‘The Flame of Tar Valon,’ the 6th episode of ‘The Wheel of Time,’ dives into the complex world of the Aes Sedai and the White Tower.
Things rapidly fall into place after Moiraine’s five chosen youngsters arrive in the ancient city of Tar Valon, setting the stage for the next chapter of the epic, centuries-long quest.
There’s also a lot of new and essential information presented, which will surely come in handy as the plot unfolds.
Let’s go over Amazon Prime ‘The Wheel of Time’ episode 6 again to ensure we haven’t missed anything important.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.
Recap of Episode 6 of The Wheel of Time
The episode begins with a brief flashback of the Amyrlin Seat, the Aes Sedai’s leader, as a kid.
We are then transported to the current day, where the leader has sentenced the False Dragon, Logain Ablar, to life in jail.
Moiraine is next questioned, but she refuses to share the facts of her journey.
Moiraine gets the Amyrlin Seat to exile her once it is revealed that the Amyrlin Seat and Moiraine are lovers.
Because the identity of the Dragon Reborn is unknown, Moiraine is pushed by the leader to take all five adolescents with her, despite the near-fatal perils they would face.
Moiraine seeks down Mat and Rand as they prepare to leave and helps the former remove the evil curse he picks up from an enchanted knife he finds in the abandoned city.
The Wheel of Time Episode 6 ‘The Flame of Tar Valon’ Press Release
Where is Moiraine Going at the End of Episode 6 of The Wheel of Time? What exactly is the World’s Eye?
The gang is also reunited, and Egwene can’t believe Nynaeve is still alive after seeing her being dragged away by a trolloc the last time she saw her.
During a meeting with the Amyrlin Seat, however, Nynaeve expresses her mistrust of the Aes Sedai and offers to help Moiraine only if she is given all of the information she requests.
The gang eventually gathers outside the city at a mystical gate, which Moiraine opens with her abilities.
Mat has second thoughts as they enter the bleak realm through the portal and decide not to go.
After that, the episode ends with the entire group on one side of the portal and Mat on the other.
Thus, based on Moiraine’s chats with her boss (and secret lover), she appears to be on her way to the Eye of the World.
According to the leader, who claims to have frequent dreams about the Dark One, the evil spirit is at its most vulnerable and thus vulnerable to attack.
As a result, now is the time for the Aes Sedai to act before the Dark One grows too powerful again.
The only catch is that the Dragon’s part is critical in defeating the Dark One, and Moiraine decides to bring them all along because she doesn’t know which of the kids is channeling the old magician.
It is revealed that anyone who is not the Dragon Reborn would perish on this journey, implying that the other four children from Two Rivers will soon be in grave danger.
The fact that they are going to the Eye of the World adds to the sinister undertones. The “eye,” described as a lonely realm filled with evil, is the jail where the previous Dragon imprisoned the Dark One.
As Moiraine explains, she is escorting the youths to the Eye of the World so that one of them might finish the mission they began thousands of years ago (as the Dragon).
Is Mat No Longer Alive?
Mat’s condition has rapidly deteriorated in recent episodes, to the point that he is hardly intelligible.
Though he initially believes the effects are due to the madness that has overtaken him as the Dragon Reborn, it is later discovered that his peculiar condition is caused by a cursed weapon.
Moiraine saves Mat and frees him from the knife’s power by exposing herself to evil magic. Mat survives in the end, and Moiraine is unaffected by the black magic.
We see Mat in a potentially perilous scenario at the end of the episode, this time on one side of the portal while Moiraine and the others go across to the other side.
Though Mat believes he is being safe by avoiding the foreboding gateway, his odds of survival are likely to be better with Moiraine there than if he is alone.
As a result, Mat is still alive and free of his curse, but he is now alone on the boundaries of Tor Valon, which could be hazardous for him.