We are all familiar with the image of a particular horse on the internet, which starts out so well done, and the rest of it looks like a child hastily sketched something. That is what we feel about The Wheel of Time season 2. The point is that, much like season 1, it doesn’t make for a bad watch as such, but where is the thrill that you would expect from this point in the story? Where are the high points, and where is the ebb and flow of the story that makes it all so unmissable? Why have the makers not learned their lessons from season 1? It simply looks like book fans have been taken for granted that they will watch the show no matter what.
Spoiler Alert
Where is Perrin going?
Perrin’s arc really needs to make better sense. It is as if the show’s writers don’t know what to do with him. He has been following Aviendha, and she takes him to meet two of her sisters. While they are there, he comes to know just how physical the expressions of emotions can be. Perhaps Perrin needed wolves to read his mind and brute force to let out his emotions. Aviendha has had two of her sisters beat her up because she owes a debt of gratitude and guilt to her dead sister, who gave up her life trying to save her life. We are not calling this a healthy coping mechanism, but is this what the Aiel use as a substitute for therapy? Either way, once the wounds have been delivered and the blood has been shed, the balance of this group’s universe has been restored, and they make their way to Falme.
Is Barthanes a part of the Black Ajah?
This was the second biggest revelation of The Wheel of Time episode 7, and in a lot of ways, it makes sense. After all, there was something not quite right about Barthanes’ hero worship of his aunt. He was about to be the king, but instead of approaching her with caution, he approached her without any guile whatsoever. That initially made us think that he was going to make a bad king, but we now realize that he was always a cunning manipulator. Liandrin comes to House Damodred, and when he asks her what their instructions are from their master, we realize how deeply involved Barthanes is. Liandrin wants him to kill Moiraine and his mother as well, if needed. But unfortunately for their plans, Barthanes’ mother comes to know his reality. The wealth and reputation that she was so proud of were actually because of their association with the Black Ajah, and she had no idea about it till now. But she chooses to do the right thing and locks up her son while informing the queen about his activities. Effectively, this can be considered to be the end of House Damodred, severing half of Moiraine’s security in the world.
Has Egwene submitted to her Sul’dam?
The Wheel of Time Episode 6 left us rather sad and anxious in regards to Egwene’s fate and what she might be thinking. But we had wondered whether she had really given up or if it was a ruse to stop the torture she was facing. In episode 7, we see that Egwene is one of the most powerful Damanes, and the force of her power was enough to shake up the entire city. Her Sul’dam is happy with Egwene’s power and her willingness to cooperate with her, but she has no illusions about Egwene’s submission. She understands that Egwene has just grudgingly accepted her own situation for now, and Egwene confirms that by telling Renna that she would kill her one day. Egwene is biding her time until she figures out how to break out of the bonds of the A’dam. Once she does that, she will read Falme for filth because Egwene no longer has trouble channeling her powers in full force. Meanwhile, Nynaeve and Elayne find Loail, and they are working on a plan to free Egwene. They find one of the A’dams and use it on a Sul’dam, since only they can access the kennels. Once that woman is in their control, they will be able to use her to rescue Egwene.
What does Ishamael do to Mat?
After Perrin, Mat is the other character that the writers have no idea what to do with. He is kidnapped and meets Ishamael, who tells him that if he drinks a tea, he will have the answer to who he is. The need for the answer is great enough that Mat throws caution to the wind and has the tea, only to hallucinate that he is killing all of his friends one by one. He sees a vision of his mother telling him that he is no good and that she hates him. It is all of Mat’s fears and disappointments collected in one place, and they have served the purpose of breaking him down, the way Ishamael wanted to do it, and that boy is finally under the Forsaken’s control.
Does Moiraine gain back her powers?
It looks like Moiraine and Siuan had plans for a beautiful happily ever after before the dragon was reborn. While they haven’t broken up, their relationship has taken a backseat to their responsibilities, and even more so now because of the state Rand and Moiraine are in. Siuan had no idea that Moiraine had lost her powers, and she wanted to step in and help her mission, something that Moiraine had been adamant about doing alone this entire time. As for Rand, Siuan has some very severe plans for him. While it is a given that he has to train hard, Siuan is disappointed that he has not already started his journey despite knowing his power for six months. She decides that he will be caged with the Aes Sedai and trained for war.
What Siuan wants is no different from what Moiraine was working for, but their approaches are very different, and Moiriane doesn’t agree with what Siuan is about to do, though she isn’t given a choice in the matter. But luck shines because Lan never left Moiraine’s side. He meets Logain and asks him about his perception of the way men see the One Power and their weaves. Logain tells Lan that Moiraine’s power has not been erased but has been caged by Ishamael. Her access to it has been obstructed by a barrier that he has set up, but she still has it within her. This is good enough information for Lan, and the next thing to do is to rescue Rand and Moiraine and help them escape. A little help from Verin gets them that, not to mention that Rand has asked Lanfear to step in to free him in return for them to continue helping each other. Lanfear is burning down everything in her path, and the Aes Sedai are trying to contain that.
Meanwhile, a little help from Verin gets Moiraine and Rand free, and they are ready to escape, but the gate can only be opened by some power, which Rand cannot wield yet. That is when Lan tells them about the barrier and asks Rand to try to cut through it since he won’t be able to untie it. The attempt works, and Moiraine gets back her powers. We expected a little more fanfare with this scene, but it is what it is. However, at the end of The Wheel of Time season 2, episode 7, they are not able to escape since Moiraine is bound to follow everything Siuan says, and she has to close the gates once again. But this is where Lanfear comes in, as she easily overpowers Siuan and knocks her down. Lanfear is unable to kill her or Moiraine since Rand doesn’t allow it, but the gates are open, and they are able to escape without Moiraine having broken any of her oaths.
Final Thoughts
Everybody is going to be meeting in Falme, and Rand is going to announce to the world that he is the Dragon Reborn. We are also going to get a conclusive answer to the relationship between Rand and Lanfear, and even the others must make their positions clear as to where their loyalties lie in the war to come. It looks like The Wheel of Time season 2 was simply about this reunion, and we have to see how that goes, though we can guess.
