If you’ve been following our coverage of The Wheel of Time, you’ll know that we have been unsure about whether or not the character of Thom Merrilin would be reappearing in season 2. In the books (minor spoilers ahead!), the gleeman encounters Rand briefly in the second book, The Great Hunt, and then meets up with Mat in the third book, The Dragon Reborn. However, the actor who portrayed Thom in season 1, Alexandre Willaume, was busy filming Netflix show 1899 during much of the time that the second season of The Wheel of Time was being filmed, casting uncertainty over whether or not the fan favorite character would be making his way back.
Well, Alexandre Willaume himself recently cleared up this mystery. During an interview on The Mighty Dragon Podcast, while discussing his upcoming projects, Willaume stated, “The Wheel of Time…I’m not in season 2, ’cause my character, Thom Merrilin, is not in for season 2, but he should be in for season 3, so I hope that.”
While it surely is disappointing to fans that they will have to wait to see the character of Thom return to the screen, it will be exciting to see how the show will adapt the character’s story. The character doesn’t become more permanently attached to the main characters until book 4, The Shadow Rising, which will be the focus of season 3’s storylines.
As we previously reported, season 3 is currently anticipated to start filming in early 2023, likely March.
Lover of fantasy and other geeky goodness.
Well the books were great but the show is awful, so who cares. Its not anywhere near the same story, just borrowed characters in a knockoff story.
I don’t think they could have ruined the character more if they’d tried. The character is an extremely refined court bard that recites epic poems in High Chant, not a disheveled washed up rocker. A guitar and raspy voice? Seriously?! Glad I don’t have to stomach watching him in Season 2.
Based on your comment, you very clearly are one who cares.
This is a website for the show. If you don’t like it, why are you here? It’s been over a year – it’s time to move on.
While I love the Books, I have found it best to view the Show as an alternate telling of the story due to all the massive changes. Made enjoying the show easier I think.
Horrible job done with this series from some great books.
I am an absolute fanatic when it comes to WOT. As the previous comments said, the books are amazing, but patience must be given to the series, as the mere idea of recreating this incredible fantasy on film is mind-boggling. The show runners have done a credible job so far and I am sure the series will improve as it delves deeper into the books.
I totally agree. I read all the books and then when heard about the show coming to Prime I decided to audible them. The world is way too big and there are too many characters to stick to the story perfectly. There were things that disappointed me greatly but other things that I really liked. I hope it gets better and am just happy to see something better than a low budget Billy Zane production. I will continue to watch and hope that they try to stick to the books as much as possible, but most shows and movies can’t stick to a story that’s half as complex.
As any true fan of the books knows, they have gone so far astray from the story already that Tom’s absence is no real surprise.
You’re not serious. If you want to speak about series going astray, you should speak about ‘The Witcher’ season 2, not about WoT season 1. They’ve done a fairly good job: that’s different from ‘The Eye of the World’ but looking at the way they differed is interesting in itself
The TV series is fan fiction at best.
Tom’s absence? If you were a true fan you would know he’s really not supposed to be there yet anyway
Bummer, really liked show/Thom. looking forward to his return.
I love this series, but have yet to read the books. It’s holding its own with Rings of Power and Willow. I really like the characters. The actors and actresses are doing a remarkable job for me. When I finally went and looked up Rosalind Pyke I was shocked and delighted to realize why she was familiar to me. I know I seen her somewhere… She’s a strong strong actress. Any series confirmed for season 3 at end of season 1 must be hanging strong. Thanks for the good times spent.
Rosamund Pyke, even.
People like you make me worry about the future of humanity.
They butchered the first season. The only people that like this farce are the ones who can’t figure out how to read.
I was really looking forward to seeing the WOT on film, but was so disappointed. They’ve changed the story so much , and they’ve got some characters doing things they didn’t do in the books. The main joy of the books were the characters in it, and they’ve changed all the characters, so really it’s totally ruined. Makes me wonder if the producers ever read the books.
You have strayed way to far from the books Jordan is rolling in his grave , on what you done to his story , I hope you are mor on track the second season
If you like this series I recommend the book called Spellfire by Ed Greenwood. That’s the only place I have seen casting like this.
Read the books! If nothing else get them on audible. It will blow your mind! I love the books and I like the show, but I can see that there are things they just cannot create on film.
My dudes, they had 1 episode go astray from the main story due to troubles with the cast. Writers can easily pull it back on track.
One episode went astray? Steppen was in 25% of the first season. Logain had more scenes than Thom. Did you read EOTW? Only the shell of the story was there.
Garbage show. Sent me the not a towering rage on numerous occasions. If you want to build a fan base outside of book readers it’s best not to upset book readers so they will spread the word that it’s a great show. This is not a good show it’s trash. 🗑
Avid lover of the books, read them at least four times over, and I don’t get this hate for the series. Thom was only focused on so much in the first book to make his death fake out have more impact, in the long run his importance isn’t until later. Logain, however, had so little characterization despite having a big role later on, so establishing him early was the right move IMO. This is a great interpretation of the story, if not a direct page-to-screen adaptation
I can’t wait for season 2! I’m a reader of the series and so excited to see any derivation (which I will consider a new turning of the wheel) come to screen. That said I do sincerely hope the writers reign in the spirit of each character though. Moraine/Nynaeve’s portrayal is excellent, Rand/Egwene/Lan passable, but I really hope they reign in Perrin and Matt’s character. I understand story derivation will occur in any book to screen endeavor but Perrin and Matt feel very off character wise. Especially Matt (admittedly my favorite character). Matt’s character was always a fun seeking mischievous boy but he was never malicious. Stealing valuables from a fellow Edmonds fielder? Briefly thought to have murdered a family? Portrayed as going to the dark one at the end of season 1? This is my only hope for the writers. Take what liberties you will with the storyline but please recapture Perrin and Matt’s essence. Make them feel like *them*. Matt is light hearted, always joking, gambler, risk taker, mischievous – but not harmful to anyone who isn’t trying to kill him. Bring back my boys and we’re good.
The show is horrible. Books are great. RAFE should be stripped naked and sent to the wastes for his absolute garbage.
Read all the books huge fan. You’re all a bunch of whine asses. The show is fine.
Series has done quite well. As much as I like the books, Robert Jordan had an insane amount of waffle in them, where literally nothing would happen for hundreds of pages. Hell, book 9(?) Had nothing progress the story until the last 3 pages.
I feel the actor for Rand has done really well. He always was a whiny bitch early on and the actor has encapsulated this perfectly.
The books were a masterpiece. The show, not so much. It is reminiscent of crappy fan fiction. I’m just waiting for them to bring in characters from other franchises like Marvel or Harry Potter…or maybe even Pokemon. It’s very hard to imagine that the television series was created by a self-described “avid fan” of the books. They really should have consulted heavily with Brandon Sanderson for the show. Given the death of Robert Jordan, he’s the only one qualified to touch it.
They do consult heavily with both Sanderson and Jordans wife.
No water or shade should be given to Rafe Judkins. He has lost those privileges.
Do you have even the slightest idea of what the differences are producing a TV show are. A book has no budget or time constraints. Books don’t need actors and special effects. Think merely as this being a retelling that Thom would loathe by the new things called players….
So sad to see the Bookcloaks show up. It’s not a perfect show, but it’s also not the sacrilege some of the above commenters claim. Some people need a boogey man. Sad, really.
Is it what I wanted? No. But I am a lover of the books. Is it what a general audience would watch, probably. I think that’s what they were shooting for. They probably don’t have the huge SPX budget needed to create a lot of what was in the books, but they are doing a fair job. I really loved the ways, and the blight. I did not like the way gates, since they were so particular with the leaf.
I do look forward to seeing more. I think of it as Brandon Sanderson put it, back when he knew that people weren’t going to be pleased who love the books, is that we need to view it as a different turning of the wheel
Well said. Great books. Been re reading them for decades. And I must admit if I were running the show I would have made similar choices to drive the story as far as possible as quickly as possible in the beginning. Did these people really expect a word for word portrayal on screen of a 12,000 page story? The Lord of the rings was merely 1100 pages and look what that took to create properly on screen.
Everyone here mostly is just a bunch of haters. The books were fantastic. Been reading them since eotw came out when I was 12. Have re read the entire series on multiple occasions and have been waiting for an on screen ADAPTATION for a long time. What RJ wrote could never properly be portrayed on screen. The decades long commitment from actors alone would be nearly impossible to secure. Not to mention the astronomical budget it would take to produce such an epic on screen. For myself, I’m just happy I get to finally see it on screen. And if I were producing it the corners to cut would be books 1-3. Every real fan knows the story doesn’t really take off til the shadow rising anyway. First three books are all character and world building for the most part. So let them build the world and the characters as best they can with the limited time and budget they have until the story really kicks off
I have re-watched the first season 4 or 5 times trying to make it make sense. It doesn’t. The more I watched it the less sense it make. I know they are taking a page out of marvels book and doing a complete rewrite. But my god at least get the core of it right.
This show is what I would expect from someone who read the cliff notes while hung over. It’s awful. No where near the story. I imagine it might be good if you never read the books. But as far as a conversion from book to screen, it’s a terrible translation.
I read the books and I am enjoying watching this first try at adaption. Will they get it right? Of course not! I hated the first Dune movie in the 80’s , but I was more forgiving of the miniseries in 2000. That was slightly better but now I am loving the third Dune attempt, and there are still those hoping for better. Stop acting like this first WoT will be the only adaption you will see.
It’s ok. I’ll give this site credit for allowing criticism. Unless it’s all gone tomorrow, haha
I want them to change a few things, first and foremost DON’T BRING BACK THE DEAD. That is when every show officially jumps the shark and in fact it’s when the series lost me. Going from a shire like opener to super myrdraal raping every 2nd forsaken didn’t lose me, not being able to care if someone “died” did. Investment was pointless.
Truthfully I enjoyed this rendition of Thom, I had always imagined him much older and somewhat turned toward the flippant. Yet underlying a seriousness that was hard to describe within the book, in the show I saw that serious edged Thom. Also I would like to remind those other fans that Thom sang in different chants, he would rarely use high chant unless it was a specific holiday. Most often he utilized common, which I felt was represented during the season. Personally I would like to see more range, however the show will go where it will. I also would have liked the series to be closer to the book, I’m just glad that it is no longer locked under movie rights battles.
They could use a voice double like in the latest Downton Abbey film. Thom is a cypher and can be anything he chooses. He disguises himself for survival reasons like Aragorn in LOTR. At least that seemed to be the look they were going for with his initial character evolution.
Megan
if I were Robert Jordan I would be appalled.
I would remind everyone who is hating, we never, ever..achm…alright GOT….but regardless we rarely get top notch cinema, just the comic book films are willing to pony up the cost for remakes of this cinematic quality, I read the book while serving 10 years of a life sentance, got overturned, but I digress…there are few production companies that can handle the cost of such long term series So Please…..please quit sniveling and just Try and enjoy what you have….lol