I think the DO has been shepherding Rand all along actually. It makes some sense that Ishamael nearly always had been trying to turn Rand rather than kill him, and the standing orders to destabilize his mental balance (such as it is).

I tend to believe that the DO needs the world to be in total chaos to break out of his prison. The Collapse during the AoL is certainly an indication that the DO may even have some need for chaos in order to grow powerful enough to destroy the Pattern. It also gives context into why the DO wanted the weather to stay fixed (fear) and the taint on saidin to remain in tact (insane male channelers running amok)...

With that said, it makes it clear to me that all of the actions of the FS mean little to him...

1. The Forsaken are irrelevant to the DO with the exception of their ability to create/sow chaos. He brought back only Ishamael, who has done more than anyone in that regard, the 'gars because he needed more powerful tools. Lanfear I think he brought back to punish for her betrayal. Making her Moridin's b*tch is about as bad as she could have it!

2. The biggest sin for a FS is to betray/disobey the DO. Thus Mesaana, Moghedien and Lanfear got much harsher punishments than Aginor, Balthamel and Moridin.

3. Failure seems to be okay as long as the end result continued to sow chaos. Semirhage was an expendable tool and Graendal, a victim of circumstance in his eyes ... unless she's managed to stay alive somehow.

4. Rand is probably the only individual alive the DO cares about, IMO because Rand had more ability to destroy the world as part of his connection to the Pattern than any other.