In season 2 of “The Wheel of Time” the Lost or Forsaken play an important role. In the book there are 13 of the evil Aes Sedai, but in the series possibly significantly less. Episode 5 now provided an important clue to this:
In the previous episodes of “The Wheel of Time” there was a lot about the Forsaken, as they are called in the German translation. For example, Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) was horrified to discover that she and Rand (Josha Stradowski) did not defeat the Dark King in the season 1 finale, but instead released the leader of the Lost: Ishamael (Fares Fares).
He, in turn, freed the first of the other Forsaken at the beginning of episode 4 – and so at the end of the episode it turned out that Rand’s girlfriend Selene (Natasha O’Keeffe) is not a simple innkeeper, but in fact the Forsaken Lanfear. But who are the other Forsaken and how many even appear in “The Wheel of Time” series? There was an important clue to this in episode 5 of season 2:
ONLY 3 (INSTEAD OF 5) FEMALE LOST?
In fact, in the conversation between Ishamael and Lanfear in Tel’aran’rhiod, the world of dreams, Lanfear mentions two more of her female colleagues: Moghedien is crazy, Graendal is stupid, and the others won’t get anything done even under duress, she says in the German version. In the original version, however, she explicitly distinguishes the female lost Moghedien and Graendal from the others, whom she refers to as “the boys. “
Thus it seems clear: apparently there are only three female prodigals in “The Wheel of Time,” namely Lanfear, Moghedien, and Graendal. Semirhage and Mesaana were apparently dropped in the adaptation process.
Mesaana is undercover in the White Castle in Robert Jordan’s books and the sadistic Semirhage is responsible for some of the most gruesome scenes, but it doesn’t seem impossible to do without both characters. Especially since “The Wheel of Time” showrunner Rafe Judkins has already hinted at adapting the book’s 14 volumes in just six to eight seasons.
ONLY 8 LOST IN TOTAL?
So instead of 13 Lost as in the books, there would only be eleven Forsaken in the series. But that’s not all, because apparently the list of male Forsaken has also been greatly reduced: there was already a hint in season 1, episode 5, that there are “only” eight Forsaken in “The Wheel of Time” on Prime Video, because eight small statues of the Forsaken were shown there. Among them, however, there seem to be four male and four female Forsaken.
It’s possible that Lanfear is forgetting one of her colleagues or rivals in the scene described above, because the Forsaken are also partly enemies among each other. Or the figures are simply wrong, after all, many thousands of years have passed since the victory over the Forsaken. In any case, it is clear that some of the male Forsaken could also be deleted quite easily:
Balthamel and Aginor, for instance, play an important role, especially at the end of the first “Wheel of Time” book, which, however, was heavily modified for the series. Since they didn’t appear there, they are very definitely out completely. Also, the Forsaken Bel’al or Rahvin, for instance, could be deleted or merged fairly easily.
And there are hints that in “The Wheel of Time” they will do away with the Lost Asmodean, who mainly acts as Rand’s teacher in the use of the One Power. It is possible that this role will be filled by Logain (Álvaro Morte) in the series.
We may learn more in the next episode: “The Wheel of Time” Season 2, Episode 6 will be released on September 22, 2023 on Amazon Prime Video.
