Moiraine is watching Rand and Lan spar with their actual swords. Rand takes a water break, and Lan asks about his thought process, resulting in Rand expositing the Flame and the Void. He goes on to say that he knows nothing of his father's life before their life in the Two Rivers together, and how familiar he was with their homeland and the sheep herding routine. Lan suggests the Aiel lands could become as familiar, but Rand, using as an example, the practice of putting an ewe's blood on a lamb whose mother died birthing it, in order to make the ewe accept & nurse the lamb as her own, explains his doubts about becoming an Aiel.

02:28I like them applying actual sheepherding knowledge as lore Rand would use. But they’re kind of missing the point of the anecdote, which is that acceptance is the important part of a family situation. The Aiel are accepting Rand, he has to accept them. The finality of his declaration does not jibe with the anecdote.

Lan asks what Rand wants to be and he yammers about so many things in the way screenwiters depict wistfulness over being locked onto a path. Lan urges him to get back to sparring.

03:10 Also, sparring with steel is retarded, even if they aren’t going to ruin their swords to no gain doing this. Either it could lead to death or they are practicing pulling their strikes, which is not good practice technique, because you might reflexively do it for real.

Egwene comes up beside Moiraine and references watched pots never boiling, to which Moiraine retorts "If only it were that easy to stop a pot from boiling."

03:26 Yeah, that was dumb, Egwene. Moiraine has previously established that she is concerned about signs of madness and wants Egwene to keep her eyes peeled for that. She should have known that’s why Moiraine is watching Rand, not waiting for something she wants to see.

Night time, the ladies without weapons are all in a tent, where Bair recites a formula of welcome, while a white-robed person puts food down. Egwene asks about Wise Ones having servants, and gets an explanation of gai'shain although simplified to being the ones who are touched by an enemy without using a weapon. So slavery-tag. Moiraine is a bit pissy about their failure to answer substantive questions as well as that one. She asks how the Wise Ones knew they coming. Bair does not tell her how, just mentions the limitations on their foresight. Crazy Eyes goes on to explain that they never saw Egwene coming and says it was only 50/50 Rand would. Bair adds that if he didn't, it was certain he & Aiel would die. Crazy Eyes goes on to say that Moiraine would also have died if she had not come, and if Lan had not come with her, and starts to say something about if Moiraine does not go through Rhuidean, before Bair shushes her. She says that in Rhuidean, it is possible to see some of the ways the future will happen.

04:52 Since she’s saying all her lines and her name was dropped last episode, I am assuming that crazy eyes is Melaine. Also, Moiraine, note that you would have died had you not come to the Three-Fold Land. Rand saved both your lives by blowing off your chosen (yeah, I mean that both ways) course of action. This is scarily like a coherent theme carrying through over the course of the season, based on what Verin told her in the first episode. The third season of your high budget prestige fantasy drama is a weird time to get writing competence.

Rand and Lan are walking through the camp when they are accosted by Aviendha reiterating her demand that Rand not touch a sword. He points out that is an Aiel practice and Aviendha is not according him the acceptance of his Aiel nature. She disarms him and knocks him down, holding him at spear point and insisting that no one touches a sword this close to the city in the clouds. Then she realizes that Lan is a thing and jumps up to make the same demand of him. Lan stares at her for a bit and scoffs, continuing to walk.

05:45 I was waiting for a so-clever comment in tortured phrasing that meant the same thing, with more words, as ‘Molon Labe!’ but they actually showed restraint, and managed to stay in character, for once, with Lan. You guys are on fire. Either that or this is some sort of prank, and Judkins has swapped shows with Tony Gilroy or Lauren LeFranc or Ryan Condal.

Instead, Lan circles, facing Aviendha, who tracks him with her spear point, as the Aiel take notice and begin to make monkey noises. The blonde Malkieri Maiden watches. Lan takes his sword off his shoulder, and Aviendha asks if he is asking her to dance. She calls him Aan'allein, for which, AFAIK we have not yet received an explanation. He draws on her.

06:11 And Lan has now stooped to pissing contest games with a virtual child. Too good to last.

Lan taps his blade to Aviendha's spear point. They begin fighting, with some back and forth thrusts and parries.

06:26 The fight is already going on too long. Aviendha should be on her ass, with Rhuarc coming up to offer some chuckling experience-based advice.

Fight, fight, fighty-fight. Rhuarc emerges from a tent to watch. Lan begins laughing. Lan drops to one knee, pulling Aviendha down as well, she disarms him, and he grapple and throws her, before retrieving his sword. It's dark enough that they could be defending Winterfell from the armies of the dead, and the Aiel are making enough monkey noises for a Wakandan coronation.

Suddenly Bair announces it is time, causing the music to turn off. Melaine rebukes Aviendha, telling her to stop her foolishness, and we start getting all the book dialogue from Chaendar.

07:20That is an awfully random time to go through this.

Bair says she was called, but instead crossed the Dragonwall to search for the Car'a'carn. Aviendha can't run forever. Bair holds out her hand, and Aviendha reluctantly draws her spears and hands them over. The Wise One breaks them over her knee. She gives Amys' backstory about not wanting to give up the spear for becoming a Wise One. She thought she was tough, but her duty was more important.

Melaine demands Aviendha's cadin'sor and says her new clothes will be waiting for her return. She strips off her gear and her top, down to an undershirt. She holds out both hands, palms up, asking leave to enter Rhuidean. Bair & Melaine both answer yes, telling her that her belongings will be given to her family if she does not return.

9:45 I can’t help but notice they have excised Egwene’s book lines from this scene, despite otherwise reproducing the dialogue from this event practically verbatim. Because Egwene ran her mouth like a dumbass, despite Moiraine’s warning and the actual import of their treatment of Aviendha being fairly obvious ritual stuff. Can’t have our writer’s pet looking bad.

Another change is for our spokeswoman speaking of her old attitude as a Maiden and mistaken belief in her strength. ITB, she said she discovered that her Wise One mentor was much stronger than herself. Here, she says “…but I learned my duty.” Which does not segue from the strength issue. Much as I appreciate the wholesale plagiarism we are getting this season leading to a higher level of dialogue, there are limits to how effectively you can use it out of context, especially when your other changes have taken you so far into the weeds.

Melaine takes her hands, and reassures her that her heart and mind are her new weapons, telling her to come back. Aviendha says she'll be back before they reach Chaendar. She turns and runs off into the night, as the music tries to make us sad.

10:24 Too bad there wasn’t a main character who had developed a close relationship with Aviendha to give her departure some poignancy and concern. Maybe you shouldn’t have blown off Aviendha & Egwene becoming friends, in favor of setting up her sexual affair with Elayne?

Rand is sitting in front of a campfire, when Moiraine comes up asking if he means to enter Rhuidean the next day. She cautions him that men can wait for weeks on the slopes before entering. Rand says he's not them, she cautions him about arrogance, but he cuts her off, saying he has to go and asking what she wants.

Moiraine wants Rand to give her a heads up on his plans so she can help him. Rand is skeptical, saying she's never tried to help him. She says that's all she's ever done, and makes a dignified exit with the moral high ground, but then comes back asking if he thinks he knows everything. Rand says if she wants him to confide in her, she has to promise she won't try to stop him, or use him for the Tower's ends or her own, demanding that she say it plainly, so he can trust her. Instead, she promises that she will do nothing to stop him fulfilling his destiny, but won't promise to let him make a fatal mistake. That's not good enough for Rand, and it's time for a commercial break.

12:00 Here’s another “context matters” moment. Moiraine in the books was trying to manipulate Rand from day one, between the roofie tracker coins, the withholding information and going behind his back to set him up for stuff. This version hasn’t been. In fact, she was remarkably forthcoming about her goals and interest in the Two Rivers crew, basically put the ball in their court regarding the Eye of the World, and let Rand figure things out for himself and come to her. Although she wasn’t interacting with Rand much last season, the bizarre sequence of events they tried to pass off as a character arc culminated in her affirming her devotion to the Dragon Reborn and willingness to do anything to help him. Until her shenanigans with Lanfear in this season (themselves another example of how OoC you might have to go to correct past failures to establish character or setting), Manipulator Moiraine has not been much on screen.

The next day, Rhuarc tells Rand they're coming up on Rhuidean, Rand asks if he's been there, and it turns out all chiefs must go, but they can't talk about it with those who haven't. Rand asks what is the difference for the Car'a'carn. Rhuarc shows his marking and admits to being the People of the Dragon, telling Rand that the Car'a'carn will be marked twice. They crest the ridge and see a low fog bank, with buildings sticking out and a fence of spears around the border.

13:10 That’s not the worst depiction of Rhuidean I could imagine.

Aiel-monkey noises cause Rhuarc to look off to the side and say "Shaido" and veil. He goes to confront another group of Aiel emerging from tents no one noticed before. Bair moves to the front, proclaiming the Peace of Rhuidean, saying who comes to Chaendaer may return home in peace.

A woman in a dress designed to attract, rather than endure the desert, with a giant headdress, moves up for the Shaido. She has a staring contest with Bair, and on close up, she has freckles and looks like she's garbed as an Egyptian ruler.

13:46 WTF is that?

In a deep voice the Shaido Pharaoh declares there will be no bloodshed. She and Bair nod, and her henchman unveils. In the tents, a Shaido man accuses the others of bringing wetlanders to Rhuidean. Rhuarc asks Pharaoh Lady where her husband is, calling her Sevanna. He dead, and Sevanna is now married to his son, Muradin, who has entered Rhuidean. The Shaido who spoke before says that if his brother fails, he will enter, but Bair says he needs permission and will have to ask her & Melaine if Muradin fails. She names him as Couladin.

Why didn’t Muradin have to ask? If he did, why doesn’t Couladin ask the ones who gave his brother permission?

Sevanna asks Rhuarc why he has come, and Rand steps forward, making the same gesture as Aviendha and asks to enter. Bair says yes, and Couladin gets pissed, because he's not Aiel. Rand says his mother was, but Bair corrects him, that it was his father. She shuts down Couladin's interruptions and asks Melaine for her answer. Which is yes, causing Couladin to draw his knife and attack, but Bair knocks him down with the Power. Moiraine and Egwene exchange glances, apparently not having known before this moment that the woman they have spent some time with, often in arm's reach, can channel. Maybe they read the books, where Bair cannot.

Couladin gets up, trying to save face by declaring that Rhuidean will kill Rand anyway, so he DGAF. The Wise Ones send away all the men who are not going in. They also tell Egwene to go, but she says she's going in with Rand.

15:45 Oh, hell, no! She’d better not!

Fortunately, Bair shuts that down, too, saying their paths do not align. As Egwene leaves, Moiraine asks leave to enter Rhuidean. Bair and Melaine hem and haw about her being told about this beforehand, Melaine saying that it was always she who asked, in all their visions. She tries to find out more, but Bair tells her that too much knowledge of the future causes disaster, from complacency or trying too much to change it. She & Melaine each say yes.

16:42 Now ITB, Rand and Moiraine went into Rhuidean for very different purposes. I wonder if and how that will be addressed.

Also, did Bair get her jewelry from Feminem, the weird white-clad witch thing that was tracking Fake-Gandalf in Rings of Power?

The Wise Ones take Rand & Moiraine to the spears bordering the fog, while Bair explains in voiceover that Moiraine has to go through three rings that will show her variations of her future. Melaine tells Rand that he must go through glass columns, which will take him back in time, showing him his ancestors. He has to know the Aiel in order to lead them, and know where he came from.

17:37 There was no better way to do this? They could not have shown the scenarios visually, to convey what they are expositing right now? Has there been any real mention of the lethal consequences and high probability of the same?

At the spears, they are told they must go to Rhuidean unarmed, to honor the last true Aiel and leave their weapons among the spears, where they will wait until or if they return. Rand sticks his sword in the sand, and Moiraine starts pulling out multiple knives from hiding places on her person.

18:06 “Context matters.” Why does Moiraine have so many knives? She can channel and at a literal world-class level. Her knives cannot be concealed as effectively as her channeling is. They cannot be used as fast or with as lethal effect as channeling. It undermines her presentation as always being in control. It’s a thing established for a radically different character with radically different circumstances, but it’s a cool moment, so of course it gets appropriated for one of the Writer’s Pets.

They get the ritual banishment for the dead, as they are now counted, until they return. Moiraine asks Rand if he is ready, and he says "No," as they start down toward the fog, which, it turns out is well before the spears, not at the edge.

Title card!

Rand and Moiraine reach the bottom of the slope, and find themselves at the foot of two giant statues flanking the entrance. Moiraine doesn't think they look like Aiel work & Rand agrees.

19:45 Neither of you have ever seen an example of Aiel work that could not be held in one hand. WTF do you think Aiel statues should look like?

Moiraine describes the fog as dry, calling it strange and saying she can almost see the One Power in it. They continue into the city and find a good sized tree, which Moiraine identifies as Avendesora, and Rand helpfully adds, "the Tree of Life." Moiraine goes on to say that it was known the Aiel had it, but no one knew where. It's 3,000 years old. Rand says it's peaceful and Moiraine gives us the backstory of Avendoraldera and the Aiel War.

21:35 Nothing like doing a massive expo dump to make up for neglecting the gradual build-up of backstory over three books, because in a few minutes we're going to get the relevant history for this incident.
And this is what Anvaere meant by "uncle" ruining the family? It came across as a business failure or social scandal. It's not like there was no chance to work in the backstory organically before now.

Rand notes that this is how his mother came to be on Dragonmount when she gave birth to him, because of Moiraine's uncle cutting down the tree, declaring that they have been connected since before he was born.

22:13 Oh bullshit. Stop trying to justify forcing your best-known actress into the series lead.

Moiraine blathers about fate. Rand says Moiraine should not have come here, and walks off.

22:39 I can't help but notice how much Avendesora looks like the trees from the Blight. Of course, those were safe to touch and lean against, so IDK.

Rand approaches a forest of glass columns. In the distance is a shadowy figure, and Rand calls to him, asking if he's Muradin. He walks in and suddenly seems to be pushing against a headwind.

23:39 The way this is shot, it looks like he is getting shocked from touching the column.

He kneels to touch the earth, and suddenly hands are touching snow. A bearded Aielman rises, and sees a battle where Aiel are killing men with capes. Another Aielman calls him Janduin and encourages him to fight. He draws spears and joins the fight, spitting on his first kill.

24:25 Forgetting the veil, are we? Not even the fear of outlawry by the Wise Ones is strong enough to overcome guild rules about actors' facial exposure. Also, Aiel beards look stupid.

Janduin slays what look like Illianer soldiers, around a catapult, and he does a jump kick off a menhir that is probably there for no other reason. Another guy calls for him to come quick, and he heads to the call, noting that Laman's soldiers should not be that far up the mountain.

He has been summoned to the fatal rock where Rand's mother died, to see her body. He calls her "my love" and tries to shake her, explaining that he found Laman and killed him personally. He tries to entice her to come back life with the news that they won. The guy who found her tells him that there is no sign of the baby. He screams and we transition back to Rand screaming in the columns.

25:50 That was a useless vignette. Almost like Jordan had a good reason for not putting it in. We learned nothing from this that could not have been revealed in a single line of dialogue.

Rand's hands are bloody, as he realizes he saw his parents. He pushes forward, straining, as Melaine's words voiceover.

Another Aiel with a beard and a cape looks down at Rhuidean, with a wall and no fog or spear hedge. A woman joins him as he sticks a decorated spear into the earth, butt down. They watch the fog emerge in contrails from the city center, and spread out.

The woman calls him Mandein, saying Latra Sedai has called them all there, and Mandein must agree to whatever she asks.

27:00 Out of names already? Did they forget there was an Aes Sedai named Latra, whom they actually had on the show, in the Season 1 finale?

Mandein asks if others will come and she confirms she and other dreamwalkers have all had the same dream and those who don't come will be forgotten. Mandein urges her to help their children hold the sept if he does not come back. He picks up his spear, but she says the Aes Sedai said no weapons, so he gives it to her and heads down toward the city.

28:10 I wonder at what point did the Aiel give up wearing capes?

In the fog, Mandein comes upon an elderly woman in a white robe channeling at Avendesora, which has a small orb (baseball size, maybe? ) in an aperture. She takes it out cupping it with both hands, and advances toward severall men, scattered in the fog.

A chief addresses her as Latra Posae Decume, so I guess that's actually the same Latra Sedai. Who has a lot of explaining to do if she survived the Breaking but so much channeling lore has been lost.

Latra called them there, because the last true Aiel are all dead now, having built the city and planted the tree. She asks why they don't carry swords, and is told it is forbidden, which isn't an answer, as she points out. Mandein asks what she means to ask them, and she says that whoever would lead among them must come to Rhuidean. Both chiefs and Wise Ones have to learn where their ancestors came from and why don't carry swords.

29:24 Mandein looks a little like Rand, around the eyes, I think.

Latra adds that who can't learn, won't live. An Aielman asks as if in conformation, that whoever comes will lead all the Aiel, and she says, no, reciting the prophecy of Rhuidean. Mandein asks what she wants from them, and she channels with the orb, raising the glass columns.

30:14 That was not uncool.

She tells them that the chiefs will go through the columns, seeing through their blood ancestors, to learn who they were and why the Aes Sedai call them oathbreakers. That last gets a reaction. Mandein says he will go, that he does not fear his past and they are not oathbreakers.

Rand is straining forward, stepping on a desiccated corpse as he gets closer to Muradin. He leans on a column, and transitions to a hobbit-looking guy leaning against a small tree he calls the Tree of Life and a chora. A wider shot reveals the orb among its branches, and it is potted indoors. Two other hobbits tease him. He says it's from before the Breaking. A knocking reveals they are in a wagon and an old guy – Farmer Maggot? - is shoeing them off. They head off giggling. They are in a caravan and our MC says that "Old Man Adan" says they came to the desert to build a city of peace where they will plant the tree. They are dressed rather more colorfully than Aiel.

They encounter his mother, who seems upset. Turns out his sister was taken by bandits, and Colline, which upsets one of the MC's companions. I am guessing this is Lewin, but if so, they have skipped Rhodric. The one concerned for Colline wants to get them back, but Farmer Maggot says no, no, everything will be fine and sends them back to their wagon. He recites an optimistic mantra as he seems to be trying to comfort the mother.

The boys decide to follow the tracks and try to get the girls back without violence.

33:50 I wonder if the same actor has been playing these flashback guys? Lewin is absolutely Josha Stradowski. Mandein & Janduin might have been under the beards.

The boys approach a campsite under cover of darkness, planning to sneak the girls out while their captors are asleep. They use their dust veils to keep from having their faces recognized.

34:40 I guess the bandits will put up reward posters, or maybe go to the police to complain about kids stealing their kidnapped victims, and they don't want to be charged with the crime? Why is not being recognized important here? The writers really cannot be trusted to stray from book dialogue in the slightest.

Lewin wakes up Maigran, who confirms his identity but they are spotted by a bandit, approaching with a sword. Lewin's friends grapple with the bandit, and then Lewin stabs him by accident. Their black friend is Charlin, who got stabbed and dies. The surviving friend picks up a sword, but Lewin says it is a weapon with no other use and is forbidden by the Way of the Leaf, while a spear can get food.

36:37 It sounds like they have the same Irish-type accent that the Tinkers did in season one.

The boys return to the caravan in daylight, carrying Charlin on a stretcher, with the girls beside them. The mother and Farmer Maggot, who is probably Old Man Adan, come up asking what happened. Maigran blurts out that Lewin killed the men who hurt them.

37:13 Way to be a fucking narc, Maigran.

They try to defend their actions, and Lewin calls Adan "grandfather" but he's hardcore Way of the Leaf and declares Lewin is no longer Aiel.

38:13 Adan's necklace has a shamrock. Is that what the books meant by the "trefoil leaf" all this time, or is that simply the interpretation the show writers came to? Is THAT the reason for the Irish accents of the Tinkers? Do they come with the Way of the Leaf?

He and the mother turn their backs on Lewin. Lewin calls after her, but she denies him, telling him to hide his face, because she once had a son who looked like him and doesn't want to see his face on a killer. Everyone is very upset. Lewin's friend wonders what they should do now, and Lewin says they will protect the true Aiel, since they can't do violence, "but we can," as he veils himself.

40:02That was not bad, but they could have used the transition scene between Lewin and Mandein, to show how the killer Aiel came to grow in numbers and how so many Jenn apostatized.

Rand draws close to Muradin, who drops his veil and claws at his eyes.

40:30 I feel ya, Muradin, buddy. Two and a half seasons of this is really pushing the limits.

Back at Avendesora, Moiraine is sensing stuff with the ground. She channels at the tree, and the vines part to reveal the orb Latra used to create the glass columns. Moiraine takes the orb and puts it in her pocket!

41:42 Not only is Moiraine fucking with Avendesora, she's taking an object with significant historical value, that every Aiel authority figure will recognize. Let's hear it for House Damodred's utter inability to learn from past mistakes.

She hears a noise or something and heads into the fog, with the faint Wise Ones voiceover. She comes upon the rings, which are upright, leaning against each other, with Aviendha floating in the middle of one of them. She is spinning slowly and screaming. Moiraine steps into a ring and gets flipped up in the air, floating herself.

We see Moiraine on the floor of a hut sewing or something, as Siuan enters. The screen is rotating forward, so the ground flips and the shot is upside down, and keeps rotating to new scenes. In the Amyrlin's garb, she skills Rand kneeling in the Hall of the Tower. She releases Lan from his bond and leaves him, she bonds Rand in a city. Rand is on fire, and she extinguishes it and defends him from some threat. Amyrlin Moiraine holds Rand lying wounded in a desert, Moiraine smites Rand in the desert, with Lan at her side, she kneels and swears to Rand in Emond's Field, and we see her face all crusty as she floats in the rings.

Rand is staring a Muradin, screaming in horror, before moving on. In this one, he's an older blonde guy, calling for Old Man Adan. There are dead bodies and burned wagons all around. He keeps calling for Adan, who turns out to be a boy and his grandson. He dodges the question of where Adan's parents are. A woman calls him Jonai, saying they've had enough and can't go on. Jonai insists in the Old Tongue, that they bury their dead and go on, using the same words Old Man Adan used in reaction to his granddaughter's abduction. He says that his daughter dreamed the other would come and meet them across the Spine to save on the budget for extras. The woman wants to go south, now that the male channelers are dead, to find some place stable to sing the harvest songs again. She invites Adan to come with them, but he won't break his oaths. Adan bids them farewell, reciting the ritual words the Tuatha'an use, about them being welcome when they come back, instead of declaring them to no longer be Aiel. They bury Adan's mother, and Jonai tells him about her dream of Rhuidean, saying they will head there to the East. Jonai shows Adan the tree inside a wagon, and tells him the care of it passes down in their family. They start manually pulling the wagon.

Rand is now a dark-haired guy entering a building, but pausing to look back at a distant fire blast shooting up to the sky. He goes in to meet Latra, sitting on a throne, played by apparently the same actress from Season 1 and wearing Old Lady Latra's necklace from Rhuidean. He says, in the Old Tongue, that they have 10,000 wagons, each with a chora cutting. Latra gives him something else, taking the orb out of a hidden compartment in her throne. Her henchwoman objects, because the orb is precious and the Aiel won't even fight to defend it. Latra defends the Aiel and also points out that some of their brothers are out there, all mad, and she is afraid of what they could do with the orb if they found a woman to help them.

Latra reminds her henchwoman that it was their sister, Mierin Sedai, who opened the Dark One's prison and became Lanfear.

50:05 Lanfear means "Lanfear" in the Old Tongue.

Latra informs Rand that the orb is the strongest sa'angreal in the world, the Sakarnen, which only women can use, and its male counterpart, Callandor is in a stone in a fortress that cannot be breached. Callandor's safety is from war and fear, so Latra is going to trust the Sakarnen's safety to peace.

50:39 So Callanor is a sword, and its female counterpart is a sphere. On the one had I suppose I should be glad that the female one is not a bigger sword, with a double blade or little swords for a crossguard, or something. However, on the other hand, they've made it a dick and a clit.

Not-Rand promises to protect it until she wants it back and she tells him to keep moving until he finds a place of safety. Latra makes him swear to keep his oaths, for his children and grandchildren. Other people in similar clothes approach and kneel as not-Rand swears at her insistence, to keep the Way of the Leaf, and they add their oath to his.

Not-Rand puts the Sakarnen into a little tree, and slides it into a metallic compartment on a wagon that looks made of futuristic material, but is still pulled by a (single) horse. He climbs up beside the driver, a man with a beard, who calls him love, and they hold hands and yammer how all will be well, as Adan did/will do when his granddaughter is taken. They start the wagon, and we see multiple similar wagons emerging through gateways in a city's walls, while sky beams burn in the distance.

52:50 I now have some questions about how this guy is Rand's ancestor.

This was a huge miss on interpretation. The clear implication of this book incident is that the Aes Sedai sent the Aiel away for their own protection, with the objects of the Power they carried merely a pretext. Furthermore, keeping the Way of the Leaf was just a personal request from Solinda, either because she saw some greater troubles down the path where they left the Way, or simply because of her own sentimental attachment to the Aiel as they were, and could not conceive of the Aiel being something else. The point in the books was that the Aiel, as is always the case with human institutions, became fixated on the forms of their purpose, while losing the spirit. The story of the warrior Aiel forming is not one of dissolution and corruption, it's the story of growth and adaptation. The Jenn are the failures, who became so caught up in their purity and dogmatic rigor, who cared more about holy objects than people. The Aiel who break from Rand's revelation are the weak, who can't accept that life goes on and imposes change. The Aiel who succumb to the bleakness or die in the glass columns are the ones to whom the letter of the law mattered more than the spirit, and ideology more than reality.

The show completely changed the focus, showing the Aiel having a mission to protect a singular object of the power, and keeping the Way of the Leaf to be a critical component of that duty. Notably, the flashback they leave out is the one that puts the Jenn in the worst light, showing that rather than thriving and flourishing in the safety their warrior outcasts provide, they have simply atrophied and ossified, hypocritically depending on the warriors while condemning them.

And while we're at it, the whole bit about the watersharing was omitted, despite Moiraine earlier in the episode saying that there was some ancient debt Avendoraldera was meant to repay.

Rand falls to his knees, but gets up again, as Muradin collapses behind him. Now he has a really derpy looking haircut and beard, wearing faux simple garb, grinning and looking out of a large round window on a field. He is apparently in a big white Death Star while robed and sun-hatted farmers swing scythes like they are posing for a surreal image, rather than actually working.

Mierin/Selene/Lanfear comes up to join not-Rand, talking in the Old Tongue about the farmers. She suggests he visit his family, but he wants to stay and help her with something important happening today. She tells him that she has discovered the thinnest part of the Pattern, where they can punch through to find what's on the other side. She thinks it will be a power that can be used by men or women. Wait, what? Are we introducing gender essentialism now? She says it is something anyone, anywhere will be able to use, not just the Aes Sedai, but even people like not-Rand and his family. She adds that they would not have to bring in the harvest by hand, but not-Rand says it feels good to do it that way. He says it's good to feel the wheat you grew with your own hands, and the soil you tilled beneath his feat.

55:22 Of course the guy with the indoor job is romanticizing farming by hand. Maybe it feels like that when you are eating the organic vegetables you grew in your garden, but when it's your job, and a lot of involuntary hard work on which your livelihood depends, it's just a job. Try telling that to a bunch of douchey TV writers, though.

And BTW, their civilization can make Death Stars in the atmosphere, they can't improve on the scythe? They need yet another form of magic to make the leap beyond farming by hand?

Mierin encourages not-Rand to go join the farming. She tells him there is nothing more important than holding on to the ones you love.

55:54 Buddy, that is the opinion of a psycho-stalker. Don't take that as a life lesson.

Not-Rand, now in farmer's garb, moves into a gap in the line of harvesters and starts swinging his scythe.

56:12 Who was harvesting that stretch of ground before pre-Rand joined the crew?

They grin, proudly contented with their humble servitude, when an explosion sounds and a black hole appears in the side of the Death Star, which starts falling. The other harvesters run, while not-Rand stares poleaxed at an image like cracked glass, in the sky where the Death Star once hung.

56:49 His shock and horror face looks like Channing Tatum.

A shadow with ominous flickering in its heart spreads from the center of the cracks. We get a montage of images from all the lives Rand witnessed.

57:15 No matter what version, freeing the Dark One is the result of progressive values, whether gender equality in the books, or socialism on the show.

Back in Rhuidean, Rand passes out. We spend an Ahsoka-esque long time on nothing happening, before the dragon sigils start appearing on Rand's forearms.

Elsewhere, Aviendha is lying on the ground, when Rand shakes her awake. She sees the markings. He apologizes, saying he didn't understand about the sword. She asks, somewhat incredulously if he does now, and he replies that he understands enough to know he'll never fully understand.

59:02 By which I hope he means that he is incapable of understanding the inability of people to set aside an arbitrary taboo resulting from futilely attempting to rules-lawyer a violation of their former belief system, not that the Aiel possess some higher and superior wisdom.

Rand asks about Moiraine, and Aviendha says she's still inside. She gets up to return to the tents, but Rand intends to stay and wait for Moiraine. Aviendha spits the name wetlander at him before leaving, and Rand seems amused. He sits under the tree to wait for Moiraine, who is still spinning and screaming and visioning.

She gets killed by the Forsaken, she has sex with Rand, Lanfear chokes her in bed. Rand and Lanfear kill her in the Hall, Lanfear cuts her throat on the street, in the desert, basically a whole montage of Lanfear stabbing, gutting, choking Moiraine in the desert.

1:00:58 Gee, Moiraine. It's starting to look like working with Lanfear wasn't the smartest move, was it?

Lan waits in the tents, under a full moon. Egwene comes to sit with them, noting that it's been seven days, and two since Aviendha came back. She wants to go after them, but Lan points out Moiraine & Rand didn't want that. The sun starts to rise, and Lan's eyes are full of tears. As it gets light enough, we can vaguely see Rand coming from Rhuidean carrying Moiraine.

1:02:51 Probably should have left her.

At the spears, he passes her to Lan and she seems to regain consciousness, trailing a hand to him. Egwene hugs him but he's doing a thousand yard stare.

The end.

1:03:48 Liars.

This seems like they were really trying to show this part of the book story, and in a lot of ways, it was as good of an adaptation as we could reasonably expect, except the tracks and fingerprints of all their typical mistakes and habitual derpy ideas are all over it. I think many of my criticisms in this episode have to do with the baggage imposed by past writing choices. While I'm not generally interested in visual crap, I thought they did a good job with Rhuidean, the glass columns, the apprentice test ter'angreal and the Sharom.

Honestly, probably the best episode of the whole show to this point. Considering the source material, I am afraid that is a peak, and once they get into other plots or try to carry forward, based on what they have already established, they're going to have a hard time matching it.

I am really glad we didn't have Perrin or Mat in this one. Which in turn, is really annoying when I recall I really liked Perrin's story in this part of the series.