Did The Wheel Of Time Resurrect [Spoiler] For Season 2?

Contains spoilers for "The Wheel of Time" Season 2, Episode 1

Robert Jordan's "The Wheel of Time" world is loaded with people — and not just nameless faces, either. There are over 2,700 named characters in the book series. While Amazon Studios' ongoing adaptation has scaled that down considerably, there are already dozens of names worth remembering — and that was just from Season 1. One character who stands out, even among so many faces, is Loial. The Ogier (that's oh-geer, not oger) is a larger-than-life non-human friend who plays an important role throughout the books.

However, in the on-screen adaptation, it looked for a minute there like the beloved character wasn't going to live for more than a few episodes. He was stabbed right in the center of his chest in the closing moments of Season 1 and presumed dead by many. Now that Season 2 has kicked off, we've finally received on-screen confirmation that Loial is still alive — and not just that. He looks in fine form. Did the show bring the gentle giant back from the dead? It would seem from the first couple of episodes that the answer is a not-so-clear no.

The Ogier appears to have been so far from any life-threatening harm that the show doesn't bother to address his recovery when he first pops up, at least not right away. Loial simply shows up on screen in the 1st episode of Season 2 (which jumps forward six months or so from the end of Season 1) looking fit and cheerful, as only an Ogier can. It appears Loial will remain at the center of the story as it continues to move forward — which is a good thing. He's a fantastic character who delivers some light-hearted wisdom and humor in an otherwise serious and sobering story.

The lingering question is, why pretend to kill off Loial only to bring him right back and act like nothing ever happened? Taken at face value, the half-hearted killing off of a major character early in the story — and shortly after he entered it for the first time — was odd, especially when that decision significantly deviated from the source material.

It's a head-scratcher, but it actually has a very important (and worrisome) purpose. In an interview with EW right after the finale, showrunner Rafe Judkins shed some light on why Loial almost died in Season 1. Judkins started with an unequivocal clarification, saying, "Loial is not dead. He is alive and well and shooting in Prague." The showrunner proceeded to explain why the team decided to create a fake death scene that would so obviously be reversed, saying, "I wanted people to be a little on their toes, because real deaths are coming for characters that don't die in the books."

The reasoning for this culling of those who still live on the printed page? Simple. Cast size. Even an operation as well off as Amazon Studios can't keep nearly 3,000 series regulars on tap for whenever they need them. Of course, there are other solutions to this issue, like leaving minor characters out or combining their roles. However, killing an individual off can be a satisfying way to end certain story arcs, and Judkins wants fans to be ready for that eventuality. "It's coming," he said, "and I want people to emotionally prepare themselves. The thought that Loial might be gone will hopefully start to get people emotionally prepared, but I couldn't. He's my favorite."