Season 1 Episode 5: Blood Calls Blood

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Blood Calls Blood

Season

1

Episode

5

Director

Salli Richardson-Whitfield

Previous Episode

The Dragon Reborn

Next Episode

The Flame of Tar Valon

Author: Ilverin Matriam

Synopsis

Rand and Mat reach Tar Valon; Egwene and Perrin are captured by Whitecloaks; Lan and Moiraine see a possible future for their bond.

Cast

Main Characters	Supporting Characters	Minor Characters
Rosamund Pike - Moiraine Damodred	Kate Fleetwood - Liandrin Guirale	Maria Doyle Kennedy - Ila
Daniel Henney - al'Lan Mandragoran	Priyanka Bose - Alanna Mosvani	Narinder Samra - Raen
Zoë Robins - Nynaeve al'Meara	Hammed Animashaun - Loial son of Arent son of Halan	Emmanuel Imani - Ihvon
Madeleine Madden - Egwene al'Vere	Abdul Salis - Eamon Valda	Taylor Napier - Maksim
Josha Stradowski - Rand al'Thor	Alvaro Morte - Logain Ablar
Marcus Rutherford - Perrin Aybara	Peter Franzen - Stepin
Barney Harris - Mat Cauthon	Daryl McCormack - Aram

Summary

The episode begins with the surviving Aes Sedai and their Warders, the ones that have captured Logain, burying the dead after the battle, including Logain's followers. Alanna Sedai sings a song for the funeral, while Stepin brings Kerene's body and lays it in a whole to rest. Moiraine Sedai says the ceremonial words of the Borderlands – "May the last embrace of the mother welcome you home" and Stepin collects Kerene's Great Serpent ring. Lan and Moiraine look at each other, silently possibly considering what would it be for the other if one of them died.

One month later, the Aes Sedai, with the captured and gentled Logain, reach Tar Valon. Moiraine does not think of the Tower as home anymore. She is certain that they will find the other four of the Two Rivers folk. Nynaeve is worried about Stepin, who has lost his Aes Sedai and does not look in the best of shape.

Rand and Mat travel along a road with many other people, going to Tar Valon. Mat has become very easily irritable and snaps even at children. Rand says that Dragonmount reminds him of something, he feels like he has seen the mountain before. They both enter Tar Valon and go towards an inn that Thom told Rand about. They are being watched by Padan Fain. In the inn, which they think as very expensive, Mat is feeling down, he wants confirmation that he did not kill the family at the farm. Mat also believes that Thom is dead.

Moiraine and Lan bring Nynaeve into the White Tower and show her her chambers inside the Warders quarters, where she would be safe from the other Sisters. Nynaeve wants to know where her people are and Moiraine assures her that she will know if any of them have entered the city. Nynaeve is worried about what her power means, Moiraine tells her that she will never be the same and warns her to not speak to anyone else inside the Tower.

With the Traveling People, Egwene and Perrin have also reached Tar Valon, but their caravan is being held up by Whitecloaks. Accidentally it is the Questioners that the group met after Tarren Ferry, so Eamon Valda recognizes them. Ila, Raen, and the rest of the caravan resist the Questioners defending Egwene and Perrin, while Aram tries to take them away from the Whitecloaks, believing that they will not hurt Tuatha'an. Aram is pushed by a Whitecloak horse and falls unconscious, while the Two Rivers couple is captured.

In Tar Valon Rand meets a strange creature. He is called Loial, son of Arent, son of Halan, and is an Ogier. Rand first mistakes him for a Trolloc because Loial is taller than a normal human, with unusual face features. Loial shares with Rand that on his first day inside the city he was chased by a mob that feared him. Loial thinks Rand must be an Aielman, because of the man's red shade of hair, which is supposedly a clear indication of Aiel.

Rand hears the procession going outside, the returning Aes Sedai parade the false Dragon through the streets. Rand goes outside and meets Mat, who is watching from a balcony. Padan Fain is again watching them in the crowd.

Mat imagines that Logain is laughing at him and makes Rand promise that if one of them is the Dragon and that they can channel, they should not let each other end up like Logain.

Inside the White Tower, Maksim and Ihvon help Stepin get ready for the ceremony of him returning Kerene's ring back to the Tower. Stepin tells of how Kerene and him met, he was in a very dark place, but she eventually asked him to become her Warder and he accepted. Lan suggests that Alanna bond Stepin, but Stepin says that it is not at all easy to welcome a new Aes Sedai have his bond. He then proceeds through the Tower hallways to the top of the Tower, where he melts Kerene's ring back into the gold that it was made out of.

In the Whitecloak camp, Egwene is being washed and put into fresh dress and tied down to a chair, while Perrin is brought in and strapped to a chair, with mouth gagged. Eamon Valda thinks Egwene is an Aes Sedai and Perrin – her Warder. Egwene resist him and then he turns his attention to Perrin, whom Valda cuts with a knife. Then Valda, wanting to prove that Egwene can channel, gives them both a choice – either she channels by saving Perrin and then she dies, or she does not channel and Perrin bleeds out.

Perrin wants to protect Egwene and, his feeling of guilt too strong, tells her that he should die, because he killed his wife – Laila. When Valda returns to the tent, Egwene is ready to show him that she can channel. She makes a fake effort of a fire ball, but her real goal is to burn down Perrin's ties. After he gets released of his bonds, Perrin is enraged and his eyes have turned golden. While Valda looks at Perrin, Egwene uses the opportunity to stab him, grab his collection of Aes Sedai rings, and run away. Outside, Whitecloaks are being attacked by wolves, but Perrin assures Egwene that the wolves will not hurt both of them.

Stepin visits Nynaeve to ask for an herb that would make him sleep, since he has trouble sleeping. He says that the only thing he has left of his Aes Sedai is the pain and he does not want to get rid of it just yet. Nynaeve steps outside the room into the hallways, where there are big statues of Warders, who guard the Hall, "in death as they did in life." Liandrin meets her and tells her that she may want to go to the library or to the gardens. In the Tower grounds, Nynaeve is met by Loial, who brings her to where Rand and Mat are staying. Rand tells Nynaeve that Mat may be able to channel and that they probably should not bring him to the Tower, that they do not know if they can even trust Moiraine. Then Nynaeve assures Rand that Egwene is alive, that she is very strong ever since she was a little girl.

Moiraine is met by Liandrin, who basically says that she might try to convert Nynaeve to the Red Ajah, but Moiraine is skeptical and believes Nynaeve is meant for the Yellow Ajah. Later Alanna is in Moiraine's chambers and they are talking about the Warder bond. Moiraine has heard of a way to release the bond. Alanna tells Moiraine that they were summoned in front of the Amyrlin Seat to answer for what happened with Logain. Alanna has noticed that Liandrin is gaining followers, and warns Moiraine about her.

Lan is with Stepin, who is trying to keep the Forsaken away, the statuettes are the only thing left of his mother. Stepin serves Lan tea, since he will stay in Stepin's chambers until morning. Stepin is acting like he is considering Alanna's proposition for a bond. He has also noticed that Nynaeve might be falling in love with Lan, and he supports people falling in love, since without it "life would be intolerable." Lan is being stubborn by replying that he can tolerate a lot.

In the morning, Lan wakes up and finds out that Stepin is gone and that he might have been drugged. After searching throughout the hallways, Lan finds Stepin, who had decided to end his own life. During Stepin's funeral, Lan is in much pain from losing his friend and cries out loudly.

Quotes

"This saddle is home. This cloak. These boots. This brooding man at my side", Moiraine Sedai.
"Violence is in us all. The Way of the Leaf isn't about dening that. It's about accepting it", Aram.
"Always in such a rush, these humans. Never taking time to properly prepare for what they're walking into", Loial.

Production

Directed by: Salli Richardson-Whitfield
Written for Television by: Celine Song
Aired on: December 3, 2021
Duration: One hour

Trivia Bits

Locations

In the scene where Aram tries to sneak out Egwene and Perrin, the three of them run next to some rock sculptures depicting human or animal heads. They are called Čertovy hlavy or The Devil Heads and are located near Želízy, in the Czech Republic.

Other

On their way to the White Tower, the Aes Sedai procession is led by Stepin, who is leading Kerene's horse. The horse has a boot reversed in the stirrups, which is a sign of the "Riderless horse." The riderless horse can be featured in parades to symbolize fallen soldiers.
"Blood Calls Blood" is also a chapter name in the second book - "The Great Hunt". In it however, the main characters are not in the city of Tar Valon.

Deviation from the Books

This section contains spoilers relating to The Wheel of Time Books. Please expand to view.

The biggest deviation from the books, and especially from the Eye of the World, is that the main characters do not reach the city of Tar Valon at all. They go into a different city, called Caemlyn, the capital of the country of Andor.
Nynaeve and Egwene do go to Tar Valon to become initiates, but this happens in the second book - The Great Hunt, and they are not accompanied by the rest of the characters.
Rand and Mat do stay at an inn in Caemlyn, which Thom Merrilin had told them about, but it is called "The Queen's Blessing" and the innkeeper - Basel Gill is a man who is very loyal to the Queen of Andor.
Egwene and Perrin do indeed get captured by Whitecloaks in the Eye of the World, however the circumstances are different - Perrin kills one of their soldiers. They escape by being freed by Moiraine, Lan, and Nynaeve.
Stepin makes no appearance in the main storyline of the Wheel of Time books. He only appears in the prequel - New Spring.

Gallery

Aes Sedai and Warders burying dead soldiers
The king of Ghealdan being buried with his helmet
The Aes Sedai and Warders returning to Tar Valon
Mat and Rand on the road, traveling towards Tar Valon
Rand and Mat looking over the island city of Tar Valon
First look over the city of Tar Valon and Dragonmount looming taller in the distance
The caravan of the Traveling people, passing through the forest
The gate where Rand and Mat enter Tar Valon
A street inside Tar Valon
Rand and Mat looking at the procession that leads Logain towards the White Tower
Lan and Stepin