TV Review: "The Wheel of Time: Daes Dae'mar" (Season 2, Episode 7)
The Amazon series keeps the adrenaline pumping in the lead-up to the season finale.
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For those familiar with the works of Robert Jordan, Daes Dae’mar is an integral part of his created world. More commonly known as the Great Game or the Game of Houses, it features the ruthless scheming of noble houses as they aspire to power. For some the pleasure of the Game is enough in and of itself. Throughout the series, both Rand and the other characters frequently find themselves ensnared in the web of the Great Game, even as they also become adept players in their own right. Daes Dae’mar also makes for an intriguing title for the seventh and penultimate episode of the second season of the Amazon Prime series. In an unrelenting and powerful hour of television, Rand faces off against the Amyrlin Seat, Moiraine gets her powers back, Nynaeve and Elayne begin their effort to save Egwene (who, for her part, shows signs of rebellion), Perrin continues his journey with the Shield Maidens, and Mat has his own little encounter with Ishamael.
As this summary makes clear, there’s a lot going on in this episode, but this makes sense. We’re now at the cusp of the finale, so we’ve got to get all of the main characters into Falme for the titanic confrontation between Ishamael and Rand and the official proclamation of the latter as the Dragon Reborn. This was an episode that was The Wheel of Time at its absolute best, deftly weaving together moments of pulsing adrenaline with quieter instants of emotional devastation, the latter particularly focused on the shattering of the bond between Moiraine and Siuan.
I will say that it is truly sublime to see Sophie Okonedo again, and the episode actually begins with a lovely little vignette in which we get to see a young Moiraine and Siuan planning out their futures together, before all of that is interrupted by a prophecy by the blind Gitara (played by the divine Hayley Mills). The revelation that the Dragon has been reborn on the slopes of Dragonmount puts the two women on a new path, as each takes up the burden of making sure he is ready for the Last Battle. Much as they loved one another in the present, this episode brings their relationship into a full-blown crisis, particularly since Siuan feels deeply betrayed that Moiraine never bothered to tell her that she had been stilled (or so she thought, but more on that in a moment). Okonedo is at her scene-stealing best in this episode, whether it’s confronting Rand with his own inadequacy or using the Oath Rod to compel Moiraine to close a Waygate. One can feel her heartbreak as she undertakes this last move, even as we also sense that she is guided, as always, by her own steely determination to do what is right, not just for the White Tower but also for the world.
Rosamund Pike, likewise, is her usual steely self, but here we get a richer sense of how much all of this has cost her, robbing her of the life she might have led with Siuan. Though the latter condemns her for her pride, I think it’s more accurate to say that she is absolutely and resolutely committed to making sure that the Dragon is prepared for the Last Battle, even if that means she must forge a reluctant alliance with Lanfear, who ot only starts a raging inferno in the Foregate of Cairhien but also blasts Siuan as she tries to keep Rand and company from fleeing the city and going to Falme. Beneath that icy calm, however, one gets the sense that Moiraine is no less devastated at what has happened than Siuan but, in this pivotal moment when the fate of the world is at stake, there’s no room for human frailty. It’s all masterfully done, and I really do think that the choice to make Moiraine into a fully-fleshed-out character with her own investments is one of the best changes to Jordan’s original novel.
Of course, one of the most notable moments in Moiraine’s arc in this episode is the restoration of her access to the One Power. I’ve thought from the beginning that this supposed “stilling” was in fact a weave that Ishamael had managed to tie off, leaving Moiraine feeling as if she had been stilled, and this was confirmed when Lan forced Logain to reveal what he saw when he looked at her. While it’s quite satisfying to see Moiraine back to her old self, this seems like an awkward bit of storytelling and a desperate attempt to unwind what was a storytelling misstep in the first season. Regardless, I’m glad that it happened.
Moiraine isn’t the only one to demonstrate a core of iron. Though last week’s episode ended with what seemed to be Egwene’s defeat, this time around she makes it clear that her fiery hatred for her sul'dam has not abated. Hearing her threaten Renna with such potent certainty made me want to stand up and cheer even as, at the same time, I was also dismayed and repulsed by seeing her collared and with that ridiculous gag in her mouth. Renna may think that she has finally broken her spirit, but as Egwene will repeatedly show, there’s a core of iron to her that no one can break. This is also true of Nynaeve and Elayne, and I love seeing these two women finally banding together–despite their differences–to set out on a rescue mission. And, just as in the novel, I also revel in the chance to see one of the sul'dam get a taste of their own medicine.
Yet both the sul’dam and Ishamael both show in this episode how convinced they are of their own rightness. Renna proclaims that it is the Seanchan’s duty and destiny to unite the world under the Light to fight back against the Dark One, while Ishamael tries to bend Mat to his cause by showing him visions and proclaiming that all he wants is to give humanity (and himself) the chance to finally end the relentless cycle of death and rebirth that the Wheel dictates. I quite enjoyed both of these scenes, as they show not only how philosophically rich this series is becoming but also how terrifying true believers can be. The most dangerous people are those who have been swayed into believing their own delusions.
While all of this is going on, Rand has to make some choices, and he repeatedly finds himself hemmed in, both by the actions of the Amyrlin Seat and by the fact that Lanfear continues to pull his strings. Like so many of the other characters–Nynaeve, Mat, Moiraine–he finds that the intricate dance that is the Great Game sometimes leaves perilously few options, and none of them are good. He’ll find this to be ever more true as the series goes on.
One final note. Lindsay Duncan did not have to go that hard, but she sure did in her scenes with Barhanes, who is now revealed to be a Darkfriend. In the end she shows herself to be truly Moiraine’s sister, willing to do the right thing no matter how much it hurts, turning her own son (and the key to House’s future) over to the authorities. She’s been a highlight this season, and I’ll be curious to see what else they do with her. I also liked that we got to see a bit more of the culture of the Shield Maidens, and Bain, Chiad, and Aviendha are sure to become fan favorites in the future.
I don’t know about anyone, but I cannot wait to see what is in store for us in the finale!