Dear cast and crew of The Wheel of Time,

I want to start my letter with a big “Thank You” to all of you. You brought this beautiful story, that has touched millions over the past decades, to life. Your passion and love for Robert Jordan’s shines through in every scene, in every little detail and in every fan/media interaction we got to witness. There are a few members of cast and crew I’d like to especially thank in this letter, but please know that I love and appreciate each and everyone who participated in bringing The Wheel of Time to the screen.

First off I’d like to thank Rafe Judkins and his incredible writing team. You took on the daunting tasks of condensing a 14/15 book long series into a filmable story. I know that a certain part of the fandom has been very hurtful to you about some of the changes. But let me tell you that I absolutely love what you did with the story. You brought it into a more modern perspective (i.e. inclusivity) and made changes which we already witnessed to pay off in season 3. I might have a different look at it then the fans who’d read these books since the 90s. I only picked them up after season 1 aired. They’d been on my tbr-list for years but I put them off because of the length and the commitment. But your first season, which I started on day 1 (thanks to advertising, which was unfortunately nearly zero for the next two seasons), made me pick up the books and finish them before season 2 aired. I absolutely fell in love with Robert Jordan’s work and appreciate you for giving me the final nudge to start reading the books. I hope you know how much your work means to so many of us fans, your visions and storytelling which let us see and experience one of our favorite stories in a new light and maybe with a few surprises which keep the story fresh. The way you had to navigate shooting during COVID and the writer’s strike certainly wasn’t easy, Barney Harris leaving made things extra complicated for you. But I believe you did your best and at difficult times and the way the show went in season 3 gives me complete confidence in you and your vision. I wish you good luck finding a new streaming partner, I’ll follow you to Shayol Ghul itself. Tai’shar Rafe! Tai’shar Writing Team!

To the VFX Team. You helped bring a vital part of the story to life: Channeling. What always sounded rather cool while reading you turned into a visibly stunning part, interwoven into the story, which grew with the story and got more intricate as our main characters learned about it. Recency bias makes me remember especially scenes from season 3 right now, like the drilling of the bore in Rhuidean (the whole episode was awesome), balefire (OMG, the reversal effect was so genius. In seconds it explained what happened to people who got balefired.), Lanfear’s attack on Rand and Egwene in episode 1, the battle in the White Tower (seeing the bts videos of shooting made clear how important seeing the weaves is for this story), Rand channeling while trying to revive Alsera and especially at the end of episode 8. The taint looks so ominous and dangerous. There are certainly a myriad of other scenes I’m forgetting right now, but they were all deeply appreciated while watching. Thank you for your hard work and I hope you will get the chance to continue pouring your passion into The Wheel of Time. Tai’shar VFX team!

To Sharon Gilham and her costuming department. I have no words for what you’ve created for the show. Nothing but love for every costume, even if it was only in the shot for seconds. So many small details and love for the story. From futuristic outfits to “simple” farmers clothes, beautiful dresses and coats, Aiel garments, Lanfear’s (and darkest timeline cast) goth outfits. I love seeing all the outfits on Instagram and seeing your love and passion for your work and I hope you’ll get to continue to shine and create the fabrics that make The Wheel of Time feel lived in. A few more things I’d like to especially mention are the coats of the Andoran princes, the veils in Tanchico (made it feel nearly otherworldly), Elaida’s dresses (Shoreh is just made for stunning outfits) and the Eelfinn! Oh my God, that was so stunning, props to Robert Strange for sitting through this, but the costume blew me away. From the hair to those shoes and that vest with the ears, noses and mouths. What a twisted idea. Your work elevated the story in a way that can’t be overstated. I’m not a big clothes guy, but your costumes made me geek out multiple times. Thank you all so much for your creativity, heart and passion you poured into this show. May you be able to continue to blow us away. Tai’shar Sharon! Tai’shar Costuming department!

There are surely a lot of bts-teams and people I have missed, but you should know that everybody of you was involved in creating magic and I hope you’ll get the chance to continue to do so. But I’d now like to thank a few (couldn’t possibly do all) of the actors in the show.

Starting with The Dragon Reborn himself, Josha Stradowski. Josha, I hope you know how loved and appreciated you are by the fandom. You are our Dragon Reborn, our Car’a’carn, our Coramoor, our Shadowkiller, He Who Comes With The Dawn, our Lord Dragon! You took on this role of a simple farmboy who grows into the most powerful man in the world. Seeing you being vulnerable, desperate, decisive, passionate was great to see. And I hope, hope, hope that you get the chance to continue Rand’s journey into madness, confinement, cold-blooded and finally peaceful zen-mode (and hopefully see you laugh again). Your range of play is outstanding, your knowledge of the story intimate and your passion for it inspiring. Hearing you geek out about the story, going into the nuances of Rand’s mind and hearing you opinion on his journey is a joy. Portraying seven different characters in an hour of television is a feat not many can rival. Knowing the main character of my favorite show is in the hands of a man who gets the character is relaxing, because I know that you know who Rand is, how he feels and needs to act. With all due respect, I hope you’ll get put into a box sometime in the near future ;). You truly deserve to finish Rand’s journey and I hope you will. Tai’shar Josha! Tai’shar Rand al’Thor!

Ms. Rosamund Pike, I thank you for your passion for the story, for your unwavering campaigning for it in the media, for your involvement in the new audiobook version (a lot of fans hope you’ll still continue doing these). Your Moiraine brought so much new nuance to the character. For the first time we saw Moiraine vulnerable, not as cold as she might have appeared in the books. We saw her love for Siuan shine (something that only was hinted at in the books) but feels so right in the context of the show. You taking the forefront in the first seasons and helping the younger actors grow in your shadow would have helped the show a lot in the long run, as we already saw them break out from under your guidance in season 3. Your understanding talks with Rand in season 3 were really refreshing for the story, for the first time people talked out their issues and understood each other (something that sometimes was a bit infuriating in the books). Your character surviving at the end of season 3 was surprising, but an interesting choice story-wise. I would love to see you battle with the grief for Siuan and how you’d navigate this “new timeline”. I hope you’ll get to continue producing and championing this show in the future. Tai’shar Ms. Pike! Tai’shar Moiraine Damodred!

To Dónal Finn (what a fitting name for Mat’s story) who took on the difficult part of replacing another actor in a lead role. As sad as Barney Harris’ departure was, I feel your portrayal of Mat a lot more. You got the natural swagger and cockiness of Mat. Mat is my favorite character in the books and your portrayal feels so much like him, your talent for improvisation matches his energy, the bisexual energy you give off is chef’s kiss. Mat’s story was just taking off after meeting with the Finn (hehe) and I hope you’ll get to continue his journey on the screen. I’d also like to commend you for your dynamic with Zoë, Ceara and Kae. You brought me so much joy while watching the show, creating lighter moments in a continually darker story. Tai’shar Dónal! Tai’shar Matrim Cauthon! Tai’shar Prince of Ravens! Tai’shar Trickster!

Marcus Rutherford, our beloved wolfbrother. I hope, I don’t offend you by letting you know, that I feel like you’ve grown so much as an actor over these first three seasons of the show. It might have been the material of Perrin in the first books where he is very calm, collected, resting in himself (which is his character) and holding a lot of inner monologue. That’s perfectly fine for books, but not great television. But in season 3 you broke out of it and shone so much brighter. Like Perrin, you took on leadership, finding your own way between violence and peace and quiet. With the addition of Faile (a fantastic Isabella Bucceri) Perrin’s moral struggle came to the forefront. Your portrayal of Perrin, be he vulnerable, fierce, powerful, intimate, happy or sad, was outstanding. I hope you’ll get to continue this journey of finding the right path for Perrin. Tai’shar Marcus! Tai’shar Perrin Aybara! Tai’shar Lord of the Two Rivers! Tai’shar wolfbrother! Tai’shar Young Bull!

Dear Madeleine Madden, our Egwene. Thank you for your part in bringing Egwene to life. Her journey is one of determination and force of will, just like we are determined to get the show picked up again. Your portrayal of Egwene while getting tortured and mentally broken season 2 was one of the best acting I have ever seen, something you should be forever proud of. I truly wish you’ll get to continue Egwene’s story of growth, understanding and bringing people together, culminating in one of the most epic moments of this story. Tai’shar Madeleine! Tai’shar Egwene al’Vere! Tai’shar Amyrlin Seat! Tai’shar Flame of Tar Valon!

To Zoë Robins, our Wisdom, I must admit that Nynaeve wasn’t one of my favorites in the books (so far, just started a re-read and try to understand her better). But your portrayal of our deeply insecure Wisdom changed my perception a bit. And I’m man enough to admit that the moment you broke your block I cried for the first time while watching this show. I’d never thought I’d cry because of Nynaeve (except in frustration maybe), but the moment was so powerful and moving, played perfectly. Thank you. Your dynamic with Ceara, Dónal and Kae in season 3 was phenomenal, you being the more straight part to their shenanigans. Your connection with Ceara and through the both of you Elayne and Nynaeve has its own fandom, nicknaming you two the “Wonder Girls”. I’d love to see you continue your journey in the show, meeting different cultures and helping ultimately defeat the Dark One, and getting together with your true love. There are still so many epic moments awaiting Nynaeve that I hope we’ll get to see you portray in the near future, but I’m thankful we at least got to see you breaking your block. Tai’shar Zoë ! Tai’shar el’Nynaeve ti al’Meara Mandragoran! Tai’shar Queen of Malkier!

Ceara Coveney, my Elayne, my Queen (of Andor), thank you for bringing Elayne to life, with all her quirkyness. Her journey is one of discovery and learning what it truly means to live, love and lead. From the moment of your entrance as a somewhat aloof daughter-heir in the novice quarters of the White Tower I was enthralled. You give off a natural royal aura and then had to learn how to blend in with the common folk. Your shanty in Tanchico was definitely one of the highlights of season 3 and will be cherished forever by the fandom. The moment you realized the innuendo of the song was so perfectly captured. I hope we’ll get to see more of Elayne in the future, meeting her best friend Birgitte, experimenting with ter’angreal, taking back her home and learning how to rule. Tai’shar Ceara! Tai’shar Elayne Trakand! Tai’shar Daughter-heir/Queen of Andor!

Thank you Fares Fares, Natasha O’Keefe, Laia Costa, Nuno Lopes and Cameron Jack for making the Chosen seem cool, where in the books they often looked incompetent. I’d sworn my dark oaths to you, so I call you Chosen. Maybe not to Moghedien, she’s creepy af (in the best way, thank you Laia). Lanfear, wow. Loved the new direction, her outfits, her beauty to rival Selene, Natasha you stole my heart. I would love to see more of Rahvin, see Ishamael return, Graendel and Semirhage finally appear and see who the final Chosen is. I hope to see you all again in future seasons, wreaking havoc on our beloved heroes, slaying and being the best adversaries we can wish for. Tai’shar Fares! Tai’shar Natasha! Tai’shar Laia! Tai’shar Nuno! Tai’shar Cameron!

Thank you to some of my favorites Aes Sedai, Kate Fleetwood, Shoreh Aghdashloo, Sophie Okonedo, Meera Syal, Jennifer Cheon Garcia. Thank you for your portrayal of these wise and powerful women, something we dearly need in today’s world. There was so much story to tell and I hope you’ll get the chance to do so. May it be Liandrin’s quest to become forsaken, Elaida’s attempts to rule and control the Dragon Reborn (I’m so sorry for Shoreh that another of her shows gets canceled, but just like The Expanse we will save it), Siuan’s legacy, Verin’s secret, or Leane’s journey to accept her fate. Tai’shar Kate! Tai’shar Shoreh! Tai’shar Sophie! Tai’shar Meera! Tai’shar Jennifer!

Last, but not least a huge “Thank you” some of the other actors that captured my heart:

• Daniel Henney, our beloved stoic warder/ King of Malkier
• Ayoola Smart, our first glimpse into Aiel culture
• Isabella Bucceri, our falcon, a portrayal so perfect for Faile’s knowledge and viscousness
• Kae Alexander, who grew on me as Min and I hope to see more of her dynamic with the others
• Jay Duffy, whose nuanced portrayal of Dain makes him so much more interesting than in the books, I hope to see your journey to understanding and forgiveness
• Luke Fetherston, who captured Gawyn’s awkwardness perfectly, we love you, even if we hate Gawyn 😀
• Alexandre Willaume, who finally returned and got his gleeman’s cloak, we need more of your stories “old man”

I probably could continue on praising the people of this show, but I need to find an end somewhere. Just know that even if I forgot you, I deeply appreciate everything you did for the show and I hope we get to see you again.

We, The People of the Dragon, will fight for this show until the breaking of the world. We will go to Tarmon Gai’don and into Shayol Ghul itself to give you the chance to finish this epic story. As the Aiel battle cry goes:

Till Shade is gone,

till water is gone,

into the Shadow with teeth bared,

screaming defiance with the last breath,

to spit in Sightblinder’s eye on the Last Day.

By my honor and the Light,

my life will be a dagger for Sightblinder’s heart.

Until the Last Day,

To Shayol Ghul itself.

Let’s save The Wheel of Time! Tai’shar

Michael