Episode Grade: (7.2/10)
The invading Seanchan make theirs intentions for the Westlands known. Rand seeks Logain’s advice. Nynaeve faces the Arches.
Plot (42/50)
In Moiraine’s absence, the focus shifts towards the centers of conflict. In the Westlands, the Seanchan introduce themselves to their prisoners in brutal fashion. Rand finally has his conversation with Logain, but it’s becoming clear that trouble is brewing even at The Foregate. Back at the White Tower, Nynaeve faces the Arches, but when she fails to come out of the third Arch, she is prematurely presumed dead. Her return later that evening is further evidence of her immense power.
Trials and Tribulations
The episode opens right where the previous one ended, with Nynaeve preparing to face the Arches. The consequences of failure are explicitly laid out to her by Liandrin and co., and they’re as serious as it gets. Some novices never come back and are deemed to have died in the process. Even success sounds daunting. The Arches puts the novices through trials that essentially leave them traumatized, as Nynaeve would soon see first hand. Despite the warnings, she proceeds.
In the first Arch, Nynaeve must leave her parents to die, and she does so with a heavy heart. The second Arch takes her back to the Two Rivers, where a plague has broken out. Rand’s father is on his deathbed, and Mat’s underqualified mother has been giving the sick Crimsonthorn roots so that they may die a painless death. The Aes Sedai can, of course, easily heal the sick. However, in order to pass this second trial, she must leave them to die, and she does. The third Arch is where things get interesting.
At first, it appears as if she passes by killing Lan. Upon her return, she is officially “Accepted,” but she turns down the opportunity to join the Aes Sedai and decides to return to the Two Rivers with Lan. In reality, Nynaeve never came back. She’s presumed dead like many before her. Her loss is even mourned. Later on, Nynaeve is shown enjoying a peaceful life in the Two Rivers until Trollocs descend upon the town. Lan’s death triggers another outburst of One Power that reopens the third Arch. In order to pass, she must leave her daughter behind. She tries to take her back with her, but when she emerges on the other side, she emerges alone.
Pawns in a Larger Game
When everyone thought Nynaeve was dead, Liandrin decides to free Mat seemingly out of frustration for how much time she spent on him when she could’ve focused on preparing Nynaeve. She gives him an opportunity to console Egwene to prove that he isn’t a coward. And for a moment, it looks like he might. However, when he sees Egwene crying, he turns back. He frees Min, but he has nowhere to go, so he ends up following her lead. Unbeknownst to him, Min has cut a deal with Liandrin to lead him on a secret mission. They could be on their way to finding Rand or perhaps the Horn of Valere.
Speaking of Rand, his situation is starting to look shaky. Logain immediately recognizes Rand and forces him to be transparent. Rand predictably asks Logain how he can control the One Power, but Logain doesn’t answer. Instead, he asks for a bottle of Ghealdanin wine as payment. Rand is forced to call on Selene for help, and she obliges. She gets them into an upper class party of sorts where Rand is forced to mingle with Lady Anvaere.
Their conversation proves insightful. Rand learns that the “hunt” is no more than a gimmick by the queen to reduce the amount of peasants living in The Foregate. Upon learning of this scheme, Rand is appalled. He takes the bottle of wine and returns to Logain. Logain doesn’t even drink the wine. He simply uses it to demonstrate that the One Power can not be controlled. Rand is further triggered by this answer, an answer he already strongly suspected. Later that night, after he was urged by Selene to “let go,” he ends up burning the house down. Make no mistake, there’s more to The Foregate than meets the eye.
Clear Intentions
The biggest development of the episode occurs far away in the Atuan’s Mill. After being ambushed at the end of the previous episode, the Shienarans are captured. Their capturers identify themselves as the Seanchan. They declare their intentions to take over the Westlands which they justify with the claim that these lands were once their people’s lands. Ishamael’s arrangement with them is not made clear, but he is firmly by their side.
After a sequence where three girls are selected and taken away, Uno is brought forth as the first to swear allegiance to the High Lady Suroth. When he refuses, he is brutally murdered. This sends a clear message to the rest of the Shienarans and the people of the town, who then proceed to kneel before the High Lady. Perrin is last to do so, which further draws Ishamael’s attention.
Perrin and the rest of the prisoners are then transported to Falme, the harbor city. On the way, Ishamael has a conversation with Perrin in his wagon. Ishamael tells him that he will be keeping a close eye on how his powers develop, and that the more they take over, the more he becomes Ishamael’s monster. As this conversation is going on, wolves attack the caravan. Elyas is able to escape and free Perrin.
Final Thoughts
The execution of the Arches subplot was very well done. The twists perpetuated the significance of the trials as well as Nynaeve’s incredible powers in a logical way. It also keeps the White Tower relevant when it feels like all the action is happening elsewhere. The stuff with Mat was also good, as it introduced some mystery into his storyline. Are Liandrin and Moiraine after Rand, or are they after the Horn, perhaps? Either way, Liandrin believes Mat will be of use on this mission, so that keeps him relevant as well.
The introduction to the Seanchan was good as well. They are immediately established as a legitimate threat, but it’s Ishamael’s involvement is what adds intrigue to the situation. He’s clearly playing a long game that involves Perrin, and we know he’s looking for Rand as well. I can’t imagine Rand’s low profile lasting much longer after the events of this episode, and I’m starting to suspect the Selene might have ulterior motives. Add Logain and the political climate of The Foregate to the mix, and all of a sudden, Rand’s in a bit of mess. And as other characters converge towards him, his situation is only going to get messier.
Character Development (13/15)
Moiraine didn’t make an appearance this episode, so her screen time was shared amongst others. The main benefactor of her absence was Nynaeve, as we were given a deep dive into her psyche. Another benefactor was Liandrin, who is evolving past the one dimensional anti-Moiraine figure she was made out to be in season one. Finally, we saw some gradual development with Rand, Mat, and Perrin.
Nynaeve
The fact that Nynaeve picked up most of Moiraine’s screen time says a lot about how important she is. The Arches really hammered home Nynaeve’s core motivations. Her biggest fear is not being there for the people that rely on her when they need her the most. That translates across all three trials. She feels guilt for Rand’s supposed death because she feels responsible for the safety of him, Egwene, Perrin, and Mat. As a result, she doesn’t want to lose anyone else. Lan’s near-death in the previous season is what triggered her powers to save him. His death in the third Arch is what triggered her powers and opened a path back. It’s clear that she loves him.
Ultimately, she wants the people she cares about to be happy. In her vision, she and Lan had a daughter who they were raising in peace back in the Two Rivers. Perrin was also back in the Two Rivers, while Mat led some life away but would return to provide. Egwene was absent because she would’ve stayed at the White Tower to become an Aes Sedai. Rand was absent because he was presumed dead. When they hear of Trolloc attacks in distant lands, it’s a full circle moment. Lan asks if she regrets leaving the White Tower, and it’s clear she does because now she feels powerless in the face of an incoming threat to the people she cares about.
Liandrin and Mat
We’re in the midst of a serious push to make Liandrin a more complex individual rather than an antagonist to Moiraine. Sure, she still doesn’t like Moiraine’s way of doing things, but we now better understand why. It’s not that she hates Moiraine as an individual, she has proper motivations. She was repeatedly accused of rushing Nynaeve into the Arches, but it’s clear that she actually believed she was ready.
We saw a bit of this in the first episode as well. Liandrin doesn’t want Nynaeve to be a passive player in this game. She doesn’t want her to have to rely on Moiraine or anyone else for that matter, and given how much power she has, she doesn’t have to. So for Nynaeve to then shun that power is baffling to Liandrin. That’s why she chose to guide her, and that’s why she knew that when it mattered, Nynaeve would pull through. And she was right.
Nynaeve’s not the only one Liandrin’s tried to strongarm. Mat gets a reality check when Liandrin decides to let him go. He’s angered that she would simply dismiss him after five months of questioning, as if he didn’t matter. Liandrin then serves him the bitter truth: he doesn’t matter because he amounts to nothing. She calls him a coward who abandoned his friends once and would do it again. She then challenges him to prove her wrong by consoling Egwene. When he can’t do it, he realizes that she’s probably right about him. He has nowhere to go and no purpose to follow. If not for Min, he would’ve probably stayed in his cell.
Rand and Selene
It’s taken well over a season, but Rand’s story finally has some intrigue. Out of all the characters of the show, he’s had the weakest motivations up until this point. His relationship with Egwene was so bland, and it always felt like a tool to advance her character, not his. Even his path to realizing he’s the Dragon was uninspired. Now, with the addition of the enigmatic Selene and the mad Logain, things are finally starting to get interesting for Rand.
Selene, in particular, has added significant intrigue around his character. Of course, that’s partially due to the fact that we don’t know how the two met eachother. It could be that he opened up to her about everything, but that seems unlikely. So if he didn’t tell her that he was the Dragon, what exactly does know, and how? She’s definitely heard about men that can touch the One Power. Logain’s literally in the same city as her. It’s possible that she noticed Rand’s powers but does not yet know that he is the Dragon. In any case, there are a number of possibilities and a number of unanswered questions. That’s good.
Logain’s involvement further complicated matters, but not because he tells Rand that the One Power can not be contained. As Logain points out, Rand already strongly suspected that, and so did the viewer. It’s the alternative view, rather, that is of significance. Logain claims that the madness is nothing more than a gimmick perpetuated by the Aes Sedai. Rand doesn’t believe him, but the doubt will creep in. And chances are, Rand will end up freeing Logain. Selene insisted that Rand “let go,” and well, he did. As a result, their house burned down. The more he loses control, the more he will turn to Logain.
Others
Ishamael’s interest in Perrin is not surprising, even if it’s not entirely clear what role Perrin is expected to play. Perrin’s never really recovered from accidentally killing his wife in the Trollocs attack of the Two Rivers. His guilt and anger is increasingly feeding this raging thirst for vengeance. Padan Fain’s betrayal further stoked the fire, then came the Seanchan and Ishamael. With every traumatic experience, Perrin’s inner demons grow. Ishamael is banking on those demons becoming too powerful to contain, which would force the monster out.
Finally, we have the Seanchan. We don’t yet know much about them as individuals, but as a people, they’ve made quite the impression. The ruthlessness by which they dispatched of Uno tells of a force that is not to be tested. They’ve made their intentions for the Westlands clear, and they’ve made clear what they’re willing to do to get what they want. Having allied themselves with Ishamael, expect to see them at odds with the Aes Sedai sooner rather than later.
Theme/Messages (4/5)
- Why do people seek answers to questions they already the answers to? It’s the clinging onto false hope that can be so damaging. Denial leads to misery.
- How much is pride worth?
Acting (2/15)
The start of the season was so promising for the acting quality of the show; unfortunately, Rosamund Pike’s absence exposed others’ poor acting. She takes up a lot of screen time, so not having her for an entire episode meant that others would have to step up, and they didn’t. Marcus Rutherford (Perrin), Dónal Finn (Mat), and especially Madeleine Madden (Egwene) were nowhere near the level expected at this stage. It was tough to watch.
Unfortunately, the aforementioned poor performances overshadowed solid performances from the rest of the cast. Zoë Robins (Nynaeve) was tasked with filling the void, and she held her own. She might not be at the level of Rosamund Pike (Moiraine), but when she was asked to step up, she did. Natasha O’Keeffe (Selene) and Kate Fleetwood (Liandrin) are capitalizing on their increased involvement. Álvaro Morte (Logain) and Fares Fares (Ishamael) have been excellent in their minor roles thus far.
Cinematography (12/15)
- Uno’s death was visually jarring
- Cool shots of the White Tower from the inside (37:23 onwards)
- Shot of Mat in his cell with light shining down on him from the small window above (47:42)