Like any adaptations, The Wheel of Time made some major changes to the story from the books. Over the course of its three seasons, the Prime Video series cut characters and rewrote storylines, and undoubtedly would have done more of that if renewed. While some changes were necessary for time or storytelling purposes, other choices were confounding. However, with hindsight, some things that didn’t make sense at the time turned out to be for the best. Perhaps the clearest example of this is Aviendha’s (Ayoola Smart) early introduction. Season 2, for the most part, adapted the second book in the series, The Great Hunt, but Aviendha isn’t supposed to appear until well into Book 3, The Dragon Reborn. The series was never going to have the time to adapt each book directly, yet Aviendha’s introduction wasn’t just moved to be earlier in the story’s chronology.
Due to Season 2’s other storylines, Aviendha shows up in a drastically different way, replacing another Aiel in being paired with Perrin (Marcus Rutherford). This was initially disappointing, especially because Aviendha’s relationships with Egwene (Madeleine Madden) and Elayne (Ceara Coveney), whom she first meets in the book, are much more significant. Yet, after Season 3 and the show’s sudden cancellation, it’s a good thing that Aviendha was introduced sooner. While Season 3 set up more for Aviendha’s arc, she doesn’t receive the focus she deserves, but at least the show took the time to establish Aviendha as the impressive character she is supposed to be.
‘The Wheel of Time’s Changes Brought Aviendha Into the Story Earlier
While it wasn’t clear until Season 3 that The Wheel of Time intended to delay Rand’s (Josha Stradowski) trip to Tear, which is the story where Aviendha first comes into play, that choice made her Season 2 entrance more important. Not only does this remove her book entry point, but it speeds up the significance of the Aiel to the narrative. Season 2 needed to introduce the culture, and using Aviendha to do so makes sense. However, things had to look different for her. Without the journey to Tear, Egwene, Nynaeve (Zoë Robins), and Elayne were busy elsewhere, so rather than meeting them on the road to Tear and telling them about Aiel culture while Nynaeve heals her friend’s wound, Aviendha is inserted into Perrin’s journey.
In the books, it is the Aiel named Gaul whom Perrin saves from a cage, creating a long-standing bond between the two. Gaul helps Perrin on several occasions, fighting for the Two Rivers and going after the Shaido Aiel when Faile (Isabella Bucceri), Bain (Ragga Ragnars), and Chiad (Maja Simonsen) are captured. Not only is he a valuable ally to Perrin, but as he is from a different clan than Aviendha, Gaul helps to illustrate the differences within the Aiel. Gaul plays a notable role throughout much of the book series, which made Season 2’s choice to replace him with Aviendha initially more confusing.
Related
The wheel may be broken over at Prime Video, but at least it finished turning for these shows.
‘The Wheel of Time’ Season 2 Shows How Impressive Aviendha Is
Aviendha’s show introduction lays much of the foundation for Season 3, as she explains several Aiel concepts to Perrin and the audience. She, along with Bain and Chiad, also confirms the Aiel’s search for the Car’a’carn, introducing a new facet of Rand’s importance. While on the surface, Aviendha’s Season 2 role is primarily about preparing the show for its journey to the Aiel Waste, she is a vital character in her own right. In Season 2, Aviendha is given enough scenes for the audience to understand her better, as she loyally follows Perrin and teases him despite her toh to him.
Most importantly, Season 2 also reveals Aviendha’s skill as a warrior. Long before she explains any significant Aiel culture to Perrin, her fight with the Whitecloaks shows exactly what she is capable of. In Season 2, Episode 5, “Damane,” Perrin takes a risk to free Aviendha from Whitecloak custody. This not only makes him enemies, especially with Dain Bornhald (Jay Duffy) recognizing him later, but it puts him in immediate danger as Whitecloak soldiers surround them. Yet Aviendha, who isn’t at her physical best after her capture, manages to defeat them with minimal help from Perrin. While the Aiel are known to be skilled warriors, this sequence proves that Aviendha is among their best.
Aviendha’s Best Storyline Was Only Just Beginning in ‘The Wheel of Time’ Season 3
While Season 2 made Aviendha a promising character, Season 3 only scratched the surface of her potential. Aviendha is present, leading Rand and the others to the Aiel Waste, but she is not all that involved in his or Egwene’s stories. Her arc starts strong as Season 3 reveals her and Elayne developing a relationship. Though the books never go so far as to establish them as a couple, Elayne plays an important role in Aviendha’s life, so the show building off of that makes sense. Plus, her sparring match with Lan (Daniel Henney) reminds the audience of her skill, though she isn’t in any real danger. Most significantly, her journey to Rhuidean confirms that she must give up being a Maiden of the Spear and begin training as a Wise One, despite her resistance to the plan. Yet, these moments with Aviendha are few. As a whole, Season 3 gives her little to do, and with everything else that’s going on, she gets lost in the mix.
The Wheel of Time set up a lot for Aviendha, but it never had the opportunity to deliver on it. With her relationship with Elayne and, if the series were to follow the books, Rand, there is certainly more to explore in her personal life. Additionally, her training to be a Wise One had just begun, which would not only make her a leader among her people but would also allow her to learn to use her channeling abilities if The Wheel of Time were allowed to continue into Season 4. The fact is, Aviendha’s story was just beginning. If the series were renewed, she would have the chance to appear more often as the willful, courageous character fans know and love.
The Wheel of Time is streaming on Prime Video in the U.S.
