The Wheel of Time season 2 continues with full force and restores our faith in the adaptation after whatever was in season 1. The entire group is still split in different directions and is on their individual journeys, which are going pretty decent. It’s all very adventurous and intriguing, but the costumes in this show are so wack. We first felt it when we saw Ishamael at the end of season 1 in what can only be described as modern-day clothes. In The Wheel of Time episode 2, Rand is in The Foregate, Cairhien, and women dress like anything from modern New Yorkers to women from the 18th-century Renaissance, with dainty umbrellas and billowing skirts. As for Verin or Alanna, we get that the show wants to be tokenistically diverse, but couldn’t it have given them clothes with better prints or at least jewelry that wasn’t so jarring to look at? We are choosing to forgive them as minor grievances, so here is a recap of The Wheel of Time episode 2.
Spoiler Alert
Mat
This man will always be trouble, and Liandrin should have realized that when she imprisoned him. She seems interested in the bond he had formed with the dark energy by virtue of the dagger he had stolen from Shodor Logoth, but he neither has the dagger nor the force with him right now. Yet there is something that Liandrin is seeking, and she won’t stop till she gets it.
Meanwhile, Mat makes a friend in prison by taking out one of the bricks in an attempt to escape, but that only leads to an adjacent cell, which has Min Farshaw. It is rather evident that Mat has fallen in love at first sight, but he is still wholly uninterested in the visions that she has of the future. It is probably the first time that Min has seen someone like him, but she respects his wishes. However, when she is going back to her cell, she sees Mat’s future, and he is killing Rand with a dagger. Min is scared by this vision, but as of now, she can’t do anything about it. We suppose this is the darkness that Liandrin suspects is still in Min, and it will come out soon enough.
Nynaeve
The bond forming between Nynaeve and Liandrin has surprised us, though it might be too early to say anything about it. Liandrin shows Nynaeve the ranks amongst the Aes Sedai and also the gentler side of their power, which is healing. As a Wisdom, Nynaeve already knows the science of herbs, and seeing it combined with the Aes Sedai knowledge softens her towards them more. Liandrin asks Nynaeve to be her student by becoming an Accepted since Liandrin can tutor them. Nynaeve seems to agree with this idea, and she proposes it to the required person. Alanna is quite skeptical of this change, but she doesn’t have much of a say in it if Nynave herself wants it.
Slowly enough, Nynaeve comes to realize that there is a lot more to Liandrin than she is letting on. When Nynaeve accidentally stumbles upon Liandrin trying to heal someone, the latter flies into a rage and orders Nynaeve to get out, even though she is just trying to help. We believe that the man must be someone close to Liandrin, either a past love or a son, and she is tending to him as he is on his deathbed. We suspect that she was so horrified at someone discovering him because it was akin to her weakness being found out, especially by Nynaeve, whom Liandrin is trying to manipulate for some reason. Later that day, Liandrin calls for Nynaeve and begins her initiation. This is the part that has us questioning Liandrin’s motives and her attraction to the dark forces, because of the way she acts.
Egwene
The biggest development for Egwene in The Wheel of Time season 2, episode 2, is that she meets Elayne Trakand, the heir of Andor. She has joined as a Novice, and we think there is more to her than meets the eye, a glimpse of which we got at the end of the episode. Egwene has been dealing with some professional jealousy in regards to Nynaeve, as every person she meets not only tells her she is powerful but also compulsorily mentions that Nynaeve is much more powerful and will be the most formidable Aes Sedai in years. Egwene also feels that her friend has not been there for her in some time, and it is a muddle of feelings with jealousy at its base. Elayne points those out for Egwene and asks her to work through them. However, neither of them knows that Nynaeve has heard everything that Egwene has said.
Perrin
This guy has landed straight in a pickle. While tracking Padan Fain, they reach a town, and Perrin’s wolf visions start working. He is not ready to accept it and believes that Elyas is doing something, but the man assures him that this is something one can only be born with. On a different note, Elyas in the books was a lot more light-hearted, though he gave the distinct impression of being stubbornly cunning, much like a wolf himself. The soldiers find a Fade nailed to the door, and they wonder what could have been powerful enough to do that. They get their answer soon enough when they are attacked and captured that night. It is the women working for Ishmael, and we recognize them by their claws. She asks whether the captured are ready, and the man by her side, Ishmael, says that they will soon be. Maybe now Perrin will unleash his wolfish side to protect his comrades and friends.
Moiraine and Lan
While they are both healed, Moiraine’s secrets continue to take a toll on their relationship. She wants to go to the High Tower, and the others accompany her. However, Verin already seems to know what Moiraine’s plan is. She has guessed that Rand is still alive, and Moiraine is working to protect him. Close to the tower, Moiraine prepares to leave to find Rand, but she wants to go alone. She tells Lan that he is not obligated to follow her since the Aes Sedai-Warder bond between them doesn’t exist anymore. Lan is adamant but Moiraine is more so, and she cleverly twists her words to make them sound like an insult so that Lan has no choice but to stay behind. Whatever Moiraine is out to find, Lan has his work cut out for him with Nynaeve, now that he doesn’t have to save Moiraine. This man was born to be a bodyguard.
How Does Episode 2 End?
Rand is sleeping with his landlord (Selene) for room and board. They also have an agreement in place that while Rand wants to forget someone (Egwene), she wants to be able to remember the person she was in love with. Something happened to Rand between the events of seasons 1 and 2, which must explain what he is doing in the middle of nowhere and working in an asylum. Cairhien is the same town where Moiraine first met Lan, so it is possible she has not randomly hidden Rand here, but there is some more significance to the place.
It feels ironic that Rand is working at an asylum since there is talk about the madness that a man has to deal with when they touch the darkness. Rand finds himself close to it a few times, especially when someone annoys one of his favorite patients. The man claimed to have been a blade master who fought in some war twenty years ago. This is probably the same war where Tam al’Thor, Rand’s adoptive father, ended up finding him. However, Rand doesn’t look like he has any memory of the past since he only looks at the man with a tolerant expression, the kind of amused look you give to a child telling a fanciful tale. The man specifically mentions a sword with a heron mark on it, and Rand has no reaction to give. But when one of the other workers unkindly scares the man to tears, Rand is furious. That evening, he gets his revenge by beating him up, but that ends up scaring Rand himself. He cannot understand his strength or his desire to inflict such harm. If Rand has indeed lost his memory, he is still discovering the kind of person he is, and this is a horrific find for him. He calms down later on with the help of Selene.
At the end of The Wheel of Time episode 2 since the worker is unable to come to the asylum, Rand is given his part of the work, which includes making friends with Logain. He was the false Dragon Reborn in season 1, while Rand was the real one. One is close to being consumed by the madness, whereas the other is just beginning to experience it. It was an unknowingly cruel joke when Rand told him that they may have a lot in common.
Final Thoughts
The Wheel of Time Season 2 is going well. It is really a superior season, and Rosamund Pike and Daniel Henney have already delivered one of the truly heartbreaking moments of the story. Nothing else matters until their characters reunite. Until then, we hope to see some proper development with Lan and Nynaeve. Both of them need a safe space right now, and they are perfect for each other in this regard.
