The Wheel Of Time series is strictly for book fans. If you watched it without having any prior idea about it, you will most likely be left underwhelmed. But if you are a book lover and check it out, you will find that it is the world you have come to love, presented in a simpler way but with more flair. We know we remember it right that when The Wheel Of Time season 1 came out in 2021, it disappeared without a trace because of how unimpressed everyone was. Two years later, the second season of this show has come to us, and if it expects us to not write it off, the standards to meet are sky-high. The book fans have accepted that the series won’t follow the script of the books completely, so with this leeway, our expectations are all the higher. Therefore, let us go through the recap of The Wheel Of Time episode 1, which has been excellent so far.
Spoiler Alert
Egwene and Nynaeve
These two have been training to be Aes Sedai for the last five months, but the events of season 1 have left some permanent scars on them. While there is plenty of proof of how powerful both of them are, neither is ready to channel it again. When Alanna gives them the task of filtering muddy water with their powers, Nynaeve decides that she would rather drink that than channel. She is left with a lot of fear and anger over what it means to wield such strength, which is causing her to reject the Aes Sedai part of her. As for Egwene, she is said to be too “uptight,” but we don’t think that is the only reason.
Meanwhile, the Aes Sedai, and by that we mean Liandrin, point out that there is a threat fast approaching them. Moiraine had said at the end of season 1 that the battles to be fought had just started, and everyone is aware of that. Liandrin says that Nynaeve is their best weapon, but they would be left defenseless if she refused to utilize her full potential. Therefore, Liandrin takes it upon herself to see if she can convince the girl to do something. Nynaeve has already received some encouragement from the warders that she trains with, who ask her to reconsider what she wants to do since she is there. Perhaps that is why Nynaeve decides to give the muddy water another chance. But Liandrin is not happy with these tentative changes. She knows that Nynaeve needs to be pushed, and that is what she does. If fear and anger are holding back Nynaeve, then those will be the exact things that will become her tools—that is until Nynaeve learns to embrace the Aes Sedai side of herself with love and understanding.
Meanwhile, there is an arc developing with Egwene that we feel we are going to hate. It looks like her “letting go” of her inhibitions is going to be linked to her being with people the way Alanna is with others. We sincerely hope this plot never sees the light of day.
Perrin
Perrin’s dilemma continues from season 1 on whether the path of peace really has some meaning and substance. It is at this time that Elyas Machera appears in The Wheel Of Time Season 2 Episode 1. He was there very early on in the first book of the series and was the one who told Perrin about his connection to the wolves. However, now that he has appeared, we expect him and Perrin to either form a complicated bond or get along as brothers in arms. Right now, his wolves have slain some of the traitors in the army, and the soldiers decide to give them a burial. Perrin wonders why since they were the ones who led to some of the worst losses for everyone. But the soldier believes that all the dead deserve to be buried, and anger won’t set things right anyway.
It has been a year since Bel Tine, which was when this whole saga started, and Perrin is still grieving the loss of his wife, Laila. While they are looking for Padan Fain, Perrin is boiling with anger because if only Padan Fain had better loyalties, Laila would be alive. The soldier advises Perrin to ask Fain when they meet why he did what he did. Perrin may hate the answer, but it might give him some closure that he desperately requires. As was tradition at Bel Tine, Perrin releases two lanterns in the river in memory of Rand and Laila. He tries to let go of his wedding ring with the lanterns but is unable to do so, and we don’t think he will be able to until he gets his answers from Padan Fain.
How Does Episode 1 End?
There was a time when Moiraine could heat up a tub full of water with a flick of her hand. The grandeur of her former power hasn’t left her, and she looks absolutely out of place as she carries buckets of water uphill to heat them up for her bath. Moiraine has completely closed herself off from Lan and everyone else, and that is frustrating his patience. She doesn’t tell him anything, even when a ship captain comes to meet her with seemingly important news.
Captain Domon is a season too late for the show, as he made his first appearance in book one of The Wheel Of Time series. We like seeing the side of Moiraine that knows how to put people in their place. She may not have the powers with her right now, but she proves why she is still an Aes Sedai. Moiraine Sedai gets her poem from the captain and only pays him one mark as the price. This is not as much about the money as it is about telling him that he would never be better than the Aes Sedai he was choosing to mock. But then, Moiraine is not completely heartless. She senses that the captain is in danger and gives him more money to go somewhere safe with his crew.
Later, when she refuses to say anything to Lan, he finally loses his temper and asks her to cook her dinner herself. We know that there is nothing romantic between the two, but this is classic married couple behavior, which might be natural considering the years they have spent in each other’s company. This behavior also extends to how Lan keeps a plate ready for her anyway and waits for her to come down. That is when the hosts try to explain to him what Moiraine is going through. Her entire life had been constructed around her power and what she could do with it.
At a time like that, when so many dominoes are just threatening to fall apart, losing her channeling abilities is the worst way to have her cornered. Lan understood something, and he decided to not just be a quiet person but a good listener for once. We wish more men learned this lesson. Either way, at the end of The Wheel Of Time Episode 1, Lan goes to Moiraine’s room only to find that she is not there. Moiraine is going somewhere without telling anyone, and it is not long before she runs into trouble with the Fades. Luckily, Lan and the others rescue her in time, but as they lay there bleeding, Lan asks her what she is hiding from him. Something about the poem has shaken Moiraine. The Dark One certainly doesn’t believe that Rand is dead, and we have seen him alive and well in one of the scenes. Perhaps Moiraine knew that he was in danger and was going to protect him. Only the coming episodes will tell.
Final Thoughts
It looks like The Wheel Of Time has taken notes from the performances and reviews of season 1 because the start of season 2 was quite impressive. If the show keeps this up, it is well on its way to becoming better than the books it is based on. This is the season we are looking forward to watching now.
