The Wheel Of Time Season 3, Episode 5 Ending Explained

The Wheel of Timeseason 3, episode 5, has tons of new material to unpack, from plot developments to world-building revelations to general points of confusion. Season 3, episode 4, took viewers through a wild experience with Rand and Moiraine's visions in Rhuidean, and oppositely... well, episode 5 also took viewers on a wild ride through visions, though this time using some newly introduced mechanics. We also saw developments in the Two Rivers, White Tower, Tanchico, and Aiel Waste plotlines, with the TV series living up to the sprawling expectations of adapting The Shadow Rising.

Of all of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time books, The Shadow Rising is the novel that's best known for vastly expanding on the premise, taking the rather straightforward hero's journey arc of the previous three volumes and transitioning to a world-spanning epic of complex cultures and varying motivations. Like the book, the TV show isn't holding back at introducing swathes of fresh characters and world expansions.

Egwene's Dreamwalking Ability Explained

Egwene Is Developing A Major New Power

In The Eye of the World, or The Wheel of Time season 1, Egwene joins Moiraine, Rand, and the others on their journey due to her untapped potential with the One Power. She's already become an Accepted of the Aes Sedai, but her next step is exploring her ability to Dreamwalk, which allows her access to Tel'aran'rhiod, a parallel world dictated by one's subconscious. A trained Dreamwalker would allow her to manipulate the happenings of this world, making her extraordinarily powerful.

Moiraine from The Wheel Of Time season 3

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Egwene being a Dreamwalker is separate from her being an Aes Sedai, as there hasn't been a Dreamwalker among the order in hundreds of years. This is why Egwene has begun harnessing her power with the Wise Ones of the Aiel, who provide some exposition regarding the dangers of exploring this realm. For example, Egwene is discovered by Lanfear, who often appears as a threat in dreams and decides to strangle Egwene, forcing her to awaken with bruises on her neck in the physical world.

Egwene then discovers Rand and Lanfear smooching in Rand's dream, furthering the divide between her and her Two Rivers love.

Later in the episode, Moiraine prompts Egwene to help her reach Siuan Sanche, the Amyrlin Seat of the Aes Sedai, via Tel'aran'rhiod so she can fill her in on her visions of the future from Rhuidean. Moiraine warns Siuan Sanche that the White Tower needs to swear allegiance to Rand, the Dragon Reborn, lest they lose the Last Battle. The pair then share a tender but somber farewell moment. Egwene then discovers Rand and Lanfear smooching in Rand's dream, furthering the divide between her and her Two Rivers love.

Is Rand Car'a'carn Or Not?

Rand Is Still An Outsider To The Aiel

Rand al'Thor proved himself to be He Who Comes With The Dawn in The Wheel of Time season 3, episode 4, after emerging from Rhuidean with the two dragon tattoos. While that may align him with Aiel prophecy, he's still an outsider to them, and not all of the Aiel characters we've seen are willing to accept him just yet. Rand has made allies of the Taardad Aiel, but there are other clans he'll have to win over before they become his followers.

Aviendha, who's been hesitant about Rand from the beginning, was tasked in episode 5 with shadowing him and teaching him the ways of their people. So, yes, Rand is Car'a'carn just as he is the Dragon Reborn, but it's not that easy to win over an entire culture. His trials in the Aiel Waste aren't finished yet.

Why Siuan Sanche Tries To Trap Elaida At The White Tower

Siuan Wrongfully Believes Elaida Is A Darkfriend

After Liandrin made her escape in episode 1, the presence of the Red Ajah at the White Tower is filled by Elaida. Elaida has been stirring up problems since her arrival and even goes as far as to approach Siuan Sanche in her quarters and insult her lowborn status and taste in decor. Siuan believes that there are still members of the Black Ajah at the White Tower and questions if Elaida is one of them, leading her to set a trap with their prisoners. Elaida may be devious, but her actions indicate she isn't a Darkfriend.

Why The White Cloaks Killed Natti Cauthon

Natti Takes The Blame When Her Daughter Uses The One Power

After an episode away, The Wheel of Time season 3, episode 5, takes us back to the Two Rivers, where the White Cloaks hold Natti Cauthon (Mat's mother) and her two young daughters in captivity. Let by Dain Bornhald, the White Cloaks are there in search of Perrin after The Wheel of Time's season 2 ending, where he killed Geofram Bornhald at Falme. In a sequence with Dain and Natti, the mother attempts to grab Dain's cell keys but fails, and Dain is subsequently knocked backward by the One Power.

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The blast came from one of Mat's younger sisters, but Natti takes the blame for it, knowing how the White Cloaks feel about the Aes Sedai. Later in the episode, Perrin and his squad lead a rescue attempt, only to find Natti already killed after being tortured by Eamon Valda. Alanna and her Warder, Maksim, have a brief separation at the midpoint of the episode but ultimately reunite in battle, helping Perrin's team defeat the White Cloaks. Perrin is stabbed by Dain, but Faile saves him by throwing a knife into Dain's shoulder.

Who Are The Sea Folk (& How Can They Channel?)

The Sea Folk Are Another Culture In The Wheel Of Time's World

Mat, Elayne, and Nynaeve struggle on their journey to Tanchico due to sea sickness and childish bickering, but they make some developments in episode 5. First, they discover that Min is on board, and she's introduced to the other two girls. Though their group promised to stay below deck, they discover that their vessel is being piloted by Sea Folk and that they're using the One Power to hastily move the ship forward, signifying their journey will be over much sooner than they had anticipated.

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The Sea Folk are among the numerous cultures in the world of The Wheel of Time and are not to be confused with the Seanchan from season 2. They're maritime folk, also known as Atha'an Miere, who live on islands and archipelago regions in the Aryth Ocean. The TV show's depiction of Sea Folk channeling is fairly accurate to what's explained in The Wheel of Time books, with them Weaving the Winds to speed up travel. This is primarily a demonstration that there's far more to the world Robert Jordan crafted than what we've seen so far.