The Wheel of Time season 3 may be the show’s most faithful adaptation of Robert Jordan’s beloved fantasy epic yet, but that doesn’t mean showrunner Rafe Judkins doesn't have a few tricks up his sleeve. This season of the show adapts Jordan’s The Shadow Rising, the fourth book in the series, which has some of the saga’s most iconic moments. With certain characters like Natasha O’Keeffe’s Lanfear, however, the series continues to take a new and exciting path.

Since her introduction in The Wheel of Time season 2, the Forsaken Lanfear has had a very different relationship with Rand (played by Josha Stradowski) than she has in the books. The novel series has a touch of a “will-they-won’t-they” relationship between the two characters, but Judkins, Keeffe, and company have blown that open and established a full-blown romantic relationship between the pair. It’s one of the more exciting changes to the series that has offered the opportunity to further flesh out one of the novel series’ most compelling villains.

ScreenRant spoke with Natasha O’Keeffe and showrunner Rafe Judkins about The Wheel of Time season 3. Judkins shared his favorite book moments to adapt in the third season, while ing O’Keeffe in a discussion about what’s new for Lanfear this time around. Plus, the pair talked about wanting to preserve the potential of Lanfear’s romantic relationship with Rand Al’Thor.

Lanfear’s Shifting Status Among The Forsaken In The Wheel Of Time Season 3 Revealed

She’s Been “Completely Thrown Off Her High Horse”

As the Dark One, The Wheel of Time’s biggest bad, remains imprisoned, new of the Forsaken (or The Chosen, as they’d prefer to be called) roam the earth in hopes of bringing about his return. This is bad news for Lanfear, as the one thing the Forsaken seem to enjoy more than vying for power is backstabbing one another. “Lanfear has been completely thrown off her high horse,” Natasha O’Keeffe said on the subject, “it’s interesting to see her trying to switch gears and [find] who to make allies with and who’s not having any of it.”

“Obviously Moghedien is not going to be any kind of an ally any day soon, if ever,” O’Keeffe continued. Rafe Judkins weighed in as well, quipping, “She’s not well-liked amongst the Forsaken.” Part of it is Lanfear’s own doing as well. As O’Keeffe put it: “She would have thought that after 3,000 years, they may just forgive and forget.” Judkins chimed in as well: “She finds that maybe none of them have forgotten or forgiven the things she’s done in the past.”

Rhuidean Will Be Unlike Anything Else On TV

Rafe Judkins Stresses The “Experimental” Nature Of That Story Arc

One of the most consequential events of The Wheel of Time series is Rand’s visit to the sacred Aiel city of Rhuidean. While spoilers are best avoided as to what that entails, it is a game-changing story for Rand and others. “I love The Shadow Rising book, and we really do get to do all of the core character arcs from that,” Judkins said. He continued: “I reading Rhuidean when I was so much younger and thinking it just blew my mind–the idea of how trippy it was. A lot of fantasy books weren’t so weird or experimental.”

“It’s fun now, as an adult making this show that we get to do something that is sometimes weird and experimental and trippy, and people are doing things that haven’t been done before in TV,” Judkins said, “That’s really exciting and feels really special as someone who has read this and cared about it. Even now, today, 30 years later, you’re doing stuff that is new-feeling, and that’s really exciting.”

“What If They Ended Up Together?” O’Keeffe & Judkins Talk Rand & Lanfear’s Relationship

Their Arc Has Been Greatly Expanded From What Was In The Books

Expanding the relationship between Rand Al’Thor and the Forsaken Lanfear is arguably one of the biggest risks the Prime Video adaptation has taken when translating Robert Jordan’s work to the screen. The gamble has paid off, with O’Keeffe’s take on the character immediately winning over fans back in season 2. “There’s a lot of people who are on team Lanfear, actually,” said Judkins.

Despite her character’s devotion to the Dark One, O’Keeffe believes Lanfear has real hope for a future with Rand: “Oh, absolutely,” she said, jumping into Lanfear’s inner monologue: “‘It would be so much easier if you just gave in and came on board the dark, fun bus’.” The actor teased more tension between the characters, however: “It’s not to say she doesn’t keep trying in this season, but there’s a lot more pushback from Rand, and the old tricks aren’t working anymore.”

Judkins weighed in: “What’s interesting [is that] when the old tricks of hers stop working, their relationship … starts to be new and exciting to her … when she’s less able to manipulate him that she’s actually more interested in him.” The push-and-pull is by design: “One thing we really try to do in the writers’ room with their relationship is make it feel like, when you’re watching the show, you could actually wonder to yourself, ‘What if they ended up together?’” As for why it works so well? “It’s something you never get to experience in the books.”

Check out our other The Wheel of Time season 3 interviews here:

• Dónal Finn & Marcus Rutherford
• Daniel Henney & Sophie Okonedo
• Josha Stradowski & Rosamund Pike
• Ceara Coveney & Ayoola Smart

Source: Screen Rant Plus