Diksha Sundriyal
The third season of Prime Video’s ‘The Wheel of Time’ delivers a power-packed finale where some very important events change the course of the journey that Rand al’Thor and his friends are on. One of the most significant things that happened was Mat’s meeting with an otherworldly being whose absence had been noted in the past two seasons, especially when it comes to Mat’s memories, which have always been a source of trouble for him. In the finale, he crosses into the ter’angreal arch and finds himself in the realm of a being who identifies himself as Eelfinn. While there are no more than two scenes with it, the impact of the conversation between him and Mat will be felt over the course of the next couple of seasons. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Eelfinn is One of the Two Extra-dimensional Species of Trickster-like Beings
While the Prime Video series introduces only Eelfinn in the Season 3 finale, he is actually one half of the duo, where the other one is called the Aelfinn. They live in a dimension separate from humans, defined by their own laws and rules that bind them and the humans. In the books, the Tower of Ghenjei is a major way to reach their realm, but the TV show focuses on the use of the ter’angreal. It remains to be seen whether the show will meld the Finns into one, or if the next season will also bring Aelfinn into the fold. In the show, as in the book, the Eelfinn acts as a wish-granter, but of course, there is a catch to anything you might want from them. In case of Aelfinn, one can ask them three questions about anything, past, present, or future, the One Power, or whatnot. And they will answer each truthfully.
However, one needs to be very careful about the questions they ask, but the answers to some might lead them to lose their minds, while too lean questions might be punished by Aelfinn as a sign of disrespect for them. In the books, Rand and Moiraine also visit the realm of the Finns to get answers of their own. The price of these answers is the memories that the Aelfinn take away from them. While the Aelfinn are concerned with truth, the Eelfinn are more about action. A person can ask for three of their wishes to be fulfilled. However, one must remember that this is a transaction, which means a price must be set before making the deal. If that’s not done, the Eelfinn decide the price themselves, and it is generally not good for the other party.
The Eelfinn Grants Mat’s Three Wishes at a Cost
In Mat’s case, we see three of his wishes granted by the Eelfinn. He tells the being that he is fed up with the One Power, following which Eelfinn says, “Done.” Later, when Mat is out of the arch and back in his own realm, we see a black pendant around his neck. This is a ter’angreal pendant that keeps the One Power away from him. It also comes with other perks, like being protected from the attack of One Power, detecting the channeller attacking him, and turning the pendant into a weapon to kill seemingly unkillable beings. Mat’s second wish is for his memories to be taken away. Eelfinn notices his memory and offers to remove it himself, and Mat expresses awe at this possibility rather than actually giving consent for it. In any case, Eelfinn takes it as a sign that Mat wants them removed, so that’s what he does.
When Mat is back in the human world, he realises that all the voices inside his head are gone, but so are some of the other memories. For his third wish, Mat asks to be let back into his own world, and the Eelfinn grants the wish, but of course, it comes with a twist. When Mat leaves Finn’s realm, he ends up hanging by a rope around his neck, which turns Min’s vision into reality. This also shows that even though a person might think they have gotten what they wanted, they will have to pay for it dearly one way or another. Interestingly, Mat is not the first person we see come out of the arch. At the beginning of the finale, Elaida, too, walks out of it, right before the voting for the Amyrlin Seat is about to take place. She loses the vote at the time, but ten years later, she finally wins it and places herself on the Amyrlin Seat. This hints that perhaps, this is what she asked for in the arch, but the price she paid, or is yet to pay, remains to be seen.
Actor Robert Strange Brings the Mysterious Eelfinn to Life
The Eelfinn in ‘The Wheel of Time’ are not humans. In the books, the Finns are like snakes and foxes, and the show uses the same theme to represent them on the screen. This means that the actor who plays the role has to be buried under several layers of makeup and prosthetics to appear as an otherworldly being whose true nature remains out of most people’s understanding. The character is brought to life by British actor Robert Strange. While sitting in the make-up chair to turn into Eelfinn might have been a trying task, the actor is no stranger to playing such roles. Strange has already been a part of a Prime Video fantasy series, which also needed him to be buried under make-up and prosthetics to play a fantasy being.
In the second season of ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,’ he appears as an orc called Glug who serves as Adar’s right hand, but later changes loyalties to serve Sauron instead. For this role as well, he had to spend four to five hours in makeup and costume. Another fantasy creature that he has played is a terrifying vampire in Showtime’s horror series, ‘Penny Dreadful.’ Additionally, Stranger has also extensively worked in the Star Wars movies like ‘The Force Awakens,’ ‘The Last Jedi,’ ‘The Rise of Skywalker,’ ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story,’ and ‘Rogue One’ in the special effects as creature and droid puppeteer. Given his past experience, one can imagine that it wouldn’t have been as tricky for Strange to slip into the skin of the Eelfinn.
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