The Wheel of Time - S02 Episode 7 Teaser (Reaction & Discussion, Are They Running Out of Time??)

A reaction of the teaser for episode 7, followed by an in depth discussion and my thoughts on the pacing of this season.

[@jenliz6248]

I assume we’ll have to overlook Rand’s lack of sword training. It happened on the cutting room floor last season. Hopefully, they’ll add more episodes to future seasons. I really dislike the obsession with 8 or 10 episodes per season. Either something is cut or filler is added. It may make sense for broadcast tv but not as much for streaming. I would think a popular show would make them more money by an extra episode or two. It would take the viewer into another month’s payment if they were only subscribed for the show. At least at Amazon they haven’t started the Netflix scheme of playing half a season one month then the second half a month and a half later making sure subscribers pay an extra month for Witcher etc…

[@Kevinbaconator_]

I'm hoping this season does well and they greenlight more episodes. doubt it though.

[@athomenotavailable]

Definitely running out of time, it's gonna feel really rushed. I don't think they wasted any time in ep1-6, every scene has a purpose in moving the plot or were great for showing the character's motivations, but just 2 episodes left for Rand to learn some seriously powerful channelling skills, Nynaeve to learn to bypass her block to open the collar, get everyone together, Mat to blow the horn, give the Heroes of the horn some cool summoning and fighting scenes and chit chat with Mat and Rand, epic damane vs heroes and Rand and Nynaeve battles, save Egwene and Ryma. Yet ep7 doesn't seem to contain any of those at all

[@Kevinbaconator_]

Same. I think the pacing of this season was still very fast, and obviously left many many things out. But for them to cut all these things, have a hurry-up pace, only to STILL have cramping a the end of the season...I really hope this season does well and the crew can convince the Money counters at Amazon to shell money for a few more episodes per season.

[@antivanov82]

Spoiler... Actually I think the blind person at the start is Gitara Morano (the Aes Sedai who announced Rand's birth and then died) - from "New Spring" I think. After last week's episode, I need a bit of a lighter episode...

[@Kevinbaconator_]

Oh that's a good guess. It would go well with all the Moiraine, siuan, and liandrin exposition going on. I hope that's what it is

[@EmarinPendaloan]

Came here to say this. It’s definitely not the guy from the institution, he looks v different than this person. It’s Gitara and this scene is a flashback to what happened 20 years ago to Moiraine - e.g. her mission to find the DR.

[@Kevinbaconator_]

also wasn't episode 7 of last season the one where we got the flashback of Rand's mother? @@EmarinPendaloan

[@EmarinPendaloan]

@@Kevinbaconator_ Yeah, The Blood Snow flashback was the cold open for s01e07. I hadn’t thought about that, good eye.

[@averylcobb6110]

I think even a 10 episode season would help

[@ituleo697]

I agre- what's the deal with 8 episode??? Even 15 is fine

[@Ceej474]

I think we’re gona get flicker and I’m HOPING we get a slightly longer season finale

[@Kevinbaconator_]

maybe if they do the portal stones, it will be at the very end and like a few have said already, the time jump will be between episodes.

[@ener11454]

The books had a 100+ day time jump between Cairhien and Falme around chapter 37 or 38. The show can do the same and a lot of the time issues dissolve.

[@EmarinPendaloan]

Spoilers follow I’m pretty sure the only way we get to travel across the continent *is* flicker flicker. The episode title is Daes Dae’mar, and the preview is pretty much entirely set in Cairhien, so we know it’s going to focus on the Cairhien story. Lanfear wantonly blowing things up in the Foregate is probably near the conclusion of the episode, given the destruction they are implying she is wreaking on the city (that’s a lot of explosions). I think episode 5 laid out the basic scenario: Lanfear is pissed and chasing Moiraine and Rand. The whole gang gets involved. Ihvon gets killed in a casually gruesome way and they have to run away as Lanfear cuts a swath of destruction through the city. Moiraine realizes Lanfear is pissed at HER not Rand but also isn’t exactly in her right mind at the moment, so she comes up with a plan to get Rand out of danger and that plan includes her splitting away from the rest of the party. She maybe even takes them to a waygate and tries to explain to Rand how to open it, and then goes across the city and does something spectacular to get Lanfear’s attention, basically taking on the role of the woman whose mouth Lanfear sewed up in episode 5 and using herself as bait. But since saidin and saidar are different, Rand screws up the channeling. And since Mat is there, Rand accidentally sets off a portal stone (We saw a portal stone when they were hiding from Lanfear the first time). It may be a nearby stone like the one we saw before, or it may be that in the show the waygates are made of two portal stones next to each other. Either way, cut back to Moiraine tricking Lanfear into walking in front of a weird looking door just as she jumps through, taking Lanfear with her. The episode ends with a bunch of visions of flicker worlds for the rest of the party. Mat lives through the flicker world where he stabs Rand. Then the next episode opens with “two months later,” and Rand and the gang arrive in Falme in a very Being John Malkovich way and Mat says “I’d never stab you”. I also think Mat’s flicker vision of stabbing Rand will be a red herring and Min’s vision will still come true in the last episode, but when it does we learn that Mat is actually the one to pull the dagger out of his friend after Fain stabs him (Fain has the dagger currently). Mat does this because he knows the damage the dagger can do and he doesn’t want any of his friends to face that. It’s a self-sacrifice. So the vision is correct but incomplete and the audience learns that there’s an interpretive aspect to them, and Rand gets his first unhealable wound, and Mat gets a second healing from the dagger.

[@Kevinbaconator_]

I think the idea of it being the episode transition makes sense, also the stabbing scene in the flicker worlds...not sure about moiraine taking down lanfear quite yet but they are trying to move things along.

[@EmarinPendaloan]

@@Kevinbaconator_ I’ve been pretty convinced they were going to take her out this season since the end of last season. This season is really more a combination of books 2 and 3 than just 2. All the references to Cadsuane this season tell me we’re going to see her soon. Next season is the Waste so I’m expecting Asmodean to be his teacher until Cadsuane reveals his true identity (instead of Semirhage) with her hair’angreal. She steps into the teacher role next. I think they go back to the Gitara Moroso thing in this coming episode because show Moiraine had her vision about the doorway during her test for the shawl, and that happened the day of the foretelling. I think what she saw in the arches is really the thing that changed her 20 years ago. The letter she wrote about being stilled last episode is the show’s version of the Thom letter. Siuan may know how to free her but I think she may be stilled sooner rather than later.

[@Alex-mn1fb]

I just dont get, does the Amyrlin travel with her throne all around, to other nations? Why is it the same throne like the one in the White Tower??

[@Kevinbaconator_]

Wouldn't be surprised if there is a throne room for the amyrlin in every major city tbh. Kind of like a guest room in a rich person's house

[@Alex-mn1fb]

@@Kevinbaconator_ Well, that might as well be the case. I just understood it as the Throne Room of Cairhien , with the Sun Throne behind it ( you can see the sun motif all over). But it could be that they have a special room for the Amyrlins court when she visits. Or they just did not feel like making more thrones and just decided to reuse assets! 😅

[@EmarinPendaloan]

How do you think the title of the episode will play into it?

[@Kevinbaconator_]

It took me ages to find that title for some reason......I'm thinking it will be Perrin being linked up with Avi and the other maidens, and he convinces them to help free egwene because of Avi's blood debt?? I don't see Aiel being in cairhien, too much other stuff going on in that plot line. Maybe they kill some white cloaks together.....

[@Kevinbaconator_]

OR..hear me out....its a continuation of the episode 7 flashback of rand's birth, after Gitara's foretelling, showing Shaiel going to the waste and becoming a maiden....

[@EmarinPendaloan]

@@Kevinbaconator_ Oh!! Very very cool idea! Gitara is the reason that Tigraine goes to the Waste, so maybe we don’t see the foretelling about Dragon being reborn on the slopes of Dragonmount, but the foretelling about Tigraine having to go to the waste, foreshadowing Rand’s own path for season4!