The Mind-Blowing Moiraine Revelation That Will Leave Wheel of Time Fans Speechless
The Wheel of Time's surprising Moiraine twist unveils a major Season 1 theory, putting all doubts to rest An unexpected revelation that changes everything
Summary
The latest episode of The Wheel of Time confirms that Moiraine never lost her ability to channel and can finally touch the Source again.
The show's revelation confirmed fan theories about Moiraine's hidden abilities, as she had been shielded from the One Power.
Considering the show's history of making changes, it was highly unlikely that Moiraine would permanently lose her powers. Stripping her of the One Power would greatly limit her participation in future battles.
Warning: Spoilers for The Wheel of Time season 2, episode 7
In "Daes Dae'mar," the seventh episode of The Wheel of Time season 2, a significant revelation was made regarding Moiraine, Lan, and Rand's story. This revelation, confirming a major theory from the previous season's ending, came as a shock to Moiraine. It was revealed that Rosamund Pike's character had never actually lost her ability to channel, which contradicted her belief that she had been stilled by Ishamael. This realization was brought to light through discussions between Lan, Moiraine, and Logain.
How Shielding Works In The Wheel Of Time
: Moiraine's world was turned upside down at the Eye of the World, leaving her feeling incomplete as an Aes Sedai. Since then, she has struggled to plan her next move, even leaving Lan behind with Alanna Mosvani. However, in "Daes Dae'mar," Lan's perceptiveness revealed that Moiraine had always possessed a way to restore her One Power abilities. With the assistance of Rand al'Thor, Moiraine can once again channel the Source, enabling her to join in the impending battle upon their arrival in Falme during The Wheel of Time season 2 finale.
The way Moiraine regained her channeling abilities in the show validates a longstanding fan theory that emerged after season 1. In the book series, there is a concept called shielding, which involves a specific technique to prevent a channeler from accessing the True Source. It doesn't completely sever their connection, but rather creates a barrier preventing them from utilizing it. Logain's explanation confirmed that Ishamael had indeed shielded Moiraine. Being able to identify male One Power weaves, Logain had observed these weaves on Moiraine. This ultimately led to Lan's revelation at the end of the episode, providing unequivocal confirmation of the theories surrounding her being shielded from the One Power.
Wheel Of Time Already Hinted At Its Big Moiraine Reveal
From the very beginning, it made sense that Moiraine still possessed the One Power. While Ishamael did not shield Moiraine at the Eye of the World in The Wheel of Time books, similar weaves have been used in the past. For example, in earlier situations, like when Liandrin temporarily shielded Nynaeve in season 2, the intention was only to restrict her access to the One Power momentarily. However, there were instances in the books where long-term circumstances supported the theory that Ishamael had effectively shielded Moiraine to the extent that she assumed she had been stilled. As Lan pointed out, certain weaves can be left intact.
Not only did the shielding concept offer a convenient solution for restoring Moiraine's connection to the Source in The Wheel of Time, but the series had already provided significant hints towards a major revelation in season 2. In fact, the season 1 finale concealed the truth. During the creation of the specific weave, Ishmael's hand movements resembled those of tying a knot. This cleverly set the stage for the twist where Rand examined the weaves encircling Moiraine's body and discovered a "knot" formed by them. This mirrors the process of crafting shielding weaves described in the books.
What’s more, Ishamael himself hinted that he hadn't completely severed Moiraine's connection to the One Power. In the season 1 finale, he remarked, "It must be an awful feeling, to know that the One Power is within reach, just at the tips of your fingers." This comment by Ishamael suggests that although Moiraine was unable to access the Source, her connection to it still remained. Essentially, Moiraine was informed from the beginning that she hadn't been completely stilled.
Moiraine Losing The One Power Forever Was Always Unlikely
Despite all the evidence suggesting otherwise, it has always seemed unlikely that Moiraine's powers were permanently stripped away by The Wheel of Time. The season 1 finale hinted at a significant alteration to the source material, but it was hard to believe that the series would truly venture down that path. While the show has made alterations in the past, permanently depriving her of the One Power would undoubtedly be its most audacious departure from Jordan's novels. Although season 2 has demonstrated that Moiraine can still be a central character in The Wheel of Time without the One Power, taking it away from her would undoubtedly restrict her involvement in future battles.
It's important to note that if Moiraine had truly been stilled, it wouldn't necessarily mean she could never use the One Power again. While in the show, stilling and gentling are portrayed as irreversible processes, later books reveal that there are secret solutions to both of these issues. In a later story, Nynaeve discovers the ability to heal severed connections to the One Power. Therefore, although it would have taken much longer in the show's context, Moiraine always had a way to regain her abilities in The Wheel of Time.
New episodes of The Wheel of Time are released on Fridays on Amazon Prime Video.
