The Wheel of Time Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Continues Its Positive Path, Offering Good Performances
Cast: Rosamund Pike, Daniel Henney, Josha Stradowski, Madeleine Madden, Zoë Robins, Donal Finn, Marcus Rutherford
Director: Sanaa Hamri
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4/5 (four stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
After three episodes, The Wheel of Time Season 2 Episode 4 titled “Daughter Of The Night” is available on Prime Video. “Daughter of the Night, she walks again. The ancient war she yet fights. The new lover she seeks, who shall serve her and die, yet serve still. Who shall stand against her coming? The Shining Walls shall kneel. Blood feeds blood, blood is called blood. Blood is, blood was, and blood shall ever be“. In an episode where several figures seem to be looking for guidance, a mentor, help, and advice, it is Rand who falls the worst. He has run into Selene Lanfear, an Outcast. Not for nothing, the seduction scenes involving the two take place on the edge of a precipice. The young Dragon Reborn doesn’t draw better when he turns to Logain Ablar, even if the good interpretation of Alvaro Morte makes any pretext to keep the character in play welcome.
The Wheel of Time Season 2 Episode 4 Review: The Story Plot
The series is based on Robert Jordan’s fantasy best-seller The Wheel of Time. Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski, Gran Turismo), discovers that he is the Dragon Reborn, a dangerous figure in history destined to save the world… or destroy it. To protect him from the Dark One, an army of powerful women must contend with her growing power and his encroaching madness. The Wheel of Time turns and the Last Battle approaches. Even though Rand thought he had destroyed the Dark One, evil did not disappear from the world. In season two, new and old threats stalk Two Rivers’ young friends, now scattered around the world. There is woman who found and guided them is now unable to help them, so they must find other sources of strength. In each other, or themselves. In the Light… or the Darkness.
The Wheel of Time Season 2 Episode 4 Review and Analysis
Another figure looking for direction, so as not to be consumed by his power, is Perrin. Luckily, he finds Elyas, also in tune with the wolves, ready to teach him. He also receives the sympathy of the wolf Hopper, and this is only positive, while as a backdrop there are the wonderful scenes set in the woods: In short, a truly successful moment from the point of view of aesthetics and content. Another visually valuable moment concerns Moiraine, who has returned to the home of her aristocratic family in Cairhien. A special quote for the dollhouse. Here is Lindsay Duncan’s added value, as the sister of the blue Aes Sedai. She proves to be a professional player of the Game of Houses, a worthy opponent for anyone, and makes the sequence very interesting, allowing us to predict juicy future developments. The theme of how the affinity with True Power makes Aes Sedai age more slowly than those who do not know how to channel is also introduced, with the very bad side effect of seeing all their loved ones die around them.
The first 3 episodes were sure to bring back the main characters and give a hint of what’s to come in the future. The fourth episode “Daughter of the Night” marks a turning point for the middle of the season. Moraine is finally reunited with Rand in the shocking final moments of the episode, Egwene and Nynaeve and the heir to the throne Elayne are attacked at the hands of Liandrine for a reason we still don’t know. The fourth episode focuses a lot on Moraine’s psychology and what drives her to act the way she does. Fight for good and defeat darkness? What about her makes her so motivated, what makes her not give up even when her connection to only power has been hidden?
We discover a part of her past when in search of Rand she returns to visit her sister, Queen Cairhien. A sad moment, in which the distance that Aes Sedai puts between herself, and her sister is underlined, the distance that her life has led them to have. Liandrin is also a character that is explored and expanded in this episode, his anger is increasingly evident, but his motivations are not so much. We hope to find out more before the end of this second season. The fear of loss, pain, and separation seems to dominate in this fourth episode of “The Wheel of Time“. Everyone suffers for something they have lost, Nynaeve just returned from the arcs, Egwene who wants her friend back, and Perrin who while discovering who he is still mourns the death of his wife. And Rand, who tries to forget the love of his life in the arms of another woman.
Until the final twist, the episode drags on quite slowly, but it is greatly rewarded by those incredible last minutes. Still speaking of Moirane and characters in search of guidance, Lan could also be included among the latter. He discusses with another Guardian how to manage, after twenty years of telepathic communication, the screen that now stands between him and his Aes Sedai. Unfortunately, when it comes to Lan, Moiraine, and the relationships between them it always lapses into vulgarity, thanks to the comments unnecessarily loaded with sexual overtones from those around. For this reason, the time dedicated to the issue is always too long and poorly used. We understand the usefulness of expanding the subplot because Rosamund Pike is one of the main characters of the show, but we must also take care of the quality.
In the promotional material, images of Moirane with her true love, Amerlyn, were seen. Paradoxically, those scenes could be much more focused and meaningful than banal chatter. The first leads to exquisitely philosophical speculations, capable of opening abysses. It comes from Liandrin’s assertion that Aes Sedai’s vow to “speak not untrue words” does not imply a prohibition against lying to oneself. The point, in the modest opinion of the writer, is that if you start lying to yourself then you get lost in the woods and will never be able to go back. The second has more practical and certainly more significant implications for the development of the series. As can be seen in the ending of the episode in question, the Forsaken cannot be killed.
In the books, they can be reincarnated in another body, in the show, for convenience and perhaps also to not confuse the public beyond what is necessary, the Outcast remains stunned for a few moments, then gets up again. In the case of Lanfear, this is not a problem. Natasha O’Keeffe was able to best handle the considerable weight left on her shoulders in this episode. The figure itself, then, proves to have been developed with care and love by the screenwriters, both in the minor details and in the main points: ranging from the cold opening with its evocation by Ishamael, where the improved special effects shine, to the touch of class for which Selene manages the Falce di Luna inn.
The Wheel of Time Season 2 Episode 4 Review: The Last Words
The Wheel of Time Season 2 Episode 4 marks a turning point in the middle of the season. It starts slowly, exploring the characters’ motivations and psychology more. Past and present, pain and loss mix until an emotional final twist. The show continues its positive path, offering good performances and moments of real joy for the eyes. What significantly lowers the rating, however, is the subplot of the relationship between Lan and Moiraine, which is poorly managed and risks taking up precious time from the other storylines.
The Wheel of Time Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Continues Its Positive Path, Offering Good Performances - Filmyhype
Director: Sanaa Hamri
Date Created: 2023-09-08 13:33
4
Pros
- The development of Perrin's character. It was great to see Perrin finally learn the truth about himself, and I'm excited to see how this revelation affects his journey in the future.
- The introduction of Elyas Machera. Barney Harris is a great actor, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of him in the future.
- The scenes in Shadar Logoth. The city of Shadar Logoth is a dark and twisted place, and the scenes set there were suitably creepy and atmospheric.
- The performances of the cast. Everyone was on top form in this episode, and I especially enjoyed the performances of Josha Stradowski, Rosamund Pike, and Zoe Robins.
Cons
- The pacing was a bit slow in the middle of the episode.
- The subplot with Matt (Barney Harris) and Min (Kae Alexander) felt a bit underdeveloped.
