The Wheel of Time 2×06 Review: “Eyes Without Pity”

Egwene undergoes a torturous ordeal as news of the Dragon Reborn’s discovery begins to spread in “Eyes Without Pity.”

Though the threat of the Seanchan was already substantial in “Damane,” their cruelty rises to new heights in “Eyes Without Pity.” Though numerous characters suffer at their hands, the recently captured Egwene (Madeleine Madden) receives the worst of it. The most harrowing moments of the episodes involves Seanchan member Renna (Xelia Mendes-Jones) attempting and succeeding to break Egwene’s will to fight back against her captor. Madden’s performance shines in these sequences, and it’s heartbreaking to watch her eventually give in.

The through line of Egwene’s torture would seem hopeless, but the subplot still manages to end on a hopeful note. A neighboring cell mate’s suggestion seemingly restores Egwene’s resolve after Renna leaves. In addition to Nynaeve (Zoe Robins) and Elayne (Ceara Coveney) planning a rescue mission, Rand (Josha Stradowski) also learns of her capture after attempting to communicate with her via dreams. The promise of an imminent rescue brings hope to the bleak storyline, and the reunions will be much anticipated.

Nynaeve and Elayne are initially at odds with each other, but soon begin to work together due to their shared love of Egwene. They inform their rescuers, Ryma (Nyokabi Gethaiga) and Basan (Bentley Kalu) about Liandrin’s (Kate Fleetwood) betrayal and declare their intent to rescue Egwene. The sequence where Nynaeve, Elayne, and Ryma attempt to solve the issue of the Seanchan’s magic suppressing bands is interesting and the ensuing moments where Ryma and Basan sacrifice themselves so that Nynaeve and Elayne can escape detection is emotional despite our limited time with the characters.

Before learning of Egwene’s situation, Rand confronts Lanfear (Natasha O’Keeffe) in the dream world. He is upset about her deception, and she argues that she was still trying to protect him from Ishamael (Fares Fares). Rand distances himself from Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) as he attempts to control his power with the help of Logain (Alvaro Morte) while asking Lanfear to allow him to reach out to Egwene. Though his pushing away of Moiraine is unfortunate, it’s great to see Rand finally continue to develop his abilities.

Rand also reunites with Mat (Donal Finn) during the episode. Despite Mat’s recasting, the reunion is satisfying, and the two characters’ enjoyable dynamic remains intact. As compelling as each of the character’s individual plots this season have been, it will still be nice to see their eventual reunions as the season ends. The fun of Rand and Mat’s reunion doesn’t last long as Mat ultimately decides not to go with Rand due to Min’s (Kae Alexander) warning of her vision that he will kill Rand. Unfortunately, Lan (Daniel Henney) stops Rand from leaving town to rescue Egwene.

After telling Alanna (Priyanka Bose) and her lovers about Rand’s status as the Dragon Reborn, Lan also catches up with Siuan (Sophie Okonedo) to tell her the news. Meanwhile, Moiraine has an argument with sister Anvaere (Lindsay Duncan) and writes a letter to Siuan. However, the delivery of the letter won’t be necessary, as “Eyes Without Pity” ends with Siuan, with Liandrin and other Aes Sedai in tow, pulling up to Anvaere’s house to speak to Moiraine. Of all the potentially imminent reunions, Moiraine and Siuan’s romantic reunion is one of my more anticipated after briefly seeing their exciting relationship dynamic last season. It remains to be seen what will come of this reunion, and whether it will be worth the wait.

Here’s Farid’s recap of the episode on The Geekiary’s YouTube channel.

Author: Jessica Wolff

Jessica Wolff is a graduate of Drexel University with a BS in Film/Video. She has a passion for entertainment and representation in entertainment. She currently resides outside of Washington, DC.

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