The world of The Wheel of Time is filled with intricate lore, deep histories, and a tangled web of alliances and betrayals. The battle for control of the One Power gets tougher in Season 3, Episode 6 called “The Shadow in the Night”. More is at stake than ever. Secrets come out, paths cross, and decisions are made that will affect the characters’ futures. In this episode, we learn a lot about past traumas, changing relationships, and the huge weight of power and responsibility.
LIANDRIN’S DARK PAST AND LANFEAR’S DEMANDS
The episode starts with a scary flashback that takes us back 95 years in time. Liandrin (Kate Fleetwood), a strong Aes Sedai, holds her new baby son Aludran in her arms. But her happiness doesn’t last long because her husband tries to drown the child out of fear. Out of anger and grief, Liandrin lets loose the One Power, which kills the men in the room. As she runs away from the city in search of safety, she only finds rejection and abandonment. Finally, Ishamael shows up and offers her salvation. He also starts her on the dark path she is now on.
Lanfear comes to see Liandrin in her dreams, which are bad dreams where Liandrin sits as the Amyrlin Seat. Always trying to get what she wants, Lanfear questions her loyalty. Now that Ishamael is dead, the Black Ajah has to decide what to do next. Lanfear tells Liandrin not to play a risky power game and tells them that Rahvin has turned one of their own against them. What was her job? To get rid of the traitor before the Forsaken start to fight each other.
THE SHACKLED MAN AND THE SEARCH FOR THE COLLAR
Liandrin gets together with the other Black Ajah members and tells them about the Shackled Man, a male channeler who is controlled by two bracelets and a collar. She has one of the bracelets, but the other one is still hidden in Tanchico. There is not much time left; they need to find the missing pieces quickly before their unseen master gets impatient. Moghedien is one of them. He is a scary and evil presence.
At the same time, Elayne (Ceara Coveney), Nynaeve, Mat (Dónal Finn), and Min are all on their own missions and navigating the dangerous streets of Tanchico. Their goal was to find out more about the Black Ajah and Liandrin. They split up and put on masks to blend in. In another place, Egwene asks the Wise Ones for help because she is determined to beat Lanfear in Tel’aran’rhiod. There is too much fear in the dream world, though, the Wise Ones tell her, so she shouldn’t fight. These people tell Egwene that she should use her strength in her dreams, where she is stronger.
In Moiraine’s dreams, she and Lanfear have a mysterious meeting. As Moiraine questions Lanfear about her plans and worries, she hints at a vision she had in Rhuidean that made her afraid of the Forsaken. Lanfear, always trying to stay out of sight, gives Rand a sneaky hint about a surprise she has in store for him and tells Moiraine to leave him to handle it on his own.
RAND AND THE AIEL—A LESSON IN HUMILITY
Rand keeps traveling with the Aiel and learns about their traditions and ways of doing things. Alsera, a young girl, shows him her squash plant with pride. In the end, Rand shows her disrespect by picking up her spear, which is an Aiel sacred act. Alsera says he will help her take care of her garden when the time comes to make things right. These small but important events show how hard it is for Rand to fit in with Aiel culture.
In another place, Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) is hurt and needs to be healed right away. The people of Two Rivers have to take care of him until he gets better because Alanna is too weak to help. As a surprise, Mat’s sisters, who have hidden channeling skills,offer to help save him by following Alanna’s advice.
THOM MERRILIN RETURNS AND THE SEARCH FOR THE BRACELET
Mat, who is always up to something—tells people at a pub about the missing bracelet and collar to try to get leads. One of the people he meets is Thom Merrilin, an old friend who is not happy to see him. Thom doesn’t want to get involved because he is tired from past losses. Always determined, Mat tempts him with gold, drinks, and a story about the Horn of Valere, and in the end, he wins him over.
At the same time, Nynaeve and Min lie to get information. Min tells a lie when she says that a man will marry an Aes Sedai and then that woman will kill him. This trick gets locals who are wary to approach them, where they unintentionally give away useful information.
THE BETRAYAL AND THE BRACELET FALLING INTO THE WRONG HANDS
Moghedien quickly acts when he finds out that—Nynaeve and Min are in Tanchico. After torturing and killing a Black Ajah member who had heard their plans—she goes after the person who did it. At the same time, Liandrin uses a weave to get important information from a contact before also ending her own life.
Perrin and Faile have an emotional moment where Faile tells him that her mother, who is now a Darkfriend, tried to get her to join the Shadow and killed her own son in the process. Perrin then talks about his past and admits that he killed Laila by accident.
Mat finally gets the second bracelet, which he bought from a store owner who didn’t know he had it. He gives it to Nynaeve because he thinks their job is done. But Moghedien strikes before they can have a party. She traps Nynaeve and Elayne with her power and forces them to tell what they know. Nynaeve fights the urge, but Moghedien takes the bracelet from her, rendering them helpless. This is even worse: she erases their memories of the meeting, so they have no idea what happened.
THE WHEEL OF TIME (TEL’ARAN’RHIOD) RECAP: SEASON 3 EPISODE 5 — EXPLAINED
EGWENE AND RAND: A BROKEN TRUST
Rand tells Egwene that he has known about Lanfear’s pain the whole time, which makes Rand very angry. Rand, who looks tired, says sorry in a vague way, saying that Egwene doesn’t understand how hard things are for him. They quickly get angry with each other. Rand says that Egwene is driving him crazy, and she says that she never loved him, only the idea of the Dragon Reborn. There is a bitter silence at the end of the conversation, and the gap between them grows.
A SAD ENDING—RAND’S POWER UNLOCKED
Just as things are getting worst, Lanfear’s deadly surprise shows up. Rand has to use his power to protect himself from the attackers, but he destroys things by accident. One of the people who died is young Alsera, who was crushed under the rubble. Rand is so sad that he desperately tries to bring her back with his power, but Moiraine steps in and stops him from going crazy.
After everything is over, the Aiel get ready to fight the Whitecloaks, and Perrin is in the middle of a growing fight. In the meantime, Moghedien has a dangerous advantage now that he has the bracelet.
In Episode 6 of Season 3 of The Wheel of Time, the characters take a terrible hit that leaves them broken and open to attack. The way forward is more dangerous than ever because enemies are becoming more brazen and alliances are changing. The fight for power is still going on, and the question is: who will win?
Check back to tvacute.com for more news, recaps, and in-depth analysis about The Wheel of Time.
The Wheel of Time Season 2 Episode 8: What to Expect?
The Wheel of Time Season 2 Episode 4 Recap: [Daughter of the Night] Explained!
The Wheel of Time Season 2 Episode 5 Recap: ‘Damane’
