The Wheel Of Time's Forsaken Explained
Contains spoilers for "The Wheel of Time" Season 2, Episode 8
Robert Jordan's "The Wheel of Time" series has an obvious big baddie in the form of the Dark One. As the series begins, the Father of Lies has spent ages locked away in defeated isolation. As he reemerges, he guides the evil events of the world, partly through his greatest and most powerful servants: the Forsaken. In much the same way that J.R.R. Tolkien's Dark Lord Sauron commanded his Ringwraiths as extensions of his will outside the physical boundaries of his own kingdom, the Forsaken traipse across Jordan's world, causing trouble and opposing Rand and the other Two Rivers heroes whenever they cross paths.
The Forsaken have been a major part of Season 2 of Amazon Studios' "Wheel of Time" adaptation. In fact, Season 1 was updated before the release of Season 2 with an end-credit scene that depicts the infamous Darkfriend Social, where a group of the Dark One's followers (including many of the Forsaken) gather and plot their master's ultimate triumph. Season 2 eventually opens with that same sequence. We also see the first two Forsaken freed in the form of both Ishamael (played by Fares Fares and whom Rand and Moiraine mistake for the Dark One in the Season 1 finale) and Lanfear (played by Natasha O'Keeffe and who initially masquerades as the seductive innkeeper Selene). By the season finale, we also meet the spidery Moghedien, who reveals that the rest of the Forsaken have been unleashed and will soon be pestering Rand and company as they prepare for Tarmon Gai'don — i.e., the apocalyptic Last Battle.
The question is, who are these outcast antagonists, where did they come from, and how will they impact the story moving forward?
Who are the Forsaken?
The Forsaken are the Dark One's primary instruments for evil during the "Wheel of Time" series. There are 13 of them, and this unlucky crew operates both in the open and behind the scenes. The group is also called "The Chosen" and collectively goes by many other chilling, cult-like names — for instance, the Aiel (that is, the group living out in the desert that uses spears and veils their faces when they fight) call them the Shadowsouled.
As servants of the Dark One, the Forsaken are utterly sold out to their master's ultimate victory. This isn't anything new, either. Thousands of years before the Dragon was reborn as Rand al'Thor, the Forsaken were already busily conducting horrifying acts and atrocities. In these past turns of the Wheel, they were mighty warlords and leaders. They were so close to the center of the action that when their master was sucked into his prison, they were captured along with him.
In the source material, they begin to break out one by one early on. Two, Balthamel and Aginor, are quickly dispatched at the end of the first novel. Others, including Ishamael, Lanfear, and Moghedien, stick around a lot longer, playing recurring villainous roles. The rest of the blighted crew includes Sammael, Asmodean, Rahvin, Demandred, Be'lal, Semirhage, Graendal, and Mesaana. How many of these individuals will have fleshed-out parts to play in Amazon's series isn't certain. But we know from the final scene of Season 2 that they're all free and running amok in the world again.
The Forsaken have unique skills and love infighting
The Forsaken are a predictable lot in a few key ways. The most obvious is that they are devoted servants of their master and work exclusively toward his inevitable return. They also each have their own unique levels of power. (This is legit stuff, guys. There is even companion material for Jordan's original writings that helps rank each Forsaken by power level.) Each character also has defining personal attributes, such as Ishamael's pure power, Lanfear's seductive nature, and Moghedien's creepy arachnid schtick.
Another major attribute is that they're always ready to do whatever it takes to outshine and outmaneuver others to get into power — even one another. Season 2 touches on this point multiple times. As Lanfear and Ishamael are shown talking throughout the season, repeated hints are made about the possibility of their backstabbing one another.
This is par for the course with these guys. That's why the first thing Moghedien does in the final scene of the season finale is trap her fellow Forsaken in a toying web as she monologues in front of her. Lanfear's clear terror at seeing that her co-worker has escaped shows just how little this group trusts one another, even if they're working toward the same goal. Part of this is because, in the Dark One's ruthless hierarchy, survival of the fittest is the order of business. The Forsaken aren't immune to reprisals and consequences. There are multiple points in the story where they pay a heavy price for failure or a lack of foresight. They also contend for the position of Nae'blis, the second in command of the Dark One himself, which is an individual prize to be possessed by a single person.
There are a lot more Forsaken to come in Amazon's series
"The Wheel of Time" draws on a series that contains well over a dozen massive books as well as prequel and supplemental material. It makes sense that Jordan created a posse of villains rather than trying to keep things interesting for so long by focusing on the same distant, unrelatable archnemesis in every story. Despite their otherworldly nature, the Forsaken bring a down-to-earth element to the conflict. They provide a carousel of unique, incarnate villains, which the Two Rivers heroes encounter at various points throughout the story as it plays out.
So far in Amazon Studios' series, Ishamael appears to be dead, and Lanfear is still loose (and has shown her willingness to waste everything in her path, if necessary, in her pursuit of power). Moghedien also provides the chilling reveal in the fading moments of Season 2 that Ishamael released the rest of the crew before his final confrontation with Rand — and this group doesn't have the same soft spot for the Dragon Reborn (i.e., Lews Therin, who is reincarnated in Rand's body) as the first two Forsaken we've seen so far.
Now that the cat's out of the bag, there's no doubt that the Dragon reborn and the rest of his compatriots are going to have their hands full as they blaze the trail toward the Last Battle and the final confrontation with the Dark One himself. In the words of Lanfear, "Light help you, Rand al'Thor."