Let the Dragon Ride Again on the Winds of Time!
Last time on The Wheel of Time,
we learned the origin of Moiraine’s hunt for the Dragon Reborn. She and her
basically wife Siuan stumbled upon Gitara Moroso, an old Aes Sedai with the
power to see the future, just as she had a vision of the Dragon’s Rebirth. She
told the two women to keep the news secret before dying from the stress of it.
In the future, Rand prepared to meet with Siuan Sanche the Amyrlin Seat. With a
pep talk from Lan about how to walk before the Amyrlin, Rand entered
confidently, but that confidence was shattered by how outclassed he was power
wise to Siuan. Siuan revealed that, after learning of Moiraine’s stilling,
she’s lost confidence in their plan, so she’s falling back on Tower Law. Rand
is going to be kept shielded until the Last Battle and then be unleashed to
fulfill his duty. Meanwhile, Mat is kidnapped by a mysterious figure and
brought to Falme. He’s held prisoner by Ishamael, who prepares for him a tea
that will supposedly show Mat his past lives and give him “perspective” on
things. Mat takes the tea and has a trippy vision where we learn his greatest
fear seems to be betraying his friends and ending up like his dad. When he
comes out of it, Ishamael tells him that he’ll end the suffering of the cycle
of rebirth and Mat asks how. Perrin and Aviendha meet with her Spear Sisters,
Bain and Chiad, and after beating Aviendha up to meet her “Toh” (Obligation)
for failing to save their deceased fourth Spear Sister, they set off as a group
to Falme. Egwene is being kept as a Damane by the Seanchan and is used in a
weapons test of sorts to show how strong she is. While the other Damane made
shockwaves big enough to move people in the field, Egwene’s could be felt all
the way to Falme itself. Egwene braids her hair to remind herself she’s not
alone and promises Renna, her Sul’dam, that she will kill her. Moiraine’s
nephew Barthanes is revealed to be a Dark Friend, and with a heavy heart his
mother Anvaere has him arrested. When he tries to tell her that he sold his
soul for her and why would she give up their good fortune for Moiraine, Anvaere
tells him that Moiraine knows the difference between right and wrong and how
hard it is to do the former sometimes. Nynaeve and Egwene figure out how to open
a collar, contact Loial to figure out where Egwene is being kept and then use a
collar to trap a Sul’dam. Rand and Moiraine are freed from capture. In part by
Rand going to the World of Dreams and asking Lanfear to do a distraction for
them, and from Verin taking over as his “guard” and letting him go. They make
it to the Waygate in the heart of Cairhien, meeting up with Lan who tells them
that he learned from Logain that Moiraine was Shielded, with the Weave tied
off, not Stilled. Rand breaks the Shield, but they’re then confronted by Siuan.
Siuan uses Moiraine’s extra oath of obedience to make her close the Waygate.
She’s attacked by Lanfear. Lanfear goes to kill all three people in the area
not named Rand, but Rand stops her. They step through to the Ways and to Falme.
Enough recap let’s get to it.
Ep 16: What Was Meant To Be
We open on a scene 3000 years ago
where Ishamael has been captured by Lews and his 100 companions. Ishamael tells
Lews that the others will free him, but Lews tells him Moghedian, Sammael and
the other Forsaken have already been captured and sealed. Ishamael begs Lews to let him break the Wheel,
to make the suffering stop, but Lews is steadfast. Ishamael scoffs and says
that they’ll just do this again in their next lives and to get on with killing
him. Lews tells Ishamael that he won’t execute him, but seal him away, in a Seal
so strong that not even the Dragon could break it. He goes onto say that they
believe this will be like putting him into a never-ending sleep. Lews
apologizes to his friend before the Companions seal him away.
In the present, a group of Whitecloaks
are camped just outside of Falme in an oasis. Dain Bornhald joins his father, Lord
Captain Geofram Bornhald, as he’s strategizing with Eamon Valda. Their plan is
to rush in and take the tower that he’s sure the Seanchan will be keeping the “witches.”
Until they’re dead, he believes there’s no hope in taking the city. There are
28 captive channelers according to Valda. Geofram says that no one said it’d be
easy and dismisses everyone. Dain asks his father why he’s talking like they
can win this. Geofram says that the “Watchers of the Waves” called for help
from every monarch in the world and that they will help them even if no one
else will. Dain asks if he believes in
the prophecy that the Dragon will return in Falme’s greatest time of need. Geofram
tells him that Prophecies are just the lies of long dead witches.
In the Ways, Rand is traveling to
Falme with his entourage. Lanfear says that everyone is being quite back there
and if she should be worried. They reach a Gate and Moiraine asks if this is
the one to Falme. Lanfear tells her to open it and find out. Moiraine tries to
hide that she has her powers back, but Lanfear sees through her words, telling
them that they’re alive only because she allows it and that they have a role to
play till. Lan steps by Moiraine, Lanfear says that when the time comes to
Raise the Banner, and opens the Gate and blows them through with Wind. They land
on a beach in the middle of nowhere. Rand demands they go back for them, but
Lanfear tells him that they’ll be able to travel faster without them and that
she’s the only one who cares about him as a person. She tells him to close his
eyes and they vanish as Machin Shin, the Black Wind arrives, summoned by
Channeling.
On the outskirts of Falme, Perrin
and co approach the city. Bain sees a fog bank in the distance and says that
doesn’t belong there. Aviendha tells him that “many people will wake from the
dream today.” The Aiel see life as a dream, so she means die. Perrin stops and
tells Hopper to stay back, that it’s not safe and he’ll be back. He walks off,
Hopper whining.
Ishamael is joined by Lanfear in
his chambers. She tells him that she brought Rand to Falme. He says that they’re
no where near ready. Lanfear tells him that she knows him and that he’ll be
putting this off for years if she didn’t push this. Ishamael insists it’s too
soon, that they don’t know who he’ll choose. Lanfear says he’s ready, and that she
promised Rand she’d help kill Ishamael. Ishamael asks why he waked her, and she
says because they balance each other. Ishamael rests his head on her shoulder
and we’re shown the opposite side of his room, where the other six Forsaken
Seals are on display. They look like manhole covers. Which I guess they kind of
are?
Later, the Whitecloaks charge Falma
and begin their assault. They use some boys waving incense, (somehow?) to
spread the fog to cover their initial charge. They bust in and Geofram orders
they take the tower.
At the same time, Nynaeve is in
full Sul’dam gear as the commotion outside begins to pick up. Elayne says she
looks good and then asks what they’re going to do about Seta, the Sul’dam they
have captured. Nynaeve says now she’s going to tell them everything they want
to know.
In the Kennels, Renna is preparing to
take Egwene out to defend the city. She tells Egwene that she expects her to
behave outside the cell, warning that the first punishment for defying orders is
to take a Damane’s tongue, and the second her hands. She tells Egwene to stand,
and when she doesn’t, she puts a dagger to her Egwene’s tongue and makes her stand.
She sticks the gag in her mouth and then lops off Egwene’s braid, saying maybe
that will hurt her worse.
In the castle, Padan Fain joins
Ishamael. Ishamael tells him that Lanfear betrayed them and that he’ll have to
remove her from the board. Fain asks him how, as the “Great Lord” gave her
immortality, and Ishamael says that’s for him to worry about. He needs Rand to
swear oaths to the Dark to break the Wheel and the only way to do that is to
break his friends first. He resolves himself to wait for Rand’s next life if he
has to. Fain asks if he’d like him to kill Rand, but Ishamael says that he
knows who kills Rand and with what. Fain enters Mat’s room, unsheathes the Dagger
and puts it in front of him. Oh no.
Back with Nynaeve, she’s using the
collar to torture Seta for information. Seta begs to be released. Elayne asks Nynaeve
what she’s doing, and Nynaeve explains that she can feel Seta’s mind in hers, a
bundle of sensations in the back of her mind and all she has to do is push to
make her feel pain. Seta says that Egwene will be taken to the Tower to defend
the city. Nynaeve tells her that Seta will lead them there, and if she tries to
betray them, she’ll make Seta rue the first kiss her mother ever gave her
father. Dark, Nynaeve, dark.
As the guard’s scramble to fight
the Whitecloaks, Rand is sneaking into the city. He sees Egwene pass with a
group of Damane and tries to follow.
Mat hears the whispers of the Dagger.
He asks Fain what makes him think he’s stupid enough to touch it again. Fain says
that he knows he went back to the Tower, abandoning his friends to get it. He
says Mat’s no hero from a Gleeman’s tale, and he should just embrace the Dark
in him. Fain says that he will, leaving Mat alone in the room with the Dagger,
saying he deserves it. When alone, Mat is clearly affected by the dagger but doesn’t
grab it.
Lan and Moiraine are walking along
the shore to Falma. Lan asks about their Bond. He wants it back, but Moiraine
isn’t sure why he’d even want it. Lan says that he believes in her, in what she
does and that while hearing her say they weren’t equals hurt him, he’s accepted
it. Moiraine corrects him, saying that she was only able to say he wasn’t her
equal, because from the moment they met she knew he was better than her. Moiraine
reignites their Bond and they touch their foreheads.
Perrin and the Aiel enter the city
looking for his friends. They find them almost immediately, Loial, Ingtar and
Masema had escaped thanks to a “lady from Cairhien” and they recovered the Horn
of Valere. Ingtar wants to run with the Horn, but Loial says he’s not going without
Egwene. Ingtar says that the Horn will summon dead heroes to the aid of
whomever blows it and that they can’t risk it. Loial, in a baller line, says “What
about the heroes of today?” He goes onto say they’re the heroes of ages to
come, and that it’s about time they start acting like it. They head out to save
Egwene.
Egwene is brought to the Tower and
made to take a post in the line with the other Damane. Th others start firing
on the Whitecloaks and civilians but Egwene refuses. She hears the Whitecloaks
screaming to take the tower and burn the witches, which seems to set her off
and she launches a huge fireball at them.
Lord Turak is informed by his Voice
about what’s happening in the city. He orders that the only thing that matters
is getting the Horn back. Rand arrives and faces him. Turak notes that Rand has
a Heron marked sword on him and want to know what it takes to earn a Blademaster’s
sword on this side of the ocean. He draws and prepares to fight. Rand, in the
most Indiana Jones moment that I’ve seen since Raiders of the Lost Arc,
channels and cuts all their throats except the Voice’s. The voice says that he
will follow Turak in death as in life and kills himself. Rand walks past them
with a look of disgust.
Perrin’s group are lead by Bain
through the tight streets, Ingtar noting that one man could hold off fifty here.
A group of Seanchan arrive to fight them and Ingtar rushes ahead to hold them
off. He kills several, but is cut down. I have complicated feelings about this,
but more on that later.
On the shore, Lan notes that Moiraine
is walking faster than she used to. Moiraine says that she feels like she’s gotten
those buckets off her back. Lan asks why Ishamael only freed Lanfear. Moiraine
thinks that the others were too dangerous to free. The Forsaken fought amongst
themselves as much as the Dragon. But everything she’s read says that Ishamael,
Lanfear and Lews were inseparable before the war of power. Best friends. They
see the city in the distance and Moiraine says Lanfear planned this.
We cut to Falme, where Bayle Doman,
the captain from episode 9, is gathering his wares before trying to run. Lanfear
joins him and tells him that she has another task for him. She’s the one that
sold him the Cuendillar shard earlier. She’s going to bring him six big
Cuendillar disks that he will take into the ocean and drop them to the bottom. Doman
says that would be a fortune that he’d be throwing away, but Lanfear says that she’ll
make it worth his while.
In the palace, Lady Suroth is
fuming about being kept from the battle. There’s glory to be won. Ishamael
joins them, dusting off his hands and saying he had business to attend to. He
asks if Egwene is in place and Suroth confirms. She says she should be there
leading her people, as with Turok dead she’s in charge. Ishamael is shocked to
hear Turak is dead and that the Horn was stolen. He tells them that Lanfear is
working against them. He orders her to take the strongest Damane that she’d
held in reserve to a ship and wait for his signal.
Mat is still in the room fighting
the Dagger’s pull. He then has an idea. He uses a long pole to put the dagger
in place and then ties it to the end, doing his best to not even touch it.
Using his makeshift spear, he melts the lock on his door, shocking Padan Fain
on the other side. Fain runs off, calling for guards. Mat makes a run for it
the other way.
Egwene sees the common folk being
hurt in their crossfire and refuses to keep fighting. She spits out her gag and
says no to Renna. Renna pulls her dagger to “discipline” Egwene. Meanwhile,
Nynaeve and Elayne approach. When they get to the tower, however, the
Whitecloaks unleash their catapults. The rocks they hurl save Egwene from
losing her tongue. The Whitecloaks rally the people of Falme and start fighting
toward the tower. Seta is killed by an arrow, causing the collar to fall off
her and the bracelet from Nynaeve and Elayne is hit in the leg. Damn. Egwene
drags herself from the rubble and finds an a’dam from a dead Damane. Renna also
survived and looks pissed.
Perrin’s group comes across Mat and
they embrace. Seanchan arrive another brawl breaks out.
Renna starts torturing Egwene. She
gets a little too into it, though and gets close. Egwene slams the a’dam onto
Renna. She smugly says that the a’dam only works on channelers. Egwene says she
knows, just as the shield forms around Renna. She explains that at first she
thought that the a’dam worked like the Warder bond, but then realized that this
is a form of Linking. The Sul’dam can channel, but they’re so weak in the power
that the “Searchers” didn’t find them. Renna denies it and punches Egwene but
drops as she feels the hurt twice over. Egwene says that the only way she’ll release
Renna is if she frees Egwene first. Egwene hangs Renna by the collar for additional
incentive using the power. Renna says that if she dies, Egwene dies. She holds
out for several seconds but then frees Egwene. Egwene stands there and watches
Renna choke to death. Damn. Egwene drops to her knees and gasps. Rand finds her
kneeling there. She obviously thinks he’s a ghost or something.
Lore lesson for you. In The
Wheel of Time, there are two types of Channelers. Some people, like Egwene,
Nynaeve and Rand, will channel at some point regardless of other factors. They’re
said to have the “spark.” The other kind are people who can learn to channel
but need to be taught to embrace the Source as well. In Seanchan society, the
Testing that the Searchers do finds all the girls that have the Spark and makes
them Damane. The Sul’dam are the Sparkless. The A’dam lets them tap into power
that they couldn’t touch normally and because of that it sort of… warps how
their power works. They can’t channel on their own but can see the weaves and
feel other channelers. It’s like they only get half the power.
Mat and Perrin’s group are
fighting, the Aiel slaughtering Seanchan. Mat tells Perrin that Rand is here
(He has shit hair) and will be headed to Egwene. Loial says that they need to
get the Horn to Rand. Perrin says that they can’t even open the box, and Mat
lets them know about his anti-metal spear.
Rand tells Egwene that he’d come to
save her, but it looks l like she didn’t need it. Rand apologizes for lying to
her and says they should get out of here, but then Ishamael arrives. Egwene
prepares to fight but she and Rand are both knocked back by his weaves. He
throws up a flare via channeling and Suroth’s Damane Shield Rand from their ships.
Ishamael says that this is just like in his last life, that he tries to be so
honorable, so proud. Rand says he’s not Lews and Ishamael says that maybe next
time will be different. On the ships, Suroth says to keep the Shield on him
until they get the next signal, and then they’ll Gentle Rand. Ishamael scolds
Rand for abandoning Egwene and that he’s tired of fighting like this. He tries
to get Rand to join him.
Meanwhile, Mat cuts the Horn of
Valere out of the box. Mat takes it while Perrin and Loial fight off Seanchan. He
runs off. In the brawl, Perrin finds Dain and he recognizes the Two Rivers man.
Nynaeve tries to channel to heal Elayne’s
leg but can’t grasp the power. Elayne tries to coach her through the exercises,
but Nynaeve says she can’t do it like that, it’s either there or it’s not.
Perrin comes across Valda. He has
guards knock him to the ground and prepares to cut his throat, saying that now
they’ll see what he really is. Hopper runs in and starts mauling Hopper. Geofram
sees and kills Hopper with a stroke of his axe. As he dies, Perrin sees Hopper’s
last sending, the wolf leaping to the sky. Perrin screams in rage, grabs an axe
and kills Geofram.
Mat reaches the top of the bridge to
the tower, a squad of Seanchan stand in front of him and charge. Having no
other option, Mat blows the Horn. Time seems to stop as we’re shown everyone in
their current predicaments. Mat says he “remembers.” The heroes arrive, there’s
about a dozen of them, the only ones you need to care about Artur Hawkwing, the
man to his right, Amaresu, the woman on his left, and Uno Flaming Nomesta, the
man on her left. Mat says that they’re the Heroes of the Horn and that he’s one
of them. Artur seems to confirm it, saying they’ve fought alongside each other
many times, and then Uno says they need to stop Fecking standing around. The Heroes get into a battle stance and Mat
shouts “Dovie’andi se tovya sagain!” It’s time to toss the dice! And they charge. It’s a pretty one sided
battle, Mat’s the only one of the Heroes party that could be hurt, after all.
They cut through the Seanchan and Mat races ahead.
Perrin slams his axe into Geofram
again, Dain seeing him and attacking him. He’s knocked back by Uno joining them.
He’s dragged off by the other Whitecloaks, shouting Two Rivers! at Perrin. Uno
says to not look so surprised he’s a Hero of The Horn and then goes back to
killing people. Mat make it through the fray and to the Tower.
Nynaeve still can’t embrace the Source,
so Elayne just says to use what she knows. Nynaeve pushes the arrow through and
out, not snapping off the fletching for some reason, and then helps her up.
Elayne says to leave her, but Nynaeve thinks Egwene is going to need help
channeling.
Ishamael asks Rand if he’ll serve.
Rand says he won’t, that in a thousand lifetimes he hasn’t and will never. Ishamael
says that Lanfear is right, and that Rand is very much like Lews, but different
too. Mat reaches the top of the Tower and flings his spear at Ishamael… it
passes through him and into Rand’s gut. Shit. Ishamael reveals it was an illusion
and he’d been standing somewhere else the whole time. Mat pulls the spear out and begs Rand for forgiveness
for hurting him. Ishamael says that, if it’s any consolation, he’s truly sorry.
Egwene, sick off this, gets up and hurls him back with the power. Ishamael tells
her she can’t face one of the Chosen, but Egwene seems to do just that,
blocking his attacks.
Moiraine and Lan come close to the city
and she sees the weaves Shielding Rand. Lan asks what if it’s not Rand ant that
those are ships of innocent people. Moiraine says she’d let thousands of
innocents die to save Rand. Lan goes over and holds of the approaching Seanchan
as Moiraine begins to weave.
Ishamael’s power forces Egwene
back. She apologizes to Rand for not being strong enough, but then Perrin
arrives and blocks more attacks with an actual shield. Nynaeve and Elayne
arrive too, Elayne using her channeling to heal Rand. As the sun set’s behind
her, Rand asks who she is and she introduces herself. Awww. She heals him, but
the scar it leaves is nasty looking. Mat tells him he has to do something, but he
can’t do anything due to the shield.
Moiraine attacks the ships with
weaves of fire, blowing the first up and setting the other’s alight. No more
shield.
Rand is freed and gets up. While Egwene
keeps the Shield up, he channels and then rams his white-hot blade through
Ishamael’s heart. His palms are branded with the Heron from the sword hilt. As
he dies, Ishamael says that it’s beautiful. When Rand asks what, Ishamael says he
sees nothing. Nothing at all. He then crumbles to dust.
Lan tells Moiraine that the Seanchan
are retreating. Moiraine quotes the Prophecy about Rand being proclaimed over
the Watcher in fire and channels some more. She weaves a serpentine dragon of
flames that encircles the tower and breathes fire. The Dragon Reborn has been
proclaimed. Aviendha also proclaims that Rand is the Car’a’Carn, the chief of
chiefs the Aiel have been searching for.
After, Lanfear marches smugly to the
room where Ishamael was keeping all the Forsaken seals. She enters to find all the
seals shattered and someone waiting for her. This is Moghedian, the Spider, playing
with a weave like it’s a cat’s cradle. Lanfear tries to intimidate her fellow
Forsake, but Moghedian traps her in a weave of threads that are razor sharp.
She tells Lanfear that the reason that Lanfear and Ishamael failed was because
they were too close to Lews Therin, it made them loose perspective. She says
that she and the other Forsaken will handle this and Weaves a Gateway to leave.
When alone, Lanfear prays for Rand’s safety.
…
That line about Lanfear and
Ishamael being too close to Lews is hilarious to me because at least half of
the possible Forsaken released here hated Lews personally and most of the other
half hated him professionally as well. No Forsaken is objective about Lews
Therin Telamon.
This was a great finale, a vast
improvement on last season. I liked seeing Mat have his big moment of victory.
All season he’s been in pain and clearly second guessing if he’s a good person
or friend. So, finding out that not only is he strong enough to resist the Dagger
but also that he’s a Hero of the Horn is just fantastic. Side note, it’s theorized
by some that all of the major characters are Heroes of the Horn, they’re just, ya
know, alive during this conflict. Case in point, that woman, Amaresu that I
mentioned? In one of the companion books to the Wheel of Time it’s revealed
that she’s Rand’s opposite number. If the Dragon needs to be Reborn as a woman,
it’s her ‘soul’ that gets spun out. I don’t love that souls are gendered, but
if one Dragon is called by the Horn it only makes sense that the other is as
well. Hopper’s death hit hard, but that’s because I like dogs. Fun fact, Perrin
didn’t kill Geofram in the books, the elder Bornhald was killed offscreen in
the big brawl, but his second Jaret Byar insisted that Perrin did it and that
lead to Dain forming an everlasting hatred for the blacksmith. I think that
Rand facing off against Ishamael on the top of the Tower works in theory, but I
do wish Rand could have done more here. The show is held back by the simple fact
that Rand has megatons of power to throw around right now, so that if he’s allowed
to just channel, he’ll obliterate just about anything he comes across. The
books just kind of nerfed Rand as the series went on, but I think the show is
trying to show his strength but not rely on it, ya know? In the books, Rand and
Ishamael had a solo duel that somehow projected onto the clouds above Falme and
their fighting seemed to invigorate their side below. It’s a cool visual in the
books, but I just don’t think it would have worked for the show. So beating
Ishamael and then having a metaphorical “bannered in the sky” by having a
Dragon appear and breathe fire is a better substitute. Plus, when other parties
accuse Rand of being an Aes Sedai puppet, they won’t seem nearly as insane when
they proclaim what he does as Tower meddling. My only real gripe is with
Nynaeve and Elayne. I’m not entirely sure the show knew what to do with them.
In the books, they are the ones that free Elayne who then punches Renna and
leaves her to be caught with the a’dam on. Making all their research into the a’dam
for naught and keeping them from joining the fight to early by injuring Elayne
and having Nynaeve not have the anger to fix her just feels… off. Oh, and Ingtar…
Spoilers in coming if you want to read the books and don’t want to know how the
hero of house Shinowa is portrayed there. Okay… enough distance between the
spoiler tag and now? Alright… in the books, just after Ingtar notes how the architecture
would allow one man to fight dozens in Falme, it’s revealed that he is in fact
a Dark Friend. The whole book was littered with clues about this, mentioning a
Shienaran lord being at the Dark Friend social in the beginning, noting Ingtar
had been away on a “hunting trip” just before the book started, his near
feverish desire to find the Horn of Valere, all that and more. He reveals that
he did it to try to save Shienar, believing that the land would be destroyed,
as the south never cared about its unending battle with the blight. He realized
that he’d be forced to do worse and worse after an accident getting them to
Falme in time and wanted to atone for his sins by sacrificing himself to buy
Rand, Mat and Perrin time to escape. Now… without all that, we just have a good
dude getting chopped to pieces… because. I think the show wrote itself into a
corner by having Ishamael openly ally with the Seanchan. With that, there was
no good way to have Ingtar be a spy that would make sense, so we’re left with
him just dying because. Those are my two big gripes. Other than that, solid
finale. I can’t wait for season 3, hopefully some time in 2025. Next time, we’ll
see what Nick Fury has been up to. See ya later.
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Twitter: @BasicsSupehero
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