"Wheel of Time" Episode 5 Review

by Chelsea House, Chief Media Correspondent

When we last left our group, Nynaeve had just lit up the sky by touching the power, Logain was gentled, Rand and Mat were running away from a fight, and Egwene and Perrin were still traveling with the Tuatha’an. Starting the episode off, we get a good taste of what the episode will be mostly focusing on. Alanna stands holding a candle, white paint streaked on her face, and a look of pain as she sings over the Warders burying the dead from the battle. Each body is laid into a neat grave and covered with a white cloth. We then are reminded of their true loss when Stepin is seen carrying Karene to her plot in the ground. The Aes Sedai surround him, holding their candles, their faces all different yet solemn. Stepin gently lowers her down, shakily takes off her ring, and places it around his neck while clutching his heart in pain. He covers her face in the white sheet, Lan and Moiraine exchange a knowing look and then we’re fast forwarded a month. 

The Aes Sedai, their Warders, and Nynaeve are all headed to Tar Valon. We can’t forget they have a gentled False Dragon that needs to be answered for. Things look a little different for Logain now. He’s tied around his neck riding his own horse instead of caged and shielded by the Aes Sedai. His face is empty and blank, no longer the strong and confident man we saw in the last episode. Moiraine and Lan share a short conversation about coming “home” after being away so long. They also speculate as to whether Nynaeve is ready for “what awaits her” in the White Tower which brings them back to the mourning Stepin. The camera flashes to him, still wearing the ring around his neck, leading the riderless horse beside him. Lan also wonders if the other four (I.e., Egwene, Rand, Perrin, and Mat) are at the tower. Moiraine says with forced confidence that if they aren’t, they will find them. 

Now to Mat and Rand, who are now horseless for some reason, and are traveling with a rag tag group of people. Mat looks straight-up rough. He even snaps at a child when they run by him. Rude. Rand seems concerned but it quickly distracted when he sees a familiar mountain. When he gets a closer look, he sees it’s Tar Valon! As a reader, I was really excited to see how Tar Valon translated to the screen. I have to say I wasn’t disappointed. It was colorful, busy, and bustling with market trade. The costumes, the foods, and the sounds were beautiful and made you feel just like Rand when he says “Blood and ashes” in an awed voice. (We finally get to hear it!) Rand decides they need to clean up at an inn before they visit the pristine White Tower. Mat takes advantage of the bed immediately and curls up. He is a quick kill joy though because he then, rather randomly, asks for Rand to tell him what happened again. Rand tells him he knows it was the Fade that killed the family, not Mat. Hmm. I’m not super convinced, but whatever helps you sleep at night. This is the first time they also acknowledge that Thom could possibly be dead. 

Back to Moiraine, Lan, and Nynaeve. Moraine puts Nynaeve in a room in the Warders courters to try and keep her safe until Moiraine can locate the rest of the group. There’s a brief conversation here that is similar to a mother and daughter argument of who knows best. I know they’re both grown up here, and Nynaeve has always been a favorite, but I couldn’t help but empathize with Moiraine’s eye rolls. The gist is that Nynaeve is powerful, but if she does not allow herself to be helped and protected, the tower will eat her whole. 

Now to Perrin and Egwene. Egwene points out the White Tower and asks Perrin if he thinks everyone else is there. Everyone’s having a lovely stroll until the White Cloaks show up, led by Eamon Valder – you know... the guy who liked the bones cutting his mouth... He, for the sake of story progression, is interested in Egwene and Perrin and wants the Tuatha’an to give them up. Ila says nope, and then Eamon beats the crap out of them while Egwene, Perrin, and Aram try to run off. They don’t make it far before Aram gets shot down by an arrow – which as a side note is super disappointing because I really liked his character. And his character’s eyes. Egwene and Perrin are then captured by two White Cloaks on horseback. Way to go guys. 

Rand wanders around a library, reading books and is interrupted by Loial (Hammed Animashaun), an ogier. He calls Rand an Aielman – which in the series is the first time we hear this reference. You can recall episode three where Thom points out the dead Aielman in the cage and his red hair, but there was never really a correlation until now. Suddenly Rand’s red hair rings a bell, as well as how tall he is. Anywaaayyyy... back to Loial. Rand denies this repetitively which eventually brings the ogier to say “An aielman from the Two Rivers who insists he’s not an aielman. That is very odd.” They are interrupted by the noise of the Aes Sedai parading the False Dragon through the streets and Rand quickly runs out of the library to find Mat. Rand needs to learn better manners. He finds him sitting on a balcony, and as they watch the parade go through the streets, Logain and Mat share an odd moment where Logain starts hysterically laughing at Mat. Or at least that is what we think until we see he is just imagining it. Rand and Mat then promise that if either of them can channel – they won’t let the other end up like Logain. 

Stepin stands in all white facing a mirror while Lan and Alanna’s warders stand with him. He tells the backstory to how he and Karene met and what follows is an incredibly touching scene of his fellow Warders standing with him while he takes her ring to a small basin encircled with a molten river and drops Karene’s ring into it. It quickly disappears and Stepin is left staring out at a beautiful landscape – alone. Lan finds Moiraine and kneels before her, grabbing a hold of her hand. You see the pain he feels and the worry. “Warders aren’t supposed to outlive their Aes Sedai” he said earlier in the episode. 

Egwene finds herself in what is one of the most uncomfortable scenes I’ve watched in a long time. The White Cloaks have her completely stripped, and although they are bathing and cleaning her, it feels so filthy and wrong. It’s not until the slip a white dress on her that there’s a slight relief. At least until Eamon Valda – or as he wants to be called – Child Valda begins to explain that he thinks she is an Aes Sedai and Perrin, who he brings in and ties to a... thing... is her warder. He goes about the “witches,” how they don’t need their hands to channel, and cheerily eats his food. Egwene finally shows her backbone and threatens Child Valda, which then makes him walk over to poor Perrin just to start torturing him. He gives them both the choice – either she channels and he lets Perrin live, or she doesn’t, and Perrin dies. Like, the heck man? A key element to the scene is that as Perrin is put through excruciating pain, we see his eyes turn gold. 

Nynaeve is pacing in her room, a drunk Stepin comes in and asks for sleeping herbs, she gives him the pouch. She then wanders out of her room and runs into Liandrin. They have a conversation about warders. Liandrin enlightens us that Red Ajah never has warders. When Nynaeve boils it down to hating men, Liandrin eventually says, “Women hold the One Power, but men still control much of this world. And they are rarely kind to little girls...” Somehow Loial finds Nynaeve and the next we see of her, she’s at the inn with Rand and Mat. Her and Rand go outside to chat. Rand expresses his concern for Mat, and they both talk about Egwene and Perrin, hoping that they are okay. Nynaeve tells a story of Egwene being many things, but she is unbreakable. 

Flash back over to Egwene slouched over in her chair – now tied up – and she and Perrin discussed who should die. He tells her that he killed Laila, so he should die. Egwene finally is able to channel, which is pretty impressive since she didn’t have many lessons, and releases Perrin from his bonds. His eyes are glowing golden now, he shocks Child Valda who exclaims “what are you?”, and Egwene gives him a good stabbity stab. When they leave the tent there are wolves attacking all over the place which allows them to make their escape. 

The rest of the episode stays at the White Tower. Liandrin and Moiraine have a conversation about Nynaeve and which Ajah she is going to pick. Then Moiraine and Alanna have a conversation about how things have changed in the tower since Moiraine and Lan have been gone. Alanna states that she is going to ask Stepin to bond with her and that she thinks Moiraine should challenge the Amirlyn seat. Stepin and Lan have a conversation about him bonding with Alanna. Lan drinks tea and falls asleep only to wake up and realize that he’s been drugged. He runs the halls looking for Stepin and finds him kneeling and dead. The knife in his groin explains the cause of death. 

What follows is one of the most emotional depictions of grief I have seen. Which is saying a lot about a show that I was struggling feeling connected to just two episodes ago. The warders, all dressed in white, surrounding their fallen brother is enough to tease the emotions. It’s when they all begin to pound their chest, just one fist, in a steady rhythm, that it begins to pull at deeper feelings. It’s the unison beat. That unison thumps. The steadiness. It’s comforting and awakening all at once. Lan, kneeling by Stepin, looks up at Moiraine, her eyes glistening with tears. He begins to pound his chest and lets out a yell. Moiraine and Alanna join in the chest thump, Nynaeve looks wrecked for Lan but unsure where she fits in. The episode ends with him bearing his chest and yelling in anguish. Geeze. I had to take a deep breath after that scene. It is heavy. 

Episode 5 does just what the 4th one did. I’m so relieved to see the character building. The behind-the-scenes intimate looks at the Warders and the Aes Sedai is also such a lovely touch. The books do go into those things, but the show has done it in a way that it feels less thought out and planned and feels more organic. It was interesting as well that the episode was called “Blood Calls to Blood” and there was a theme of white throughout. Each character group was not only going through their own hardships, almost all of them wore white at one point of another. I am not sure if it was really the vision or not, but it felt like a subtle way to tie everyone together even in their own individual journeys as well as highlighting the most painful parts by bringing the color white in. The episode also focuses a lot on not being or feeling alone. The color choice may even be a way to resemble that comradery in the midst of distance and separation. Perhaps it’s even a foreshadow that the White Tower will hold only more pain for them. I appreciate that this episode has a lot that can be interpreted. Tar Valon was stunning, and the introduction of Loial was a pleasant surprise because I had completely forgotten about him. There are some things that could be tweaked and that still feel clunky and awkward in the show, but I’m glad to say I’ve really enjoyed these last two episodes and can’t wait to see the next one. Wheel of Time may redeem itself yet. Until the next episode