The Wheel of Time Season 2 Episode 5 Review: Damane
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
On The Wheel of Time Season 2 Episode 5, “Damane,” Rand blindly follows Moiraine as she does her best to save his life. The two of them are such a fun pairing. You never know what kind of scene you’re going to get from them. Their relationship runs the gamut.
It’s clear how much Rand trusts and respects Moiraine. He knows that if she is stabbing people through the throat and running away, he should follow and ask questions later.
Their dynamic begins to shift at the end of the episode — thanks to great advice from Moiraine’s sister — and, hopefully, this trend continues throughout the rest of the season. Moiraine opens up to Rand about her plans and puts some more trust in him to gauge their situation. She relinquishes some control, which is very unlike her.
Moiraine and Rand have such a strange relationship, and I’m enjoying seeing the two of them have some more one-on-one time.
The main issue plaguing the episode is that the pacing is off.
The Wheel of Time Season 2 Episode 4, “Daughter of the Night,” ends with two storylines on a bit of a cliffhanger — Moiraine temporarily killing Selene and Liandrin attacking Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne. While “Damane” quickly picks up with Rand and Moiraine, we don’t check in with Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne until much later in the episode.
Nynaeve: Your son is dying. You betrayed your sisters, and you’re sitting in the dark trying to justify yourself to a woman you’ve kidnapped. Was your price worth all this?
We should’ve spent time with them before Perrin. It doesn’t make sense to ignore such a big moment for so long. By the time the four women finally appear on our screens, the storyline has lost its momentum.
It would’ve been better for that scene to happen quickly, even if it meant waiting longer to see Liandrin deliver them to High Lady Suroth.
Even though we just met her, it’s clear that Aviendha is going to be a great addition to the show.
She brings back some levity in Perrin’s storyline, making it a bit more engaging. Her teasing Perrin about not being opposed to being his lover is adorable, and it brings back memories of Nina teasing Matthias on Shadow and Bone Season 1.
Through Aviendha, we also get to learn about a new part of this world. There’s still a lot to learn about the Aiel people, but it’s always interesting when the world expands a bit more on the show, as long as it’s properly explained and doesn’t leave us confused.
One small moment that I really enjoyed in this episode happened during a conversation between Ishamael and Selene/Lanfear.
They talk about our friends from the Two Rivers, and what’s most notable about this is that this tidbit hints at how each of them will play an important role in the battle to come, which is something we haven’t really heard since The Wheel of Time Season 1.
Rand isn’t the only important piece on the chessboard, and it’s about time we got a reminder. I’m curious as to how everyone else will factor into the big picture.
Stray Thoughts
- Lan, where are you?
- Egwene, I’m worried about you. I don’t know how you come back from that collar.
- Verrin isn’t buying Liandrin’s lies at all, and I love her for that.
- But, I still maintain hope that Liandrin isn’t totally lost to the dark.
- Moiraine and her nephew are adorable, as is Rand’s reaction to seeing Moiraine with family.
- Nynaeve is so frustrating when she refuses to listen to Elayne’s very good advice about how to not get caught.
- Unexpectedly, Verrin’s storyline is engaging and a lot of fun.
- Any theories on how this season will end, maybe a big showdown at Falme?
What did you think of this episode of The Wheel of Time? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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New episodes of The Wheel of Time release on Fridays on Prime Video.
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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).