Wheel of Time TV Show Character Tiers

[ArrylT]

So I recently watched a YT video by Daniel Greene and his tier rankings of 24 of his favorite WOT characters.  

 

Thought maybe it would be a fun exercise to do for first impressions of the characters we've seen so far.   Feel free to add a character if you felt they deserved to be included

 

Here is a list - but no one is required to tier all of them.   All I ask is an honest & fair appraisal - and if you're just going to tier them all as awful - well probably not the right thread for you. ?

 

Alanna

Aram

Illa

Eamon Valda

Egwene

Lan

Liandrin

Logain

Loial

Mat

Moiraine

Nynaeve

Padan Fain

Perrin

Rand

Thom

 

I've decided to give characters with minor appearances or deaths recognition so here they are

 

Honorable Mentions / Dearly Departed

 

Dana

Ihvon

Kerene

Maksim

Raen

Stepin

 

Same as before - feel free to add any characters you want

 

Assuming the thread is approved, I'll share my tiers in the next post and how I decided to tier.

Edited December 5, 2021 by ArrylT
Adjusted list of characters

[ArrylT]

Well that was fast!

 

Spoiler

I knew having a cask of Tams Apple Brandy on hand would come in useful. ?

 

Ok I am going to do my best to tier the characters only by how I've seen them portrayed on tv.

 

I am going to use a 4 tier system

 

Great

Good

Average

Sub-Par

 

I will be "judging" them based on how I was moved by the character and how much I want to see the character develop, as well as the skill of the character / wow factor .  Admittedly some contrast to how I remember them in the books will creep in.  

 

Ranked in each tier as well.

 

Great

 

Nynaeve - Just wow.   So much more interested in her compared to where I was with her in EOTW Book.  

 

Perrin - not his fault his character arc started with that fridging.  I'm a big fan of how tel'aran'rhiod is portrayed in the show and Perrin is just killing it (pun intended) there.   Has not been involved in any action since well the "incident" so its been all on him and the slow build through the episodes.   Many might find it dull - I am just loving the patient play.

 

Moiraine - I think it is extremely difficult to pull of such a nuanced character as we see in the books.  Moiraine is a mystery, and while I can relate to her emotionally, she still remains a mystery to me so far.

 

Illa - I know the actress who portrays Illa is an extremely talented actress - yet I am still totally thinking this is Illa - that is how good the character is imo

 

Rand - got bumped up to the top tier once I started seeing very subtle signs of ta'veren.

Spoiler

Interaction with the farmer holding the bow / Dana falling for him

 

Eamon - Villains are so lovely when done right.   Hopefully he doesnt disappoint

 

Good

 

Lan -  I've got him on the border between Good/Great.   Ironically I think Lan is doing great in making Moiraine Moiraine - ie he supports her no matter what - which is well what Lan is supposed to do no?  Just missing a little something to push him up a tier.

 

Egwene - Maybe once they put a little more focus on her, she'll get bumped up.

 

Logain - Looking forward to seeing more.   Loved the arc done in Episode 4.

 

Mat - See spoiled why not in Great

Spoiler

A line can be hilarious and work in the world but in the medium still be unnecessary - so I docked points for the almost immediately after we meet Dana comment about "taking turns" - come on Mat you have 2 sisters - dont be that dude who ... - ok maybe the corruption is taking effect  - but still ... 

 

Thom - Trying to be as fair and balanced as possible.  Thom needs more screen time for me to and well that might not happen for a bit -  so as a precaution to myself I have to protect myself emotionally. ?

 

Average

 

Aram - No complaints with Aram so far, but 

Spoiler

while cute, that comment about his toys in Episode 4 seemed a little too passive-aggressive

 

Liandrin - I think I would have had her in Good until the end of Episode 4

Spoiler

I didnt like her comment about wanting to revenge her sister - I couldnt tell if she was being honest or not and so that has me a little less immersed as her being a lawful evil badass.

 

Alanna - just not enough to rank higher - nothing against her personally - just the bell curve

 

Sub-Par

 

None of those listed - a few minor characters came off as sub-par but not going to nit pick brief interactions with characters who had little impact.  

Edited November 28, 2021 by ArrylT

[Ryrin]

Illa, I just loved her. Nynave too. I have to disagree on Thom. Despite the absence of the flute, I found his character to be spot on. 
 

I think Mat is the one I’m most disappointed in. I don’t recognize him from the books at all. 

 

 

[ArrylT]

4 hours ago, Ryrin said:

Illa, I just loved her. Nynave too. I have to disagree on Thom. Despite the absence of the flute, I found his character to be spot on. 
 

I think Mat is the one I’m most disappointed in. I don’t recognize him from the books at all. 

 

 

 

Just for clarity I wasnt trying to suggest any of their characters was off -  with Thom,I like him just fine in the show compared to how he is in the book  - rather just saying that it is hard to get invested to the highest degree when you know how they were last seen.   Books wise I know we'll see him again - but how/when in the show is a different story, so ergo holding off on ranking him higher as a character from the show until I know I'm getting more Thom. ?

[Frenata]

Great

Nynaeve, easily the strongest performance of the EF5 and is already demonstrating the complexities of the character that the books took longer to develop

Valda, drips evil and on the strength of his performance has elevated the conflict of the show from the binary Dark/Light

Logain, such a showstealer that he grabbed a whole episode for himself!

 

Good

Liandrin, highlights the complexities of Tower politics early on

Aram, oozes likeability ?

Rand, probably the most subtle EF5 performance so far; loved his calling out of Moiraine. Has nailed "stubborn sheepherder"

Illa, strictly for the strength of her story about the WotL

Lan, has been relatively in the background which makes sense but the prayer scene was ?

 

Average

Moiraine, too passive pre-Winternight, weirdly unconfident at times, especially about the age-thing

Mat, I think I need to see more of the "souring" of his personality to truly buy-in

Perrin, more an 'incomplete' than anything else, I fully expect the internal conflict to pay off in Ep5

 

Subpar

Thom, mostly an exposition dump ?

Alanna, under-developed so far

Egwene, easily the weakest of the EF5 so far, the only real character beat is "sad that she can't be with Rand"

[ArrylT]

Because there has been some feedback and participation on this thread - which I appreciate - I think I will update my tiers after each episode to see how the show is altering how I feel about the characters, and then maybe after the season ends I'll do a binge run and see if anything changes.  

[Elder_Haman]

I have a slightly different take:

Great:

Nynaeve. I really disliked Nynaeve until toward the end of tGH. I didn't really buy her motivation and found her to be a self-absorbed bully. Show Nynaeve starts with all of the characteristics I loved about her: stubborn, determined, (overly) self-confident, and protective. Her interactions with Lan have been great and made me buy into the budding romance.

 

Valda. For all the reasons you gave.

 

Perrin. Man, I love the way Marcus approaches Perrin. He is so expressive. The couple of times that Egwene has made statements about the Trollocs killing Laila, you can see the emotion all over his face. 

 

Rand. Josha has him nailed. He is going to kill it.

 

Good

Logain. More an incomplete. I need more time with him now that he's broken.

 

Liandrin. Far more subtle than the books make her. And I really like the way they have written her into things early. She won't come from left field the way she did in the books. And having her come across Nyn provides an impetus for being suspicious of Moiraine and her charges that was underdeveloped in the books.

 

Mat. He's likeable. But I've been trying not to get attached knowing that he's been replaced.

 

Thom. I like the new, gritty Thom. He was a little bit one note though, and I'm excited to see what they do with him when he's in a different environment.

 

Alanna. Prianka Bose is so great! I loved the little details of her costume and her sly, flirty personality. Again, excited for more of her.

 

I'd also put Dana, Aram and Ila in this category.

 

Average

Moiraine. I know that they are leaning into this choice with Moraine doubting herself, but it's my least favorite of their choices. Don't get me wrong, I think Rosamund Pike is excellent and carries the scenes that she's in, but I'm missing the confident Moiraine.

 

Lan. Mostly due to missed opportunities. They have had a couple of chances to make Lan a little more like the badass that he is in the books, but chose not to take them. While I like Daniel Henney's soft-spoken delivery and his physicality seems good, I'm just not into Lan as a character right now. (I will say the prayers for Malkier and banter with Nyn have my opinion of him on the upswing.)

 

Egwene. This is more of an incomplete. Maddy's acting is fine. She just hasn't had the chance to do much. 

 

Poor

The only acting performances that I haven't enjoyed so were Bran, Marin, and Raen. But they didn't get anywhere near enough screen time for me to say that they weren't well characterized.

 

[RhienneAgain]

Great

• Rand - perfectly captures how I see the book character. Book Rand isn't actually terribly interesting imo, so I don't think tEotW makes for great material in the show but I'm really enjoying TV Rand a lot.
• Logain - the increased attention to Logain in the series is one of the few changes I really like. The show has done a great job of capturing book Logain.
• Moiraine (borderline with good)

Good

• Liandrin

• Perrin

Average

• Nynaeve
• Lan
• Egwene
• Mat
• Thom
• Aram
• Alanna

Sub-par

• Illa
• Eamon Valda

 

 

[Maximillion]

Great

• Valda. (good representation IMO and done even better than the books)

Good

• Moiraine (acting wise, not story wise)
• Aram (best actor IMO)

Average

• Thom. (I think the changes to his features are ok, he brings a lot to the show, just not in it enough yet.

Sub-par

• Nynaeve (could have been in a lower category)
• Lan (could have been in a lower category)
• Egwene
• Mat
• Alanna
• Illa
• Logain
• Fade
• Trollocs
• Perrins wife
• Tam
• Rand

Edited December 2, 2021 by Maximillion

[ArrylT]

I have updated my list to include characters introduced / developed in Episode 5.   Rather than edit my original tiering - I will quote that post and then re-post updated tiers so you can see what adjustments have been made.

[ArrylT]

On 11/27/2021 at 9:42 PM, ArrylT said:

I am going to use a 4 tier system

 

Great

Good

Average

Sub-Par

 

Ranked in each tier as well.

 

Great

 

Nynaeve

Perrin

Moiraine

Illa

Rand

Eamon

 

Good

 

Lan

Egwene

Logain

Mat

Thom

 

Average

 

Aram

Liandrin

Alanna

 

Sub-Par

 

None of those listed - a few minor characters came off as sub-par but not going to nit pick brief interactions with characters who had little impact.  

 

 

Firstly here are my updated thoughts on the HM/DD characters

 

Dana - Great (that twist was great & the meme with her is hilarious)

Ihvon - Average (hard to rate better)

Kerene - Good (well deserving of having been the Captain General)

Maksim - Good (seems more solid than Ihvon atm)

Raen - Good (way to speak up to Eamon )

Stepin - Great (such a strong developed character and the arc was so well done and the foreshadowing possibilities)

 

And on to the main ensemble characters (as I see them);

 

In order to create a better bell curve  I had to create a new tier just to add more separation from characters who otherwise would all be lumped in 1 tier.

 

Awesome

 

Loial - I think I benefit from not having a picture of Loial in my head in advance.   Further I had heard rumours that Loial looked odd - so I came in with lowered expectations.   And well Loial was everything I wanted and more.  Plus he is taller than Rand (who in the books is 6'6) so I am fine with him not being 8 feet tall because he makes up for it in so many other ways.   I certainly will not be upset if his role gets expanded from the books (sort of like Podrick in GOT came off better than in SofFaI).

 

Padan Fain - Honestly he gets added just because of the fun of playing Wheres Waldo, and having that creepy music.  

 

Egwene - Definitely can see how she becomes Amyrlin Seat

 

Great

 

Perrin - The slow burn build continues - with a dollop of trauma & torture and now he's starting to communicate with the wolves, if subconsciously - right on!

 

Moiraine - Always seems to come out the winner in any verbal exchange with anyone and really personifies Aes Sedai to the core.  

 

Nynaeve - Drop is more because of others improvements

 

Rand - No adjustment from previous episode but still loving all the scenes with him

 

Eamon - Great performance so far

 

Illa - Way to stand up to the Whitecloaks non violently and show acceptance of your guests

 

Good 

 

Lan - Words cannot properly express my appreciation of Lan so far - but I still love the fighting / warder task centric Lan parts and hope more of that comes out.

 

Mat - Continuing to slow warm up to Mat - just so much fun to watch him act corrupted subtly but increasingly

 

Logain - Well done sir, well done!

 

Alanna - Oh going to be fun to see her meet Rand

 

Thom - no adjustment

 

Liandrin - starting to get more invested in her.  TBH I was never a huge Elaida fan and while I was not thrilled about what Liandrin did as a BA, this Liandrin helps me understand her motivations better.

 

Average

 

Aram - oh so close to being a tier higher (I think the actor is doing a great job but the character itself has limited application going forward imo - but we'll see)

 

 

Sub Par - None atm

 

If I had to I would only give a sub par to the idea that a lot of the extra warders & Aes Sedai Reds are not yet named.

 

Still have not found a character that I was bored by or felt either did not fit into WOT or acted poorly.

 

[ArrylT]

Well since my previous update is just above - no need to quote it.  ?

 

Firstly again here are my updated thoughts on the HM/DD characters

 

Dana - Great (that twist was great & the memes with her is hilarious)

Ihvon - Average (hard to rate better)

Kerene - Good (well deserving of having been the Captain General)

Leane - Average (but you look very fierce!)

Maksim - Great (updated as his skills as a Warder become more apparent)

Maigin - Average (hard to rate better)

Raen - Good (way to speak up to Eamon )

Stepin - Great (such a strong developed character and the arc was so well done and the foreshadowing possibilities)

 

And on to the main ensemble characters (as I see them);

 

In order to create a better bell curve  I had to create a new tier just to add more separation from characters who otherwise would all be lumped in 1 tier.

 

-----

 

Awesome

 

Moiraine - Episode 6 pushed her into the top tier and earned top spot.  Just amazing, and her in the Hall is basically exactly how I would have had in my head canon.

 

Egwene - Oh Egwene, that look when hearing Nynaeve is so powerful

 

Siuan - The Amyrlin Seat come to life in all her glory,  and Suan is so nuanced that she is believable in three completely different settings.

 

 

Great

 

Rand -  Way to defend anyone you love be it Mat or Egwene

 

Nynaeve - Does not matter who it is Nynaeve will speak her piece!

 

Perrin - No adjustment

 

Lan - Owned Rand, and loved his ability to protect Moiraine (plus reaction to masked bond)

 

Padan Fain - adjustment in comparison to other characters 

 

Eamon - Great performance so far

 

Illa - Way to stand up to the Whitecloaks non violently and show acceptance of your guests

 

Logain - So difficult to change directions mid-scene from menacing & taunting to but damn. Logain gave it his best shot, but was not able to get the quick release.

 

 

Good 

 

Mat - I think Mat was one of the most difficult characters to portray in S1 and the fact that I wanted Mat to continue (even though I knew of the casting change) earns Mat top of this tier position.

 

Illa - Way to stand up to the Whitecloaks non violently and show acceptance of your guests

 

Loial - Stil loving Loial - just becoming more difficult to justify a higher rank with the varied screen time amongst characters.    

 

Liandrin - Continues to show she should not be underestimated and oh so curious to see what she has up her sleeve in regards to North Harbor.

 

Alanna - Oh going to be fun to see her meet Rand.  Alanna was a little pouty in the books (for me) and her facial expression when faced with Moiraines exile really connected with that for me.

 

Thom - no adjustment

 

 

Average

 

Aram - No adjustment

 

 

Sub Par - None atm

 

If I had to I would only give a sub par to the idea that a lot of the extra warders & Aes Sedai Reds are not yet named.

 

Still have not found a character that I was bored by or felt either did not fit into WOT or acted poorly.  Which in turn makes this tiering so difficult - because the bar is set pretty high.  If I am giving everyong say 6/10 or better, only have limited room to work with.  And I simply cannot devalue a character just to spread the tiering more.     At the end of season, when I do a re-watch of the whole season, going to be a challenge for sure.

[Spiritweaver1]

On 11/30/2021 at 10:18 AM, Elder_Haman said:

I have a slightly different take:

Great:

Nynaeve. I really disliked Nynaeve until toward the end of tGH. I didn't really buy her motivation and found her to be a self-absorbed bully. Show Nynaeve starts with all of the characteristics I loved about her: stubborn, determined, (overly) self-confident, and protective. Her interactions with Lan have been great and made me buy into the budding romance.

 

Valda. For all the reasons you gave.

 

Perrin. Man, I love the way Marcus approaches Perrin. He is so expressive. The couple of times that Egwene has made statements about the Trollocs killing Laila, you can see the emotion all over his face. 

 

Rand. Josha has him nailed. He is going to kill it.

 

Good

Logain. More an incomplete. I need more time with him now that he's broken.

 

Liandrin. Far more subtle than the books make her. And I really like the way they have written her into things early. She won't come from left field the way she did in the books. And having her come across Nyn provides an impetus for being suspicious of Moiraine and her charges that was underdeveloped in the books.

 

Mat. He's likeable. But I've been trying not to get attached knowing that he's been replaced.

 

Thom. I like the new, gritty Thom. He was a little bit one note though, and I'm excited to see what they do with him when he's in a different environment.

 

Alanna. Prianka Bose is so great! I loved the little details of her costume and her sly, flirty personality. Again, excited for more of her.

 

I'd also put Dana, Aram and Ila in this category.

 

Average

Moiraine. I know that they are leaning into this choice with Moraine doubting herself, but it's my least favorite of their choices. Don't get me wrong, I think Rosamund Pike is excellent and carries the scenes that she's in, but I'm missing the confident Moiraine.

 

Lan. Mostly due to missed opportunities. They have had a couple of chances to make Lan a little more like the badass that he is in the books, but chose not to take them. While I like Daniel Henney's soft-spoken delivery and his physicality seems good, I'm just not into Lan as a character right now. (I will say the prayers for Malkier and banter with Nyn have my opinion of him on the upswing.)

 

Egwene. This is more of an incomplete. Maddy's acting is fine. She just hasn't had the chance to do much. 

 

Poor

The only acting performances that I haven't enjoyed so were Bran, Marin, and Raen. But they didn't get anywhere near enough screen time for me to say that they weren't well characterized.

 

 I am with the Elder on this one.  Some of the others like Tam get so little screen time that there is no  way to really judge.  Bran M:arin and Raen get the same vote.  Raen got robbed.    

 

This is a little off topic but is Eamon Valda supposed to be combined with Joachim Carridan?  

Edited December 15, 2021 by Spiritweaver1
I hate spell check