I absolutely love that chapter in the books (I haven’t reached the series episode yet) - it’s one of my favorite parts of the entire series.
But then, I’m a sucker for worldbuilding revelations. To me, every science fiction or fantasy world is a mystery story, and its history is the solution.
My memory of the books is pretty hazy, but I believe the original Aiel took two oaths to the Aes Sedai. To follow the Way of the Leaf and to protect the saplings and all the artifacts transported in the 10000 wagons, of which the white orb was just the most significant one.
We first see the Tinkers break their oaths to the Aes Sedai. They split off from the Aiel and abandon their charge to protect the artifacts, but they keep to the Way of the Leaf. Then we see a group of the Aiel break their oath to keep the Way of the Leaf and they become protectors to the true Aiel who keep both of their oaths. The true Aiel then all die out, and the only ones left are the Aiel who broke the oath to keep the Way of the Leaf, and the Tinkers who broke their oath to the Aes Sedai regarding the artifacts.
I liked this episode a lot. Especially the scene where the Aiel mother shuns her son for violence was heartbreaking.
Ahh, right. They did show the oath to protect the artifacts. Seems like a dumb combination of oaths. One group basically said “we can only protect these valuable artifacts with violence” and the other said “we can remain pacifists only if we carry nothing of value.” Worked out but both groups broke an oath.
Are these the only people that know the true history? The Tinkers don’t have a similar mechanism for learning the history and so have presumably forgotten everything. It isn’t common knowledge, at any rate. But also I get the impression that the chiefs/wise ones don’t tell anyone what they learned. Maybe so they can retain tribe cohesion while still knowing their past?
How deadly is Rhuidean, anyway? We see a lot of abandoned weapons, and some bodies, but they’ve been doing this for a long time, too, and there are a bunch of tribes. Might only be 1% deadly.
I think it is pretty dangerous. Presumably they only let people in who have trained a lot so have a decent chance of returning but it’s still dangerous. I think it is akin to the Aes Sedai having to go through the three arches trial. Not an easy thing and a fair number do not survive.
It’s probably close to 100% lethal to anyone who has not trained a lot before going in (assuming the Aiel don’t catch the person trying without permission and just killing them.
As an aside…I forget what the White Orb is that Moirane gets? Is that a key to that super-powerful Sa’Angreal (giant orbs)?
I looked up the name of the orb based on the subtitles on a different device, and I think there may be some book/show incongruity. IIRC the name for the small orb was used for a saidin sangreal in the books. Not a Choedan Kal access key (which he does find in the book.) But my mind is cobwebs.
There’s way more web information now than when I was reading this as a teen.
I thought there were two Choedan Kal sa’angreal. One for saidin and one for saidar.
Like you though, it’s been a long time and my memory is hazy on this one.
Watching Moirane getting sliced-and-diced repeatedly by Lanfear was rough too.
In the books there are two Choden Kals (one for each gender) and, at least potentially, multiple access keys for each (we see a broken one in the museum in Tanchico, and then the two functioning ones that are found in Rhuidean).
In the series, it appears their role will be entirely supplanted by Callandor and the glowy-egg-sa’angreal, which I believe is called the Sarkannen.
The 4th episode might have been my favorite of the series. Man, I wish the whole show was as good as that one.
I was re-watching episode 4 and Rhuarc is walking Rand towards Rhuidean. Rhuarc mentions (@12:35 in the episode) the, “…very few that make it out alive…”
This guy explains the Rhuidean visions, if anyone has an appetite for videos. I oversimplified the splits. Tinkers split off first, then the violent Aiel. Then the “true” Aiel die off.
Broken link because I messed up the youtube preview thing
Why did Rand get two arm tattoos coming out of Rhuidean?
I mean, I get he is the Dragon Reborn but is that it? Rhuidean just knows and gave him a second tattoo? ISTM Rand should have had to do something extra to earn that second tattoo (I forget how it went in the books).
Near the end of Episode 4, when Sharom crashes to the ground with the opening of the Bore, was the song the wheat harvesters were singing the song the Tuatha’an (Tinkers) are seeking today?
I have a question as well.
Did Lanfear do something 3000(or however long ago it was) that cracked dimensions? She was in Rand’s final, or almost final, flashback and the sky went black with a crackling effect afterwards. Was that breaking the dimensional barrier to bring Dark One in?
I obviously am not a book reader for this series. My terms may be off. Is the Dark One even…from another dimension, of sorts?
Yup.
Remember that huge, white globe floating above a small city that had people in it? That is Sharom. Lanfear (I forget her name back then) was talking about accessing the “True Power” that everyone could use. She helped open The Bore trying to access it which really just poked a hole into the Dark One’s prison. He wasn’t freed but it allowed him to directly affect the world leading to all sorts of evil.
Opening The Bore caused Sharom to crash to the ground…the cracked looking sky is The Bore.
I forgot this bit.
Yeah…basically.
Think of it like Yin and Yang. Black and white. The Light One created the world. The dark one wants to wreck creation. Not rule it…end it. The Light One (for lack of a better name…I forget) imprisoned the Dark One outside of creation. Lanfear (different name back then) poked a hole into that prison not knowing what was there. Her goals were noble at the time although her hubris was ruling better judgement.
That had always been my assumption but apparently Robert Jordan never confirmed and Brandon Sanderson said it isn’t. But I’ve haven’t seen a cite to an interview.
Sanderson’s such a killjoy. 
Episode 4 was a hard act to follow. Episode 5 was nowhere near as interesting.
But don’t take that as a complaint. Stories need to ebb and flow which is fine.
Overall I am really liking Season 3. I think the show has found its stride. Honestly, it has always been good. High production values and an outstanding cast. But it suffered from the pacing and story telling. I think the show has gotten its shit together for Season 3.
Definitely makes me wish for more (not just this season but many more).
I thought episode 5 was the weakest of the season, although still very solid. The sequence with Perrin and co rescuing the Cauthons, in particular, very much felt like a throwback to some of the weaker habits of season 1… everything felt cheap and small, no real sense of who was where (how did the Whitecloaks find Allana?), etc.
Only a minor hiccup, however, and definitely had some strong points as well.