“I’m The Only One Who’s Willing To Protect Her”

Warning: Spoilers for The Wheel of Time season 3 episode 7.If there weren’t so many other unresolved story threads regarding the show’s other characters, The Wheel of Time season 3 episode 7 could easily be perceived as a season finale. The action-packed episode was the most consequential yet for Perrin, one of the key players in Robert Jordan’s original book series, and saw a triumphant return to the series’ starting location of Emond’s Field in the Two Rivers. Featuring a three-way struggle between Two Rivers locals, the violently zealous Whitecloaks, and the brutal Trollocs, this latest episode encapsulates the high stakes and sometimes questionable morality inherent to the coming of the Last Battle.

Two key players in the Battle of Emond’s Field are the Aes Sedai Alanna and her Warder, Maksim. After spending all season grieving the loss of Alanna’s other Warder Ihvon, Alanna and Maksim band together just in time to help save the Two Rivers from certain doom. Portrayed by Priyanka Bose and Taylor Napier, Alanna and Maxim have been given much more story real estate in The Wheel of Time show than they have in the books, making them some of the screen adaptation’s most interesting characters.

ScreenRant interviewed Priyanka Bose and Taylor Napier about their work on The Wheel of Time season 3 episode 7 and the episodes preceding it. In two separate, individual interviews, the actors discussed grief, their character’s motivations, and the mending of the bond between Maksim and Alanna. Plus, Bose touched on the overwhelming fan response Alanna has received from fans and revealed why it’s so important to her to stay in touch with the Wheel of Time community.

The Death Of Ihvon Defined Much Of Alanna & Maksim’s Season 3 Journey

“She’s Lost The Love Of Her Life. I’ve Lost The Love Of My Life”

In one of the most emotionally devastating moments of The Wheel of Time season 2, Alanna’s Warder Ihvon sacrifices himself to save her from a terrible death at the hands of the Black Ajah member Liandrin. Unfortunately, his death would soon drive a wedge between Alanna and Maksim in season 3. Napier revealed how that affected Maksim’s relationship with his companion: “Not only am I dealing with grief, but I’m dealing with someone I love, or at least trust, or at the very least am an employee of [who is] dragging me around and not telling me anything.”

But that’s not the worst of it, said Napier: “She’s lost the love of her life. I’ve lost the love of my life. And she doesn’t seem, at least to [Maksim], upset enough about it.” For the actor, though, Maksim’s varied attempts at coping with his grief offered many acting opportunities. “When you’re playing grief,” Napier shared, “you can’t always just be crying and sad. You have to have some moments of wanting and striving for things. You’re always, as a human, wanting to climb out of that grief.”

For Priyanka Bose, the actor, the relationship between Alanna, Maksim, and Ihvon helped her understand what is so special about The Wheel of Time show in the first place. “It opens my mind [on] so many levels,” Bose said, “whether it’s queer relationships or exploring a nonbinary, noncompartmentalized thing, you are who you are. Those aspects were so huge.”

Maksim Embraces A New Role By The End Of Episode 7

“There’s A Real Stepping Into His New Responsibility”

Even as Maksim reels from the death of Ihvon in The Wheel of Time season 3, his closest living companion appears determined to turn herself into a human pincushion. “He sort of figures out, ‘Okay, I am the only one who’s willing to protect her’,” Napier said of Maksim’s internal monologue after one of the multiple times Alanna is seriously wounded, “‘I’m the only person who can stop her from herself, and I have to figure out the way to do that … Maybe I just have to be there and save her when she rushes into battle, maybe foolishly.’”

But that realization comes after painful growth for Maksim. “You sort of see his adolescence on screen this season,” Napier said, “In the first two seasons, everything’s pretty great … and suddenly the Forsaken and the Dragon Reborn [are here] and it’s not fun, it’s not what he wanted, and it’s not what he really signed up for. You sort of have to see him go through this angsty teenage rebellion until he gets to the point where he is like, ‘No, this is my life.’”

That’s the case even if, as Napier told it, “I don’t care about the Dragon Reborn, and I don’t care about the Amyrlin.” It’s all, ultimately, for Alanna: “I love Ihvon, and I love you, and that’s what I fight for, and I don’t really fight for anyone else.”

That led to what Napier revealed was his favorite moment from The Wheel of Time’s latest episode: “It’s him taking charge–him walking into the scene with Alanna with the figs. [It’s in that] scene that they come together, and [it’s] him driving that and saying, ‘I made a mistake. I want to be with you. Let’s come together and figure this out in a new way.’” Although Napier revealed it’s hard playing a Warder because “the character doesn’t necessarily drive so much [of the story],” the actor said that he believes Maksim “finds his voice quite effectively in episode seven.”

Priyanka Bose Reveals The Fans Have Been Her Best Resource In Playing Alanna

“The Fans Are Giving Me More For Character Development For Alanna Than Anything Else”

When a call was put out on social media requesting questions for Priyanka Bose and Taylor Napier, one fan said the pair were so active online that many questions had already been answered. When that was brought up to Bose, the actor revealed how meaningful her interactions with the fan community have been for her: “It’s opened another joyful world, because it’s so easy for actors to isolate themselves.” And, Bose said:

Bose revealed she has felt intimidated by Robert Jordan’s book series–which, thanks to Brandon Sanderson’s help, spans 14 primary books–so “I feel like if I just read some of the fan feedback … the fact that they are enjoying me is giving my ego a big, big boost. It’s encouraging me, and it’s giving me some confidence, so I’m very grateful for that.”

You’ll Just Hate How Bose & Napier Talked About Their Wheel Of Time Season 4 Feelings

Although Nothing Has Been Confirmed Regarding The Show’s Renewal Or Cancellation

At one point in her interview, Priyanka Bose said totally unprompted of The Wheel of Time season 4 that she would “miss it a lot if it doesn’t happen.” When pressed on the matter, of course, the actor said “I’m not telling you anything,” before calling the current season of the show “really incredible.” She left it here: “I’m not giving you anything ahead. I just want you to know that we will enjoy this season very, very much.”

Napier ended things on a similarly bittersweet note: “Fingers crossed. I’m really happy with what we put out, but I would love to keep going.”

Check out our other The Wheel of Time season 3 interviews, with more to come!

The Wheel of Time

6/10

Release Date

November 18, 2021

Network

Prime Video

Showrunner

Rafe Judkins

Directors

Sanaa Hamri, Ciaran Donnelly, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Thomas Napper, Maja Vrvilo, Wayne Che Yip

Writers

Amanda Kate Shuman, Dave Hill, Rohit Kumar, Justine Juel Gillmer, Celine Song, Rammy Park, The Clarksons Twins, Katherine B. McKenna