On the one hand, I want to be happy, because she's excellent and another (vastly superior) Amazon adaptation of a genre series demonstrated just how good she can be when asked to play something deeper or more interesting than "Middle-eastern character's wife/mother."

On the one hand, there is some commonality between her two Amazon characters. Both are older women, sharp, intelligent, formidable forces in their worlds and very direct, at times, off-puttingly so to the main characters.

On the other hand, Crisjen Avrasarala on "The Expanse" is rather foul-mouthed. This serves her characterization well, because her character lives on Earth, albeit some centuries in the future, but as a UN official, who wears elaborate & elegant South Asian garb, her profanity is a jarring contrast to the clean, well-lit settings in which she moves, and the elitist ruling class of the solar system who are generally the people she speaks to. But to a shallow viewer, the most important thing about Avrasarala is how funny it is that she drops f-bombs in diplomatic conferences and cabinet meetings.

And I have a sinking feeling that is exactly what That Show is going to be doing with her. Cadsuane is going to all "I'm the goddam best at hunting male fucking channelers!" and "That fucking Elaida has ruined the boy's chances of trusting us!" or "No more bullshit! Eat your fucking dinner off the fucking floor, Semirhage, you fucking bitch!"

And yes, the idea of this show going 12 seasons is pretty appalling, but I don't trust Judkins and co to leave that stuff in their proper place. The producers are clearly Aes Sedai fans, and could not bear to wait until season 2, when they actually showed up in the books, to introduce their faves. Hell, the fact that they are talking about casting Cadsuane when only season 3 has been approved is just another sign of their impatience, since she showed up in book 7.

This is just another example of the TV adapters thinking as long as they show an event, they can check a plot point off the list, and are doing the story justice. The timing of Cadsuane's appearance on the scene was important, because it comes on the heels of the main characters all riding high. Rand is not only the leader of a multinational quasi empire with unmatched military power, he has founded his channeling organization and defeated the White Tower in a confrontation, holding Aes Sedai as captives and sworn servants, as well as being an object of religious veneration for some. The female characters have all achieved Aes Sedai status and it has been revealed that the rules of the Tower place them above every other Aes Sedai in rank and status. Cadsuane is there to illustrate to the leads that their power has limits and all of it won't do much good if they don't use it properly. She is the sword in the titular crown that jabs the wearer's head. She is the slave riding beside a triumphant Roman general whispering in his ear, "Remember you are mortal." She is there to prepare the readers for the characters' struggles to come, which seem inconceivable to those who can only see the power and potential for success accumulating around the leads.

So what is the point of putting her in season 3? Are they all going to be riding so high that it's already time for their thematic stumbles? Judkins has stated that Book 4 is his favorite, in a context suggesting he's going to compress "The Great Hunt" and "The Dragon Reborn" into one season to rush to his favorite story. A theme of "The Shadow Rising" is revelation, including the exposure of the true quality of the good guys (and some less good). It's also where we get our first real look at White Tower politics, almost as if the White Tower split and attempted coup is a revelation of the institution's true character and quality, the same way that Nynaeve defeating Moghedian, Elayne rescuing the Panarch of Tarabon, Rand outwitting Lanfear, out-strategizing Moiraine & capturing Asmodean or Perrin saving the Two Rivers reveals the truth about them. And it's all built on what comes before. This book is so beloved, because the characters with whom the readers identify come away with such impressive wins. We had three books of them struggling as the underdogs, as fugitives and as subordinates, and now suddenly showing that just maybe they CAN pull off saving the world. This feeling was earned by their struggles, and made clear by the books doing a lot of groundwork to make it clear how difficult these feats are, and what they mean in the context of the setting. After after book 1, we had a good idea that the Aiel were scary and becoming their leader was impressive. Rand wiping out the Trollocs was with the aid of a resource that is used up in the act, in a context redolent with miraculous implications. The Trollocs remain scary because we don't have another Eye of the World, and the BIG VOICE has never returned, so it is a game-changer when Rand wipes them out in the Stone, and Perrin's defending the village, and preserving a place from the threat that previously always caused the heroes to leave (even in Tear, the protagonists left the Stone right after the attack, regardless of the fact of their win), was an unprecedented accomplishment for the kids. Does a show WoTcher have any idea who or what the Forsaken are, to give context to Nynaeve winning a duel with one? Because in book 1 we what happened the first time she went up against one. On the show, the Trollocs are wiped out by five women, led by a dropout. Admittedly, most of them died, but Egwene & Nynaeve had no idea what they were doing and one of them Healed the other, possibly from death. So why should anyone be afraid of Trollocs showing up again, once they have a little training?

No matter how I look at it, I have no confidence that the showrunners know both what they are doing and anything about Wheel of Time.