The Wheel of Time season three is here and it doesn’t waste any time getting into chaos. Thanks to a sneak peek clip released prior to its debut, we knew that episode one would include a big fight that reveals Black Ajah among the Aes Sedai at the White Tower. While we saw a pretty good clip of everything that happened, there was even more to this extended White Tower fight in The Wheel of Time. Nothing is the same in the Tower anymore in many different ways, and this fight sets the stage for adventures that span to Tanchico, the Aiel Waste, and more.
The White Tower Attack in The Wheel of Time Reveals Black Ajah Are Everywhere
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In episode one, Liandrin comes before Siuan and other Aes Sedai in the infamous Hall. Liandrin tries to call out Siuan for not only talking to Moiraine after her banning from the White Tower, which is forbidden, but also for allowing the Dragon Reborn to get away from her clutches. This causes a stir but Siuan has a reverse Uno in her pocket. She says that unlike other Aes Sedai who cannot lie, Liandrin can because she is a Darkfriend. And, Siuan has proof in the form of Nynaeve, whom Liandrin kidnapped and sold (along with Egwene and Elayne) to the Seanchan in season two.
Liandrin attempts to use her powers against her sisters, which angers Siuan. But things go awry when other Black Ajah come to Liandrin’s defense. By the end of it all, there’s Black Ajah in every sect of Aes Sedai, protected objects are now in the wrong hands thanks to former Brown Ajah Nyomi, and Warders and Aes Sedai alike die in Tar Valon.
It’s an overall epic scene that showrunner Rafe Judkins enjoyed bringing to life and actress Sophie Okonedo, who portrays Siuan a.k.a. the Amyrlin Seat, loved filming. She told Nerdist, “When I read it, I thought, ‘How are we going to do this?’ I just couldn’t visualize it. I didn’t really have that sort of brain that can work out fight scenes… We have a brilliant stunt team. We had two weeks to shoot it, I think. So it was quite a long time. And also we had quite a lot of fun between takes. It was very dusty. I will say that.”
Judkins followed up, saying that this scene was a part of the season three writers’ room plan from the very start. However, making it all come together took an incredible amount of work from everyone involved.
“We wanted to open with a bang this time and just kind of throw the audience straight into something big,” he affirmed. “The Black Ajah attack on the White Tower is something that happens in the books, but it’s off screen. Here, it’s very much on the screen and we’re seeing all these incredible women throw down in the first 15 minutes. I think it shows off what the show can do with our incredible VFX team, the costumes, the actresses, and also the work from the production side, too. It was a huge endeavor for us to build all of that and have that all be able to happen. It was almost like we were starting with a season finale battle! But we still have some things up our sleeve later in the season.”
Rand Defies Moiraine and Lanfear to Head to the Aiel Waste: What Does This Mean for the Trio?
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Following the Tower drama, Moiraine wants Rand to go to Tear where the Callandor sword is. It is one that only the Dragon Reborn can access and is powerful beyond imagination. It is a tool that will be useful considering the Forsaken and Black Ajah are wreaking havoc. Interestingly, Lanfear is on the same page with Moiraine to a degree concerning Tear. But she thinks that Rand won’t go because of his friends. And, after all of those horrendous dreams, Rand still doesn’t do what he wants them to do. Womp womp.
Instead, he wants to head to the Aiel Waste and garner support there for an army. To do that, he must prove himself to be the Car’a’carn, or their Chief of all Chiefs. This means, as Aviendha explains, both creation and destruction for the Aiel, as foretold by the Prophecy of Rhuidean.
Rand’s resistance to listening to Moiraine and Lanfear will certainly be a major part of this season. Lanfear actress Natasha O’Keeffe says her character will not play nice this season. “She’s take the reins, but Rand’s resistance is very much that of a dragon,” says O’Keefe. “The old ways and tactics from the Selene and Rand relationship are no longer working. So I think Lanfear is realizing that she has to step up and it won’t be cute.”
While Lanfear is primarily exhibiting influence and control of Rand (and Egwene) from afar via dreams, Moiraine is right by his side as they head to the Aiel Waste. But, that proximity doesn’t mean that Rand is any easier to control… or trust with his newfound power.
“There’s a push-pull journey through the whole of season three,” says Moiraine Sedai actress Rosamund Pike. “Mistrust is key theme for both of them. Rand doesn’t know who to trust and wants Moiraine to trust him. He wants to be the leader, not just the follower. It’s the idea that’s kept coming through of whether he’s just a puppet on the strings for the Aes Sedai. And Moiraine’s passionate mission to guide him can verge on the controlling. She has to learn to relinquish control, which is not something that’s easy for her.”
One thing is for certain: Rand’s time away with Lanfear made him a very different person than the boy Moiraine met in Two Rivers. “Rand had adventures and he learned stuff beyond what she’s taught him while they were separated,” Pike said. “And she understands there are limits to what she can teach him because there’s still the conundrum that she can’t actually teach him how to wield the One Power. So that’s her biggest problem that she needs to solve. And I think she’s realizing that in order to keep with him and to keep guiding him, she has to follow him to some degree.”
So, what is on Rand’s mind as he heads to the Aiel Waste? Well, Josha Stradowski believes that his character cannot trust anyone, including himself. Power is intoxicating and Rand is teeming with it. We see him toying with it in episodes two and three as he says it feels like something burning within him.
“I think Rand knows that Moiraine comes with tricks and games and lies and also withholding the truth, at least sometimes,” says Stradowski. “What he wants is truth and people he can trust. I think Rand also knows that Moiraine is loyal and a quiet force. But at times, he’s not sure if he can actually trust her. I think this season he’s really annoyed by other people that push him in a certain direction. It kind of drives him mad. Though there’s lots of other people around him that mean good, I feel like this season he has never felt so alone.”
Prime Video
He continues, “His power is limitless and there’s so much that he doesn’t know. Rand wants to be the most powerful channeler in the world and that comes also with a certain kind of hate… I was watching an interview with Mike Tyson recently and he was saying that he didn’t like the man he needed to become [to be a champ]. And I feel like Rand is going through something similar. He knows that in a way he needs to become a monster. He’s destruction itself and at the same time he’s just a kid. He knows nothing, he’s not aware of his power, and that’s what we play with this season.”
The Wheel of Time certainly sets up many dramatic storylines this season. From Liandrin leading the Black Ajah to Tanchico to uncover dark parts of her past to the Whitecloaks hunting down Perrin to Nynaeve and Elayne’s dangerous hunt, the White Tower attack is having ramifications that will forever change this universe.
This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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