The Wheel turns: Unraveling the Shocking Twist in Loial's Fate in the Season 1 Finale

Summary

Loial's apparent death in the season 1 finale of Amazon's The Wheel of Time shocked fans, especially considering his importance in the story.

Showrunner Rafe Judkins has officially confirmed that the character is indeed alive. However, the purpose behind his staged demise was to emotionally acclimate viewers for the inevitable occurrence of genuine fatalities in the future. Given the extensive roster of the show's cast members, it is inevitable that certain characters will be phased out or meet their demise, as a necessary alteration from the original source material.

Amazon’s The Wheel of Time show surprised fans in the season 1 finale by staging Loial's death, but what is the explanation for his survival? Loial, the beloved Ogier character from Robert Jordan's novels, appeared to be brutally killed by Padan Fain in a shocking scene. However, it has now been revealed that Loial has not been written out of the series. This unexpected demise of Loial left fans astounded, especially considering his significance in Jordan's Wheel of Time narrative. Moreover, the timing of his "death" seemed insignificant as he had only recently been introduced into the story.

As Loial had only just met Rand and the others, his death would not have had a profound emotional impact on the Wheel of Time characters in season 2. The confusion surrounding this decision was clarified when showrunner Rafe Judkins addressed the incident after the finale aired. Despite the lack of any indication in the episode that Loial survived the stabbing by Padan Fain, Judkins confirmed that the character was indeed alive. Thus, the question arises: how did Loial manage to survive?

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How Loial Faked Their Death

In the final episode of season 1, Padan Fain (Johann Myers) seemingly dealt a deadly blow to Loial, leading viewers to believe that the beloved character had met his demise. However, showrunner Rafe Judkins quickly clarified that the Ogier's death was merely a ruse. This decision to feign Loial's demise in the finale, only to confirm his survival shortly after, may have appeared peculiar, but it was not without purpose. Judkins' remarks on the matter have provided insight into the rationale behind including this pivotal moment.

The showrunner intended to use the Loial fakeout to prepare fans for actual character deaths. He acknowledged that although Loial was not truly killed off, certain characters from the books will eventually meet their demise. His aim was to keep viewers on edge, knowing that deaths are inevitable even for characters who survived in the source material. The showrunner emphasized the need for emotional preparation, as the show cannot retain a large number of series regulars across multiple seasons. He wanted the idea of Loial's potential demise to serve as a starting point for viewers to mentally brace themselves, despite his personal attachment to the character.

The Reason Loial Faked Their Death

This reasoning is logical, especially considering the large cast of the series and the extensive duration of the characters' presence. Throughout the Wheel of Time book series, Jordan consistently expanded the cast with new characters and developed the roles of minor ones. It was rare for the books to eliminate or completely remove an important character. Instead, numerous Wheel of Time characters appeared intermittently and stayed throughout the series. This applied not only to the main characters, but also to recurring allies like Juilin Sandar, Galad Damodred, Leanne Sharif, Alanna Mosvani, and Logain Ablar.

As Judkins has mentioned, the show cannot maintain 2,000 regular characters over multiple seasons. Some Wheel of Time characters will inevitably be removed, as Judkins has promised. Since it is impractical to keep every main character throughout the TV show, it is understandable that some fan favorites will experience untimely deaths before The Wheel of Time concludes. However, it remains to be seen if the fake death of Loial has effectively prepared audiences for these unexpected deaths.

How Season 2 Has Handled Loial

Regrettably, Wheel of Time never took the time to address how Loial managed to survive what seemed like a fatal injury in the first season. During the season 1 finale, Padan stabbed Loial in the chest, giving the impression that it would be enough to end his life. However, when Loial reappeared in season 2, he appeared perfectly fine, as if the previous incident never occurred. He doesn't even acknowledge being stabbed in the chest during the first season, simply appearing happy and healthy, just as he did before this seemingly life-threatening event. While there was a six-month gap before his return in Wheel of Time, it feels peculiar that the show has completely disregarded his brush with death.