The Wheel of Time TV series has seen Moiraine without her powers for much of season 2 which has prompted plenty of questions from fans as this completely changes her story from the books.
*WARNING: Spoilers ahead for The Wheel of Time books and series* — Prime Video’s adaptation of the beloved fantasy series The Wheel of Time has made some curious changes from the books over its first two seasons with one of the most controversial being Moiraine losing her ability to channel the One Power in the season 1 finale, something which has had a huge impact on the ongoing second installment.
Moiraine’s missing powers in The Wheel of Time
In the final episode of The Wheel of Time’s first season, Moiraine and Rand had a run-in with Ishamael, the Dark One’s most loyal servant, who cut off her ability to channel the One Power, leaving her a shell of her former self.
Throughout season 2, Moiraine believes she’s been ‘stilled’ and has completely lost her connection to the One Power.
This represents a colossal change from Moiraine’s story in the books and it’s something that showrunner Rafe Judkins addressed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly after the finale had aired.
“We’ll obviously have to add story for Moiraine and Lan because they’re basically sidelined for a couple books,” he said. “But we’re not going to put Rosamund Pike on the bench.”
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Essentially, this means that Moiraine losing her powers is a plot device the writers included so that the show’s headline actress could feature more prominently than she would if the story remained totally faithful to the books.
Fans of the novels can take solace from the fact that Moiraine’s power loss has not proven to be permanent. In episode 7 of the ongoing second season, it was revealed that she had been shielded by Ishamael, meaning that her connection to the One Power had only been blocked and could be restored.
In a possibly character-defining scene, Rand channeled the One Power to remove the shield from Moiraine and restored her powers at long last.
What happens to Moiraine in the books?
Unlike in The Wheel of Time TV series, Moiraine never loses her connection to the One Power.
There is a story arc that is similar to what we’ve witnessed throughout season 2 where Moiraine’s ability to channel the One Power is weakened although never cut off completely.
In the fifth book in the series, The Fires of Heaven, Moiraine sacrifices herself to stop Lanfear from taking control of Rand by tackling her through a magical doorway which transports her and the Forsaken to an unknown destination.
By the time of Knife Of Dreams, the 11th book in the series, Thom, Mat and a character TV fans are yet to meet called Noal, discover that Moiraine is, in fact, alive and is being held captive by the Finn, two species of snake-like people divided into the Aelfinn and the Eelfinn.
The trio mount a daring rescue by traveling through a gateway at the Tower of Ghenjei and they are finally able to negotiate the release of Moiraine, with a few bumps in the road along the way, of course.
Moraine’s imprisonment leaves her ability to channel weakened as the Aelfinn and Eelfin fed on her connection to the One Power during her captivity.
However, Moiraine’s abilities are bolstered once again when she takes possession of an angreal, an object that allows a channeller to draw more of the One Power than they are normally able to. This results in Moiraine developing an even stronger connection to the One Power than she had originally.
The Wheel of Time fans discuss ‘strange’ change from the books
It’s safe to say that Moiraine’s power loss in The Wheel of Time has prompted plenty of debate from fans of the TV series and books alike, with many taking to social media to offer their thoughts.
One fan on X (formerly Twitter) said: “Making my mom watch The Wheel of Time and she asked when Moiraine gets her powers back in the books and I was like ‘I don’t know cause that never happened.'”
Meanwhile, a fan over on Reddit said: “The show is totally different from the books to the point that I’m going to be calling it The Rafe of Time [after showrunner Rafe Judkins]. Trying to line up what they’re doing in the show with the books is a mistake.”
Another Reddit user said: “[Moiraine permanently losing her powers] would throw the story off by a ton compared to the books. Then again, the show has already made numerous massive changes compared to the books. However, Rosamund Pike is also their star and they’ve made her much more central to the story than she is in the books, so it doesn’t make much sense to fade her out in season 1.”
“They just don’t follow the books,” said another viewer. “I’ve come to view this story as more of a ‘what-if’ fanfic rather than an adaptation.”
This fan said: “This is a wtf change that kind of slaps readers and fans of the series in the face.”
And finally, this fan had a similar outlook to Rafe Judkins, saying: “I think it’s a replacement for her lack of story in book 2 to give her something to struggle with and deal with before getting resolved at the end to move on to what’s next.”
Season 2 of The Wheel of Time is available to stream now on Prime Video after premiering on September 1, 2023.
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