After Natasha O’Keeffe’s Comments on ‘The Wheel of Time’s Unfair Cancellation, We’re Mourning This Unfilmed Lanfear Moment

There are plenty of shows with disappointing endings, but The Wheel of Time‘s is especially brutal because it never got to wrap up its story. The Prime Video fantasy series was suddenly canceled following the conclusion of its third and best season, shocking both the fans and cast. Based on Robert Jordan‘s lengthy series, there is still plenty of story left to tell, but despite a campaign from fans, there is no news of the show getting picked up elsewhere. Adding to the disappointment is the fact that another season had so clearly been set up, giving no closure to the story.

Recently, Natasha O’Keeffe, who plays the villainous Lanfear, discussed the too-short series while promoting her next project, Whitetail. O’Keeffe first appeared in Season 2 as the cunning member of the Forsaken who is still in love with the Dragon, despite the man she once knew being reborn as Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski). The actress expressed her disappointment at the show’s unexpected end, saying, “It felt like we only got started. It felt like Season 3 had landed itself ready to take flight. So yeah, we’re really gutted. Lanfear was only warming up.” There are many reasons to be upset about the cancellation, but specifically for Lanfear, The Wheel of Time seemed to be building to one of her most unmissable moments from the books.

‘The Wheel of Time’ Didn’t Include an Epic Lanfear Scene

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The Wheel of Time Season 3 focuses on the story of the fourth book in the series, The Shadow Rising, though not exclusively. While Lanfear’s story didn’t follow the books exactly, there was one moment that the arc was building toward: her confrontation with Moiraine (Rosamund Pike). In Book 5, The Fires of Heaven, both of their stories culminate in one moment when Lanfear moves to overpower Rand in a jealous rage. The fight shows Lanfear’s cruelest instincts as she tortures both Egwene (Madeleine Madden) and Aviendha (Ayoola Smart), all because Rand chose Aviendha over her. And even in the midst of these horrors, Rand cannot defend himself against a woman, so Moiraine steps in. She recognizes what is happening as a possible future she saw in Rhuidean and chooses to sacrifice herself, luring Lanfear into position and pushing them both through the redstone doorway ter’angreal, seemingly killing both women.

This is not the end of Lanfear (or Moiraine, for that matter), as the ter’angreal is a portal to the world of the Aelfinn and Eelfinn, and Lanfear is ransomed and reincarnated by the Dark One, giving her a new name and storyline. However, it is an ending for Lanfear, who is never quite the same afterward, humbled and more strictly controlled, making it a major moment in her arc. The scene is not only epic, but with Moiraine’s sacrifice, it changes the story’s trajectory. Although it’s unclear how The Wheel of Time might have adapted this scene, Season 4 would have been based largely on The Fires of Heaven, meaning it was likely planned before the show’s untimely cancellation.

‘The Wheel of Time’ Season 3 Was Building to Lanfear and Moiraine’s Door Scene

While Season 3 took a unique approach to Moiraine and Lanfear’s dynamic, the story seemed to be building to their final confrontation. The Wheel of Time pushed Moiraine and Lanfear together, making them both enemies and, on occasion, reluctant allies. And most of the elements pointing to this twist are there. Throughout the season, Moiraine struggles to come to terms with the future she saw in Rhuidean and the knowledge that she will have to sacrifice herself, and when she believes the time has come, she goes to face Lanfear anyway. Though it seemed for a while that the show cut the redstone doorway, it appeared, just not in the same location. Mat (Dónal Finn) goes through one, meeting the Eelfinn, and a flashback reveals another similar ter’angreal to be in the White Tower. The existence of the redstone doorway in the series suggests that Moiriane and Lanfear’s storyline could have remained intact, providing this epic scene.

Interestingly, in the Season 3 finale, Lanfear and Moiraine have a confrontation, but it didn’t adapt this scene. Instead, they battled in the Aiel Waste while Moiriane distracted Lanfear from Rand. This enabled The Wheel of Time to include impressive displays of the One Power, but both women walked away wounded, but alive, so the fight itself does little to progress the story. Moiraine’s sacrifice was still coming, and the fight at the end of The Fires of Heaven was primed for adaptation in Season 4, just as soon as Rand and Aviendha’s relationship development began. While there are many scenes from the books that would have been amazing to see onscreen, the fact that this memorable moment was so close makes never getting it that much more upsetting.

‘The Wheel of Time’ Needed Lanfear and Moiraine’s Book Confrontation

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A theoretical Season 4 could have done justice to this moment, especially with how much Season 3 did in setting it up. But, in hindsight, the Season 3 finale would have benefited from following the books more closely. Season 3’s ending was chaotic and has so many twists already that it’s understandable the series chose to wait for this scene. The apparent death of two major characters deserves a spotlight that the Season 3 finale couldn’t have provided. However, with no continuation, following the books could have provided a more definitive conclusion, as they both disappear for a time. Had the series used this confrontation instead, it wouldn’t have left the story so open-ended, and, though it is only one of the many unfinished plotlines, any actual ending would make the cancellation easier to accept. Plus, The Wheel of Time would have gotten the chance to actually show Moiraine’s sacrifice and the extreme lengths it takes the heroes to defeat Lanfear.

Though the fans’ effort to revive the series is ongoing, O’Keeffe doesn’t seem hopeful. As much as she didn’t want it to end, the actress admitted, “I’m sorry that it isn’t going into Season 4.” The premature ending of The Wheel of Time deprived the audience of many great moments, but especially knowing how much O’Keeffe wanted to keep going in the role, it’s a shame she never got to play Lanfear’s most iconic moment.

The Wheel of Time is streaming on Prime Video in the U.S.

The Wheel of Time

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