If the Thunder Don’t Get You…
THE WHEEL OF TIME – Season 2 Episode 6 – SPOILERS
Renna
In the city of Falme, in a place called The Kennels, Egwene (Madeleine Madden) is relentlessly tortured by Renna (Xella Mendes-Jones) of the Seanchan. Madden gives the performance of the year as Egwene combats exhaustion and the apparent hoplessness of her situation. (One is not, at this point, entirely sure she will succeed.) Mendes-Jones keeps the terrifying Renna just this side of psychotic.
Nearby, at the Palace, High Lady Suroth (Karima McAdams), fresh from being disciplined by Lord Turak for insubordination, parties with friends and radiates the appearance of decadence. She insists that Loial (Hammed Aminashaun), who is also a prisoner of the Seanchan, must sing for everyone’s entertainment. The Ogier starts to object to this improper use of tree song, but decides not to argue and begins to sing, causing a nearby bonsai to grow rapidly. Lady Suroth’s friends are quieted and enthralled by Loial’s singing, so Suroth claps loudly to end the song and restore a cheerful mood.
Three Seanchan of the High Blood react to Loial’s tree song. All have the same hairdo. In contrast, Egwene’s trainer Renna has long braids.
In the course of Egwene’s torture, Renna makes her burn a tree that is visible from the window of her cell. Given Loial’s apparent rapport with trees, this might have inadvertently told him know how to find her.
Loial and Ingtar Shinova (Gregg Chilingirian), who were captured together while hunting the Horn of Valere, exit the room together. Ingtar tells Loial where the Horn is being kept, and also that it is not well-guarded.
Meanwhile, Lanfear (Natasha O’Keeffe) has been busy undermining Ishamael’s authority. She enters Rand’s dreams and the two of them have a chat. He suggests he might trust her if she tells him where Ishamael is. Lanfear, also known as “Moonhunter” (to the wolves), explains that she has one condition if they are to work together, and it is possible that Rand agreed to Lanfear’s terms because when he wakes he walks away from Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), explaining that Lanfear will kill her if he stays.
The Amyrlin arrives in Cairhein
Lanfear next visits Leandrin (Kate Fleetwood), who is with her son Aludran, and we learn things that allow us to better understand Leandrin. “I’ve visited your dreams,” Lanfear tells her, “mostly for my own entertainment. You have interesting fixations. You swore your oaths to keep him alive, but this isn’t life. He’s holding you back.” Lanfear kills Aludran, and Leandrin is powerless to stop her. “The last tie to the girl you used to be,” Lanfear explains. “The girl who was beaten and starved, forced to marry before she bled. You swore your oaths to the Dark, not to Ishamael. You cannot take them back; it’s impossible. But there are many paths to walk through the night.” Compared to Renna and Lanfear, Leandrin doesn’t seem so bad.
When the carriage of the Amyrlin Seat, Siuan Sanche (Sophie Okenedo), is stopped unexpectedly, the Amyrlin seems to go into battle mode, radiating a crown of swords. (In the Tarot, the Queen of Swords when reversed indicates an excess of emotional involvement.) When the coach door opens, Sanche is surprised to see Lan (Daniel Henney), who has come to tell her what Moiraine has been doing.
Ryma of the Yellow Ajah
In response to Lan’s information, the Amyrlin takes fourteen Aes Sedai with her to Cairhein and demands an audience with Moiraine. Lan and Alanna (Priyanka Bose) are dispatched to intercept Rand and keep him from going to Falme.
Sanche has not been told that Leandrin is a Darkfriend, so she brings Leandrin with her to Cairhein. Ryma (Nyokabi Gethaiga) of the Yellow Ajah, knows about that, but she has been captured by the Seanchan, and is in much the same boat as Egwene. Prior to her capture, Ryma had told Nynaeve (Zoรซ Robins) and Elayne (Ceara Coveney) that one of them should warn the Amyrlin, but they both decided to stay in Falme and try to free Egwene.
Isamael (Fares Fares) asked Min (Kae Alexander) for just one more favour if he is to stop her visions of the future. She must convince Matt (Dรณnal Finn) to travel to Falme with Rand. Min decides, at great personal risk, to tell Matt about her vision in which he kills Rand with the ruby-hilted shadow dagger (the current location of which is uncertain) and talks him into staying in Cairhein. If Rand stays there as well, Min’s sacrifice could be for naught.