Warning: This article contains spoilers for Wheel of Time episode 8.
Rand’s decision in The Wheel of Time season 1 finale opened the door for him to receive a different story in season 2. Rand (Josha Stradowksi) choosing to isolate himself from his friends changes the setup for his next adventure. As a result, Rand may not head in the same direction as his counterpart in Robert Jordan’s books.
Rand overcame the Dark One’s evil influence at the end of the season finale, but the character understands that he’s not out of the woods just yet. Since the Dark One tainted the male half of the One Power, all male channelers are doomed to go insane. Knowing that he’s a threat to everyone he cares about thousands of years ago, Rand has elected to go his own way, rather than risk the lives of Egwene (Madeleine Madden), Perrin (Marcus Rutherford), and the others. It was Rand’s wish for the rest of them to believe that he’s dead.
Wheel of Time season 1 ending with Rand not going back to Fal Dara with Moiraine and Lan (Daniel Henny) has significant implications for his season 2 story. In the books, he was supposed to be there when they found out that Padan Fain (Johann Myers) stole the ruby-hilted dagger and the Horn of Valere. Since getting the dagger back was essential to Healing Mat in The Great Hunt, Rand and Loial accompanied Mat and some of the Aes Sedai on a quest to track down Fain. This mission was the focus of Rand’s story in The Great Hunt, and though Wheel of Time has set up the search for Fain, it seemingly took Rand out of the equation.
As things stand, it looks like Rand will end up somewhere else. As for where that could be, one possibility is the great city of Caemlyn. Wheel of Time season 1 skipped over Caemlyn, which was a key stop for the characters in the first book, The Eye of the World. Caemlyn is the location of the Andorian royal palace and the setting for his first-ever meetings with Elayne Trakand, Gawyn, Galad, Queen Morgase, Tallanvor, and Elaida. Elayne has already been cast for Wheel of Time season 2, and her impending introduction means the others are likely to appear as well. Rand having a run-in with Elayne (one of his three major love interests) and her family is an important moment for his story, so it makes sense for Wheel of Time to adapt this story soon.
It could be after Caemlyn when Wheel of Time pulls Rand back into the main story. Moiraine was fine with letting Rand leave, but that was because she thought he had fulfilled the Dragon Reborn prophecy. However, Moiraine figured out after he left that the Last Battle hasn’t happened yet. What that means is that Rand will still be needed to beat the Dark One in The Wheel of Time’s future. Sooner or later, Moiraine and the others will have to find Rand and convince him to rejoin the group.
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