Viewer Log: Wheel of Time ep 20

 Lets take a stroll down memory lane. 

Last time on The Wheel of Time, the hunt began. Nynaeve and Elayne began investigating where Liandrin and her Black Ajah cohorts ran off to. The two captured and Stilled members gave them two locations, one said Tear to help a Forsaken get Callandor, and the other to Saldea to get to a false Dragon named Mazrim Taim. Not buying either, Nynaeve takes Elayne to the room Liandrin had hidden her son in. They found a symbol drawn on the floor from Tanchico. That coupled with sketches of the stolen items from the 13^th Depository made them believe they ran off to Tanchico to try to find the other half of a Saidin A’dam. Mat ends up joining them as he believes Nynaeve is the only one who can fix his head. And he humbles both of Elayne’s brothers in a 1-v-2 duel, his staff vs their swords. Oh and Min followed them in disguise, wanting to flee the Tower for a lot of reasons but a big one being Elida telling her that she’s engineering the restructuring of the Tower to hunt the Dragon Reborn. Rand and his group traveled the Waste with the Aiel. On the way they find a Tinker band that were killed, assumedly by the Tardaad Aiel’s enemies the Shaido. In his dreams, Lanfear suggests he might be able to find the Sakarnen, the Saidar counterpart to Callandor and they could use the two to kill the Dark One.  The Wise one of the Tardaad, Bair, is a Dreamwalker and promised to teach Egwene to be one as well. Lan meets a Maiden of the Spear named Melindhra who claims to be a Malkieri born woman that wants to help him revive their people. Perrin meets Lord Luc and his second, a woman that initially went by Mandarb but changed it to Faile after hearing that Perrin knows a horse named Mandarb. Perrin begins to rally his people to defend the Two Rivers from the Trollocs themselves and to drive out the Whitecloaks. He also makes plans to free the Cauthons, as he promised Mat he'd look after them. Liandrin and her people arrived in Tanchico, murdered the leadership and effectively took over the city. So, fun times all around. Enough recapping. Let’s get to it, shall we?  

 

Ep 20: The Road to the Spear

 

We begin the episode with Rand and Lan doing more sword practice while Moiraine watches. When they take a break, we get a bit of a lore dump with Rand explaining to Lan how he can ‘think of nothing’ while fighting. This is a concept well talked about in the books by this point, the mental exercise of the Flame and the Void. One must just picture a flame in their mind, feed their emotions into it, all their fears, passions, worries, and so on until they’re feeling nothing and can be hyper focused on a task. Rand uses it a lot to fight, and it’s the mental state he needs in to access the True Source. Lan realizes that Rand’s dad Tam, who taught him this meditation, was a blademaster. Rand nods though he says he doesn’t know a lot of his dad’s past beyond Tam being a soldier when he was young. Rand admits not feeling connected to any place since leaving the Two Rivers and learning he’s not Tam’s biological son. Lan suggests he could develop a connection to the Waste and the Aiel. Rand uses a metaphor from his Sheepherding days, saying that if an ewe dies while giving birth, they cut the ewe they selected to foster the orphaned lamb and smear its blood on the lamb to trick it into seeing the baby as its own. He says he looks like Aiel, but he’s not Aiel. Lan suggests he could try. They get back to sword training, Lan suggesting he might stop going easy on Rand this time. Egwene joins Moiraine and tells her the proverb about how a watched pot never boils, and Moiraine says if only it was that easy to stop a pot from boiling.

 

Later, Moiraine and Egwene have dinner with Bair and Melaine. Egwene asks if only the Wise Ones have servants and we get a lore dump about Gai’shain. This feeds into the Aiel honor system of Ji’e’Toh, Honor and Obligation. One gains Ji by doing honorable and impressive things and Toh for failing to do things. The most Ji you can gain is by touching an armed opponent without weapons, earning the touched much Toh. To offset this balance, the person can agree to be Gai’shain and serve the other for a year and a day, touching no weapons or fighting in any way in that time period. The Aiel are actually somewhat offended by the idea of professional servants. The funniest example of this the books gave was of a man that had to take his own soon-to-be mother-in-law as Gai’shain because he shoved her over during a raid while she was holding a butcher’s knife. Moiraine says they’re very comfortable answering unimportant questions. She asks how they knew they were coming. The Wise Ones explain that they can see a bit into the future, that it’s easiest to see things just before or right as they’re starting and much harder to see just a random event in the future. They say that they didn’t see Egwene coming, and that there was a 50-50 chance of Rand coming too. Though, had he not arrived, they believe he would have died as would the Aiel. If he survives Rhuidean, some of them could survive. They reveal that Moiraine would have died too if Ran, Lan or herself not come, or if she doesn’t go to Rhuidean. Bair begrudgingly explains there’s a way to see a bit into the future in Rhuidean, and that they wanted Moiraine to decide to head there on her own.

 

As Rand and Lan head into camp, Aviendha stops Rand and tells him she told him not to touch swords. Rand is rather annoyed by this attitude of hers, and says that Aiel doesn’t touch swords, and asks if she can just decide if he is one or not. He tries to brush the stick she held to his chest aside, but she knocks him to the ground and swaps it for a spear. She insists no one holds a sword this close to Rhuidean, the city in the clouds, and turns her spear to Lan and says that it includes him. The two start circling around each other as the other Aiel hoot their approval. Aviendha asks if he’s asking her to dance (the Aiel call combat the dance of spears), and he just unsheathes his sword. They duel. Aviendha is good, but Lan is Aan’allein, the one-man nation (Old Tongue title) and he disarms her a few times in their exchanges. Before they can conclude their duel decisively, the Wise Ones stop them and say that it is time to end this. Turns out, Aviendha has the potential to be a Wise One and they’re insisting now that she begins her training. Training long delayed because of her (gestures at her whole body) this. She tries to refuse but this is not something she can refuse. She hands over her spears to Bair, who breaks them over her knee. She says she also refused when called but eventually learned her duty. They also take her Cadin’sor, her armored clothing, and say her new clothes will be there when she returns. She asks their leave to go to Rhuedean, and they accept, and tell her if she doesn’t return her belongings will be given to her family in remembrance. She claims she’ll be back before they reach the slopes of Chaendar, the mountain outside Rhuedean.  

 

Later, Moiraine asks if Rand intends to go to Rhuedean tomorrow. He doesn’t answer. She says that many men wait weeks on the slopes before going, but Rand isn’t them. He asks her what she wants, and she says she’s just trying to help him. He says she’d never helped him, but she counters that’s all she’s done. She demands he tell her what he’s planning, and Rand tells her he will, if she says to him plainly that she’s not trying to use him for the White Tower or her own gains. She says she won’t stop him from fulfilling his destiny, but she won’t stand by while he puts his head on a chopping block either. Rand says that’s not good enough.

 

The next day, Rand approaches Rhuedean with his squad and Rhuarc. Rand asks Rhuarc if he’s been and Rhuarc confirms all Clan Chiefs and Wise Ones go. Rand asks how the Car’a’Carn will be different from the Clan Chief. Rhuarc pulls up his left sleeve and reveals a tattoo of a golden serpentine dragon with a green eye on it, he says all Clan Chiefs are so marked. Rand realizes that they’re the People of the Dragon, and Rhuarc confirms that’s an old name for the Aiel. He says that the Car’a’Carn will be marked twice. They reach the city, which is shrouded in a perpetual mist. They’re spotted by a group of Shaido, and after a tense moment both sides agree to stick to the peace of Rhuidean. By custom, any who reach the mountain are allowed to return to their holds in peace. They enter the Shaido’s tent. One of their warriors, a real son of a bitch named Couladin, notes that they brought Wetlanders to Rhuedian. They ignore him because Couladin sucks. Rhuarc asks the Shaido Roofmistress Sevanna where her husband is. She says he’s dead, but her new husband, Muradin, his son is in the city and she is sure he’ll return soon as the Shaido’s new chief. Couladin says that he will go in after him, but the Wise Ones tell him to shut up, and that if Muradin doesn’t come back he can then ask permission and Bair and Melaine may give it. Rand steps forward and asks for permission to enter. Bair gives it, but Couladin loudly objects as Couladin sucks. He says that it’s death for outsiders to even be here. Rand says that his mother was Aiel, but Bair corrects him, saying his father was one but his mother was something else. Couladin, again, loudly objects and says he’s presenting himself like a woman. Bair, the badass, tells him to stop putting his nose into Wise One business. If he’s so interested in their work, he can put on a dress and ask to be trained and she’ll consider it. Melaine then gives her approval. Couladin tries to rush Rand, but Bair blocks him with a flow of air, revealing she can channel. She orders everyone other than Rand and Moiraine back to their tents. Egwene tries to go with, but Bair says if she asks she’ll be refused. Rand’s destiny is there, and Egwene’s isn’t there yet. Moiraine officially asks to go. Baer and Melaine are hesitant to allow her to go, as they’ve already disrupted how their visions said this was supposed to go. Moiraine was supposed to ask unprompted. Moiraine asks if that makes a difference, and they say maybe. But they do know she’ll die if she doesn’t go, so they give her permission. They tell her that inside she’ll see three rings. She can step through any one of them and they’ll show her a thousand possible futures. She’ll take some of that knowledge back with her. To Rand, they say he must enter the Glass Columns, where he will see the history of the Aiel through the eyes of his ancestors. They tell them to leave any weapons there to honor the last true Aiel. Rand takes off his sword and Moiraine drops off several knives. They tell them they won’t address them again until they return, as the city is the city of the dead. They say Rand is of the Past and Moiraine the future. Moiraine asks if he’s ready, Rand says no, but they set off anyway.

 

They enter the misty city. Around them are tower statues that don’t strike them as Aiel work. Moiraine comments that the dry fog is weird too, as she can almost see threads of the Pattern woven in them before they vanish. They travel into the city and find Avendesora, the Tree of Life. It’s an old tree, roughly 3000 years old, a product of the Age of Legends. Moiraine says that the Aes Sedai knew the Aiel had it, just not where. Rand says that it feels peaceful underneath it. Moiraine reveals that Cairhien had one like it, given to them from the Aiel as payment for an old debt. Rand says he never saw it in Cairhien, but Moiraine says that her uncle Lamen, King of Cairhien, cut it down to build him a grand throne. This obviously pissed the Aiel off like nothing else could and was what triggered the Aiel War. The Aiel don’t even think of it as a war, the clans that came over the wall were an execution force. They burned their way across the land, until they found and killed him on the slopes of Dragonmount. Rand realizes that’s why his mother was on the mountain, and why he was born there and fulfilled the first prophecy. He realizes that they’ve been tied together since before his birth. She says sometimes fate seems strong, and other times it seems fragile. Rand tells her she shouldn’t have come here before entering the field of Glass Pillars. He sees Muradin in the distance, or who he assumes is Muradin, Frozen in place. He steps after him but gets hit by a blowing wind.

 

In the blink of an eye he’s Janduin, an Aiel warrior in the middle of a battle. He kills several Illian soldiers before being told by another Aiel that they found her. Who is her? Shael, Rand’s mother. Yep, this is the memory of Rand’s biological father. Shael is very dead at this point, but he tells her body that he killed Lamen himself and tries to awaken her. Bael, the other Aiel, says there’s no sign of the baby and Janduin screams in agony.

 

We return to Rand, who is also screaming. He looks at his hands and they’re covered in blood. He takes another step forward, the wind forcing him backward.

 

He sees through the eyes of another ancestor, Mandein, Rhuedean for the first time. He witnesses the fog exploding from the city for the first time. His wife, a dreamer named Sealdre, tells him that an Aes Sedai called Latra called them here and that he must agree with whatever she tells him. He asks if the others will come, and she says some will, but those that don’t will be lost to time. He leaves his spear with her and heads into the city. He finds Latra as she opens a secret knot in Avendesora and takes a glass sphere from it. It’s revealed this is THE Latra Posae Decume, the Tamyrlin Seat that once refused to help Lews Therin with his plan to defeat the Forsaken. The men asks why they were called. Latra says that the true Aiel are dead, and then asks why they don’t carry swords. Mandein says that it’s forbidden, but Latra guesses that he doesn’t know why. She says there’s a lot he doesn’t know. He asks what she will ask of them. Latra tells them that the leaders of the Aiel, Chiefs and Wise Ones must come here and be tested, to learn their history and why they don’t carry swords. She gives them the prophecy of the Car’a’Carn as well, saying he’ll come from Rhuedean at dawn. She channels through the sphere and makes the Crystal Pillars. She tells them to travel through the pillars, to learn their history and know what the Aes Sedai call them Oathbreakers. Mandein is the first to go, saying he doesn’t fear his past and that they’re not oathbreakers.

 

We return to Rand who takes more steps forward and sees the bodies of failed Chiefs. He’s almost to Muradin now. Another step and another jump back.

 

Rand is his ancestor, Lewin, who is looking at a cutting of Avendesora, the Chora tree. He tells his friends that he feels peaceful just holding onto it, but is clearly joking about it. Adan, their Seeker, chases them off, saying that that tree is more precious than any of them. He tells the other they’re headed to the desert to build a city where they’ll plant it. Lewin finds his mother sobbing. She tells him that his sister was taken by bandits. They also took a woman named Colline as well. Lewin wants to go after them, now, but fighting is forbidden to them and Adan orders them back to their wagons. He chants that all will be well as if he believes it. Lewin and his friends refuse to just let them be taken and agree to go after them. They’ll wait until dark, sneak in, and then escape, no violence. Lewin and his friends Alijah and Charlin sneak in at night. They plan to grab the girls and go. Charlin tells them to keep their dust veils up to hide their faces. They head in. Lewin finds another captured girl named Maigran and tries to get her to leave but a bandit awakes and tries to attack him. Charlin tackles the bandit and a fight breaks out. Lewin almost gets killed but he grabs a spear and cuts the man’s throat. His friend Charlin was stabbed when he tackled the bandit and dies.  Alijah grabs the sword, but Lewin tells him to leave it. It’s a weapon and only a weapon, forbidden by the Way of the Leaf. The Spear can do more, it can put food in the pot. They return with the girls and Charlin’s body. They take the girls back, but cast out Lewin and Alijah for breaking from the Way of the Leaf. Adan, who is Lewin’s grandfather, calls them strangers and oathbreakers. His mother tells him to cover his face, saying that she doesn’t know him, but he has the face of her dead son and she doesn’t want to see it on a killer. And this is why I hate Tinkers. Yep, the Aiel an the Tu’athuan used to be the same people, followers of the Way of the Leaf. Alijah asks what they can do, and he says they’ll follow them to protect the true Aiel.

 

Rand returns to his body and takes another step. Muradin literally pulls his eyes from his face as he screams in agony.

 

Meanwhile, Moiraine sees the sand shifting and shaking under the Avendesora. She channels at the great tree, revealing the glass sphere hidden within it. She takes it and stores it in a pocket. She is drawn away and towards the three rings. It’s three rings standing upright and against each other in a triangle shape. She sees Aviendha floating in them and screaming before she joins. She sees her life play out in. She’s a humble fisherwife with Siuan, she’s the Amyrlin Seat and executes Rand, she releases Lan from his bond, she takes Rand as a Warder, she sees Lan before her, she executes Rand again, she kneels to Rand and swears herself to him.

 

Rand takes another step, passing Muradin as he screams.

 

He’s now Adan’s grandfather, Jonai. He wonders the burning remains of his caravan, many of his people dead or injured. Adan joins him and asks where his parents are. Sulwin, another of his people, say they can’t keep going like this. In the old tongue, Jonai says they bury their dead and move on, what else is there? He says the others will meet them at the Spine of the World as his daughter dreamed. Sulwin says that her group is going south. The Aes Sedai has killed the last man who can channel, the earth is settling, they can set up some place safe and sing the song of harvest again. Jonai asks them not to go, but they do. She offers to take Adan with them but he refuses, saying he won’t be an oathbreaker. Jonai says they’ll bury their dead and move on. Later, Jonai says his daughter saw great things in her dreams as they bury her. She saw it, a city in the desert, a place they can be safe. Adan asks where it is, and he says East, toward the dawn. They take their last wagon to carry their Chora cutting, Jonai saying that he was taught to care for his cutting by his grandfather and he’ll teach Adan. Adan asks how they’ll cross the spine, and he says together.

 

Back to Rand. He’s much deeper now. Another step and he’s Rhodric, an Aiel during the Age of Legends. Rhodric meets with Latra Sedai. He tells her that her orders have been followed and they’re sending out 10,000 wagons, each with a Chora cutting. She gives him the glass sphere, her fellow Aes Sedai Solinda wants to stop her, but Latra insists that the Aiel can be trusted with it, they’ve shown courage through their adherence to peace. Solinda asks how she can think of Peace when they’re surrounded by Death. Latra basically tells her to shut up as they need to protect the Glass Sphere from those mad men, for fear of what would happen if they found a woman Aes Sedai who’d agree to work with them and use it. She reminds Solinda that it was a woman Aes Sedai, once called Mierin but now going by Lanfear, who broke into the Dark One’s prison and started all of this. She tells Rhodric that that the sphere is Sakarnen, the women’s equivalent to Callandor. Callandor is protected in a new fortress, so she’s trusting Sakarnen to Rhodric to keep it safe, to find a place where it can be placed where no one comes to harm. He agrees to keep it until they have need of it again. Latra tells them the Aiel to keep to the Way of the Leaf, now and forever. He knees and he and the other Aiel swear to do so. He takes the Sakarnen and places it in a Chora cutting. His partner Comran asks if he’s going to be okay, and Rhodric tells him that all will be well.

 

Rand takes another step. He falls to his knees as he does so, clearly exhausted. He gers up and keeps walking. Behind him Muradin falls dead.

 

He is Charn, an Aiel in the Age of Legends before the Bore. He’s servant to she who would one day be Lanfear, Mieren. She joins him as he watches Aiel gather crops, asking if this is where he’s from. Charn says it is, his family still works out there and bringing in the harvest. Mieren asks why he isn’t down there, and he says today is too important, there’s always tomorrow. She tells him that tomorrow everything changes. He asks what she’s actually doing. Mieren reveals she found a thin patch in the Pattern, and on the other side they detected a great energy source. Like the True Source and the One Power, but much more potent. And, it seems like anyone could use it, and with equal strength. She says that soon even a non-channeler like Charn will be able to use this power to do things like harvest crops without his hands. Charn laughs at this and says some things are good to do by hand. Mieren tells him to go and sing with his family, enjoy the moment. Charn bows and heads out. He stops to ask if she’s sure and she says she is, nothing is more important than the people you love. Charn joins them and starts harvesting. He gets a few cuts in before the giant floating sphere that is Mieren’s lab blows open, dropping rom the sky. A yawning hole of blackness forms in the sky.

 

Rand flashes back through all of the memories back to the present and back again. Among the pillars he falls to the ground at the center. Before his eyes, tattoos form on both his arms, gold dragons forming at the back of his hands and up his forearms.

 

Later, he finds Aviendha passed out on the ground. She sees his markings and is terrified. Rand apologizes to her, saying he apologizes for not understanding about the swords. She incredulously asks if he does now. He says he knows enough to know he’ll never fully understand. He asks if she saw Moiraine, and she says Moiraine is still inside. She gets up to leave, asking if Rand is coming. He says he has to stay for Moiraine. She tells him to do as he wishes as a Wetlander. He passes out under Avendesora.

 

Moiraine is still falling through possibility. She’s in the Ways, surrounded by Forsaken both old and new, in the form of her former charges like Egwene and Nynaeve, Lanfear cuts her throat and throws her into the ways. She’s taken Rand as a lover. She’s taken Lanfear as a lover who tries to strangle her in bed but not in a fun way. She announces that the Tower will never bow to Rand before Lanfear stabs her. Lanfear cuts her throat again and again and again and again and again. Lanfear loves to cut throats, I guess.

 

Back at the camp, Lan and Egwene are waiting up. Egwene says that it’s been seven days since they left. Aviendha came back two days ago. She says they should go in after them. Lan says they wanted them to stay. The sun begins to rise, and Lan starts tearing up. We see Rand leaving the city as it rises, carrying Moiraine in his arms. He passes her off to Lan as Egwene hugs him in relief before the credits roll.

 

This is easily one of the best episodes the show has put out. Seeing the history of the Aiel play out during the fourth book The Shadow Raising, and the show did not disappoint with their depiction. While certain scenes were scaled down slightly, the number of characters reduced mostly, these were all scenes lifted directly from the books. Having Josha Stradowski play all his forefathers in the prime of their lives was a cost saving idea at least a little, it did also show off his range with his ability to disappear into roles. He plays Rand’s biological father Janduin differently from how he does Rand, as he did for Jonai, and for Mandein, and the rest. We see shades of the character of Rand in each man, but each is a little different. Watching this culture shift backwards from proud warriors, to people on the run and growing ever more desperate, to scared but reasonably confident travelers, to the peaceful servants of the Age of Legends was a hell of a whiplash for me when I first experienced the story. Same with the reveal that Rand can trace his ancestry back to the servant of Lanfear was as shocking. Some context is removed from a few scenes that lessen the impact slightly. For example, in the books we do get a POV from Adan, not jumping from Lewin to Jonai. In Adan’s chapter we learn that when Lewin was five, he’d lost literally all of his own children along with his wife. One died of starvation, two from channeling (his daughter had the spark and died because there was no one to train her, while his son ended himself rather than risk hurting his family with the madness) one was taken by raiders and the last died with his wife in the same raid. He still kept to the covenant, to the Way of the Leaf despite living through a life so steeped in misery and despair, I feel like that does inform just how much pain he was in years later when he disowned Lewin for breaking it. The man had to have felt like all of creation was attempting to destroy him in that moment, but he had to go on because what else is there? And I liked how that phrase kept being echoed backwards through time. A number of Rand’s less important ancestors were cut from this version, forefathers who merely witnessed big transitions or minor changes to the Aiel culture, like Lewin’s son who started the tradition of Aiel using short spears, or the original Rhodric, who witnessed the act of kindness that the Cairhien gave his people that spurned the Aiel to give them a Chora cutting years later. Though Rhodric’s name was used as the Aiel that was bid to keep to the way. In the books that was an Aiel named Coumin, I assume to differentiate him from Charn slightly. So ya, the visions were good. Same with Moiraine’s. We see more of hers here than in the books, where we just got a couple word overview of some of the other lives she could have lived, the only one she mentioned in any detail being remembering a possible future where she became Rand’s lover and how that blew up in their faces spectacularly. Having shown them in that weird flipping motion added to the surreal feeling of those possible futures. The fact she seems all but predestined to be killed by Lanfear at some point probably isn’t going to do anything for her nerves, but we’ll have to wait and see. Getting to see Couladin and Sevanna was fun in a frustrating way. They’ll be relevant to the story going forward, but I think my repeated comments about how much Couladin sucks in this write up does hint at how. Calling them future headaches is something of an understatement. Oh, and I liked how Rand chose to wait for Moiraine and how that ultimately made him perform the prophecy of coming with the Dawn. In the books he and Mat (who went with in the books and had his own adventure we’ll get into later) leave basically ASAP. Even if he was unaware of it, Rand choosing to wait for Moiraine is what lead him to fulfil that prophecy and that makes it feel more like he’s choosing this responsibility than being thrust into it. Or so I think. So ya, great episode. Next time we’ll catch up with the others. 

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Viewer Log: Wheel of Time ep 19

 Matrim "Royal Thumping" Cauthon has a nice ring to it.

Last time on The Wheel of Time, Elayne dealt with a family affair. Her mom, Morgase, her brothers Galad and Gawyn, and her mother’s consort Gaebril arrived to demand she return to Andor. Morgase was spooked by Elayne’s disappearance last season and wants her home where she can be protected. This complicated Siuan’s plan to use Elayne and Nynaeve to sus out any remaining Black Ajah sisters in the Tower. Eventually, Elayne confronted her mother about staying and got Morgase to agree to leave her in the Tower, though her brothers stayed to train as Warders and to keep an eye on her. Her mother’s advisor Elida also decided to stay behind, much to Siuan’s annoyance. Perrin made it back to the Two Rivers, only to learn that Whitecloaks had taken over the area as they’re defending the townsfolk from Trolloc raids. Alanna and Maksim were also there for reasons they refused to divulge. Mat tried to distract himself in the Tower, it didn’t go well. He was approached and convinced by Siuan to leave the Horn of Valere in her keeping, to hopefully dissuade anyone from killing him to try to take the Horn for themselves. We also learn that Min is back in the Tower, she’s working as a spy for Verin and her ability to glimpse hints of the future suggest that even more death and destruction is coming to the Tower. Rand and company made for the Aiel Waste. Rand trained with his blade for a bit, much to Aviendha’s annoyance. Aiel have a thing about swords. They’re eventually discovered by Aiel warriors, the woman leading the group recognizing Rand as a candidate for Car’a’Carn. Enough recapping. Let’s get to it, shall we?

 

Ep 19: Seeds of the Shadow

 

We open in the bowels of a castle or so it’s seems. Lord Gaebril is looking about fretfully when he’s joined by… Lanfear? Oh no! A third Forsaken joins them, a fellow named Sammael. Yes, I said third. It’s revealed that Lord Gaebril is in fact Rahvin, another of the Forsaken. Lanfear is impressed when she sees lipstick on his face and realizes he’s already got a queen in his bed. Rahvin has a taste for the finer things in life. It’s revealed that he’s used Compulsion, a forbidden weave that lets you control other people’s minds, to convince Morgase and everyone around her that they’ve been hopelessly in love for a decade, not a month. FYI, that’s why everyone who saw him last episode had that over long pause when meeting him, they were legit trying to figure out who he was until he forced the lie into their minds. Sammael is less impressed by his dalliances and demands to know where the Dragon is. Lanfear says they have more immediate problems than Rand al’Thor. Sammael accuses her of falling into the same trap as last time, falling hopelessly in love with the Dragon. He goes so far as to say she’d lay down at his feet if he said rug. Rahvin scoffs and says that last time the Chosen fought each other more than the Dragon, so can they please focus. Lanfear says they need to talk about Moghedian. She says that Moghedian is a weak coward, but she’s smart. She believes Moghedian will start by attacking either of them, as she claims Rahvin and Sammael are the weakest Chosen on the field right now, and then she’ll work her way up to Lanfear herself and be named Nae’blis. Nae’blis is the title for the leader of the Forsaken. In the books it’s never said out loud this was Ishamael’s place, but it’s heavily implied. Here its flat out stated. Sammael asks why she isn’t Nae’blis already if she’s so confident and why the Dark One isn’t talking to them through her. She says that maybe the Dark One is still mourning Ishamael. Rahvin picks up that she’s looking to form an alliance. He says he’ll pass it onto the others. When she ask what he means, he reveals he contacted two other Chosen, Graendal and Semihrage, and that he’ll pass the information onto them. Lanfear tells him to think about her offer and Gateways away, Sammael following suit. Moghedian then reveals herself, she’d been hiding in the shadows, and was affronted by being called a coward. They banter for a minute before Moghedian says that Lanfear is falling into the same games as last time, but she won’t be doing the same. She won’t be trapped in a cage for 3000 years again. They share a chuckle.

 

We cut to the prison cells at the White Tower. Verin narrates that these two, Amico Nagoyin a ‘Yellow’ and Joiya Byir a ‘Gray’ are both actually Black Ajah sisters that the Amyrlin captured herself. She tells Nynaeve and Elayne that they’ve been Stilled, cut off from the True Source forever, but they’re still not talking about the Black Ajah’s plans. She wants them to try to make progress with them. Nynaeve says they’ll work better on their own, Elayne elaborating that they can lie, which gives them an advantage over the Aes Sedai. They go to talk to Joiya first. Joiya is impressed to see Elayne as Accepted already, saying that Siuan must have shuffled her through the Arches real quickly. No you didn’t miss that scene, they didn’t show it. Joiya doesn’t give them anything so they move onto Amico. Amico is a sobbing wreck after losing her powers. She does explain how the Black Ajah is organized. They’re broken up into three women cells called Hearts. Each Sister in a Heart knows each other, and then each knows one more sister outside of their heart. Amico’s non-Heart contact was Liandrin, but she says Liandrin found out about the rest somehow, hence why she called out to them for aide. She claims to not know anything else. They pretend to contemplate killing Amico and saying Joiya told them as much, and asks her to drop the act. Amico stops Sobbing and says that Liandrin is headed to Tear to help a Forsaken get Callandor. Elayne says only the Dragon can claim it, so Amico shrugs and says they’ve got nothing to fear then. We jump back to their interrogation of Joiya, who claims that Amico can’t be trusted because she spent years as a Yellow and lied to patience faces about them living through their illnesses and laughing when they died. She claims Liandrin is going after Mazrim Taim, another false Dragon. He’s from Saldea in the north. Joiya uses her experience as a Gray, saying she specialized in negotiations and reading people to get them to try to believe her.

 

We jump up to Elaida in her rooms. She seems to be having some kind of fit, her body shaking horribly. She calls out for her servant Alice to help her as she knocks aside some knickknacks from her shelf. Min comes in, saying that Alice left with Morgase and offers to help her. Elaida agrees, saying today is an important day for her.

 

Elayne and Nynaeve try to figure out if they should go to Tear or Saldea. Nynaeve says she doesn’t believe either of them, and that Verin and Siuan were too focused on the two captured Blacks. She is sure that Liandrin is the key. She leads Elayne to the room Liandrin had been using to house her son. The room is empty and bare now, though. Elayne asks if she liked Liandrin. Nynaeve admits that she did, saying that while Liandrin was trying to turn her to the Shadow, she did seem to genuinely trying to help her, and that she seemed to love her son. They see a symbol written in chalk under the bed, they move the bed and have a look.

 

Back in the Tower, Elida finds Verin and Leane talking and butts into their conversation. Joking that Verin must be dealing with a fire in the library or a shortage of honeycakes in the kitchen. She tries to speak with the Amyrlin but the two other sisters stone wall her. Verin says that only a Sitter can ask for a private audience with the Amyrlin and Leane suggesting she go find one before she’ll accept Elida’s petition. Elida tells them both if they cross her now, she’ll never forget it before gliding away. She goes to the Red Ajah and speaks with the Sitters. Tsutama, one of the Sitters for the Red we saw earlier, is revealed to be the Highest, the unofficial head of the Red Ajah. Elida hands her and another Sitter, Galina, bribes to earn their favor. Did I say bribes? I meant gifts. Tsutama tells her to keep the necklace Elida presented to her, saying it’s too gaudy for her. Tsutama asks what she’s hoping to gain here, and Elida states that she wants to return the Red Ajah to its proper place at the Heart of the Tower, like it was when she was the Highest. Tsutama says this isn’t the time for them to be drawing attention to themselves, not after Liandrin but Elida disagrees. The Dragon is Reborn and is a man, and thus the Red Ajah need to be acting. She proposes sending eight sisters to find Rand al’Thor and cage him. Tsutama tells her that they need to work to regain their standing, a situation that Elida is making more difficult and dismisses her. Elida goes, but not before pointing out that Tsutama not fighting for her place in the hall during the incident with Liandrin falls squarely on her head.

 

In the Waste, Lan asks Rhuarc, the Clan Chief of the Tardaad Aiel, how they knew that they were coming. Rhuarc says that’s Wise One business. When Moiraine asks what a Wise One is, he also says that’s also Wise One business. Egwene and Rand are following behind them and Egwene says she swears she saw the Wise One with them, Bair , in her dreams the night before. Bair overhears them and says that no, Egwene was in her dream. The Aiel finds water and spread out to try to claim the water source, Aviendha saying that more blood has been spilled in the waste over water than gold. They found a caravan of Tu’athuan (tinkers) that had been attacked and slaughtered. Egwene asks if Aiel did this, but Rhuarc says it’s forbidden to even approach the ‘lost ones.’ And Avi elaborates saying the only thing less honorable than refusing to defend yourself is killing someone who won’t defend themselves. They examine the bodies and find what they think is a sword, but Lan says that it’s from a spear head shaped to look like a sword. They reason that he Shaido, another Aiel clan that the Tardaad are in a blood feud with, might have done this. The others hurry ahead, Rhuarc staying behind to bury the dead. Oh, and it’s revealed that in this version Bair is Rhuarc’s wife. Rand holds back a bit to ask Rhuarc about Rhuedean and the trial he needs to face there. Rhuarc tells him he knows too much and too little about that.

 

In the Two Rivers, Perrin visits his wife’s grave and buries his broken ring beside her. Alanna joins him and says she never imagined he was a gardener. He says this is actually his family burial plot, the Aybara’s having a tradition of burying their dead with apple seeds in their hands, hence why there’s a grove of apple trees here. He tells Alanna this is Leila’s grave and that he missed her burial due to them running from the Trollocs. He admits that it both hurts and comforts him that her tree has thrived since he left. Alanna says that in her culture, they mix the ashes of the dead with clay to make a face paint that they wear until it fades away. Hence why she and Maksim are wearing the gray face paint. Perrin asks when she’ll start looking for another Warder. Alanna admits she’s buried a lot of Warders through the years but her relationship with her Ihvon and Maksim is different. She says that she and Maksim were the fire and Ihvon knew how to douse that flame. Perrin says that at least she still has Maksim. She says that its different with a trio, that when one of a pair dies there is only one to grieve, but when two are left one of them dominates the grief.

 

Back in the village, Bain and Chiad are bored and try to convince Loial to a game of Maiden’s Kiss. Something the bashful Ogier isn’t super into. He says he must finish this chapter on Maneatharan. The Aiel turn their attention to Maksim who is sharpening his sword. He says no. They say they’ll go easy on him since it’s his first time. Maksim chuckles and asks who said it was his first time? They try to get him to stop playing with his dirty sword, but Maksim reveals it’s not dirt, but the ashes of the only man he ever loved. Before they can continue, Perrin and Alanna return, saying people are in the village that he didn’t recognize. They try to run for the upstairs but a man and his entourage storms in. This is Lord Luc and his second-in-command a woman in black, revealing to Marin al’Vere that Natti Cauthon and her daughters were arrested by the Whitecloaks. The woman in black notices Perrin and Perrin is introduced to them and Lord Luc to him. Perrin asks where the Cauthons are. Luc tries to build up the drama but the woman in black reveals that they’re at the Whitecloak camp at Watch Hill. She asks if he knows the Whitecloaks because they say they know him.

 

We cut to the camp which is being run by Dain Bornhald and Eamon Valda. Valda says they’re wasting good steel on Dain’s cages and that he can just get the information about the Aybaras directly from the Cauthons. Dain says that’s not necessary, the townsfolk saw them arrest the Cauthons, so Perrin will come to them. Valda says there are faster ways to get information but Dain refuses to put the villagers to the Question (torture) as they’ve done nothing wrong. Valda insists that Perrin helped a witch and murdered his father, the land itself has to be tainted to raise such a creature. Dain reveals he sent to the Lord Captain Commander of the Whitecloaks for reinforcement. If they arrive before Perrin does, he’ll let Valda have his way. He goes to examine the Cauthons and Natti Cauthon swears she’ll die before she lets him touch her girls.

 

Back at Tar Valon, Mat is trying to sleep but the sounds of death in his memories is keeping him up. It seems to be causing him agony before he sits up and downs a bunch of water. Min barges into his room and Mat asks to have a lock installed. He tries to brush Min off, but she insists on talking to him. She tells him she gave up her reward from Ishamael to protect him. Ishy had promised to take away her ability to see the future, but she gave that up to protect him. Mat isn’t impressed and says he won’t thank her for it. She storms off, but Mat does try to call her back, so he at least feels bad talking to her like that.

 

Elayne and Nynaeve are looking up the symbol in the library. They find out that the symbol is part of a death ritual from the country of Tanchico. Ya draw the symbol where a person died and where they were born to help ease their passing and speed up their rebirth. They realize that Liandrin is from Tanchico and that she’ll be heading there instead of Tear or Saldea. When Nynaeve says both Black Sisters were lying, Elayne gets the idea that maybe they should focus on what the Black Sisters didn’t talk about, namely the items stolen from the 13^th Depository. Verin had been cataloguing them and they look through the sketches. Nynaeve finds a bracelet that looks a lot like the bracelet half of a Seanchan a’dam, the device Sul’dam use to control Damane. Elayne realizes that Tanchico is near Falme, Falme is where the Seanchan landed… and that maybe that’s where they could find the collar that matches it. Someone shoots at the two of them, Elayne throwing him back with the Power. They go to investigate and find a dead Gray Man like from the inn. Elayne says she didn’t throw him hard enough to do that, but Nynaeve notices a stab wound. Verin join them, smiling, but that disappears when she sees the corpse. They fill her in on what happened and she explains the Gray Man’s lore. They’re Darkfriends that sold their soul to the shadow in exchange for an ability to go unnoticed. You can look right at them and barely register that they’re there. Nynaeve asks what she’s doing up there, and Verin counters that this is the Brown Ajah quarters, so she might ask her the same thing. They ask to go to their rooms and Verin says they can but to lock there doors and to not open them until the Amyrlin comes to debrief them. Nynaeve tells Elayne they’re headed to Tanchico today, as it’s safer there than in the Tower even if it’s a trap. When Elayne asks why, she points out how weird it is that Verin never asked the obvious question. Who stabbed the Grey Man?

 

Liandrin arrives in Tanchico with her crew. The locals are dressed in veils and masks. They interrupt a wedding ceremony in the palace. The groom is a man named Jaq Lounalt. When Liandrin hears that name, we get a bit of her backstory. She assumes Jaq is the great-grandson of her ‘husband.’ Though, that probably isn’t the right word, as Lounalt Sr. didn’t give her a wedding and kept her in a room under the keep as… well, a sex slave. Until she found out she was pregnant at 13. She unveils Lounalt’s bride and sees she’s another child. Jaq tells her not to touch his property. Liandrin turns and channels his heart out of his chest. She tells the others to slaughter the guests. Liandrin calls Nyomi over and has her use Compulsion on the girl’s mind to make her forget what happened today. She has to take a bit more too, but Liandrin thinks that might be for the best. Given the amount of bodies behind them, ya, good call.

 

Back at the Tower, Min brings Elida some dresses she wanted. Elida reveals that she knows Min is a seer and asks her if seeing the future is a burden on her. She reveals she can also see into the future. What Min does is unique to her, her visions are cryptic but always 100% accurate. The Foretelling that an Aes Sedai can do are less frequent and more fickle. She does say every vision is a gift, though. Min asks why, since they can’t change it. Elida reveals that knowing the answer isn’t the real power, the real power is figuring out what leads to that future. She says that in the past she had a vision that the queendom of Andor would be a key part in the last battle, so she made sure she was installed as the advisor to the queen. Min asks if the bracelet that Elida fingers is part of another Foretelling and Elida says it is of a source. She has Min sit, and asks if what she’ll say next can stay between them. Min says yes. Eliada reveals that the Reds will soon call a vote in the Hall that Siuan will lose. This vote will set the Tower on it’s original mission, to find and cage the Dragon Reborn.

 

In the Waste, Bair speaks with Egwene, saying it’s been ages since the Tower produced a Dreamwalker. Dreamwalkers are people who can enter the World of Dreams, Tel’alan’riod. Everyone who sleeps can touch that place but only a few can enter it fully. She says she and another Wise One named Melaine are the only two among the Taardad. She thinks Egwene is one too. When Egwene mentions that she’s been stalked in her dream by a woman that tortured her. It’s revealed that bruises on her neck are a side effect of these dream attacks. Bair promises to show Egwene what she can of defending herself in the dream after they reach Rhuidean.

 

In Rand’s dream, he’s meeting with Lanfear in their room. He says that she needs to stop bringing him here and she suggests he brought her here. She says that he was right not to go to Callandor and apologizes for trying to push him there. She seems legitimately scared, and Rand asks her why. She says that she may be able to escape her oaths, if the Dark One was killed. Rand asks how they could even do that. She claims that there’s a Sa’Angreal for Saidar, a twin to Callandor, called the Sakarnen. She theorizes if used together, they could destroy the Dark One. Rand asks what it’d mean for her if her oaths were gone and she implies they might be together. Rand says they can’t and she teleports away.

 

We shift over to the Aiel Sweat Tent. As water is precious in the Waste, to get clean the Aiel basically go into a sweat lodge, scraping the dirt and grime off their bodies with stones. Moiraine asks what the significance of Rhuidean is and the other Wise One, Melaine asks if the White Tower doesn’t teach manners. Bair explains that it’s where Aiel go to be declared either a Wise One or Clan Chief. If Rand is the Car’a’Carn, he’ll need to go there. Moiraine asks what happens when he is made one, but no one answers. They see an Aiel making eyes at Moiraine and Lan suggests maybe she could use a night or an hour with someone to forget her troubles. Moiraine says she hasn’t been with anyone beside Siuan in years, but Lan laughs and says she didn’t forget how it works. The Aiel comes over and is introduced as Melindhra. After asking Lan if he’d like to join her tonight. When she walks away, they spy a tattoo of a crane on her back. Lan follows her and demands to know what she has the Malkier Golden Crane on her back. Melindhra reveals that she’s actually Malkieri, she ran when the country fell until she was found and adopted by an Aiel Wise One. She says she’s Aiel, but she’d break her spears if Lan asked her to help him take back Malkier. Lan says Malkier is dead, but Melindhra insists it lives in any man that wears a hadori and any woman that wears the kaizen. She says he carries his father’s sword and asks if he still fights the war and he says he does.

 

Back at the Two Rivers, Perrin and the townsfolk have a meeting. Perrin offers to turn himself over to the Whitecloaks to free the Cauthons. Marin says that the whole town has known Perrin all his life and they know he’s not a Darkfriend. Local angry old man Cenn Buie says he’s something, given his eyes, but Daise Congar says to shut up. Perrin still will turn himself in so they can focus on the real problem of the Trollocs. The others won’t let him leave for fear that the Whitecloaks would abandon them to the Trollocks if they have him. She says the Two Rivers defends its own and the meeting disperses. Alanna goes up to talk with Maksim. They have a fight about the bond, Maksim demanding that Alanna turn it off because he’s dying. Not from Alanna’s grief but from her utter lack of grief for Ihvon. Alanna says that she’s controlling her emotions because if she didn’t she’d drown in both of their grief. He insists that if she really felt something they’d be hunting down Liandrin. He wants to know why there in the Two Rivers instead of looking for their lover’s murderer.

 

We jump to the common room of the Winespring when the woman in black comes to speak to Perrin. She says that she’d never seen someone try to turn themselves in and fail. He asks if she’s with Lord Luc and she confirms it, though she says it’s by happenstance. She’s a hunter for the Horn of Valere. She notices him chuckle when he hears that and when she asks he says he’s ‘aware of it.” She says that there’s been much talk about him in his absence. Perrin says that there’s been little talk of her, and that he doesn’t know her name. She introduces herself as Mandarb, which makes Perrin laugh because that’s Lan’s horse’s name. It means Blade in the old tongue. She suggests trying to turn himself in again and storms off. Loial joins Perrin and asks what now. Perrin says he’s going to free the Cauthons, since he promised to protect them Mat.

 

At the Tower, Mat chases down Min and does apologize to her for how he acted. He says he has had troubles of his own lately and that made him act rudely. Min knows its about the memories. He asks how she knew that and she says Mat’s told every Novice and half the Aes Sedai about it, so of course she knows. She suggests that maybe they could use their skills to their advantage, but cuts off when she has a vision. She sees Mat hanging from a tree in a red stone doorway. Mat tries to pull her out of it but tells her he doesn’t want to hear about the vision. Galad saw the commotion and stepped in on Min’s behalf, asking if this lout has been bothering her. Min tells him to piss off and walks off, and Mat calls him a prick. So the average reaction to Galad.

 

Leana enters the Red Quarter to meet with the Red Sitters and Eliada. She’s come to offer them a mission on behalf of the Amyrlin. Siuan had heard the Reds were anxious to do their jobs and so has ordered Tsutama to lead an expedition of 8 sisters to capture Mazrim Taim. Elida says that the Highest can’t leave as an important vote is coming up, but Leane asks if maybe the Reds want to leave their duties to another Ajah, the Blues maybe. Tsutama agrees to go, following Leana so they can meet with the Amyrlin. When alone, Elida asks Galina who will replace Tsutama while she’s gone, as Saldea is on the other side of the world and while Tsutama is gone that means they’d only have two votes in the Hall. Galina agrees they’ll need a temporary replacement.

 

In the Two Rivers, Perrin tries to stop his friend Wil al’Seen from going back to his farm in the night, for fear of Trollocs. Wil isn’t scared, though, and insists they’ll be fine. Perrin is accused of stirring up trouble, but Perrin insists that they need to remember what happened at Bel Tine. The al’Seens ask what to do. Perrin suggests that they all fortify the town to protect themselves from both the Trollocs and Whitecloaks. Everyone agrees that’s a good idea.

 

Meanwhile, Mat is training in the Warder Hall with a quarter staff. Galad and Gawyn arrive and try to intimidate him. They mock his use of a staff and suggest maybe they can show him how to use a real weapon. Mat says he’s fine and that he’ll stick to bows and staves. Nynaeve comes in and says she’s been looking for Mat. She’s come to say goodbye as she and Elayne are heading out. Mat shouts when he hears Liandrin’s name. He refuses to stay behind, as he’s worried for them but rationalizes it as Nynaeve still being the only one he trusts with fixing his head. She tries to leave but he stops her, Galad tries to insert himself into the conversation again and Mat yells at him to take a day off. They tell him to back off, and Mat decides he’s had enough of this and bets them two marks each that he can beat them two on one with his staff. They agree. Mat says his catchphrase from the books ‘dovie’andi se tovya sagain’ It’s time to toss the dice. Mat then singlehandedly humbles the Trakand brothers. His staff whirls around them, easily blocking their strikes and hitting them at the same time, even when they attack together. He beats Gawyn first and then Galad before reminding them they both owe him two marks.

 

The woman in black meets Perrin at the forge, saying that the villagers are staying but she thinks he might not be. She asks what the Cauthons mean to him, and he says they’re friends, family even. She asks him if he has a plan or hope, as he’ll need a plan if he wants to lead these people. Perrin says he doesn’t want to leave, he just wants to save the Cauthons. She starts to walk off, but Perrin calls out to her and asks for her name. She introduces herself as Faile. It means Falcon in the Old Tongue, which means hunting is in her blood.

 

In Tar Valon, Nynaeve, Elayne and Mat prepare to head out to Tanchico. Elayne half scolds Nynaeve for bringing Mat along when she didn’t even mention it to her brothers, but they get underway nonetheless. Not noticing at all that Min is following behind them.

 

In Tanchico, Liandrin completes her son’s burial circle in the catacombs of the castle, sobbing as she remembers his birth and death. She leaves and enters the area the others are working. Nyomi confirms that the bracelet is similar to the a’dam, but older. Saidar weaves don’t affect it, so they presume it’s to control a man. They’re going to look for the collar that matches it so they can collar the Dragon Reborn. We see one of the serving women is Moghedian, who smiles evilly hearing this. She whispers “softly, softly from the Shadow” as she goes.

 

Well, the Black Ajah in control of a small city-state and on the look out for the other half of a Saidin A’dam, that can’t possibly be good. The show has already done a thorough job showing us how much those things suck to have used on you. And that was just Egwene. Slap one on Rand and you can kiss the Wheel goodbye. Oh, and one of the most powerful nations in the world right now is under the control of the Forsaken. Yikes. I already knew Lord Gaebril was Rahvin from the books, but I liked how the last episode kind of hinted at that with everyone that met Gaebril staring at him blankly for just a moment too long before talking to him like they’d known him for years to be normal. In the books he’d had about six to eight months to entrench himself and build a more natural background for himself, but mind controlling those around him to just believe they’ve known him for years is in Rahvin’s style. Of the Forsaken, Graendal uses that evil power the most but Rahvin is a close second if I remember correctly. Obviously, he’s a problem that will need to be handled at some point. The concept of the Nae’blis is introduced a bit early here, but the Forsaken do spend a great deal of time fighting over who gets the job until the Dark One names the new one. The power position comes with unlimited access to the Dark One’s essence, the True Power as it’s known, so they fight hard for the spot. Let the Lord of Chaos rule and all that. I liked seeing the investigation play out, and how Nynaeve and Elayne ultimately discovered where they were going. It is different from the books, but I like how they expanded on the Tanchico culture by inventing this death ritual that Liandrin was basically compelled to do despite it being the thing that got her discovered. In case you were wondering, everything involving her son and her background is show only. If I recall correctly, the most we get about Liandrin’s past was that she was from Tanchico, well the country of Tarabone but Tanchico is the capital so that spot is as likely as any, she grew up in poverty and before she went to the tower she’d figured out a form of Compulsion that is actually one of her go to weaves despite the fact mind control is an Aes Sedai no-no. I think I like this backstory of her being the escaped child bride of a nobleman a bit more, there’s more drama to it, and makes her backstory a bit more complicated than ‘I hate people more powerful than me because I grew up poor.” Perrin’s story is pretty good too. His convincing the Two Rivers folk to fortify the town is from the books, but it takes him significantly longer. There wasn’t a big town meeting for him to use to get most of the people on board, he had to go house to house and convince them one on one. The Cauthons being captured and Perrin’s dedication to save them is also from the books. I like this introduction of Lord Luc and Faile as well. Both are hunters of the Horn, but in the books Luc was in the Two Rivers alone, and Faile actually came with Perrin. By this point in the novels, they were attracted to each other but Perrin was being stubborn about actually pursuing anything with her because he specifically came to the Two Rivers to turn himself over to the Whitecloaks. She didn’t much care for this idea. I will say, her name drop is much less significant here than in the books. In the books, Perrin is warned before meeting her that Min had a viewing about him that involved two birds, a Hawk and a Falcon, perching on his shoulders, that she somehow knows are both female. So, you can imagine he’s somewhat spooked when a strange Hunter of the Horn he met in his travels decided to dub herself Faile (falcon) right in front of him. He insists on referring to her by her birthname of Zarene despite her dislike of the name. Oh, and since Perrin’s wife is show only, there wasn’t a feeling like he was betraying her memory by falling in love again, which is obviously where this plot is going. Luc is going to be important going forward me thinks. It was amazing to finally see Mat get to humble Elayne’s brothers. In the books, he did it in front of a crowd of onlookers, but the women were less than pleased that he bruised up their eye candy. He also beat them two on one, with the Warder’s swordmaster adding the greatest blademaster in history only ever lost one fight, and that was to a farm with a staff. He let the fight go on to remind his students that a blademaster isn’t invincible. Not much to say about Rand’s plot this time but tomorrow is literally all about him so that balances out. Egwene learning and eventually being trained by Wise Ones as a Dreamwalker is good. Though I feel the need to point out that Bair is a composite character. Sort of. They basically took two Wise Ones, took one Wise One named Amys, who was a former Maiden of the Spear, wed to Rhuarc, Wise One of the Tardaad, and gave her Bair’s name. Bair is a Wise One of Shaarad Aiel, and Amys' former mentor. They work together a lot and are the most prominent Wise Ones for a while. I’m not sure why they gave Amys Bair’s name, except maybe the felt the name was more Unique? No idea. Anyway, the Tardaad Wise One training Egwene to be a Dreamwalker is good and accurate to this point in the story. That’s about it for this one. Have a good night.

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Viewer Log: Wheel of Time ep 18

 Various hunts are on.

Last time on The Wheel of Time, the crew got to rest in Tar Valon. They’d come back for Nynaeve to reveal that Liandrin Sedai was part of the Black Ajah. Liandrin reveals she is Black, and is captured, but then has her coconspirators in the Black Ajah among the sitters free her. She and her fellows escape, stealing Angreal from the 13^th Depository, killing several Warders and Aes Sedai, including Alana’s Warder Ihvon, and nearly killing Siuan, but Moiraine saves her despite their issues. After, everyone has a day to recover in the city before they start their trek anew. Meanwhile, Moiraine is approached by Lanfear who is revealed to have been trying to push Rand to Tear to get his hands on Callandor, a powerful Sa’Angreal. It’s both a weapon to use against the Forsaken and a proof he’s the Dragon Reborn. Egwene and Nynaeve are approached by the Amyrlin who tries to convince them to come back to the Tower. Egwene agrees but on the condition that she gets to take the test for Accepted today. She goes through it, her vision of herself as the Amyrlin having to execute Rand who had lost himself to the madness. She passes, gets the Ring and storms off, saying they can’t stop her from going now. In the night, everyone is attacked by impossibilities. Perrin’s ax comes to life and tries to kill him, Rand and Egwene are attacked by his reflections, and Mat loses himself to an illusion of his cards coming to life as a Gray Man attacks Nynaeve and stabs her. They escape these traps, Rand breaking the mirrors in Egwene’s room on her suggestion, Loial slamming Perrin’s ax to the ground and snapping the handle off, and Lan coming to Nynaeve’s aid. It’s later revealed this was a ploy that Moiraine and Lanfear worked out, Lanfear trying to drive the others away to guide Rand to Tear. And it works, mostly. Perrin has decided to go back to the Two Rivers, Loial and the Aiel Bain and Chiad coming with. Nynaeve decided to stay at the Tower to get over her block, so she can channel freely. Elayne is also staying to train and Mat’s staying because he thinks Nynaeve will be the only one who can help him with his weird memories. Rand, Egwene, Lan, Moiraine, and Aviendha the Aiel are headed to the Three-Fold Land, the Aiel Waste to get the loyalty of the Aiel. Meanwhile, Moghedian of the Forsaken turns a man Jaichim Caridan into a Gray Man and orders him to find someone for her. Enough recapping. Let’s get to it.

 

We begin in the past with a very pregnant Morgase Trakand of Andor on her coronation day. That’s Elayne’s mom, by the way, pregnant with her unless I’m mistaken. Her Aes Sedai advisor, Elida of the Red Ajah congratulates her on this day finally coming. She’s brought into the throne room and takes her Seat on the Lion Throne, in this universe depicted as a tiny throne with two massive Lioness statues on either side of her. She’s briefly greeted by her step-son Galad and brought her own first born son Gawyn before she makes her first address to the nobles. She says that they’ve been in a succession crisis since the death of Queen Mordrellen Mantear. She says that many of the people here were her rivals and she theirs. She promises that if they swear fealty to her now, she won’t hold that against them and that they’ll move forward as a nation if they’ll but bend the knee. The various heads of the Andoran nobles bend the knee and swear their fealty. She accepts their fealty but says she can’t risk another succession war. The nobles that bent the knee were then killed by their seconds, to ensure they never threaten Elayne claim in the future. Morgase is crowned queen by Elida, and they announce Long live the Queen.

 

In the present, Elayne is scrubbing floors. She hears whisperings and looks out to find Verin and Leane having a whispered conversation about loyalty and trust. They spot her, though, and she flees to pretend she didn’t hear anything. They join her, Verin asking if that isn’t Morgase’ coronation song they hear in the distance. Verin asks what in the Lights name is Morgase doing in Tar Valon, but Elayne has no idea.

 

We join Morgase as she’s brought into the hall of the Tower, escorted by her consort Lord Gaebril. To prove who rules, Siuan intentionally makes them wait a solid two minutes before they’re allowed in. We’re introduced to the royal family of Andor, first Elayne’s elder half-brother Galad and then her older full brother Gawyn, First Prince of the Sword. Andor is a matriarchy ruled by a queen, despite her two older brothers, she’s the only member of their house that can inherit. Gawyn’s position as First Prince of the Sword puts him in charge of the military upon Elayne’s ascention. Lord Gaebril is introduced after Leane had to remember his name. Elida then enters and bows to the Amyrlin. Siuan asks what they owe this honor. Morgase demands to know where Elayne is and how Siuan could have allowed her to be kidnapped. She starts a tirade, but Siuan cuts her off, saying that so long as she wears the ring and is in the Hall, she must address Siuan by her title. Morgase, FYI, trained at the Tower in her youth as all Andoran royal girls do, but while she could channel, her strength was all but nonexistent and she was given the ring as a sort of honorary position. Elayne’s the first Andoran noble of the royal line to have the strength to be a full sister, ever. Morgase apologizes, but swears that she will not leave the Tower until she sees Elayne and hears what happened from her mouth. Siuan has Leane take her entourage to their quarters and offers to take her to Elayne herself.

 

Out in the Spine of the World, Avi leads Rand, Egwene, Moiraine and Lan to the Waste. She says that were they Aiel they’d make it through the pass on foot by nightfall, but since they are not, they’ll set up camp where they are. My red headed sister has low opinions of non-Aiel’s traveling abilities.

 

We then jump to a Waygate just outside the Two Rivers. The portal forms and Perrin, Loial, Bain and Chiad exit. This is the first time in a while that we got confirmation that you can open and travel the ways without channeling, you just need to place a leaf in it’s proper place on the gate, as Loial does to lock it again. Perrin sees tracks in the dirt and realizes they’re not the first to come through here. Two sets of tracks, a man and a woman, went through. Perrin smells ash, which is strange. Loial says that only Darkfriends travel the Ways without an Ogier. Loial looks incredibly winded, Perrin saying that they should have stopped by a Stedding first. He says he’s fine and that the Longing takes a while to build up. Bain asks what that is, and they explain that Ogier need to spend time in a Stedding or they grow ill. It’s the Ogiers home ground, a place that fills them with strength and vitality. There was a point when the Ogier didn’t suffer from this effect, but after the Breaking they developed the Longing.

 

Elayne greets her brothers and Gaebril, greeting Gawyn warmly, Galad formally, and Gaebril… like it took her a moment to realize who he is. Galad says they’ve been worried about her. Gaebril says that Morgase is with the Amyrlin and that she should be ready for the firestorm. Galad complains that they weren’t allowed to come along to look after Elayne like the plan had been, but Gaebril chuckles at the thought of Morgase letting all her ducklings out of her sight at once. Gawyn says that he’d be happy to start Warder training now, but Galad isn’t certain that they’ll have much to learn at this point. He then goes on and on about how naïve Elayne is and how vulnerable it makes her. Props to Ceara Coveney here, as you can just see the tightlipped smile she’s giving him while looking death at Callum Kerr. She whispers to the others if he hasn’t gotten more irritating since she left and Gaebril says she has no idea. She suggests that maybe they can stay and start training now, but her brothers make it clear that isn’t the plan.

 

Mat, meanwhile, is examined by some Yellow Sisters. They weave Earth and Water into his skull to examine his mind as Nynaeve and some Accepted watch. The weave ends abruptly and everyone else is escorted out. Nynaeve asks the head of this group, Ryma, what happened. Ryma says that the Weave wouldn’t hold and that the mind is a slippery patient. Ryma admits that they’ve never seen anything like this before, and even if they had, there isn’t much the power can do for afflictions of the mind. Nynaeve asks what they can do, Ryma says they’ll monitor him as best they can and that’s about it.

 

Siuan apologizes to Morgase about what happened with Elayne, saying that she understands Elayne’s importance to both Andor and the Tower. She claims that the White Tower and Andor is the axis in which peace in the Westlands turn. And I believe that is the first time the continent the story takes place on is ever named. Neat. Morgase says that if this is a strategy to get favor from her, it’s very disarming. Siuan apologizes for what she had to do in public, and insists that Elayne is safer in the Tower than anywhere else in the world. She knocks on Elayne door and Siuan leave Morgase and Elayne to catch up. Morgase is very affectionate in private and asks to be shown Elayne’s room. It’s a brief tour as the room is small. Elayne asks how her meeting with Siuan was and Morgase says that the Amyrlin and everyone is hiding something in the Tower, including Elayne. Morgase asks her to tell her what happened, but Elayne says that it’s an internal matter, not one to spread around. Morgase says that’s fine, she can wait until tomorrow. And then reveals that tomorrow Elayne will get an honorary ring like Morgase has, they’ll head home and then she’ll tell Morgase everything. Elayne insists that she get to stay and be a full Aes Sedai, but Morgase isn’t budging. She says Elayne’s first duty is to Andor, and that they can’t risk her here. She should say goodbye to her friends and come home.

 

Back in the spine, Egwene fingers her ring as Lan shows Rand sword forms. Lan’s footwork and swings are impressive, but Lan senses his mind is elsewhere and asks if he wants to talk about it. Rand refuses and they get back to practice. Moiraine notes bruises on Egwene’s neck and asks if they’re from Rand doing something to her. Egwene says no, and that she’s here to protect Rand, not to help Moiraine control him. Moiraine says she’s going to protect him too, but as Egwene will be the first to notice signs of Madness, she has to come to Moiraine if she sees them. Avi joins them, bringing a rabbit for dinner. She looks over at Rand practicing Sword forms and is disgusted. Aiel have an aversion to Swords, thinking they’re not an honest weapon like the spear. Egwene defends him, saying that he’s trying to prepare for what he’ll need to do in the Waste. Avi says that the Wetlanders have such easy prophecies about their Dragon, that it’ll be different with the Car’a’carn. She says that the Aiel prophecies say that the Car’a’carn will destroy the Aiel, spread their blood like water on the sand, and that he’ll only be able to save a remnant of a remnant of their people. He is creation and destruction wrapped in one. Hence why she’s not super jazzed about bringing Rand home.

 

We jump back to the Mountains of Mist as Perrin’s group approach the Two Rivers. All comment that the air is better, cleaner as they approach the village, Chiad saying that there’s too much water and trees but she still likes it. Loial says that this where Manetharan once stood, the greatest of ancient cities, but Perrin says that was ages ago, they’re farmers now.

 

They head into the village, and everyone seems shocked to see Perrin. He sees his old forge and has a flashback to when he killed Leila during the Trolloc attack. To his surprise, a squad of Whitecloaks rode through the village. Marin al’Vere, Egwene’s mom, recognizes him and says she barely recognized him. She says she just got a letter from Egwene and that she didn’t say he was coming. Loial, Bain and Chiad introduce themselves, and Perrin asks why the Whitecloaks are here. Marin says that things have changed since he left and it’s not safe for him here. She offers him a room in the Winespring attic with the ‘others.’ In the attic he’s reintroduced to Alanna and Maksim. They’re dressed for battle it seems.

 

In the Tower, Elida and Morgase meet. Elida isn’t getting anything from her Red sisters, but knows something big happened. She wants to know who took Elayne and Elida says that they had a Darkfriend under their noses. Morgase admits that since Siuan admitted that much to her, she’s worried something far far worse happened than just one Darkfriend.

 

Siuan meets with Leane and Verin, the group knowing that Elida is sniffing around and that she’ll find something out. Siuan thinks they can keep her off the cent for a few days until she leaves but Verin isn’t so sure. She liked in the Tower, somehow, and those alliances die hard. She asks if there’s any info from their seer. Their seer as it turns out, is Min. Verin says that she’s been having Min pose as a servant and putting her around as many Aes Sedai as she could. Min says that she’s seen death and destruction all around various Aes Sedai. When Leane says that she thought Min saw the future, not the past, Min confirms that this is death yet to come. At least nine sisters are as good as dead, but she doesn’t know when. Her visions aren’t that specific.

 

We cut to Mat in his room with a Novice, he’s using the Horn of Valere to try to get laid it seems. Another novice arrives, saying the Andoran princes are here. The girls leave him in the dust, saying they have to see ‘this.’ We cut to the brothers dueling in the practice ground, Gawyn puts on a good show but Galad outclasses him as a fighter, constantly knocking him to the ground. Elayne is also watching her brothers fight as is Nynaeve. Mat says that he didn’t think she’d be into this kind of thing, but Nynaeve shrugs and says everyone is into it. Mat asks who the tossers are, and Elayne says they’re her brothers. Nynaeve calls them entitled bastards, and then apologizes to Elayne. Elayne says she takes no offense… from the woman sleeping with an actual king. Oh how I’ve waited for my sass queen to return. Gawyn finally gets a touch on his brother, winning the fight. Man plants the sword he was playing with and walks off. Nynaeve notes that Elayne seems a bit bummed and says most people are happier to see family. Elayne says that people in her family have a habit of having 12 or so plots or plans in motion at any given time, so they’re… stressful. Another novice arrives and gives her a note from the Amyrlin Seat.

 

In Siuan’s office, she places a note in a box and then locks it with a weave. Nynaeve and Elayne join her. Siuan says that Liandrin may have left with some of her compatriots, but Siuan is sure others were left behind. Unfortunately, she has no idea who they could be. She tells them that Elayne and Nynaeve are the only two she can trust to not be Black Ajah, even more than Verin or Leane. She needs their help to sus out these traitors, they’ll be her hounds, hunting the black Ajah. Elayne points out that Nynaeve can’t even channel on command, but Siuan breezes past this, saying they’re as strong as Liandrin in sheer power and that means they’re stronger than all the other Black Sisters. Nynaeve asks why they should trust her and Siuan says that’s good, they should rely on that kind of thinking. Elayne is to go through the Arches tonight, and then tomorrow Verin will get them equipped for their search.

 

After, Elayne says that the Amyrlin is keeping secrets from them, and Nynaeve asks for one Aes Sedai that doesn’t. They’re apprehensive about finding Black Sisters, but Nynaeve admits that they’re the only ones she’d trust to do this. Elayne admits that tomorrow her mother is taking her back to Andor. Nynaeve isn’t happy at the idea of being abandoned to search on her own, but Elayne says her duty is to the Lion throne. Nynaeve begins to say she should have known better but doesn’t finish the thought and storm off.

 

Back in the Two Rivers, Marin says that it started when the Trollocs started attacking again. She says it’s nothing like the force from Bel Tine, but they’d been performing raids for weeks now, taking just animals at first but then upgrading to abducting people. Then the Whitecloaks showed up and things just kept escalating. She says that the Whitecloaks are looking for Perrin. Alanna says that they claim he killed Geofram Bornhald and that he’s a Darkfriend, Maksim saying that it’s probably his eyes that have them convinced. None of the Two Rivers folk believe it, except the Coplins and Congars and they’re the white trash families. They’re offering 100 gold coins for information on him. Perrin asks about his family, but Marin says that Tam al’Thor, Abel Cauthon and her Bran got them out of town. Bain asks why they aren’t fighting them off, but Marin says how that could work, and that as bad as they are, they’re the only protection they have from the Trollocs. Chiad says that when choosing between the lion or the bear, you’re only choosing what belly you end up in. Perrin then asks how Maksim and Alanna got here. He says that folks back in the Tower said they disappeared after the battle in the Tower and they’re worried. Alanna doesn’t answer the question. Loial asks about the cut in Alanna’s arm, and she says it’s from Trollocs. Marin says she’ll get them some supplies but they need to leave fast. Perrin refuses, admitting he did kill Geofram, and that he’ll turn himself in if this ends hostilities.

 

Out in the Spine, Lan is standing watch while the others sleep. Egwene has a nightmare about being a Damane again and being at Renna’s mercy again, Renna coughing blood into her mouth. Rand, meanwhile, is remembering when he used to bang Selene. He says that there was a time when he thought that the rest of his life was just going to be in this room with her. Lanfear says that it might have been a nice life, but Rand and her agree that it wouldn’t have been a life big enough for either of them. She demands to know what he’s doing, running off to the waste instead of to Tear and Callandor. He says it’s harder to find him now. She suggests that they do it, but Rand isn’t interested now. She asks if his loyalty is back with the ‘doe eyed calf,” and he tells her to back off. She says that someday soon Egwene will see the darkness raging in him and be repulsed. In Egwene’s dream, we see that Renna is just Lanfear in a mask, but Egwene misses the shift. “Renna” starts beating her as Lanfear tries to seduce Rand one more time. Egwene somehow breaks out of the dream. She appears in the Aiel Waste and a woman with spears says that she doesn’t belong here. She wakes up screaming and Rand calms her. He says that what she had to go through must have been terrible. She says she doesn’t regret it, and if Renna appeared before her now, she’d kill her again.

 

Mat is trying to sleep while hearing someone humping in the room next door to him. He hears a knock and assumes it’s Clara from earlier. He preens a little before answering the door to find Min standing outside, who tells him to close up his robe as she can’t take him seriously with his chest hair out. Mat laughs at her disguise. When the humping starts again, Mat says that’s Elayne’s brothers going at it with some novice or accepted girls on either side of his room and he honestly preferred the dungeon cell to this. Min laughs at his misfortune before saying that Siuan wants to see him. Min admits she knows he’s upset with her from the last time, and Mat says that ya, he’s real angry about how she sold him to the Forsaken. She apologizes and tries to talk to him but he says the Amyrlin is waiting. Min tells him to grab the Horn.

 

Elayne goes to her mom’s room and looks for her. She finds the crown of Andor in a case and tries it on, impressed with how she looks in it. Gaebril says it suits her and offers her some wine he took from the kitchens. They toast. Elayne asks where everyone is. Morgase is politicking, and the boys are… enjoying the fruits of their showing off. Gaebril says that he’s amazed anyone wants to spend time with Galad after talking to him. Elayne says that she was hoping her brothers were lying about Morgase wanting her to come home, and Gaebril admits that things are worse at home than they let on. He says that the people, and the military are raising up against their queen for some reason. She had to dismiss her Captain-General Bryne. He says to keep it under her hat. He says that he needs her sense back at home, and she says that all they did at home was drink like fish. He shrugs and says what better sense than that.

 

Mat is brought to the Amyrlin and introduces himself as Matrim Cauthon. I’m pretty sure this is the first time they’ve used his full name… Siuan is impressed by his exploits, she’s heard everything about them. About how he’s from the Two Rivers and how he blew the Horn of Valere and how he’s been bragging about it to anyone who’d listen for two minutes. She reveals that so long as Mat lives, the horn will bring back dead heroes, but to anyone else it’s just a horn. Mat’s a bit surprised to hear this information, with Siuan elaborating that if he dies, the next person to blow the horn gets ownership of it. She basically scolds him for using the horn to get laid and to get his portrait painted with it. She offers to take the horn for safekeeping and he agrees. Siuan says that Mat reminds her of her uncle Huan. She says that no one could pin him down, he was a rogue who liked gambling and fun more than work. He died, pulling children from a burning house, he wouldn’t stop going in until the last one was out. She asks if he’s like that, and Mat says he’s no hero. He only does what he has to do. Siuan points out that’s what heroes do and dismisses him.

 

Elayne meets with Morgase. Morgase asks what this is all about. Elayne says she’s staying. She admits that she’s been worrying about filling Morgase’s shoes, of being the queen that outmaneuvers everyone, but has realized that she needs to chart her own path. Morgase points out that the last Daughter-Heir to do that, Tigraine Mantear, disappeared without a trace and was never heard from again. Elayne says that the Pattern weaves things in ways they will never understand. Elayne says that it was terrifying in Falme, but she battled a Forsaken and helped heal the Dragon Reborn. She swears to strengthen Andor’s bond with the Tower, that she will root out the shadow in the hall of the Tower and be the first Aes Sedai queen. Morgase asks if this is for Andor’s sake or Siuan’s, and Elayne says it’s for her sake. Morgase says it’s too dangerous, but Elayne says it’s too late to go back to being safe and cloistered. She says her path will always lead back to Andor, but she needs to earn it first. Morgase relents and they hug.

 

In the Spine, Rand joins Moiraine and asks if she’ll keep ignoring him. She asks why he’s training with Lan and Rand says that he listens and that he feels grounded while training. Moiraine says that he has to channel, and he says that isn’t the case. He likens it to dying of thirst with a pool of sweet water being right in front of him. He wants to drink it all in, but he'll also take in the bitter poison that is the Taint. But he doesn’t care because he just wants the sweetness forever. He channels some flows around his hand, which quickly grow corrupted, to demonstrate. He releases the source and asks if she understands that. She admits she doesn’t, but that he needs to embrace both the bitter and the sweet so he doesn’t forget which is which.

 

In the Tower, Siuan offers her goodbyes to Morgase. Morgase reveals that she’s leaving her boys in the Tower to begin their Warder training, and that she’s leaving Eliada as well. Siuan is shocked by this, saying that Andor has had an Aes Sedai advisor for a thousand years. Morgase says that the Tower could use every strong channeler that it can get, and says quite candidly if anything happens to Elayne, she’s coming back with her army. Siuan insists they’ve nothing to fear.

 

In the Spine, they approach the Waste when Aviendha comes running demanding to know who they told they were coming. Lan and Moiraine both deny saying anything. They’re surrounded by Aiel Warriors. The woman from Egwene’s dream joins them along with a more seasoned looking Aielman. He asks if this is him, and the Aiel woman confirms that this is him, the Car’a’Carn.

 

I’ll start by saying I’m not sure about the cold open. Mostly because Morgase of the books did spare her political rivals after they bent the knee to her, so her murdering the heads of the four houses that most vehemently opposed her seems odd. I suppose this might be to show Morgase as being a ruthless ruler… but also maybe this is a sign of the streamlining the plot. Elayne’s story arc from later on has her having to deal with a succession crisis of her own and reclaiming the throne of Andor after her absence chasing the Black Ajah members. If her most prominent rivals are dead or pacified beyond the desire to fight against her, maybe we aren’t doing that plot. Which might be for the best, Elayne’s succession war is not a well-loved plot. Having Morgase and her sons introduced now is such a trip, though. Why? The House of Trakand was already fairly prominent at this point in the story. Elayne, her brothers and mom, as well as Elida, all appeared in the first novel and all of them but Morgase were recurring characters, at least, by book 2. But I can understand why the show held off on them up until this point. Galad and Gawyn’s role in the story were to mostly object to Elayne’s ‘extracurricular’ field trips and to press her for what’s happening to her friends. Both brothers were… interested in Egwene and Nynaeve’s movements, let’s say. Oh, and to duel in the Warder Training grounds and be stared at hard. I should note that I guess I don’t know if Galad is Elayne’s half or full brother in this version. I the books he’s her half-brother; they’ve the same father but Galad’s mother was Daughter Heir Tigrine. He kept their father’s surname Damodred in the books, so he being referred to as a Trakand might mean they’ve reworked him into Elayne’s full brother, but I guess we’ll wait and see. Galad’s parentage is kind of important later on. Elayne and Nynaeve being set on the Black Ajah was good. As insane as it sounds to trust two Accepted (three in the books, Egwene was with them at the time) to hunt full sisters, they were immensely strong and the only for sure non-Black sisters Siuan had on hand, so her options were limited. Perrin’s story is virtually scene for scene from the book, with him arriving home to find out that Whitecloaks had kind of taken over the district due to being the only force capable of fighting Trollocs. FYI, this is not going to be a fun time for Perrin. I liked how they framed Mat giving up the Horn for safekeeping in this. In the books, they just kind of took the Horn from him while he was weakened by his healing. The idea that he willingly gave it up to Siuan at least means he got to chose in this universe. Siuan’s speech to him about her uncle and how they were similar is word for word from the books. Props to Sophia Okonedo, it was very well done. Mat also denies being a hero, but also keeps running into burning buildings, metaphorically speaking. I think the show is doing a better job showing Egwene’s trauma than the books did. In the books, Egwene is deeply affected by her time as a damane but it’s much more subtle. Like to the point if you’re not looking for it you might not realize she was dealing with it. It mostly manifests in seething hatred for Seanchan and occasionally reacts badly to her freedom being restricted. But her having literal nightmares (partially exacerbated by Lanfear) I think showcases it better. As does she not even liking having her neck touched at all, when that used to be part of Rand’s love language towards her. She’s on razors edge right now it seems, hopefully she’ll be able to find something to focus her mind on in the Waste. Not much to say about Rand’s plot, beyond me liking seeing him train with his sword. Rand uses sword stances and forms as a form of meditation and stress relief. He did not do much of it until now and that left him feeling a little lacking in my opinion. He’s now with the Aiel, so we’re soon going to get a lore dump or three about one of the coolest fantasy cultures soon and I’m so excited for everyone. See you tomorrow. 

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