‘The Wheel of Time’ co-author on what he’d change about the TV adaptation

The Wheel of Time co-author Brandon Sanderson talks about one of the things that really bugged him about the TV adaptation.

The first season of The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime was nothing if not controversial, eliciting a lot of outrage from the community for all the changes showrunner Rafe Judkins and his writers made to the first novel in the whopping 15-book fantasy saga. Apparently, the franchise’s co-author Brandon Sanderson, who took over from Robert Jordan after he passed away in 2007, also shares some of these sentiments.

Recommended Videos

Unlike many works of art where the intervention of another creative often results in two distinctive outputs, Brandon Sanderson did an absolutely brilliant job of wrapping up Jordan’s narrative in a seamless manner. If anything, the fandom fully respects and acknowledge’s the fantasy author’s work on The Wheel of Time, with some going so far as to suggest that his three concluding instalments (The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight, A Memory of Light) do a better job of setting the narrative pace compared to the previous books.

Sanderson has also served as a consultant on the new Amazon Prime live-action adaptation, though with limited input. Now, in the latest episode of Intentionally Blank – Sanderson’s YouTube podcast – the novelist has talked about some of the things he’d change about the divisive season one.

“I would have Perrin decide to follow the Way of the Leaf. By meeting with the Tinkers, so that the Tinkers have a point in the narrative. He picks that up and he tries to not, then, fight back, and comes to the decision that this is not for him. There’s at least an arc there,” He said. “You could even do it, where he decides to follow the Way of the Leaf, and then he’s being tortured by Valda and that’s the point where he snaps and says, ‘No, the Way of the Leaf is not for me.’ The scene with Valda, I just don’t get.”

Courtesy of Amazon Prime Video

There is a wealth of story decisions that make no sense even in the context of the show’s own narrative structure. Perrin Aybara’s journey, in particular, is indeed one of the more lacklustre elements in the first season.

To learn what else the show got wrong (and what it got right) in its first outing, you can check out WGTC’s retrospective analysis here.


We Got This Covered is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article ‘Encyclopedia Brownshirt’ Marjorie Taylor Greene changes profession for Donald Trump, but he would rather rule 81 states
Marjorie Taylor Greene and Donald Trump
Read Article ‘Gone for $1M to a TMZ’: Chris Pratt posts an ‘illegal’ video and hits the world where it hurts
Chris Pratt
Read Article ‘Your political career is over’: Kristi Noem, Donald Trump’s top VP contender, decides bragging about shooting her 14-month-old puppy is how you win
Kristi Noem and Donald Trump
Read Article What Happened to Rachael Ray?
Rachel Ray holding her Emmy
Read Article These audience reactions to ‘Avengers: Endgame’ will have you on your feet all over again
Related Content
Read Article ‘Encyclopedia Brownshirt’ Marjorie Taylor Greene changes profession for Donald Trump, but he would rather rule 81 states
Marjorie Taylor Greene and Donald Trump
Read Article ‘Gone for $1M to a TMZ’: Chris Pratt posts an ‘illegal’ video and hits the world where it hurts
Chris Pratt
Read Article ‘Your political career is over’: Kristi Noem, Donald Trump’s top VP contender, decides bragging about shooting her 14-month-old puppy is how you win
Kristi Noem and Donald Trump
Read Article What Happened to Rachael Ray?
Rachel Ray holding her Emmy
Read Article These audience reactions to ‘Avengers: Endgame’ will have you on your feet all over again
Author
Jonathan Wright
Jonathan is a religious consumer of movies, TV shows, video games, and speculative fiction. And when he isn't doing that, he likes to write about them. He can get particularly worked up when talking about 'The Lord of the Rings' or 'A Song of Ice and Fire' or any work of high fantasy, come to think of it.