For this week’s #WoTWednesday, The Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins has treated fans to another episode title page from the currently-in-the-works first season. But what’s most interesting is that the title, “A Place of Safety,” hints at the TV series possibly adapting Robert Jordan’s The Eye of the World out of order.
Judkins tweeted out the cover page for episode 3, written by twins Michael P. Clarkson and Paul T. Clarkson, who recently joined the writing staff:
And since I missed last week — watch out. Stay on your toes. Never know what #WoTWednesday will bring. Here’s Episode 103’s cover page by @MikePClarkson and @PaulTClarkson pic.twitter.com/ltg0GuLOz2
— Rafe Judkins (@rafejudkins) February 27, 2019
The first two episodes, to be directed by Uta Briesewitz, are titled “Leavetaking” and “Shadow’s Waiting,” which are, respectively, the titles of Chapters 10 and 19 from The Eye of the World, the events of which bring the characters all the way to the chilling proceedings of Shadar Logoth. “A Place of Safety,” however, is the title of Chapter 8! Hmmm. So, what could that mean for how Judkins and the rest of the Wheel of Time writers room are adapting the series? We have some ideas:
- We’re getting the events of the first book out of sequential order—perhaps flashbacks to the characters’ more idyllic time in Emond’s Field (as they fight off ghouls and Trollocs in the present day).
- The first season is really REALLY focused on Moiraine (see the official series description below). So much so that we don’t even meet Rand and pals until episode 3.
- The series is still roughly in sequential order, but the episode “A Place of Safety” is where we find out more about Tar Valon and Moiraine’s time there (seeing as she described it as “a place of safety” in The Eye of the World Chapter 8).
The official series description, from Amazon Studios:
The fantasy epic is set in a sprawling, epic world where magic exists, but only women can use it. The story follows Moiraine, a member of the shadowy and influential all-female organization called the Aes Sedai, as she embarks on a dangerous, world-spanning journey with five young men and women. Moiraine believes that one of them might be the reincarnation of an incredibly powerful individual, whom prophecies say will either save humanity or destroy it. The series draws on numerous elements of European and Asian culture and philosophy, most notably the cyclical nature of time found in Buddhism and Hinduism.
The Wheel of Time is set to begin production in Prague in September 2019.
