The Wheel of Time season 2 episode 3 spoilers follow.
Season two of The Wheel of Time picks up with Nynaeve (Zoë Robins) still struggling to embrace and utilise her gifts.
Of course the Ajah Liandrin (Kate Fleetwood) see opportunity in the novice's uncertainty and so proceed to coach her from the sidelines, disguising her lessons as mere talks instead of what they really are: the chance to manipulate Nynaeve into a weapon she could later harness.
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Liandrin's skilful meddling culminates in Nynaeve agreeing to take the test of the arches, in which she is required to face her greatest fears from the past, present and future.
If she succeeds, she would rise in the ranks to become an Accepted amongst the Aes Sedai, granting Liandrin the ability to officially train Nynaeve herself (given that Linadrin is not permitted to teach novices after being responsible for the death of one).
Failure, however, would ensure that Nynaeve, at best, would be lost forever, though the worst outcome would mean death.
Nynaeve proceeds with the test, walking through the arches three times, facing her greatest fears.
Each time, ahead of entering the arches she is told with utmost clarity that "the way back will come but once". It's also worth noting that she is told that even the One Power would not be available to her.
This she finds out herself when, during the second test, she attempts to heal a dying Tam (Michael McElhatton) by drawing from the One Power but is unable to.
Each test proves to be an emotionally charged event, fuelled by danger that in some way or another risks the life of her loved ones.
The tests work by manipulating Nynaeve on a personal level, twisting her until she feels as though these imminent life and death situations could have been real. When the way out presents itself, she has to ascertain the truth from the ruse and be disciplined enough to leave despite the emotional draw.
Nyaneve is able to pass with flying colours twice, but on her third attempt in the arches, she is caught out.
During the finale test, she believes she has escaped through the way out. However, having been so traumatised by her actions in the test and potentially killing someone (though her memory wouldn't allow her to recall it), she rejects the offer to become an Accepted and renounces the Aes Sedai altogether, deciding to leave.
Outside, she runs into her lover Lan (Daniel Henney) who has come to be with her, but just before they ride off together, she gets a sense, turns around and we see the way back (a shimmering arch) disappear from view, meaning she has become trapped in the test. (Think Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception.)
"The way out will come but once," she is told, which means Nynaeve should have been lost forever.
Even Egwene (Madeleine Madden) is eventually told of her death, while Mistress of the Novices Sheriam (Rima Te Wiata) reprimands Liandrin harshly for pushing Nynaeve into facing the test for her own selfish gains.
Yet at the end of the episode, a devastated Nynaeve bursts through the arches. The question is how did she escape?
How did Nynaeve escape the arches test in The Wheel of Time season 2 episode 3?
We don't have the definitive answer (we'll have to wait until episode four for more clarification around that one), but our educated guess leads us to believe that it is tied into the emotional stakes in the third test.
As the test continues to unfold, we see Nynaeve living a desirable, simple life with her husband Lan and their daughter, surrounded by the warm presence of their friends Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) and the prodigal-son-type Mat (Dônal Finn).
However Mat, back from his travels, brings bad news with him, a letter from Egwene warning that Trollocs are nearing their village. It isn't long before the beasts make their presence known and during the attack on their home Mat, Perrin and Lan are slaughtered.
The sight of her dead friends and dying husband triggers something in Nynaeve, enabling her to draw on The One Power in a most immense and powerful way and destroy the remaining Trollocs.
Lan dies in her arms and it is then that their daughter emerges from her hiding place to ask, "What's that?" as she points behind Nynaeve, who can now see the way back.
Nynaeve attempts to take her daughter with her through the arch, clutching her fiercely but when she enters on the other side she is holding nothing. Nynaeve crumbles in her anguished grief.
But wait, we thought the way back only came once and wasn't she supposed to be cut off from the One Power? True, but the book's versions of events may be able to offer some insight.
In the book Nynaeve's test plays out very differently.
Nynaeve and Lan are together and in this portrayal they share three children. Initially Nynaeve is deep in the clutches of the test, embracing this other life when she remembers the plight of her friends in the real world; Egwene left alone in the Tower, Rand's troubles with madness and the One Power, Matt and Perrin in trouble.
It is then, when pierced by this deep emotional grief for them, that she imagines blackthorns sinking into her flesh which allows her to embrace the One Power. Nynaeve channels the power and is able to leave this dream-like state.
It's possible that Nynaeve's acute emotional pain allows her to channel the One Power during the final test which opens the gateway through arches.
In the book, her choice seems more like an active one as opposed to in the show where it is symptomatic of her feelings. However in the book, the only reason she is able to break out of her trance is because of her connection to her friends, proving that her emotions are a powerful trigger.
It's not a far reach considering that to date Nynaeve's maximum potential has only come out when she has been triggered by extreme sets of circumstances.
Given how immensely powerful the show repeatedly tells us Nynaeve is, it's likely that when there is no way back, she makes one, motivated by the recent deaths and the desire to protect her daughter.
The Wheel of Time season 2 episodes 1-3 are available to stream now on Prime Video with new episodes airing weekly on Fridays.
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TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
