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shallownessOn the whole, I didn’t much enjoy this episode. I found the opening sequence ridiculous – me, someone who loves fantasy violence where women can magically beat men in fights! Apparently being able to do so while in labour strains my credulity. I wanted to pretend it hadn’t happened, despite knowing it would be somehow significant. (Should have paid more attention to the fighter’s hair colour.)
Back to the main characters, and as the entrance shut with Mat outside (as of choice), Rand and Nynaeve emoted, I rolled my eyes and sided with Moiraine and Egwenne and Team Rationality. It soon became obvious that Loial was with them as some sort of guide. I was a bit more wary of Moiraine when she told Lan that, given the attraction darkness had for Mat it was best not to take him to the Dark One, because it sounded more like she’d planned it and thus was guilty of what I’d dubbed Rand and Nynaeve’s paranoia, rather than looking on the bright side that she had a four in five chance of accompanying the dragon reborn. (Should that last be in caps?)
Perrin had the best vision (I would later be relieved they got out of the Ways, which didn’t remind me of Moria or the Paths of the Dead at all.) The guidepost was defaced, Egwenne was woken from her sleep by Something. It all got very confusing, but there was channelling because there was one of the monsters (who shouldn’t be there) and the channelling brought on some nasty wind whispering all their greatest fears (well, not Loial’s?) Nynaeve, under great pressure, channelled a great big protective ball (which I don’t think Egwenne registered) and Moiraine got them out.
Out to somewhere a day’s journey from where they wanted to go, with a fortress that I feel has been used in lots of things I’ve seen before, where there were Asian people who knew Lan. They went to the court of the know-it-all lord, and Moiraine talked to his more interesting and reasonable sister, who could channel but not well enough to become an Aes Sedai. Interesting that Moiraine sent a message about Mat to the reds – I wasn’t quite sure whether it was specifically to Liandrin. There were quite a few details I didn’t pick up on in this episode, tbh.
Most of the party (Loial kind of disappeared from the scene) went to a bar for a lady bartender (another important one), Min, for her to tell Moiraine what she Saw about the Two Rivers gang. The most interesting bits were that she saw Rand with a kid, they were all clear, which means they’re important, and connected, which is rare, and she warned Moiraine that her girlfriend would be her downfall.
Moiraine told the kids they were going tomorrow, the usual suspects got huffy and Nynaeve said they’d decide what they were doing, thank you very much. So, they got into a fight that got very bad when Nynaeve turned Perrin stepping in when Rand accused Egwenne of not caring about Mat into a love triangle. (Er, what? Rand’s paranoia that Egwenne came to him after Perrin proposed to his wife doesn’t seem to have any basis to me. I got very platonic vibes from them the whole time they were travelling together to the White Tower.) Off Rand stormed with his low self-esteem, until Egwenne had it out with him. He’d clearly still held on to what he’d heard in the wind. They both seemed to think that the Aes Sedai would want Egwenne, when I don’t think they do, she isn’t good enough at channelling.
Moiraine had a weird conversation with Lan, though in retrospect she seems to have been sincerely worried about what she’d dragged him into.
I wasn’t all that bothered by Nynaeve/Lan. I suppose it’s not all other characters saying ‘Don’t you make a cute couple?’, it has been established that they’re both fascinated by each other, although I did snark at how he seemed to find her stalking and lack of boundaries charming this episode. We got backstory for him – he’s a king without a kingdom! – although in having lost all his family, is just like Nynaeve. He tried to explain to her that Moiraine was to him what the four kids from Two Rivers were to her. Kinda.
And then Rand had his ‘revelation’. Basically, I don’t want him to be the Dragon Reborn. He’s a whiny brat who projects so much. But I think there’s plenty of space to doubt it. Fine, he’s the baby who was about to be born in the opening, and he’s superstrong and could be a super fighter. But all that stuff he had in his ‘vision’ could be him still listening to the whispers in the wind. Even though the Seer seemed to confirm it, and I don’t know where him thinking he saw familiar faces came from. (Who is the baby? Himself? His child? One of the others’?)
I tend to think Moiraine and Rand have been nuts/heroically stupid in going to face the Dark One alone. I’m not convinced the Dark One is as weak as the Amyrlin Seat said or that Rand is the Dragon Reborn.
Back to the main characters, and as the entrance shut with Mat outside (as of choice), Rand and Nynaeve emoted, I rolled my eyes and sided with Moiraine and Egwenne and Team Rationality. It soon became obvious that Loial was with them as some sort of guide. I was a bit more wary of Moiraine when she told Lan that, given the attraction darkness had for Mat it was best not to take him to the Dark One, because it sounded more like she’d planned it and thus was guilty of what I’d dubbed Rand and Nynaeve’s paranoia, rather than looking on the bright side that she had a four in five chance of accompanying the dragon reborn. (Should that last be in caps?)
Perrin had the best vision (I would later be relieved they got out of the Ways, which didn’t remind me of Moria or the Paths of the Dead at all.) The guidepost was defaced, Egwenne was woken from her sleep by Something. It all got very confusing, but there was channelling because there was one of the monsters (who shouldn’t be there) and the channelling brought on some nasty wind whispering all their greatest fears (well, not Loial’s?) Nynaeve, under great pressure, channelled a great big protective ball (which I don’t think Egwenne registered) and Moiraine got them out.
Out to somewhere a day’s journey from where they wanted to go, with a fortress that I feel has been used in lots of things I’ve seen before, where there were Asian people who knew Lan. They went to the court of the know-it-all lord, and Moiraine talked to his more interesting and reasonable sister, who could channel but not well enough to become an Aes Sedai. Interesting that Moiraine sent a message about Mat to the reds – I wasn’t quite sure whether it was specifically to Liandrin. There were quite a few details I didn’t pick up on in this episode, tbh.
Most of the party (Loial kind of disappeared from the scene) went to a bar for a lady bartender (another important one), Min, for her to tell Moiraine what she Saw about the Two Rivers gang. The most interesting bits were that she saw Rand with a kid, they were all clear, which means they’re important, and connected, which is rare, and she warned Moiraine that her girlfriend would be her downfall.
Moiraine told the kids they were going tomorrow, the usual suspects got huffy and Nynaeve said they’d decide what they were doing, thank you very much. So, they got into a fight that got very bad when Nynaeve turned Perrin stepping in when Rand accused Egwenne of not caring about Mat into a love triangle. (Er, what? Rand’s paranoia that Egwenne came to him after Perrin proposed to his wife doesn’t seem to have any basis to me. I got very platonic vibes from them the whole time they were travelling together to the White Tower.) Off Rand stormed with his low self-esteem, until Egwenne had it out with him. He’d clearly still held on to what he’d heard in the wind. They both seemed to think that the Aes Sedai would want Egwenne, when I don’t think they do, she isn’t good enough at channelling.
Moiraine had a weird conversation with Lan, though in retrospect she seems to have been sincerely worried about what she’d dragged him into.
I wasn’t all that bothered by Nynaeve/Lan. I suppose it’s not all other characters saying ‘Don’t you make a cute couple?’, it has been established that they’re both fascinated by each other, although I did snark at how he seemed to find her stalking and lack of boundaries charming this episode. We got backstory for him – he’s a king without a kingdom! – although in having lost all his family, is just like Nynaeve. He tried to explain to her that Moiraine was to him what the four kids from Two Rivers were to her. Kinda.
And then Rand had his ‘revelation’. Basically, I don’t want him to be the Dragon Reborn. He’s a whiny brat who projects so much. But I think there’s plenty of space to doubt it. Fine, he’s the baby who was about to be born in the opening, and he’s superstrong and could be a super fighter. But all that stuff he had in his ‘vision’ could be him still listening to the whispers in the wind. Even though the Seer seemed to confirm it, and I don’t know where him thinking he saw familiar faces came from. (Who is the baby? Himself? His child? One of the others’?)
I tend to think Moiraine and Rand have been nuts/heroically stupid in going to face the Dark One alone. I’m not convinced the Dark One is as weak as the Amyrlin Seat said or that Rand is the Dragon Reborn.
