Diksha Sundriyal
The second season of Prime Video’s ‘The Wheel of Time’ comes to an end with an episode that reunites the core characters and packs many punches while setting up the third season. The tension that had been bubbling up throughout the season culminates in a showdown in Falme, where Egwene becomes the central focus of everyone’s actions. By the end, when the dust clears, a monumental shift takes place in the pieces on the board. While some characters don’t survive, the show keeps the momentum by introducing more dangers. Here’s what the ending of the second season means for the future of ‘The Wheel of Time.’ SPOILERS AHEAD
The Wheel of Time Season 2 Episode 8 Recap
The end of the previous episode saw all of Egwene’s friends on their way to save her. None knows about the others, which is why it’s a welcome surprise to have some support when the time comes to fight. At the same time, the Whitecloaks descend on Falme with the intent of freeing it from the Seanchan. They want to kill the oppressive ruler and don’t mind killing Damane either.
Lanfear brings Rand, Moiraine, and Lan through the Ways but separates them to let the events unfold how she prefers them. Moiraine and Lan are outside the city, unable to help Rand, who is in there, trying to find Egwene, who has been put on the forefront to fight the Whitecloaks. Elayne and Nynaeve also make their way to the tower but are unable to reach there in time.
Meanwhile, Ishamael realizes that Lanfear is going to betray him, so he decides to kill Rand and wait for the next version of the Dragon Reborn. He knows about Min’s vision and tempts Mat with the same knife that turned him to the dark side in the last season. Mat, however, has learned from his past mistakes and is ready to make amends by helping his friends win this thing. Perrin, too, arrives in the city and is shocked to find out about Egwene and the others.
The Wheel of Time Season 2 Finale Ending: Is Ishamael Dead?
The Forsaken wanted to bring Rand to Falme because this is where the Dragon Reborn was supposed to declare himself and, more importantly, choose a side. Ishamael knew that, under the current circumstances, Rand would never choose the dark side. All of his friends are on the other side, and that’s where he’ll want to be. He wanted to wait a bit to get to his friends first. But Lanfear throws a wrench in his plans and brings Rand to Falme.
The only reason Rand wanted to be in Falme was to save Egwene, but by the time he finds her, she has rescued herself. She uses the same trick that was used to capture her and turns it against her Sul’dam. The only thing Rand can do now is to get her out of the chaos that has erupted all over the city, but they are stopped by Ishamael. Both Egwene and Rand are too inexperienced, even with their immense power, to fight Ishamael, and he easily subjugates them.
With the help of the Damane, Ishamael shields Rand and decides to gentle him if he doesn’t agree to side with them in the coming war. Things get worse for Rand when Mat shows up and throws the knife at Ishamael, but it turns out that it isn’t real Ishamael but his illusion. When Mat throws the knife, it passes through the illusion and hits Rand, who is already weak because of the shield. Ishamael decides to finish the job, but Egwene stops him. She uses all of her power to create a shield, which stops all of Ishamael’s attacks.
Meanwhile, Moiraine realizes what the Damane are doing and topples their ship, which frees Rand from the shield. By this time, Nynaeve and Elayne had arrived at the tower and healed Rand’s wound from the knife, while Perrin helped Egwene keep up the shield. Once Rand is free of the shield and is back to his full power, he uses his sword to stab Ishamael right through his chest. The sword breaks down when the task is done, and Ishamael turns into dust, finally dying at the hands of the Dragon Reborn.
What Does Rand’s Proclamation as Dragon Mean?
Once Ishamael is dead, Moiraine realizes that it’s time for Rand to be declared the Dragon Reborn. A dragon made of fire appears and floats around the tower as the world watches Rand and rejoices because the war is over. Falme has been saved. But what does this declaration mean for Rand?
When he discovered that he was the Dragon Reborn, Rand tried to fall into the shadows. He knew that, being a man, he was fated to go mad someday and destroy everything around him, even his friends. He didn’t want to hurt them or anyone else, so he asked Moiraine to tell everyone he was dead while he lived a life of anonymity. Now, however, he has been declared to the world, which means everyone will know his name now. An anonymous life is out of the picture. Now, Rand will have to take responsibility and face the consequences of being the Dragon Reborn. But he is not the only one who has to pay the price.
The prophecy surrounding the Dragon has been cagey at best, and its most reasonable breakdown suggests that the Dragon will eventually break the world like he did the last time. He is the only one who can defeat the Dark One, which is great. However, in doing so, he will also spark a chain of events that will destroy everything that has been rebuilt since the last time he broke the world. This means that in being the world’s savior, he will also become its destroyer, and that’s why a lot of people don’t want the Dragon Reborn to come back.
Several things went wrong the last time the Dragon tried to save the world, one of which was breaking off of the connection men had with the Light. Cut off from the Source, they couldn’t channel anymore, and those who did went mad. Who knows what will happen the next time the Dragon shows up? While Rand will surely gain some supporters, he will also have to deal with the haters, a lot of whom might try to kill him. He will also have to accept the inevitability of his situation, along with the fact that all of his friends are also tied to it.
Who is the Woman at the End? Who Released the Forsaken?
With Ishamael gone, it’s time to relax. Or so Lanfear thinks. Ishamael was the leader of the Forsaken, and his plan was to wake them up one by one, based on whose services were required at the time. He raised Lanfear first, hoping she’d help turn Rand to their cause. However, when he suspects that she might betray him, he has to come up with a backup plan. He can’t trust her, but he can trust other Forsaken. So, before he goes out to battle the Dragon, he frees the rest of the Forsaken. He didn’t think he’d die, but he knew Lanfear was too strong, and he’d need support to go against her. However, now that he’s dead raising the rest of the Forsaken proves to be a much smarter move.
With Ishamael gone and Rand proclaiming himself the Dragon, Lanfear is quite happy. But she doesn’t get to celebrate because one of the Forsaken is waiting for her in her room. The woman we see in the last scene with Lanfear is Moghedien, one of the more powerful Forsaken. She knows that Lanfear betrayed Ishamael due to her love for the Dragon, but she reminds her that the rest of the Forsaken did not share a personal connection with the Dragon, which Ishamael and Lanfear did. Moghedien thinks they are too close to the Dragon, which is why they fail to turn him and his friends. However, she and the others don’t have that problem, and they’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done.
The arrival of the rest of the Forsaken (which should be 11) poses a new challenge for Rand and his allies. One Ishamael was enough to cause them trouble. Imagine what eleven highly motivated and powerful Forsaken could do. Lucky for Rand, Lanfear is still on his side and wants to protect him no matter the cost. But how long will that last?
Read More: What are the Ways? How are They Used for Travel in The Wheel of Time?
