Matrim Cauthon (TV Series)
| Book | TV show |
| ||
| Matrim "Mat" Cauthon | ||
| Nationality | Andoran | |
| Affiliation | ||
| Social Status | ||
| Family | Abell, Natti, Bode, and Eldrin Cauthon | |
| First Appearance | Episode 1 | |
| Actor | Dónal Finn | |
Pronunciation: MAT-rihm CAW-thon
WARNING! The next sections contain spoilers for the Wheel of Time television series.
Contents
General
Matrim Cauthon is a young man who is born in and has grown up in the village of Emond's Field in the Two Rivers. His parents are Abell and Natti Cauthon; he also has two younger sisters Bode and Eldrin Cauthon. Mat's closest friends from the village are Rand and Perrin.
In Season 1 Mat was played by the actor Barney Harris, but has been recast for Season 2.
Appearance
Mat is tall, with curly dark brown hair, and wears a short beard and mustache. Sometimes Mat walks a bit hunched over and he is very often wearing a long green coat.
Personality
Mat gives the impression of a scoundrel at first, someone who likes to gamble and drink. However, Mat is also very attached to his family, his sisters in particular, and would do anything for them. He is also a good friend, and tries to cheer his friends when they are down.
Mat's Journey
Season 1
Mat is hanging out at the Winespring Inn with Rand and Perrin. He is gambling and losing his money to Danya. His friends do not wish to continue playing with him, so he leaves them. During the evening, Mat goes to find his family. He finds his mother drunk, and sees his father flirt with another woman from the village. He tries to calm his mother and carries her into their home, putting her to sleep and taking his sisters away to sleep with him.
The next day Mat finds the peddler Padan Fain and tries to sell him a bracelet, which he might have stolen from Danya the day before. He gets less money than expected from the peddler, since Fain suspects that the bracelet is stolen anyway.
Later during the day, when Mat is sitting down for a drink with his friends, he notices that something is wrong with Rand and suspects it might be an Egwene related problem. Perrin gives Mat some money and tell him that Rand and himself have pitched in some coins for Mat to buy lanterns for his family for Bel Tine. In the evening, along with the rest of the villagers, Mat and his family light the lanterns and let them float in the river.
While the celebration is ongoing at the village Green, Mat is dancing with his sisters. Then, suddenly Trollocs attack the villagers and Mat runs away to his home to hide. There he finds his parent, but not his sisters, so he goes back out to look for them. He finds them hidden and tells them to run away into the woods.
In the morning after the Trolloc attack, Mat brings back the girls into the village and their mother is very happy to see them. Moiraine tells him he is one of the people the Dark One is looking for and that they must leave immediately. Mat is very skeptical, but leaves with the Aes Sedai and his friends.
This section contains spoilers relating to Episode 2: Shadow's Waiting. Please expand to view.
The company is running away from the Trollocs for days with almost no rest. Once they have stopped, Mat is trying to lift the spirits of his friends by remembering Nynaeve al'Meara and what she would do if she was with them. Mat does not believe Moiraine's words that one of them is the Dragon Reborn, "the most powerful channeler that ever lived."
Mat and the others begin to have bad dreams with a man with eyes like embers. They are scared, so Rand confronts Moiraine, Mat however tries to calm his friend down and says that he will join the "lady that shoots fireballs."
On their way to Whitebridge, the group meets a legion of Whitecloaks and Moiraine tells them not to speak. Later, they encounter the Trollocs again and, because Moiraine is unconscious, Lan decides to hide in Shadar Logoth. During the night in the shadow city, Mat gets awaken and goes outside to look for whatever is calling for him. Inside one of the buildings, Mat finds a chest inside of which there is a dagger with a big ruby. At that time, the darkness of Shadar Logoth attacks and the youths try to run away. Because of the darkness in Shadar Logoth, Rand and Mat get separated from the rest and escape the city together.
This section contains spoilers relating to Episode 3: A Place of Safety. Please expand to view.
On the next day Rand is trying to find Perrin and Egwene, but is silenced by Mat, who thinks that might bring the Trollocs , or "who knows what" , onto them.
Deviation from the Books
This section contains spoilers relating to The Books. Please expand to view.
Mat's character certainly has undergone many changes for the Wheel of Time TV show.
