When you have spent a lot of time reading high fantasy over the years while simultaneously watching its adaptations on screen, you learn to gauge what could possibly happen next. As we continue with The Wheel of Time season 2, we have started feeling the fear that it might not give us the thrill that we have been expecting. Episode 4 was all about the aftermath of the events of the first three episodes. To its credit, it also sets the tone in motion for what is to come. Basically, there is no time wasted. Therefore, let us get into a recap of it.
Spoiler Alert
What Is Happening With Perrin And Elyas?
We are saying it again, but this is Book 1 material. However, there may be some meaning to bringing it back in the second season. Let us see how it unfolds. Elyas tells Perrin that they are connected to the wolves through their minds. Perrin is slowly warming up to the idea and his identity. Elyas tells Perrin that they have all been seeing him for months now through this connected mind network. We suppose that should be about 6–8 months since the two seasons are set 6 months apart, and Perrin started gaining his wolfish abilities around that time.
Additionally, we have to wonder whether Perrin’s powers were awakened because he was of a certain age or because he was in a certain atmosphere. If the latter is the case, then it makes sense since Perrin is in his natural habitat and surrounded by danger right now, which requires his instincts to be sharper than anything else, just like a wolf. Perrin makes a fast connection with the wolves, and he even gets one’s name. When Elyas tells him that it is close enough, what he means is that it is a poor translation of his real name in human language. In the language of wolves, it is something much closer to an event of nature for which humans don’t have a word yet.
How Does Liandrin Betray Nynaeve, Min And Mat?
Starting with Min and Mat, they stop at a tavern and decide to spend the night there. Min gets Mat drunk, and she is expecting to meet Liandrin there at night. The red Aes Sedai had promised her that if she helped her with her mission, she would take away Min’s powers like she wanted. Min’s ability to see the future had made her an unwilling fortune teller who had been abused by her aunts, and she had hated her visions for as long as she could remember, with them giving her more trauma than anything else. But it turns out that Min was deceived. She wasn’t sent here by Liandrin for her benefit but for Ishamael’s. She is one of the soldiers that he wants to recruit in the army for the Dark One, and while Min is against that, she is overpowered by Ishamael. We have to see how she is protected in the coming week.
Back in the White Tower, Nynaeve is still dealing with the loss of the life that she had in the arches. She doesn’t have her daughter with her, and neither does her imaginary husband, Lan. What was a few hours in the real world was years in the arches, and Nynaeve feels the sting of that loss. She is also unable to open up to Egwene. We don’t think Nynaeve is holding her best friend’s jealousy against her, but usually, when one is dealing with a great loss, even the smallest slight can look gigantic, which makes it especially difficult to trust someone. However, Nynaeve has gained a bit of legendary status due to her ability to channel in the arches. Probably because of that, she isn’t scared of them and returns to that room, where Liandrin tells her about Perrin and Loial being in trouble with an army. On a different note, the man we saw in episode 2 was her son, and she is taking care of him as he is on his deathbed while her Aes Sedai powers have kept her young.
Telling Nynaeve about Perrin was most certainly a bait of sorts. Mixed with such emotional talk, Liandrin was able to convince Nynaeve that she was talking to her as her well-wisher. Therefore, Nynaeve tells Egwene about them and informs her that she would like to go rescue them. Egwene insists on coming, and when they both set off for it, they are joined by Elayne. But even before they can step out of the tower, Liandrin overpowers them, and they are knocked unconscious.
Is Selene Dark One’s Daughter?
Lan is brooding all over the place since he has been left behind by Moiraine. It is like looking at a man who has had the worst breakup of his life, and everyone around him treats him as such. There are words of affirmation, a reassurance of his worth, and a discussion of the future possibilities, whether they involve him getting back together with Moiraine or finding his own way. Meanwhile, Alanna comes across a prophecy that talks about the rise of Lanfear, the daughter of the Dark One.
In Cairhiem, Moiraine meets up with her sister, Lady Anvaere, and we finally know why she chose this town as a safe hideout for Rand. It is her hometown, even though she left it more than twenty years ago. Moiraine found her way in life by becoming an Aes Sedai, and Anvaere worked on restoring the fortunes of their household. She was just the little sister who idolized Moiraine, but all these years later, she is holding her own. However, we know that the need for approval and love is still there, even though Anvaere’s pride won’t let her admit that she wants them.
As for Moiraine, she meets Logain and tells him to teach Rand how to channel his powers in return for the access to take his own life. She mentions that this is what anyone cut off from the One Power wants, and we wonder if that is what is going on in her head and if that is why she masked the bond between herself and Lan for so long. Regardless, she is not able to find Rand, and her sister condescendingly steps in to tell her where he is in exchange for some time spent together. Rand has gone with Selene to the top of a mountain as a sort of getaway from the stress of the burned-out inn. Selene talks about how she was in love with a man and had to change herself a lot for him.
From her words, it sounds like a toxic first love, and perhaps it was. But what happens next shows us that she definitely twisted her words a lot. When she accidentally witnesses Rand channel his powers, he confesses how much he hates that part of himself, as he doesn’t want to harm the people he loves. It is an indirect confession of love, and Selene assures him that she will accept him for who he is. She is coming across as a beautiful and amazing woman so far, but the next revelation shows that it was all a manipulation.
At the end of Episode 4 of The Wheel of Time season 2, as Selene and Moiriane are about to be together, Moiraine seemingly kills her. Rand is about to kill Moiriane in revenge, but that is when she reveals Selene’s real identity. Her name was Lanfear, and she was there with the single purpose of seducing and perhaps, killing Rand. Moiraine and Rand escape, and the episode ends as Lanfear once again opens her eyes.
Final Thoughts
This was an exciting episode to watch, despite all the apprehensions we had. We still have a lot of expectations for the next episode, but we are particularly interested in seeing how the partnership between Moiraine, Logain and Rand turns out. Also, it is time that we see Liandrin come out in the open with her true intentions. This is a great season, and we hope it keeps going till the end.
