Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for The Wheel of Time Season 3 as well as The Wheel of Time book Lord of Chaos.

The Wheel of Time‘s cancellation felt sudden after its highly-rated Season 3; even worse, the story was far from over, with many storylines left open. Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) is with the Whitecloaks, Nynaeve (Zoë Robins) has lost the Seanchan collar, Mat (Dónal Finn) has had his memories messed with, and many other characters are in precarious situations, which is bad enough, but the fact is that fans know what they’re missing out on. Adapted from Robert Jordan‘s lengthy book series, The Wheel of Time only made it through the story of book 4 out of 14. The result is that some of the greatest parts of the books will not be seen in the Prime Video series, which is a shame. Without any semblance of a real conclusion, The Wheel of Time‘s ending is disappointing for every character, but Season 3 failed one more than the rest.

While they may still have had plenty to do, many of the show’s characters get an epic moment. Nynaeve has a channeling breakthrough, Perrin grows as a leader, Rand (Josha Stradowski) fulfills another step in his destiny, and Mat gets rid of the extra memories in his head. Yet Egwene (Madeleine Madden) doesn’t get the conclusion she deserves. Egwene is an incredibly powerful channeler, but she does little in the Season 3 finale — and, based on the books, she was heading for her best storyline.

Where Does ‘The Wheel of Time’ Leave Egwene?

The Wheel of Time Season 3 takes Egwene to the Aiel Waste along with Rand, whom she promised to stay with after their reunion at the end of the previous season. More specifically, Season 3, Episode 8, “He Who Comes With the Dawn,” picks up with Egwene after she has learned about Rand’s relationship with Lanfear (Natasha O’Keeffe), placing them at odds. However, in the finale, Egwene works with Rand to trap Lanfear. He meets the Forsaken in Tel’ahran’rhiod, and using the Dreamwalking abilities she has learned, Egwene throws Lanfear out of the dream realm, but they wake up expecting a fight that doesn’t happen. Later, Egwene can be seen talking to Aviendha (Ayoola Smart), who questions why Egwene is still following Rand after what he did, and then, she stands with the Aiel as they declare Rand the Car’a’carn. In the last moments, she calls to Rand, trying to convince him to let go of the One Power and fearing that he has gone mad, but that is the extent of her involvement in the finale.

Rather than getting her own storyline in the series’ last episode, Egwene watches Rand’s unfold. Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) faces Lanfear, who is the biggest challenge for Egwene throughout Season 3, as she torments the girl. In the Aiel Waste, even Lan (Daniel Henney) has a moment as he encounters a Darkfriend, but Egwene does next to nothing. It wouldn’t be so bad if she had more time later on, but as it is, The Wheel of Time lets Egwene down in the end.

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‘The Wheel of Time’ Never Reached Egwene’s Best Story

Not only is Season 3 an anti-climactic place to leave her, but The Wheel of Time abruptly cuts off before Egwene’s best storyline from the books. With the division in the White Tower, the show had been perfectly primed to explore the rebel Aes Sedai group forming in Salidar and, with it, Egwene’s ascent to power. In Book 6, Lord of Chaos, Egwene leaves the Aiel to answer the summons of the Aes Sedai, who, it turns out, have decided to appoint her as Amyrlin Seat despite her youth. The unexpected twist thrusts the young woman into the politics of the Aes Sedai, where she must either sink or swim. It is a difficult path for Egwene, who has few people she can trust, as the Aes Sedai all hope to be able to manipulate her toward their own agenda.

As she works to prove that she is no one’s pawn, Egwene turns out to have a knack for politics, becoming a viable threat to Elaida’s (Shohreh Aghdashloo) authority. Becoming Amyrlin is the most important thing Egwene does in the books, as it gives her the power to help Rand in the Last Battle and provides a place for the character to grow. Egwene is already a powerful channeler, but this is a unique challenge. Unfortunately, The Wheel of Time will never get to explore this storyline due to the cancellation, and Season 3 didn’t even get to tease this storyline for her next chapter had the series been able to continue.

‘The Wheel of Time’ Season 3 Let Egwene Down

While missing out on Egwene’s Amyrlin arc is disappointing for many reasons, it’s exaggerated by the fact that her entire Season 3 story was a letdown. Season 2 made Egwene the center of the conflict with the Seanchan as she fought back against Renna (Xelia Mendes-Jones), killing the sul’dam in an epic moment. The dark storyline showed Egwene coming into her power, proving she was more than people gave her credit for, and the Amyrlin story builds on that. But in the show, nothing Egwene does comes close to topping that moment. Yes, her time in the Aiel Waste is found in the books, serving as a cooldown period of sorts, but comparatively, this storyline doesn’t show off her skill, making Season 3 underwhelming for Egwene.

The Wheel of Time presents Egwene as an impressive character, but Season 3 never shows that off. In Season 3, she focuses on learning to use her abilities as a Dreamwalker, but they amount to little in the end. Once she learns to manipulate Tel’aran’rhiod, she watches her friends’ dreams and discovers Rand and Lanfear. The other part of Egwene’s storyline puts her in conflict with Lanfear, who torments her dreams out of jealousy over Rand, but that animosity receives no payoff as Egwene isn’t the one to fight her. Especially with a much more interesting story laid out for the character, Season 3 feels like a waste for her. It’s a shame for such an important character to end this way, because Egwene certainly deserved better.

The Wheel of Time

Release Date

November 18, 2021

Network

Prime Video

Showrunner

Rafe Judkins

Directors

Sanaa Hamri, Ciaran Donnelly, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Thomas Napper, Maja Vrvilo, Wayne Che Yip

Writers

Amanda Kate Shuman, Dave Hill, Rohit Kumar, Justine Juel Gillmer, Celine Song, Rammy Park, The Clarksons Twins, Katherine B. McKenna