Seven episodes deep into a season of high-fantasy television is about the right time to gain a solid grasp on who and where everyone is, right? That’s honestly one of the most challenging aspects of reviewing The Wheel of Time every week: discerning the names of dozens upon dozens of characters, locations, magical items, words in invented languages, and so on. But I can now safely assert, without fear of contradiction, that I know the difference between a sul’dam and a damane. I know who’s in Falme and who’s in Cairhien. I know how to spell Falme and Cairhien. And, of course, I know my Egwene from my Elayne from my Moiraine.
I don’t mean to make light of the show or its setting, devised by author Robert Jordan. I am in fact impressed with the sheer scale of it all. It really is as if Jordan saw people saying, “You can’t possibly map out a bigger fantasy world full of made-up cultures and thousands of years of imaginary history than J.R.R. Tolkien did,†and replied, “Bet.â€
This creates many obstacles for casual viewing, of course, or even for dedicated viewing. I’m watching the show with a couple of pretty big fans, and they’ve basically admitted they have no idea what anyone’s name is, let alone how “Cairhien†is spelled. I think it created many obstacles for the show itself, which had to spend much of its first season simply introducing all the important characters, cultures, and concepts they could, one after the other. That it was doing so around one of the dullest plotlines in all of fantasy, the search for the Chosen One, meant much of that early going felt both busy and lifeless. Ever try to cook a meal in Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom with like five different ingredients in it, only to come up with dubious food? It’s like that.
But it ain’t like that no more. Written by Justine Juel Gillmer (whose union just won! woo!) and directed by Sanaa Hamri, this week’s episode continues the show’s sophomore season hot streak. Totalitarian invaders, quirky and compelling villains, the violent end of a grand love affair, a hero who may finally be starting to come into his own, and a shocking twist that made me say, “Oh man, not him!†out loud: It’s the good stuff, and at this point in the series, it’s relatively easy to comprehend and follow how and why it’s good.
I’ll start with the juiciest storyline: the conflict between Moiraine and her girlfriend and boss, Siuan Sanche, over the fate of Rand al’Thor, now known to the Aes Sedai brain trust as the Dragon Reborn. It’s a pretty simple conflict, really. Siuan, known by the honorific the Amyrlin Seat, is upset that Moiraine failed to disclose that her power was taken away by Ishamael because guarding the Dragon Reborn in the field while Siuan prepped the Aes Sedai to follow him had always been their deal ever since a mentor of theirs had a psychic vision of Rand’s birth in her dying moments. Without access to the One Power, Moiraine failed to train him adequately and left him vulnerable to the Dark. (Just how vulnerable, Siuan will soon learn to her misfortune.)
Having tried it their way, the Amyrlin now wants to try it the official way, as devised by the Aes Sedai in the past: Like all male channelers, the Dragon is to be imprisoned and brought to the White Tower. But he won’t be gentled the way would-be dragons like Rand’s frenemy Logain have been. He’ll be kept, trained, and eventually wielded — a weapon, not a general, as Rand and Siuan hash it out when he’s brought before her.
The problem here is twofold. First, the Dragon Reborn is supposed to reveal himself in Falme, not in Cairhien, where Siuan plans to unveil him to the world. (It’s a prophecy thing.) Second, the Dragon Reborn wants to go to Falme because that’s where his friends are, and they — especially Egwene, his dream-world reunion with whom was one of the series’ emotional high points — are in trouble there. So what if he knows for a fact that Ishamael and Lanfear (and presumably their boss, the Dark One himself) want him to go to Falme? Between the prophecy and his own personal desires, to say nothing of the apparent importance of people like Egwene to the fulfillment of the Dragon’s mission, he’s got to go there regardless.
So Rand makes his escape with the help of a crack team that includes Moiraine, Lan, Verin (the most unassuming mastermind you’ll ever meet), Alanna and her two warders, and, sigh, Lanfear. As Lanfear torches the poor district, killing countless people as a diversion, the rest of the crew uncovers an Ogier waygate in the heart of the city. Having learned from Logain, who can still see the One Power despite being prevented from accessing it himself, that Moiraine’s magic isn’t completely stilled but simply tied off by a peculiar permanent One Power weave made by Ishamael, Lan has Rand cut the knot with his magic, unleashing Moiraine’s power, and allowing her to open the gate.
Not so fast, says Siuan, who shows up and, in an act that almost certainly means the end of their decades-long love affair, magically compels Moiraine to close the gate. (Moiraine is barred from refusing a direct order from the Amyrlin Seat, but it seems Siuan prefers to take no chances.) Not so fast again, says Lanfear, who shows up and appears to cripple Siuan, allowing the gang to flee. How the still-living Amyrlin will interpret this alliance between the Dragon, her girlfriend, and a Forsaken is unclear, but I don’t expect she’ll be like, “Okay, that seems cool.â€
Things are moving along at a decent clip for the rest of our heroes. Perrin and his Aiel pal Aviendha meet up with a couple more of those desert women warriors on their march to Falme, where he hopes to rescue his friends. So too, do Nynaeve and Elayne, who’s taken charge of the operation: They encounter Loial and find out where Egwene is located, then capture and collar a sul’dam to pose as a sul’dam/damane pair in order to get to Egwene. Mat finds himself seduced by Ishamael into drinking a magic tea that shows him his past lives, and in each one, he’s a murderer, a suicide, or a suicidal murderer; the horror of it leaves him open to Ishamael and the Dark One’s goal of ending all suffering by ending all life. And Egwene discovers she’s vastly more powerful than any other damane or perhaps all of them combined; you can tell her sul’dam Renna isn’t just mad or disappointed but kind of hurt when Egwene insists she’ll kill her someday. (Renna is effectively training her own killer.)
Then there’s that twist I mentioned: Barthanes, Moiraine’s kind of doofy but sweet and decent nephew and the kingdom’s future king, is a Darkfriend! Man, was I ever disappointed to learn that. Not as disappointed as he is though when his mother, Anvaere, overhears him scheming and has him tossed in jail to be executed. It’s a grim scene: Barthanes makes it clear that it was the Dark, not his mom’s much-vaunted political acumen, that made House Damodred the big deal it is now. You can see this hurts her, but not as much as discovering her son is a monster.
It’s these human moments that make The Wheel of Time compelling television. Think also of the complex enmity between Egwene and Renna; Moiraine and Siuan, torn between love and their secret duty; Rand and Lanfear, each playing with the other’s emotions while knowing their own aren’t safe; Mat and his bone-deep conviction that he’s a no-good piece of shit; Nynaeve finally realizing, despite her ego, that Elayne’s really a better commander of their mission than she is; Ishamael’s relatable desire simply to close his eyes one day and never open them again, with the cycle of reincarnation ended forever. From Game of Thrones to Foundation, the best science-fantasy spectacles on television know that prophecies and sorceries only get you so far. Human desire is the real magic here.