Last time on The Wheel Of Time,
Moiraine is on the hunt for the Dragon Reborn once again. She arrived in Cairhien,
snubbed her old lady little sister Anvaere, and started searching. Unfortunately,
Rand had been whisked away to the countryside by his landlady and NSA hook up
Selene. Anvaere was aware of this and made Moiraine eat crow by forcing her to
ask politely for the information. There’s a lot of hostility there from Moiraine
having left the house to be Aes Sedai decades earlier. Nynaeve spent time
recovering from the PTSD going through the Arches had given her, shunning
Egwene just a little to process it. Liandrin informed her that Perrin and Loial
had been captured by invaders, which helped kick her out of her funk. She and
Egwene headed out of the Tower to help them, Egwene’s new friend and needer of
attention Elayne following them, but all three are ambushed by Liandrin who
knocks them out with a blast of wind. Perrin began to learn about some of his
new Wolfbrother powers from Elyas, befriending a wolf named Hopper. Mat and Min
make their way away from Tar Valon. Min has a secret attic meeting which turned
into a secret dream meeting with Ishamael. The Forsaken ordered her to take Mat
to Cairhien, her part of the deal for him to remove her visions from her. In
the mountains, Rand and Selene are attacked by a Fade and Rand has to channel
to destroy it. Selene is initially freaked out but accepts Rand and takes him
into a cabin to bang him. She begins to reveal that she’s “a monster too,” when
Moiraine arrives, stabs her through the heart and cuts her throat. Rand is
obviously freaked out by this and goes to choke Moiraine, but she reveals
Selene to in fact be Lanfear, another of the Forsaken. She’d been freed by Ishamael
some time earlier. The two of them run from the cabin and black specks fill
Lanfear’s eyes and she starts to regenerate.
Ep 13: Damane
We open with the Seanchan in Falme,
their ships fill the harbor and surround the city. High Lady Suroth, Ishamael
and her Voice Alwhin arrive and meet with the head of their force, High Lord
Turak. Suroth tries to make Alwhin talk for her, as a power play, but Turak’s
voice orders her to speak for herself. The Voice scolds her for going against
orders and invading the village from two episodes ago. She tries to placate by
saying she captured a foreign lord and an Ogier slave, but Turak isn’t having
it. Turak tells her that they have a mission to unite the world under the
Empress, May She Live Forever, to fight the Shadow. A mission that she jeopardized
by taking a village outside their current borders. Suroth begs forgiveness but
is told she’s barred from the council until she’s once again presentable. She’s
forced to kneel and they cut off her like two feet long fingernails. Gonna be a
while before those things are the correct length again. She’s taken away.
Ishamael calls up Fain and has him present the Horn of Valere. Turak opens the
case and announces that with the Horn the whole world will be there’s.
Jumping to Rand and Moiraine, they’re
running through the woods like they’re in a horror film. He asks why they’re
doing it when Lanfear is dead and Moiraine tells him that wound will barely
slow her down. Back at the cabin, Lanfear recovers, black flecks surging
through her eyes before black threads of power encircle her. She grabs a cloak
and heads after them. Rand and Moiraine make it to a stable and Moiraine forces
the sable master to saddle three horses and for them to head out. She kills the
fourth horses to keep Lanfear from following them on foot. Lanfear reaches the stable
and dubs Moiraine clever. A random dude rides up and asks if she needs help, he
confirms that the road leads to Tar Valon and she kills him to take his horse,
bemoaning that nothing is slower than a horse.
Elyas and Perrin are still
marching, Perrin asking if his eyes will turn gold like Elyas’. He says
eventually, and for his sake hopefully sooner rather than later as Wolf eyes
kick ass. Perrin realizes that they’ve returned to Atuan’s Mill, the town from before,
and is infuriated to realize that Elyas lied to him and is in fact taking him
away from Falme and his friends. Elyas says they aren’t his pack, nor are the
humans from the Two Rivers or his wife. Perrin says he doesn’t know anything
about his pack. The wolves surround them. Perrin says he’s going to find his
friends, and Elyas says he can’t run from what he is.
We jump back to Lanfear chasing
after Rand and Moiraine, using the One Power as a whip to make her horse run
faster. Moiraine and Rand come out of the woods as she passes, revealing they
sent the stable master ahead with the horses to distract Lanfear, hopefully
giving them a few days to put distance between them. Rand demands to know the
truth. Moiraine gives her the short version, they freed Ishamael and they didn’t
defeat the Dark One. Moiraine says that if Ishamael releases all the Forsaken,
they have no hope of winning the Last Battle. Rand stops and looks back in
horror.
Perrin is walking by himself when Hopper
joins him. The wolf leads Perrin to Atuan’s Mill. He tells Hopper he’s not
going back, he’s going to look for his friends, but Hopper shows him a vision
of Uno’s body. They left it out to rot. Perrin won’t stand for that and slips
into town to give his friend a proper burial. He grabs a hammer and prepares to
break the cage, but an Aiel in a cage nearby tells him that’ll be loud and draw
attention. Another man joins them, warning Perrin to stay back as the last man
that got close to her had his arm broken and nearly ripped off. The man, Dain,
gives her some water and Perrin asks what she did. Dain doesn’t answer, saying
that there’s a curfew in effect and that he’ll have to stay the night. Perrin
follows Dain, the man recognizing Perrin’s wedding ring as Two Rivers work.
Perrin asks more questions, but Dain ignores him. They stop at the inn and
Perrin asks again what the woman did. Dain says she arrived at the town at the
wrong time and that she’s past helping at this point. The innkeepers dog comes
out to Perrin and touches her paw to Perrin’s hand. Perrin decides to turn in
for the night and as he goes in realizes that Dain Bornhald is a Whitecloak.
Perrin follows the barkeeper in, finding out that the man took over from the previous
owner as she ran off after the caravan to try to get her granddaughter back,
and that the Whitecloaks drove the Seanchan off a few days ago. The innkeeper
thinks that they were probably better off with the Seanchan, as after the oaths
were swore they leave you alone largely, but the Whitecloak Questioners are
less forgiving. Perrin hears a voice he recognizes and tells the innkeeper to
keep quite. He goes to the window to see Dain speaking with Child Valda. Valda,
the Questioner that scarred Perrin’s back last season, is chastising Dain for
giving the Aiel water. Dain sees no harm in it, as it took like 15 guys to disarm
and then cage the Aiel, so there’s little chance Valda’s “questions” will do
anything. Valda insists that there’s a connection between the Aiel and the
Seanchan and that they’ll head to Falme soon to drive them into the sea. Valda
hears a noise from the inn, but the dog runs out to distract him, Dain saying
that there are no wolves here. Oh you poor fool. Valda says that someday Dain’s
father’s name won’t protect him.
Lanfear is still riding. She comes
across the stable master and asks where they are. She reveals that Moiraine
told her to race the horses to the Tower as fast as she could. Lanfear asks who’s
idea that was, the stable master says Moiraine, and she shakes her head saying
Rand is “still so young.” Lanfear says that Moiraine is ruthless to use this
woman as bait, but sooner or later they’ll sleep and then she’ll have them.
When the stable master says she won’t say anything, Lanfear says she knows she
won’t and uses her powers to fuse her lips together. Dark. Before riding off.
At the Tar Valon, Verin rides in
and meets with some of her Brown sisters. She pays the two off with some strong
liquor to get access to the library. They start chatting about the New and Powerful
Novices, under the guise of getting gossip for Adaleus.
We jump to the Way, the dark and
scarry interdimensional highway, where Liandrin has Nynaeve, Egwene and Elayne
held captive. Nynaeve tries to play possum, but Liandrin notices and tells her
that she’s bound and shielded, and to not try anything. Nynaeve asks how she
could attack them with the One Power, as that shouldn’t be possible. When
Nynaeve accuses her of breaking the Three Oaths, she mutters she’s broken more
than those. She asks Nynaeve if she knows why the Aes Sedai swore the oaths.
She reveals that a thousand years ago, a king threatened the tower with his
vast army, forcing them to swear the Oaths to make him back down. She complains
that the more the Aes Sedai make themselves seem inhuman, with their rituals,
ceremony, predictability, the more they seem like the tides and the more men
stop measuring themselves against them. Nynaeve realizes she wasn’t being
recruited for the Red Ajah but for the Dark One. She says she’ll never do it,
but Liandrin believes that everyone has their price. Nynaeve points out that
Liandrin’s son is dying, she betrayed her Sisters and she’s trying to justify
herself to a woman she kidnapped and asks if her price was worth it.
Suroth enters her chambers and is
left alone with Ishamael. He asks if she finished pouting, and she is furious
at him for going to that village for the Ogier and pet wolf. She says they
should just kill Turok and be done with it, but Ishamael points out that’ll put
the Seanchan into a civil war and that’ll be counterproductive. Suroth tries to
throw her weight around, claiming that he’s the one that needs her armies and
leashes for his war. Ishamael counters by saying he knows why she swore herself
to the Dark One. That humbles her. He claims that Tar’men Gaiden will be won in
the skies above Falme, and that the Dragon will join them. He promises her a
gift will arrive soon.
Perrin slips out of his inn and
frees the Aiel woman. He tells her to run. She asks why he helped her, and he
says people shouldn’t be in cages. She introduces herself as Aviendha, of the
Nine Valley’s Sept of the Taardad Aiel, a Far Dareis Mai (Maiden of the Spear).
He introduces himself and they try to run. The Whitecloaks corner them. Dain
orders his men to attack all at once on his signal, as one at a time she’ll
have them. Aviendha pulls up her veil and asks Perrin if he likes to dance.
FYI, the Aiel call battle “the dance.” What comes next is a smack down as our
desert dwelling red head kicks so much Whitecloak ass, with Perrin’s back up,
that it’s scary. Dain comes at her with an Axe but she dodges his strikes and
disarms him. She almost ends him, but Perrin stops her, saying Dain gave her
water and he helped them. They head out.
Rand and Moiraine arrive in
Cairhien. Moiraine tells Rand they need to gather food and supplies for the
road. Rand wonders when they’ll get to sleep and Moiraine says that’s the worst
thing they can do right now. Why? Lanfear was known for two things among the
Forsaken, casual cruelty and being a Master of Tel’alan’riod, the world of
dreams. Rand asks if she can keep them awake with the One Power, but Moiraine
says no. They arrive at the Damodred house and meet Anvaere and her son Barthanes.
Anvaere is still cold to Moiraine, but Barthanes apparently remembers his aunt
fondly and tries to chat with them. She introduces Rand to them, and asks for
horses. Barthanes invites them to the wedding and jokes that as her king she
expects subservience. Moiraine goes to clean up and Barthanes offers to get
Rand some clothes for the journey.
Verin enters Sheriam’s study and
the two chat. She wants to speak with Egwene and Nynaeve, but Sheriam says that
they’re busy doing their chores. Verin says they aren’t cleaning or in their
classes and that Elayne seems to be missing as well. Sheriam checks her notes
and sees they were checked out a few days ago as part of a trip to Caemlyn.
Verin notes that’s unusual enough to remember, and that it’s odd Sheriam
forgot, and Sheriam agrees but continues that they left with a company of Queen
Morgase’s soldiers. Verin asks about a book Sheriam checked out from the
library, Meditations on the Kindling Flame. Verin asks for the book, just for a
short passage she’s researching. They head out of her office and a moment later
one of the Browns, Yasicca, from before slips in. She checks the Novice Book.
Later, she tells Verin about what she read, saying that the girls were checked
out to see Elayne’s brother Gawyn’s nameday celebration, but there was a slight
tremor in the notation. She notes that Sheriam seemed to write more slowly about
that, as if someone was trying to copy her handwriting. Verin disagrees,
believing that Sheriam remembered writing this, but then asks if she might write
like this if she were under Compulsion. Compulsion is a forbidden/lost weave
that can control minds. Its utility varies from making a person forget a
conversation to breaking a person’s mind utterly and turning them into a living
puppet. Yasicca realizes that that would break the Three Oaths, and thus proves
the Black Ajah exists. Verin tells her they need to get a list of every Aes
Sedai that left the Tower over the last few days.
We cut to a tropical jungle Waygate.
It opens and Liandrin comes out leading her captives. The girls are grabbed and
removed from their horses as Liandrin meets with Suroth. Liandrin is disgusted
with the Seanchan and what they do to Channelers, saying that maybe they need
to learn respect for the One Power. Suroth says they do respect it when it’s contained.
Claiming that the Sul’dam trained for years to control their Damane. Suroth
says that their master’s needs may change, and she’ll be the one to collar
Liandrin, but Liandrin counters that Suroth will kneel to her when his needs
change. She weaves quicky and frees the girls before entering the Waygate.
Elayne and Egwene perform weaves to help them escape while the Seanchan follow.
Nynaeve and Elayne make it out, but Egwene is captured.
Aviendha and Perrin have a meal
with Hopper. Perrin tells Aviendha that he thought Aiel never left the Waste,
she corrects him and says it’s called the Three-Fold Land to the Aiel. A
shaping stone to make them, a attesting ground to prove their worth and a
punishment for the sin. They don’t remember what that sin is. She is looking
for the Car’a’carn, the Chief of Chiefs. Perrin wonders where she’ll go next
and she says she goes where he goes, as he saved her life, and she owes him a
life debt. He tells her they’re headed to Falme.
We jump to Falme, as Nynaeve and
Elayne slip in the cover of night. Elayne tells them they’re thousands of miles
from the Tower, and that Falme on Toman Head is where Perrin and Loial are being
held. She says they’ll need to stay under cover, since the Seanchan will be
looking for them. Elayne notes the Seanchan are invaders, but Nynaeve isn’t interested
in where they’re from, she just wants to find her friends. Elayne makes her
stop and says they’ll need to change their clothes, as the Seanchan will be
looking for women in white not locals. Nynaeve says she won’t take orders from
Elayne, just before they’re both jumped by a local man. Dammit.
Liandrin slips back into the Tower,
but crosses paths with Verin. Verin says that she thought Liandrin was in Jurene
hunting a man channeling. Liandrin says it was a false alarm, but she brought
back white asparagus, a local delicacy that just so happens to be in season
right now and only found in Jurene. Verin says she’s at the Tower wanting to meet
Egwene and Nynaeve, and how strange it is they aren’t there, but are on their
way to a Nameday celebration in Caemlyn. Liandrin says that she heard on the road
and Andoran force was attacked by bandits or Whitecloaks and rushes to tell Sheriam.
From Verin’s face and scoff, she doesn’t believe a word of it.
In her room, Moiraine cleans
herself up and does her best to not feel tired. Anvaere comes in to tell her
the horses are ready, and asks how she and Rand got into this state. Moiraine
doesn’t answer, but Anvaere helps clean Moiraine’s back of blood. Moiraine asks
why she isn’t downstairs interrogating Rand. She says Barthanes encouraged her
to leave it alone. Anvaere says she knows her sister and that she’s always
known what she wants to do next, but now clearly doesn’t and that concerns it.
Moiraine says that Rand needs protection and she’s not sure she can provide it.
And that all of Cairhien could be in the crossfire if she chooses wrong.
Anvaere says that she should have stayed away and Moiraine agrees. Anvaere tells
her advice Moiraine gave her years ago, ask a simple question, if something is
scaring you or threatening you, ask yourself if it’s true. Does she know beyond
any doubt that Rand needs her protection? Moiraine agrees it’s good advice.
Anvaere admits that regardless of everything, it means the world to Barthanes that
she came even if she can’t stay.
We jump to Rand asleep. Ishamael is
in bed with him, getting uncomfortably close to Rand. But then he asks if Lanfear
is playing in his dreams again and Rand’s face melts into hers. She asks how he
knew, and he says subtlety was never her strength. She claims to be biding her
time waiting for “someone” to get some sleep. Ishamael says that they’re still
being blamed for the Breaking, but points out how silly it is that the rest of
the world never picked up the pieces. Three Thousand Years later and they’re
still fighting with queens and swords. They toast to the past and future. Lanfear
reveals that Moiraine revealed herself to Rand and asks why he didn’t kill her
outright. Ishamael says that a dead Aes Sedai gets them nothing, but a desperate
one might be open to possibilities. She asks if he’s worried that she’ll betray
him, he asks fi she will and she says obviously. He asks her why she thinks
that he’s being shown so much favor by the Great Lord. She responds “Moghedian
is insane, Graendal is a vain idiot, and the boys couldn’t execute a plan even
if they were under Compulsion.” He says it’s because he’s the only one that
really believes in the Dark, that the only way to stop pain is to break the Wheel
of Time. And he reveals he released her because he knows what she wants, making
an image of Rand manifest in the bed. He asks how the current Dragon compares
to his predecessor. Lanfear says he’s softer, less proud or strong. She asks
about his collection. He claims to have just collected the girls, one that
craves power and the other that fears it, that Mat was “born his,” and that
Perrin will be more wolf than man soon. He asks what she thinks Rand will do
with all his friends lost, and she’ll say he’ll break.
Ishamael wakes and a Da’covale (slave)
tells him Turak wishes to speak with him. Ishamael reveals that he’s not from
Seanchan or “The Blood” (the royal family) when asked. Turak reveals that it
was Ishamael that read the omens and said it was time for the Seanchan to begin
the Return. Ishamael says that he is too low to see the omens, it’s only the
Empress who can interpret them. Turak says that because of the Horn, Ishamael will
be allowed to ask one thing of him. Ishamael instead says that he has a gift
from High Lady Suroth and that he hopes he’ll accept it in good faith.
Nynaeve and Elayne wake up in a
room in town. They’re joined by Ryma and the guy that knocked them out, Basan. She’s
of the Yellow Ajah and he’s her Warder. She tells them that Suroth is looking for
them and asks what these Seanchan do to women who can channel.
Back at the court, Suroth comes in
with her gift, Egwene in a golden hood. She reveals that Egwene was a Novice at
the White Tower and is stronger than any Damane than they’ve found in a long
time. She’s ordered collared. They tick a small gold collar on her neck that
reforms into a large shield across her neck and shoulders like the Mighty
Morphin’ Power Ranger’s Green Ranger. The shield forms a connection to a bracelet
on a Sul’dam’s arm and Egwene drops in pain.
Rand meanwhile is playing card with
Barthanes. Moiraine comes down and tells Rand they’re staying. She takes Rand
up to her rooms and tells him to sleep. When he points out this is the opposite
of what she said to do the last few days, Moiraine counters by saying that
Lanfear had been with him for two or three months, so if she wanted to hurt him
she would have. She wants to draw Lanfear to them to figure out her plans. Rand
says that before a few days ago, he’d have said she wanted him. Moiraine reveals
that all of the fragments that remain pre-breaking agree that Lanfear loved the
previous Dragon and swore her oaths to the dark as part of a plot to get him
back from his wife. Moiraine wants him to pretend to love her to get
information about Ishamael. Rand says that whatever she is, he’s not sure
everything between them was a lie. Moiraine says it’s his choice. Rand goes to
sleep and Moiraine promises to watch over him. He comes to consciousness in the
dream strapped to a wheel in a wasteland as Lanfear watches him. She says
finally as the credits roll.
I want to start off by giving props
to Meera Syal who plays Verin. Verin is an interesting and difficult character
to play, but she found the perfect sweet spot for Verin. In that, most of the
things she says are completely unassuming and yet ever so slightly threatening
when you realize how much she’s not saying. A perfectly pleasant little woman
that you can chat with for an hour and then only after realizing she knew stuff
you didn’t tell her. It’s a special kind of threat and she does it masterfully.
Also props to Ayoola Smart, the woman playing Aviendha. If you told me that she
was really a desert dwelling Red head ninja, I’d believe it. Also, fun fact,
she is black and a natural red head. I actually didn’t know this until her
casting, but red hair is naturally occurring in all human ethnicities, but it’s
just more common in white people as our lack of melanin makes it stand out
more. Think 1% of white people vs. .04% of other ethnicities. So, if you see
anyone complaining about “Ginger Erasure” with her casting, what they’re really
upset about is that she’s not white. Aviendha is a major cast member going forward,
so get used to seeing her. Perrin’s arc is shaping up nicely, with him bucking
against being a Wolfbrother, while Hopper trots beside him trying to help him
see the better parts of it. Him freeing an Aiel from a cage is a nice nod to
the books, even though it’s a different Aiel. Hopefully his buddy Gaul will
show up some time. Nynaeve, Egwene and Elayne being turned over to the Seanchan
only for them to escape but Egwene getting captured in the confusion is straight
from the books. We don’t get much of it, yet, but Nynaeve beats herself up hard
for that one. And, no, Egwene is not in for a good time. And finally, Moiraine
and Rand’s story is interesting. Running from Lanfear was the correct response
as that lady is scary as hell, but Moiraine concluding that they can use her
for information is brilliant. In the books, Rand largely kept his connection to
that specific Forsaken a secret and Moiraine would possibly have been too
intimidated by her to risk it. But to use the very simple fact that Lanfear
wants her man back, even if he’s in a new body, is brilliant. Rand waking up
strapped to a wheel isn’t great, but maybe he can spin this. We’ll see. Have a
good night!
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