..and this show must be a part of that.

I hope this message box is as expansive as the series, because I have a lot to say. I first came to the Wheel of Time long ago, at the enthusiastic suggestion of a friend. “You have to read this,” he said. “It’s unlike anything else going right now.” So I ordered the first book, Eye of the World, from Amazon dot com back in the days when they sold nothing but books.

And friends, I was immediately and irrevocably hooked when I read the Prologue, about Lews Therin in his madness. By the time I finished that prologue, I had already ordered the next book in the series. I knew that, no matter what, I needed more of this world, the characters, the experience.

And to be frank, I have that same need to see more of this adaptation, this show that matched or exceeded so many of my visions, this show that captured my heart in much the same way as the books did, all those years ago. You see, I thought it would be near-impossible to do a live action version, considering all the channeling and how it might be captured properly. But the show absolutely blew me away with the depiction of this necessary ingredient for the story. And they only improved as the seasons bloomed before us.

I cannot begin to tell everyone what this series has meant to me, how deeply I drank of the words flowing from the books, a favored escape hatch when things in real life became too much or too hard. And when my suicidal ideation would rise black and deadly like Shayol Ghul against the softness of my brain, it was to the Wheel of Time I went for safety. There, in the pages of this sprawling world created by Robert Jordan, I would be gently exhorted to keep going. “Remember your Aiel heart.” “I want to be Aes Sedai more than anything.” “I am NOT going mad.”

As my moods would tumble into darkness, just like Rand’s, I would find affinity and promise that I could struggle out of it, that I could conquer my own version of tainted saidin. This series saw me through so many life-altering bad things that I won’t list here, but it became a vital, load-bearing part of my deeply personal, highly creative inner world.

And so we come to the show, first given, then taken, by Amazon.

From the first, as Moiraine Damodred prepares herself to search for the Dragon Reborn, just as with the books, I was captivated. Rosamund, you are and always will be Moiraine for me, clear in every line. You not only nailed it, owned it, killed it, you embodied my favorite character in such an indelible way that it shall be sealed forever in heart and memory. I thrilled to see you in action, both in weaving saidar and White Tower machinations. I wept when you spoke words of prophecy and oath. I cheered when Kerene Nagashi Healed your grievous wound. I sat on the edge of my seat for your battle in the sands of the Waste with Lanfear. You mean so much to me, you simply must continue in this role, in this story, in this turning of the Wheel. I and many need it like air.

Similarly, all the actors chosen for these roles will live as these characters in my mind’s eye. I could not have done better myself, and I am a rabid and fussy fan who had very specific ideas about who could possibly be suitable enough to play the characters that have lived in my imagination for so long. The show went above and beyond in this aspect, solidifying mental images and creating tangible, larger than life portrayals of destiny’s chosen people. Everyone exceeded my expectations and then some. I did not think it possible, but it’s true.

The Aes Sedai and Tar Valon were perfect and I loved seeing representation from novices and Accepted as well as full sisters. Emond’s Field was perfect. What I loved best was that the writers took little bits and bobs from the entire series and included them in much earlier places in the story. The bits worked so wonderfully, as with “The Hills of Tanchico” taking some lyrics from one of the bawdy songs the Panarch Amathera is forced to sing by the Black Ajah sisters. This is not the only example, but it is one of my favorites.

The ROAD TO THE SPEAR was such a critically important sequence that was beyond my wildest dreams. Of all the scenes in all the books, that particular scene had to be perfect to pass my strict test, and Josha Stradowski aced it. I was so impressed. I cried as hard as I did for the first reading of that sequence, that experience. Everyone involved should be proud of such a jaw-dropping execution. Awards for them all! Shame for the ones who would cancel such a promising show! If we were speaking in Aiel terms, they have toh that cannot be met.

Another thing: you simply cannot waste Shoreh Aghdashloo – who utterly crushed it as Elaida do Avriny a’Roihan – in one season and expect that to be okay with the fans, general society, the arts in specific, and the workings of fate itself! What kind of a fool does that?

I must speak on the queer representation and the fully integrated world displayed before us. THAT WAS AWESOME. WE NEED MORE OF IT. As our own Age turns brittle and sour, we need that which is good and nourishing to the spirit to survive it. As a queer person, to see unflinching queer relationships reflected on television, in my favorite series no less, was a true blessing, and one I won’t forget. Nor will I forget who took such a precious thing away from us.

As you can see by the over one hundred thousand signatures and many, many letters, this series has meant a whole lot to a ton of people, worldwide. For a lot of us, it is a vital part of our cultural landscape, and to see it embodied and manifested in a well-done manner was an astonishing gift. To then take it away so viciously, violently, and cruelly, before the story further unfolded is such a move of ignorance and willful destruction of brilliance and creativity, I can’t even countenance it. This show must be saved. This show must endure. We so desperately need its thematic strengths in the forefront of our shared reality – overcoming evil, continuity, the knowing that even when a Breaking comes we can still survive and thrive, coming from humble roots into our own individual strengths and stories, nurturing the bonds we create with our friends and chosen family, forever seeking the Light in all that we do. These are the things that matter, these are the things that will aid us as we navigate these complex and upsetting times.

We need the fragment of hope that the Dragon represents. We need this story to be told to its completion in the visual format of this show, with these actors, with this team. It can be no other. Save this show. Thanks.