Wheel of Time episode 4 Easter eggs, Nynaeve casts regrowth, Mat gives Venom a run for the money

[@Thelovelabs]

Two big Easter eggs you missed: 1. When Matt says "I see you," he's holding the dagger in such a way as to suggest it is really the dagger holding him. This is confirmed by mashadar coming out of his mouth. I think this is a nod to the fact that Mashadar hates the Shadow and the Shadow hates Mashadsr. 2. Liandrin is, of course, black ajah. It seemed pretty clear to me that she played some role in orchestrating Logains followers to attack. She talks about needing to gentle logain if he breaks out. Then suddenly an attack comes and he's breaking out. The episode ends with her strongest opponent dead and logain gentled. Black ajah game-of-houses shit going on right there

[@gamingoddity679]

My wife, who is a non reader, was crying when Lan was bleeding out. What a fantastic episode. This show is amazing.

[@curtiswfranks]

Awesome! (Sorry to be glad that your wife was crying. :P )

[@joshuawatts6823]

Mine, who is also a non reader, yelled "wtf!?" And I just looked at her and could only think "oh you sweet summer child"

[@jsnel9185]

Haha my wife too. Not crying but total shock. Not spoiling for her is a ton of fun.

[@falagar4567]

Lan saying "You always get emotional when I drink" is a nice nod to how the Bond works.

[@Ventus777777]

One thing that Thom says to Rand when telling him about Owyn is the talks about fearing those who know the past. Which is a nice nod to things to come.

[@sneakybeaver8866]

In real life?

[@KingOfMadCows]

I was very skeptical after the first episode. The second and third episode got better. But this episode sold me on the series. I actually like pretty much all the changes in this episode. Lan's relationship with Nynaeve is way better developed.

[@ChristmasLore]

Thing is, Nynaeve and Lan have no screen chemistry (beside some ironic smiles and mutual respect- it's aknowledgment, not chemistry); while each time Moiraine and Lan are together..... I know and I saw all the interviews, they're insisting it's 1 non sexual bond, establishing a different kind of relationship.... Thing is, it's just not working, because each time they're in each other presence, the sexual tension is palpable, it's leaking from the screen!💚🍃

[@jwsel]

@@ChristmasLore That’s rather subjective. I think Lan and Nynaeve have great on-screen chemistry.

[@ChristmasLore]

@@jwsel , nice pals kinda. But if you compare the scenes Lan/Nynaeve and Land/Moiraine.... not so sure it's purely a subjective take. Been reading a looot about this on different social medias. People are feeling it too. There are now Moiraine/Lan vocal "shippers", it was a tiny minority when people only had the books.

[@jwsel]

@@ChristmasLore Give time for the relationships to develop. I suspect most will be L/N by I’ll hate him/love him.

[@ChristmasLore]

@@jwsel , it's not about relationships development (or lack of, to me they didn't improve on Jordan as much as some people seem to say, it's just as thin). It's about vibes, chemistry. Henney and Pike are making the temperature rise by 1oo° each time they're on screen together.

[@julianaFinn]

I loved Alanna. Beautifully cast. Also when Nyneave loses it and heals everyone, I advertising teared up, I was so excited. There are things that still bug me, but not enough to temper my enjoyment of the show. I think it's a slow burn and by season 2 will be a smash hit. Loving it so far! And I'm a book fanatic.

[@niftyfearless9923]

I got emotional during that seen as did my wife (non book reader) 4th episode definitely my favorite so far.

[@nard1000]

Me too! I know some are griping about how it is different from the book, but newsflash, we aren't getting 14 seasons on WoT. What's important is that they got the spirit of the character right. The action is something Nynaeve would do. That take-no-prisoners mentality that endears you despite the prickly exterior! (For classic doctor who fans, she's essentially Leela- lol).A showrunner who truly gets the spirit of the books! I get the criticisms to a certain extent. Would I like to see some more character detail? Sure, but how many non-book-readers are going to sit through sessions about Mat's love and knowledge of horse color and build. Or on why you want a Destrier if you're going to war. Exactly, nobody. Remember, this story has to translate quickly to non-fans to get more seasons. That's the goal for right now- more seasons. Then they will have the luxury of slowing down and perhaps adding episodes per season. Be patient. This episode shows what's possible 🥰

[@robdonut66]

She's .... distracting.

[@Linnir]

This episode is the first 10 for me. So much to love, I really liked the wink to book pronunciation issues, when Liandrin mispronounced Nynaeve’s name.

[@novascotiahomesteading455]

OMFGS IT WAS AWESUMMM!! When my girl Nyneave blasted off I screamed so loud my teenager came to check on me lol

[@WoTUp]

100%!!!

[@LizStorey]

In regards to showing the madness, maybe the way they visualize it depends on how much the madness has affected that individual so far. In the opening scene the madness was represented by a full fleshed out person because the man they gentled they said he was so far gone. With Logain, they are slightly less fleshed out because he still has some control over how it affects him and he isnt completely mad yet? So maybe when we see Rand first encounter it its even more of a wispy figure that how it is with Logain, and as it continues to gain control over him it becomes more and more human? Just a thought :)

[@anomanderrake9899]

That makes sense considering the character for Lews Therin has been casted

[@senseimatt3097]

For your Easter Egg Collection: Breen's Spring is not simply a "Made up" town for the show, it is actually mentioned by Hyam Kinch in the Eye of the World as one of the furthest bounds that the Queen's Guard is sent. I came across that while re-reading the TEOTW last week. Also - there are other scenes as well where the one power seems to be drawn in from beside or behind for the women as well.

[@MrMezmerized]

Breen's Spring is actually on at least one of the WoT maps you can find online.

[@Magnums_Chronicles]

This was my favourite episode so far. But you overlooked a very obvious Easter Egg involving the Birgitte doll. The little girl mentioned that she protects her at night, suggesting Birgitte protecting her from the World of Dreams? Foreshadowing? Plus when Thom and Rand run inside the house they see the dead bodies of the parents, and it’s not until Mat & Rand flee from the Fade that Mat discovered tue dead body of the little girl outside. Perhaps Birgitte told her to get out of the house in a dream? But the Fade still killed her? I also love the possibility that when Nynaeve goes Supernova unleashing the One Power and saves Lans life (as well as everyone else in the Cavern), that perhaps the reason Logain can see it is because he’s seeing a sudden burst of her as a Taveren as she taps into so much of the One Power?

[@Adam_okaay]

The way people misuse the term "Easter Egg" is such a pet peeve of mine. None of the "Easter Eggs" are "Easter Eggs" and neither is the Birgitte doll... That's called world building, lore familiarization and foreshadowing; subtlety introducing a character who will appear later isn't a freaking Easter Egg. An Easter Egg is something hidden that doesn't belong, so if Helga was introducing Mat to all her dolls and one of them was called "The Dragon" but it looked vaguely Targaeryen. Also brkng Ta'veren is completely unrelated to use of the OP, that makes no sense.

[@malinaivey4189]

I loved that we get the first hint of Lan's back story and Malkier in this episode as well.

[@tw7998]

Blew me away, was close to tears with the nynaeve scene

[@shawnherriott1093]

Me too. Same reaction the 2nd time I watched. I think we will have many more moments like that

[@theawebster1505]

Watched it 5 times in succession :)

[@drklawz9179]

Another cool detail they showed is Nynaeve heals without leaving a scar, just like the books. When Moiraine was healed by Kerene in the first part of the episode there was clearly a scar left behind. But in the final scene Nynaeve's healing leaves no scars.

[@krakorevadgzkwrt7545]

Really. We didn't see in the show smh. State the obvious

[@tonykuriger573]

Length of time elapsed since injury is important to scarring, IIRC. Moiraine was carrying that wound for at least several days in the show. Lan would have been dead 30s later if not for the heals.

[@heathermarie5139]

Also, in the "regular" healing, it was coming from the channeler's chest, because regular healing is mostly spirit (at least that's how I take). Nynaeve uses all five weaves though when she heals.

[@athomenotavailable]

Logain healed the Ghealdan King without a scar too, and Moiraine healed Tam without a scar. Both the king and Tam barely reacted during the healing too. Whereas Moiraine had much bigger movements when being healed. I think Kerene is just a shitty healer, so she left scars

[@adekunleibrahim8857]

@@athomenotavailable Kerene did say she was exhausted from shielding Lorain, we can excuse her healing for leaving a scar, right??

[@UntarWow]

My bold predictions from this episode... As the writers seem to be trying to have as much love for foreshadowing as Jordan did, I feel that Mat "I see you" is a lot more than just dagger madness. I predict he will be able to see the unseen as a permanent skill alongside his luck or even replacing his luck.(Only saw episode showing how unlucky he is.)

[@nleseul]

"Here's a shot of Logain being gentled. And that's pretty much all the stills I wanted to show you from the episode." Badump-bump.

[@mordyth]

Oh Bravo! This is the best comment here. Golf clap your way sir/madam

[@NevTheDeranged]

I see what you did there.

[@milodebruin4821]

The chat with Ila and Perrin is great work. I think we will see more of the warden bond breaking in the next episode, especially with that teased funeral.

[@whozethere]

Egwene was wearing a pastel rainbow tinker blanket--foreshadowing.

[@WoTUp]

Loved it!!

[@blackstorm9755]

Great Catch!!

[@jasminmemorando6694]

Omg! You're right!

[@aniyahjackson4278]

What was it foreshadowing I love spoilers

[@benjaminmoldovan5751]

Do you REALLY want to know? SPOILER WARNING! Turn back now if you don't want to be spoiled. . . . She's going to be Amyrlin Seat in the future- leader of all Aes Sedai. The Amyrlin wears a stole striped with the colors of all seven ajahs.

[@TheKyfe]

The Black Tendrils coming from off-screen: In the very first shot of Logain channelling, the pure white tendrils come from within his body, and the black tendrils immediately show up and dye them black. I think the way they have it set up is The One Power ITSELF is inherent, and the DO's taint appears to any usage of Saidin and it's showing that the taint is an outside influence and not built that way naturally.

[@TheCasualTrippy]

The Gentling reminds me of a front side blood eagle done in Norse Mythology

[@ryamano]

Moiraine said in episode 1 that Gitara Moroso in this turn of the wheel apparently was blind, so channeling when blind or with eyes closed was established before

[@johnnygraz4712]

One thing that was pointed on The Dusty Wheel's stream: When Rand is talking Master Grinwell into lowering his bow, you can hear the same sort of Creepy Wind Whispers™ that Egwene and Nynaeve listened to in Ep 1. Could this be an indication of Ta'veren powers in action?

[@tonykuriger573]

Possibly, though it might be more of a "sensing a myrdraal" talent than anything Ta'veren based.

[@johnnygraz4712]

@@tonykuriger573 I was talking about when Rand talked Grinwell into putting his bow down. I'll add and edit so it's more clear.

[@tonykuriger573]

@@johnnygraz4712 yeah I got that. The fade was probably still lurking around then, if it followed them from Breens Spring.

[@tonykuriger573]

@@johnnygraz4712 I think we might be arguing semantics, whether it's ta'veren or some sort of channeling talent or just a musical plot device, it seems to be foreshadowing the presence of shadowspawn.

[@johnnygraz4712]

@@tonykuriger573 Ah, you thought that sound was the Fade. Also a good theory.

[@gryphonshire]

Best episode yet, I think. Nynaeve shows us another braid toss like no other, and Logain goes from charismatic messiah to broken wannabe-dragon in such a short time.

[@WoTUp]

Ikr!

[@tonykuriger573]

Dude has a cry. Not quite full broken messiah. The show is leading a lot of misdirection. eg. Nynaeve killed by a trolloc. Thom killed by a fade (also misdirected in the books) Mat killed the Grinwells (I think it was the fade actually...?) I reckon he will present to the Amyrlin as pompous as he can, still thinking he can hear the previous dragons (gentling does not cure madness.)

[@haplozetetic9519]

@@tonykuriger573 "I think it was the fade" Agreed, and that seems to be the consensus among those I've asked. I also haven't spotted any blood on Matt or his dagger.

[@Freelancer_1960]

What Logain says about Nynaeve is a sad admission that Moiraine wasn't lying to him. She said that his power is "a pin-prick of candlelight against the raging sun that will be the Dragon Reborn". He reflects that phrase after seeing Nynaeve's AoE Heals. It has nothing to do with ta'veren. In Lord of Chaos, Logain tells Nynaeve that he saw a young man in Caemlyn who shone like the sun, and knew that he (Rand) would truly shake the world, causing more chaos than he (Logain) ever did.

[@Quvan]

If he can see her power, Nyneave is a dude.

[@dawnpratt7220]

I had the idea that they only used 2 sisters to shield Logain so that when it comes time for shielding Rand-in-the-box, they can use the traditional 6 (or more) to show how much stronger he is...

[@christosneder]

Aes Sedai could always affect things they can't see - otherwise how would Delving and Healing work? There is no way Nynaeve could physically see the DO's touch on the Asha'man's minds when she healed them for example. And what about times when people cast bubbles/shields of Air around themselves? They obviously can't see behind themselves but they can still fully encircle themselves with the power

[@nathanielkornacki2437]

The books actually say multiple times that an Aes Sedai must see what she is channeling at. She must be able to see the weaves to use them.

[@curtiswfranks]

Rand even channels with his eyes closed in TŠR.

[@jimmykawasaki833]

Rand brings up water he couldn't see beneath Rhuidean. Damane delve for ore beneath the earth. There are multiple times channelers produce light in a dark room. So, is it just Aes Sedai because that is the way they are trained? Although, Moiraine can eavesdrop on a conversation she can't see.

[@tonykuriger573]

The taint is of the dark one, not of Saidin, therefore entirely possible to be seen while delving. Many references in the book that female channellers, whilst not being able to see saidin can sense the "invisible wall" of weaves of it.

[@01art10]

It’s not about being able to see the object they are channelling towards, but about being able to see the weaves they are channelling. There’s a scene in the prologue book where Moiraine’s friends are helping her train for the test for the shawl and one lifts her upside down in the air so her skirt would fall and she couldn’t see the weaves. It’s explained that Moiraine lifts her skirt, not because of embarrassment, but because she couldn’t see and this channel the weaves otherwise.

[@KenEnglandJr]

I have converted my non-book reader brother to watching The Wheel of Time series. He is enjoying the series. Yesterday, I learned that a young soldier on my team watched Episodes 1 -4 over the Thanksgiving Day weekend. Although he is hooked for the rest of this season, he told me that he likes "The Witcher" series on NetFlix better. His current theory as to who is the Dragon Reborn is Nynaeve. He thinks that the the "ginger guy" won't be the Dragon Reborn but will be bonded as a Warder to Egwene. He is interested in reading the books, however, I told him to not start reading EoTW until after the end of season 1 on Amazon. I don't want him to get any spoilers from the books before he finishes watching season 1.

[@blueeyedcowboy8291]

I think they will show the madness very differently, especially with Rand, Mazrim, and all the Asha'man. I really like the physical manifestation of the dagger. Like it is taking him over from the inside out. Also, pretty sure that is Perrin using the hammer on a tinker, not his wife, in the dream. Liking Ishamael the more I see him. I think they really failed on the Warder rage aspect as well, but I love what the green ajah are doing as battle ajah. The tear drops and black angel wings during his gentling was amazing.

[@theawebster1505]

Definitely this Warder rage felt wrong, I hope they had a reason to make it this way.. more than using him to claw his axes in Loghain's shield, which also wasn't very smart.. physical weapons cannot effect the One Power

[@dnbjedi]

Yeah I mean taken in it’s entirety I thought the scene was bad ass, but it seems like a huge lapse in reason by the warder? I read the books but I forget them now been 17 years…. Either way Nynaeve’s explosive power scene was probably the moment most people realized they were in love w the show. :D

[@poneill65]

I'm really not sure why Stepin is outside smoking hairy men while Kerene is in the cave shielding a very dangerous man. It would seem to me that the Aes Sedai in there would have their warders nearby while performing such a taxing task, which clearly could falter at any moment. While the warders might not be able to combat Logain's power they could, Oh I don't know, throw themselves in front of projectiles!

[@ChrisHobson916]

That was odd. But there weren’t enough chairs in the cave I guess.

[@melissaroberts2299]

Thank you. I was coming here to say the same thing.

[@Goforfink]

I love that they gave Liandrin tiny braids all through her hair. It's such a great nod to the books and her being from Tarabon, but the way they have the braids integrated as part of the hair style as a whole is so cool.

[@tonykuriger573]

I don't really know what a rosebud mouth is, but I think she nailed that too.

[@AthenaNike71]

Also the Arafellin bells in Alanna’s hair!

[@florianboehm96]

Yeah…well that doesn’t make up for everything that sucks on this show.

[@daroe2340]

@@florianboehm96 I’m trying to figure out why you even bother to post on these videos, go find something useful to do.

[@stephenbetley9596]

One thing you missed. When Nynaeve had finished going supernova her braids were undone. A nod maybe to how Egewne unbraided hers when she went to the Tower. In the books Nynaeve keeps hers braided. Needs something to tug on as Lan isn't around for quite a while.

[@ChrisHobson916]

Lol. I thought the same about egwene and the braid

[@Briansgate]

I hate that. She is not wearing a dang braid, she has cornrows. You can't tell me the Women's Circle back home would allow that, seeing how being able to put your hair in a braid was a badge of honor.

[@WoTUp]

Good catch!!

[@tonykuriger573]

Comment needs a trophy for seeming innocuous but when you think about it is actually filthy.

[@gnomeandgarden6157]

@@tonykuriger573 "I like it! Short and slightly dirty, like me."

[@andrewberenson5717]

A foreshadowing or Easter egg in season 1 is Mat's kindness to young children (his sisters and Helga) re future book Mat and caring for Olver

[@curtiswfranks]

I think that they should have made saidin golden and saidar silver (or vice-versa). First, it more clearly establishes the dichotomy. Second, later on, there are two big scenes in which I think that it would be valuable to be able to visually distinguish between which Power is which. If they made the OP gold and silver, then the TP could be red or black, and that would make everything very clear and visually stunning. The Taint would still cover saidin as depicted in the show, according to my idea of what this would look like.

[@gaviteitz4408]

I always imagined Saidin as light blue and Saidar as light pink, with the TP being black.

[@theawebster1505]

@@gaviteitz4408 Interesting. I never colored saidin another way. Or colored saidin and saidar at all. For me the taint is only like an invisible thin oily layer of the Dark One's curse and affects the men channeling it only internally. But I understand why they would use colors in the TV series.

[@metarra]

I never pictured colors for saidar or saidin because the weaves are made of the Five Powers. The Five Powers make up the manifestation of saidar and saidin. Initially, I thought that they should be different colors due to how different the two halves of the One Power are. But... how do you see a flow of green Earth differently as saidar vs saidin? If the flow of Earth is green for both men and women, then the flows could visually look the same. However, what if saidar is a smooth current, while saidin looks rougher and more turbulent? not nearly as smooth as saidar. So the halves of the One Power can be the same color while having different textures. After just realizing this, I'm going back tot he episodes and comparing flows of saidar to flows of saidin (before the taint covers it).

[@curtiswfranks]

@@metarra That is a great mental image. I am not sure that they are doing anything even nearing that in terms of complexity though. I think that a color change from silver to gold would be relatively easy, excepting any in-camera tinted illumination of the set or actors, which would be very challenging to change later.

[@angelamccollister]

Lan and Stepin practiced sword-forms together.

[@shawnherriott1093]

1) I think they will branch out and do it a little different for the next man with signs of madness 2) The weave for a shield visually reminds me of what a weave of compulsion would look like. The way it settles in on the body 3) The two tears that Logain sheds as he's being gentled. That was one of my favorite parts of this episode. Nynaeve was awesome, obviously, but the way they showed how Logain truly believed he is the Dragon was great. I ended up feeling for him much more than in the books. The focus on the emotions of all our main characters is connecting with me

[@Blizzaurian]

Thank goodness I'm finally caught up so I can watch again!!

[@MsNikkyD]

I still reckon Alanna is gonna bond Stepin to establish she has a history of saving Warders who have lost their Aes Sedai

[@gnomeandgarden6157]

You're perhaps thinking of Myrelle?

[@MsNikkyD]

@@gnomeandgarden6157 Sorry I should have specified I also meant and then have Alanna take over that Myrelle storyline. WoT has way too many named characters for TV, I imagine they are going to condense some storylines onto existing characters and that is one I predict.

[@monkeyman868]

i dont think thats too far off, but lan and rand having the same aes sedai seems weird to me

[@combogalis]

I like the eyes closed channeling. We have Moiraine say in the first episode that the woman who gave the prophecy was blind as well but could channel. I like the idea that blindness isn't something that prevents one from channeling.

[@Richie_P]

My favorite easter egg was Liandrin saying "Ninn-ayve." Exactly what I thought when I first read EoTW, until I looked up the pronunciation in the glossary. I guess the writers must have made that same mistake and decided to poke fun at it. There's no other conceivable explanation for why Liandrin would mispronounced it, since she would have been told Nynaeve's name rather than reading it.

[@spandexalii]

yes - it doesn't really make sense in world for her to not know how to say it, but I loved the little nod to fandom and the endless debates about how to pronounce it!

[@NevTheDeranged]

you could also read it as Liandrin just being manipulative- she knows how to pronounce it, but she wanted an opening to talk to Nynaeve, and to make herself seem approachable and flawed, despite almost 100% thinking Nynaeve is a useless country bumpkin.

[@sotek2345]

One other thing I think I caught is that when they channel spirit (for healing, shields, etc.) It comes from them and not the outside world.

[@monkeyman868]

yoooo thats so cool i hope thats intentional

[@thistlecreek1]

Healing seemed to come from the heart. I loved that.

[@Adam_okaay]

Healing uses all 5 Elements of the power, at least the way Nynaeve and Damer Flinn do it.

[@HashtagWhattaNerd]

I got the same thing from Logain's statement about Nyenaeve. I feel like there's more Ta'veren than we know.

[@nathanielkornacki2437]

I'll have to rewatch episode one, but remember, Moraine said four ta'veren around the same age. Nynaeve could definately be ta'veren in the series and not have been mentioned by Moraine due to her not being the same age as the others. Though equally, she might not have meant Egwene since they knew she was born in two rivers and Nynaeve was not

[@zacharyfisher825]

Nothing quite like getting a WOT ad before a WOT video. I approve!

[@benjaminmoldovan5751]

At first, I thought that Logain was just seeing Nynaeve glow super bright because she was channeling. But he shouldn't be able to see anything. So that makes her being ta'veren more likely. Although , to be honest... I can see Egwene being ta'veren. But Nyn... she is a super talented channeler / healer. She totally kicks butt. However... you see how Perrin affects the Two Rivers, and Matt the soldiers. Egwene becomes... shall we say very powerful socially. But Nynaeve, for all her talents, has never seemed to have a ta'veren effect in the books, as far as I can recall. Unlike Egwene, making Nyn ta'veren seems a stretch for me. Also, neither of them seems to be pulled to the most powerful ta'veren, the way the two guys are. In summary, Egwene makes sense as a ta'veren. Nynaeve, though very good at the things she does, does not seem ta'veren to me. Nor does Elayne, as cool as her terangreal talent is. Just skilled at politics.

[@nunuabiznus]

I found your videos because I thought parents wife was a dark friend and googled it trying to see if others thought the same. I really like all the content you've done so far. I look forward to watching your videos as they make more and more WoT seasons. On this video, one of the last shots in the episode is of the Brigitte doll left on the road as they ride away. I see that as foreshadowing for her being ripped from the world of dreams. It also could be showing that Matt is no longer planning on going home.

[@HashtagWhattaNerd]

I believe he's pulling the power in the same way Aes Sedai do, (off screen, like how Moraine pulled from the light, not from within himself), but it's tainted by the Dark One through his touch.

[@SarcasmFiend23]

I was coming here to say it! The whole winter night scene she was pulling from away from her. The fire, the wind, the water. It showed all the weaves coming down from the mountains that she then Sent up for lightning.

[@rdngmikey]

I think with the male half it is more noticeable because of the taint, but after rewatching various scenes, the one power is coming from off screen for the women as well.

[@krazykatlady4227]

the only time the power seems to be coming from them is when they healing and thus using spirit. otherwise yes its coming from elsewhere. Mostly they seem to pull from elsewhere and then shoot it back out once they have woven it into their weave.

[@musicalmark]

Also, I had not realized it before this episode, but even the Aes Sedai are pulling the Power from off screen. It wasn't clear before but there are several very evident examples in this episode where they are pulling from off screen. I think the most clear is when the Green(?) Sister rushes into the cave right before they all link to shield and sever Logain. It is very clear the Power comes from behind and above her, goes through her, and then joins the circle to be used by Liandrin.

[@camma12]

Honestly I'm a bit salty there is no Elyas, I named my son after him.

[@Adam_okaay]

I think he's gonna replace a loveable guy with a sensitive nose.

[@jodiz5901]

I wish you would do your review and breakdown before the Easter egg video.

[@kennashey]

If you look at Matt's chin in the farmhouse scene, you will also see the black stuff there too, and it disappears before Rand touches Matt; I feel like they are making it plain that the taint is not coming from male channelers but from somewhere else...Like from the Dark One himself; So, two things about Nynaeve. 1) The skirt of her dress is yellow, foreshadowing her Ajah and 2) her hair comes unbraided when she channels in the cave. I think that it's a reference showing the unraveling of her being a Wisdom and ties to the Women's Circle in the EF. Also, Liandrin's pronunciation of Nynaeve's name!

[@silentwinter3D]

Came here to mention Liandrin's pronunciation. Thank you Liandrin. That's how I was saying it for years. Only after the last book came out and I'd finished it, did I read the pronunciation guides at the back of the books. Never would I have guessed NY-niv, lol. A few others as well but that's the most different.

[@krakorevadgzkwrt7545]

State the obvious

[@matthewbeale5083]

The bit about the pronunciation of Nynaeve is, I think, an actual inside joke. You see, I got to go to a signing with RJ before he passed. He walked in and addressed us all, saying he wanted to clear up a few of the most common questions first. The very first thing he said, and this is a direct quote, was "For God's sake, the woman's name is *nye-NEEV*." Point is, it was a common enough issue that I think they decided to slip in a joke about it.

[@johnnyp6202]

Possible that there is a cord of black with the male channelers like there was in the first book. Important to not though that this has nothing to do with Mashadar. Mashadar is an evil separate and different than the Dark One.

[@samsmom1491]

@@silentwinter3D I've been saying her name that way too...for 30 years!

[@logansfury]

I find the show to be incredibly entertaining. I like the visuals, the episodes are exciting, but they have really beaten the hell out of the cannon.

[@theloneranger8725]

You mean "out of the canon." She didn't beat the hell out of an artillery piece. LOL

[@gaviteitz4408]

They really haven't though. The Tinker scenes really didn't do much for the episode, but were straight from the books. Mat and Rand are accelerated, but not out of line with what should be happening (episode 3 was much more out of line).

[@phnome123]

I also use English subs but not from hearing loss. English isn't my native tongue but I am fluent in it but sometimes, I can't make out what they say. I find it helps. :)

[@davidjones272]

The in episode canon for having 2 of the strongest sisters only shield Logain could simply be that they needed to make sure that they had the others free in case they were attacked. There were only 9 or 10 of them in total I think.

[@zireael_art7848]

Another Easter egg I’ve seen: Alanna actually has three little silver bells in her braids in the back after the Arafel fashion. I love the costume design and the attention to such details of the culture.

[@Sendarya]

I said it wrong for ages (so I sympathize), but now I know the correct way to say it is Bur-Geet-Ah.

[@shawnherriott1093]

The way you pronounce Birgitte!!! You are the only person I've heard pronounce it the way I do and I refuse to change. I've felt so alone, lol.

[@novascotiahomesteading455]

I say it that way too. Drives my wife nuts lol

[@ChrisHobson916]

I read it that way too. When I first listened to the audiobooks some of the correct pronunciations shocked me!

[@nathanielkornacki2437]

At least the little girl got it right. Lol

[@novascotiahomesteading455]

@@nathanielkornacki2437 yeah huh lol

[@anindyasen4414]

This might be a reach but they were possibly giving a nod to the idea that men are stronger in Earth and Fire. 1) How Logain melts cum crumbles his metal cage. 2) Towards the end, Logain is struggling against the Aes Sedai until he gets access to the warder's metal axe. He is then able to use it as a weapon to nearly kill them all.

[@Mrsangeandbella]

It would make sense to me that the Green Ajah would have secret battle weaves that they would only share with Green Sisters, and that their battle training would include practising channelling explosions behind them. Like a basketballer could practise sinking a goal with their eyes shut, or from facing away from the hoop.

[@raysanchez2247]

Epic episode! One small easteregg I think, in the recap in the beginning Thom says "shes a darkfriend boy" then it cuts to a scene with Liandrin......

[@tonykuriger573]

Speaking of subtitles, I had a wee chuckle during the after-show thing with The Dusty Wheel and Marcus Rutherford et al when he was talking about hammering an axe at a blacksmiths (who I think we can infer is making props for the show.) He said something to the effect of "I think the axe was for something later in the show, like the Seanchan..." but the subtitles read "I think the axe was for something later in the show, like the [indistinct.]" My conclusion, props for the Seanchan exist which probably means they will be introduced in season 2 (which wasn't a wild guess anyway) but be interesting to see some castings and how much they combine roles. Given they haven't played up the whole "Rand gets gud" thing with the sword I reckon Turak might be cut, though I dearly hope I'm wrong because that scene is awesome. On the train of characters "getting gud," if we don't get some nod to Mat dueling Gawyn and Galad (given the castings so far, more likely to duel two random warder students) I will mutiny.

[@fullmetalathlete]

I'm not reading too much into the eyes open/eyes closed when channeling thing. So far it just seems to be for dramatic effect when they really need to pull a huge amount of power and so I think it's just showing the concentration and effort to really draw a lot. You see Moraine close her eyes in episode one when she goes to make her final explosive show of power and destroy all the trollocs. But right before that she casually looks at an axe and flips it into the chest of a trolloc running up so I'm just taking it as a show of effort for a greater draw of the one power moreso than an actual mechanical change. One thing on the ta'veren situation. When Mat and Rand are in the woods kinda secretly whispering about why they're letting Thom roll with them, Mat mentions that Dana (darkfriend from ep3) said the DR could be any of the 5 of them. While they don't expressly say ta'veren, how can any of the 5 of them be the DR but not be a ta'veren? It wouldn't make sense. Between that and some of the confusion before the premiere about how many they were going to call ta'veren I'm wondering if they had to do some creative editing or of they were on the fence about how many to call it. But this at a minimum was a clear set up to make us think the DR might be Nynaeve (as well as the raging sun comment by Moraine and Logain at the end).

[@tonykuriger573]

Disagree that they will do madness as only voices. Once we know that the actual dragon is [spoilers] I am 100% convinced we are gonna see all kinds of madness. I hope that way down the road they capture Androl's paranoia and the watchers. TBH I just hope they capture Androl in general. I can see him being a fan favourite because he is such an underdog.

[@fireside-saga]

I want to see Lews starting out in the background and slowly coming closer to Rand sort of what they're doing with Ishy creeping in the background of the dreams.

[@dominicaudy8479]

I wonder if between the filming of that episode and now they didn’t decide it would be a great idea to have the elder Grinwell daughter in the Tower, with the family tragedy as back story, and she will essentially have the same role and fate as in the books, except Mat will overhear who she is rather having met her before.

[@kght222]

i hope they cover how male channelers are victims of the dark one who aes'sedai should have compassion for, but the red ajah has a cultural bad habit of viewing them as villains doing evil, and dealing with them without any compassion at all.

[@KillerOfWhales]

Yes, I thought that was one thing they did very well with the cold open and Logain so far, it’s obvious that the red ajah at least has completely corrupted their role

[@annemoore3590]

The show seems to be leaning that way by showing Logain in a sympathetic light. His main flaw seems to be vanity. Gentling comes across as a pretty horrifying violation, even if some characters view it as a necessary action or just punishment. They've already shown that the Red Ajah have gone rogue, conducting unsanctioned gentling in the first episode. Plus we have the sad tale of Thom's nephew.

[@khopdub6206]

Loved it. I'm wondering did Logan break free or did Liandrinn let her shield down. Book readers know what color haga Liandrinn really is.

[@lillithsummers8817]

It wasn’t an Easter egg but I loved the clever foreshadowing of Matt’s horse being skittish as they approached the farm. Remember Episode 1 when Bella got spooked on the road to Edmonds field because the fade was around? The fade was already near that farm :)

[@thistlecreek1]

I was thinking it was skiddish because of Mat, because of the taint on the dagger.

[@lillithsummers8817]

@@thistlecreek1 that could be too. Fun either way.

[@kght222]

being able to effect unseen things with the one power has never been exclusively impossible. it is dangerous. another person in this comment section mentioned delving and healing, you can use the one power as a sensor to see (or sense) things that your eyes cannot. the wards in this very episode show that fact. but yeah, even in the book series trying to channel at things you can't see is not explained as impossible, just dangerous.

[@GreasyCanuck]

From a guy who's never read the books and only listened to the audiobooks your pronunciation of "Brigette" 9:29 cracked me up. That's actually the first time I've ever seen the spelling so I can see why you'd read it that way but in the audiobooks it's said throughout as Berg-Eat-Uh which sounds 1000% better than Ber-Geet There's a bunch of these like Tar-Vall-Lon (audiobooks) vs Tar-Va-Lon 14:28 so I'll probably just have to get used to it Moral of the story is you're too big of a WoT fan to not have listened to the audiobooks.. They're amazing and totally worth the 200ish bucks on audible. Especially if you're going to be putting out hundreds of hours of more WoT content in the next couple years

[@benjaminmoldovan5751]

Plus they do have some pronunciations in the glossaries on the back of the books.

[@LadyEvaBlue]

I haven't read the books (yet) but love the show so I really appreciate your videos! Helps me understand what's going on. 😁

[@WoTUp]

Awesome!

[@aginorchuain6561]

I have what I consider a great theory (but I am bias, it is mine lol). Whenever you see Logain channel you see black weaves coming in from off screen. At first I dismissed this and figured it was the taint. Then ofc I though of the True Power and how it is looks to Rand like a black cord from the rear. I think this is actually a forsaken, maybe two. Helping in an evil way, but influencing Logain though talk. I think maybe two forsaken (one is a girl, maybe even this is first of Lanfear), talking in Logains ear at the beginning. Then fast forward to the end. Between Korene and Liandrin sitting you see a weird flash. I think this is a forsaken who was called to aid Logain by giving power to break sheild. At this moment you also hear faint voices in the background like Logain is being talked to again. You see the black weaves coming in from off screen and Logain's cage disintegrates.

[@MultivectorAnalysis]

@13:40, he does not think he's the Dark One. One of the Forsaken (was it Graendal?) made that comment, but you're falling into an unreliable narrator trap if you believed it. I'm pretty sure it was somewhere in book 2 that Rand says "I'm not the Dragon Reborn, Father of Lies," and Ishy's response was something like "you exalt me and debase yourself." Ishy never claims to be the DO, and his above statement doesn't really make sense if he thought he was. Ba'alzamon is the trolloc name for Ishamael, and it was everyone else who misunderstood it to be referring to the DO

[@Adam_okaay]

No Rand, while in a dream shard, asks Moridin something like "you really believed you were the Dak One didn't you? How did he react to that?" Moridin says "I've been punished for that."

[@knowitnone]

I wonder if “Elusha” is in fact a certain daughter of a certain night, messing with Loagain’s mind, and Logain may not be going mad at all 🤔

[@mionehaak195]

I think the difference in the power coming from outside for Saidin and coming from inside for Saidar is the comparison between in which they access the source. Saidar is embraced therefore comes from close in, Saidin is seized therefore comes from elsewhere.

[@operasoulmana1619]

About the way the weaves look for Logain : I think it's more of an aesthetic effect. The Aes Sedai do a lot of gestures with their hands and the weaves ar curling and weaving around them, giving a sense of power coming from inside/inward. While Logain doesn't lift a finger when he channels so the weaves don't really focus on his middle area and we have a sense of outward because of the shooting. But remember the first episode with the battle of Winternight ? There were shots from above the village and weaves coming from afar towards Moiraine, kinda like what we have here with Logain. So, I don't think there's much sense to make of that outside of pure aesthetics.

[@Dragonturtle99]

Logan walking around with that Ridiculous WWE belt was enough for me 🤣🤣🤣. Dear lord .

[@Gragnar]

In the show, they specify that women cannot see male weaves. In the books, neither men nor women can see the other's weaves but men can sense women channeling, feeling goosebumps. In the show, they might go the way of men seeing either the weaves or a glow around women channeling, which would be a more visual way of showing it. Either that or Nynaeve is actually visually glowing while channeling.

[@rdngmikey]

I think that it is not when she channels in general, I think that she channeled SO much in that moment that it was actually visible.

[@mdl276]

Sarah Nakamura clarified this on her Twitter. Logain can't see Nyn's weaves. He was responding to the debris and shockwave that he felt. Also men can sense women channeling so he probably got a giant wave of goosebumps as well.

[@rdngmikey]

@@mdl276 Okay, so he is shielding his face from debris instead of the light. Thank you, that is helpful information.

[@WalkenDead]

I didn't really think about it while watching but seeing the still of Logain being gentled, it kind of looks like the viking Blood Eagle. If that was the intent, that is both brutal and a very interesting way to demonstrate what that process would feel like

[@YorkieKDS]

The forth Ta'veren is and always was clearly Bella.

[@alltaira5922]

With the dream sequence where Matt has blood on his hands, I think this is foreshadowing his fear that he has blood on his hands for killing the Grimwalds.

[@QCteamkill]

The battle scene was a big let down for me. It looked amateurish, the effects didn't match well with the pyro. The stunts reminded me of Commando. There was too many cuts and it looks like they couldn't get one good long take out of it. I've seen the featurette they basically enacted the whole battle, it's disappointing that this was the result of so much effort. I expected the Aes Sefai to have more finesse, precision and less blunt force explosions. Especially from the greens who have many warders around, seems they can't work together once the enemy has reached the lines.

[@bruceh9780]

One thing I took away from the books was that everyone assumed Aes Sedai were the pinnacle of power, women who trained for decades to achieve the shawl and had centuries to perfect their art, but once tested in real conditions that wasn't the case. Time and again they are shown to be half-trained children with an over inflated sense of their own importance, as shown by the contemptuous way the Forsaken, the Wise ones, the Windfinders, the Asha'man, Rand, Nynaeve, Egwene, Elayne, and pretty much everyone outstrips them without much effort at all. Who would of thought petty politics, useless formality and scrubbing pots was a shit way to train masters of magic?

[@theawebster1505]

@@bruceh9780 yes, but to the normal everyday men they should still be very overpowered

[@bruceh9780]

@@theawebster1505 I guess in terms of normla soldiers they are over powered. 7 Aes Sedai plus warders taking out 1000 soldiers is pretty good, but the series needs somewhere to go for Dumai's Wells. Asha'man, Kill.

[@dnbjedi]

Now that you mention it those explosions from the ground really did remind me of some kitschy 80’s type FX. I think that the show is gaining steam as it goes and we’ll see way more effort thrown at the subsequent ep/seasons.

[@joelevesque3283]

I think the woman and man whispering in logain's ears may be Lanfear and another of the forsaken. Maybe? Opinions?

[@Kopp203]

Nyneave's healing is directed. It's not so much she's kinda casting Regrowth (lol!) but in the books, apart from her ability to channel a metric asston of the One Power without the assistance of angreal or sa'angreal, she's also renowned for being able to instinctively manipulate many weaves simultaneously, often blending all 5 powers while doing so. As a measure of raw power level, she also beat one of the Forsaken - Moghedien - in a straight-up One Power 1v1 battle.

[@douglasalexander7814]

TOTALLY missed the red hand! Nice catch!

[@Swiergotka78]

It´s been a while since I read the books, but I never bought into male & female channelers not being able to sence each other´s power while channeling. I know they can´t see the weaves, but the burst of power (this huge ball of light encompassing her) we see from Nynaeve are not the healing weaves. We see these, too. Maybe that´s why Logain can see or sense that burst of power - as it´s not weaves. Also, the sisters are saying they can feel how powerfull Logain is...(though that might come from their experience of shielding him). But: how the hell can then Kerene see the spikes Logaine is forming and protect Liandrin and Moiraine? They explicidly say in the show, women can´t see men´s weaves... hmmm... The way channeling seems to work in the series, as we see with Moiraine fighting the Trollocs, is by connecting weaves to physical things. Now, I can´t really tell if they are drawing power from these things or just wrapping the weaves around to use them. I didn´t check it scene by scene, but Logain´s tendrils of power seem to connect to something afar in all shots as a principle, not only in the one scene Jon mentioned. I am a bit upset about the inconsistencies in the show, though. We get to see two completly different versions of gentling, which is confusing. In the Cold Opening, we don´t see the sisters linking - we do hear Liandrin say "Sisters" before she gentles the poor guy, but we see no hand movements from them, no weaves. We also see no weaves from Liandrin and no saidin being ripped out from the chest of the gentled man. He talks to someone he can see as a person - while Logain talks to figures made of saidin. Things like "surely 7 fully trained Aes Sedai can deal with a whole army" or whatever Liandrin says, Moiraine mentioning Kerene fighting off armies vs. what we see in the battle, namely a bunch of disorganised attackers kicking Aes Sedai asses and the Aes Sedai not even linking... well, Moiraine was able to defete a bunch of trollocs alone and she´s not the strongest Aes Sedai out there. So to me it´s a mess. Showrunners, don´t tell or show us one thing and then contradict it, stick to one version. It´s already confusing for the book readers, but I can´t imagine how confused the non-readers must feel by now.

[@metarra]

What did you think about the power ranger hand gestures from the channelers that link with Liandrin? I get it for the initial linking. However, after linking, it shouldn't matter what they do, but they still made a gesture like they did something while Logain was being gentled. It gave very teeny bopper power ranger vibes.

[@shaneducholke364]

Sad to see Thom gone so quick, basically 4 key scenes and he is done. I hope we see him before the middle of next season

[@andscifi]

I believe that they mentioned in the first episode that one of the aes sedia who gave prophecies was blind. Like you said, it's probably just that it looks better so they're weaving that into the plot.

[@trirain146]

I didn't read all the comments there are quite a few of them. When Moiraine talks about the woman who prophecies the Dragon Reborn being reborn, she told that the woman was born blind (in different words) and yes she spokes about her as Aes Sedai, so it seems that it has been changed that you can't channel when you cannot see.

[@lmhollandS0]

But when Nyneave heals the severing she works at the top of the head which is where i expected the severing to happen as well, not at the heart.

[@pierobiondo8843]

the darkfriend in episode 3 says something like "its one of the five of you..." maybe in the show there are 5 tavareen on not 4, as Moraine claimed in the first episode. so the fifth one would be Nynaeve, and this is what Logain saw...

[@tonyhartzell9634]

Remember that in Rand's fights with the chosen, they have a black cord that goes into the distance that he severs. Possibly the black tendril going off screen from Logain is the same??

[@WoTUp]

I dunno! Maybe!

[@andrewberenson5717]

Great point about the closing of the eyes.

[@elizalva225]

I think they will make Nynaeve ta’veren. I thought that the end scene, where everyone except her is about to die was the Pattern weaving itself around her.

[@azimuth4297]

The quick shot of the axe blade missing Nynaeve tells us she's Ta'veren.

[@sarina411]

What I am wondering is if the fact that Nynaeve (at least in this episode) is wearing a green jacket with a grey "collar/seam idk", a yellow dress and a blue belt (almost all Ajahs combined ) is a hint that she might me the next Amrylin Seat in case something might happen to Siuan throughout the season?

[@sarina411]

Oh and black boots and a brown bag

[@AthenaNike71]

Anyone noticed how it’s the dagger that lifts Mat’s arm, not the other way around? Mat is like a puppet, in that scene.

[@antonymiller213]

I suspect that the flows of the power are just always visible for the most part, and that Logain was responding to the same thing we were seeing. You can see him covering his eyes with his hand at 57:38 and until she stops channeling. It's also possible that there's a level at which channeling becomes visible to anyone. I think a lack of explanation for who can or can't see the flows is one place where I would like to see someone expound a little more in the series.

[@nathanielkornacki2437]

Moraine mentions directly that she can't see men's weaves.

[@antonymiller213]

I guess Moiraine actually says out loud that "Women can't see men's weaves..." I'm not sure what Logain is seeing, but he definitely reacts like he's been hit by a bright flash.

[@nathanielkornacki2437]

It's possible they actually showcased men's ability to feel women embracing the source.

[@Die_Oile]

To your question about the Power coming from within or outside: The linking shows quite clearly how saidar, too, is drawn from offscreen, to be channeled. In e1‘s TwoRivers battle, the energy also first gathers into Moiraine before she channels it out. But there was another power-logic fault included only for dramatic effect: how Stepin attacked Logain. If the weave we see is the shield of spirit on him, the axes would have gone right through. If it‘s an added holding of Air, hacking into it should not have affected Logain‘s shield, thus not affecting the weapons in the way we saw. Maybe it‘s nitpicky, but they derived from OnePower lore here.

[@melissaroberts2299]

I wondered that too

[@Calathil]

Upgrading power-forged weapons to affect the power maybe? Assuming Stepin's axes are power-forged.

[@Die_Oile]

@@Calathil still could not affect spirit…

[@ivoneray1472]

I like what they have done with the show so far. I welcome the changes as a new turn of the wheel and I have family members and friends who have never read the books and are enjoying watching the show. For non readers, it doesn't make a difference if they use the one power with their eyes closed or not. It is visually more interesting to see it that way, too.

[@benjaminmoldovan5751]

My wife likes to goof off on her phone, but she's kind of watching it with me. Also a friend at work is watching the show too. Neither has read the books.

[@ivoneray1472]

@@benjaminmoldovan5751 that's great 👍

[@Adam_okaay]

Characters channel affecting things they can't see in the books. Several of the Forsaken do it. Also it's how gateways work, it requires a good idea of the location. Also characters claim "you need to see the weaves to manipulate them" but that's not true Tarna Feir's block made it so she could only channel with her eyes closed, and RJ himself said a blind person could channel by feel, it would be very difficult for them to learn weaves though.

[@benjaminmoldovan5751]

They may be simplifying a little with the madness, but I don't think it will all be EXACTLY the same.