The Wheel of Time Review: The Dark Along the Ways (Season 1 Episode 7)
The Wheel of Time Season 1 Episode 7, “The Dark Along the Ways,” gives our characters a bit of a break before they continue their journey to the eye of the world. While it may seem a bit odd to slow down in the penultimate episode, it’s actually the right decision.
While we all know that Nynaeve, Perrin, Egwene, and Rand are close, we really haven’t seen them all together in a while. This respite gives us a chance to catch back up with them, and see how they are feeling about their fates as the potential dragon reborn.
They haven’t had the chance to really discuss it on their own, without Lan nor Moiraine present, and it’s fascinating to see everyone say their piece and attempt to convince the others to see it their way. Of course, this leads to bickering and the problematic moment that should’ve been left out — the implication that Perrin has feelings for Egwene.
It comes out of nowhere; nothing we’ve seen indicates that this is true or false. Perhaps this is more of a thing in the books, but in the show, there haven’t any romantic moments between them.
We haven’t seen any indication that Perrin is pining after Egwene. It’s all been about his grief over Layla, or him being protective of Egwene when they were held captive by the white cloaks, which is reasonable behavior.
Nynaeve’s comment doesn’t really serve any purpose in terms of plot or character development. All it does is cause Rand and Perrin to have a male showdown, Egwene to get mad at Rand, and Rand to feel the need to shoot some arrows.
Perhaps you can claim that the comment is partially responsible for getting Egwene and Rand back together, but that should’ve happened in some less dramatic way. All in all, it is too much and makes zero sense given what we’ve seen on the show.
The dragon reborn reveal is a bit confusing. Not in the sense of who the show tells us it is, but in terms of how exactly Rand figures it out.
You have to hope that this is something that’s clearer in the books because it’s a bit of a baffling mess on screen. Initially, the thought is that Rand is mistaken, but considering there’s one episode left, it’s highly doubtful that’s the case.
We’re shown flashbacks and memories that seem to convince Rand that he’s the dragon reborn, but those scenes don’t really suggest anything at all. Perhaps I need to watch the scenes with him and the one power a bit more closely, but it’s doubtful it will help.
The whispers are the clearest indication, but those appear to just say someone’s worst fears, not the truth. Moiraine even tells us to ignore it, so you can’t really just rely on that alone as proof.
Don’t even get me started on the opening scene.
Aside from recognizing the sword and understanding that this is a flashback to when Rand was born, nothing that The Wheel of Time is trying to do there registers. We don’t have enough information to really be able to comprehend what is happening and the implications of it.
Then there’s the prophecy Rand receives, which doesn’t seem to prove as much as he thinks it does.
Him not returning home could simply mean that he isn’t the dragon reborn and dies. It’s brought up again in this episode how those who go to the eye of the world and aren’t the dragon will die… so that prophecy doesn’t carry any weight in confirming the dragon reborn theory.
The confusion surrounding Rand’s declaration that he’s the dragon reborn dampers any excitement we have going into the finale. It’s hard to look ahead to the battle when we’re still trying to decipher what happened on “The Dark Along the Ways.”
Here’s hoping the finale clears up any lingering questions we have while also going out with a bang. Season 2 has already been confirmed, so at least we don’t have to worry about that.
Stray Thoughts
- Well, if you had any doubt about how Moraine feels about Mat, her sending the Red Ajah after him clears that up.
- NYNAEVE AND LAN!!!!! They make my heart sing.
- Also, Moiraine sharing her approval of Lan’s affection for Nynaeve is so cute.
What did you think of this episode of The Wheel of Time? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
New episodes of The Wheel of Time air Fridays on Amazon Prime Video.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Allison Nichols
Allison is in a love affair with television that doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. Slightly damaged fictional characters are her weakness. She loves to spend her free time curled up with a cat and a show to binge-watch. Allison is a Tomatometer-approved critic (Rotten Tomatoes).