origin.
Giving Liandrin more nuance in general has offered the chance for other unique-to-the-series moments that make her a more fascinating antagonist. One of those was when Liandrin helped Nynaeve escape the Seanchan in episode 5. In the books, Liandrin delivers the girls to the Seanchan, but they get free of their own power; the version where Liandrin helps them escape invites viewers to question her motives, and suggests the character is her own agent, rather than a total servant of the Dark One.
Though Liandrin can’t betray the Dark One, these changes also suggest more big moments to come for the character. While Liandrin may not ever totally make it into the category of antihero, she could ultimately help characters like Nynaeve and Elayne in their fight against the Forsaken in compelling ways. Excitingly, her motivations are her own, which may make her one of the more unpredictable characters in The Wheel of Time season 3.
The Wheel of Time
Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan’s expansive fantasy series is brought to life in The Wheel of Time, a fantasy tv series created for Amazon Prime Video. The series follows a woman named Moiraine, a member of the all-female Aes Sedai group who can utilize a great power. Following an attack on a local village, Moiraine heads there to find a villager that may be the reincarnation of an all-powerful dragon that will either save or destroy the world.
