Every episode of The Wheel of Time season 2, ranked worst to best

4. Episode 205, “Damane”

At this point in the season, things are really cooking. Lanfear has been unmasked and immediately starts to go all Michael Myers on Rand and Moiraine, stalking them from place to place and murdering any passersby she chances upon purely for the fun of it. Natasha O’Keeffe has a blast and a half playing this character. At the very end, she meets Rand in the dream world of Tel’aran’rhiod wearing a space vixen costume that practically stops time. And an iconic villainous is born.

But the real fireworks happen in Falme, where Liandrin sells Nynaeve, Egwene and Elayne into Seanchan slavery. Up until know, we’ve known that the Seanchan are foreign invaders with outrageous fashion sense, but it’s here that things get really twisted. While Nynaeve and Elayne escape thanks to some petty sabotage on the part of Liandrin — who has a memorable role the whole season through, I might add — Egwene is taken and given over to a woman named Renna. We learn that the Seanchan treat women who can channel more like animals than humans. The patronizing way Renna talks to Egwene, as though she’s an especially smart dog, is somehow more upsetting than if she simply abused her.

I seem to constantly be saying that Perrin’s part of the episodes are the weakest. That’s true in Episode 205, but there’s nothing especially wrong with his journey to reunite with his kidnapped comrades. He also meets Aviendha, who will go on to be a very important character. Their 2-vs-20 fight scene against a group of Whitecloaks is edited too spastically for my taste, but Aviendha immediately marks herself as someone to watch.

Finally, a shoutout must needs be given to the Aes Sedai Verin, who drops into the White Tower and starts playing detective looking for the Black Ajah. I don’t think anybody expected Verin to pop off the screen quite as much as she does. Her scenes are an unexpected treat.

3. Episode 208, “What Was Meant to Be”

The Wheel of Time wraps up its second season with a huge blowout battle in “What Was Meant to Be.” Most of our principle players gather in the city of Falme just as the Whitecloaks attack in an attempt to drive out the invading Seanchan. Our original fivesome from the Two Rivers reunite high atop a tower to face down the Forsaken Ishamael, who dies another death in a long series of deaths. He must be so vexed.

The show mostly pulls off the spectacle, and there are plenty of unexpectedly powerful moments. My favorite was Mat blowing the Horn of Valere and learning that he is accepted by the noble-hearted heroes of the past, whatever Ishamael tells him about his inner darkness. I was surprised this moment hit so well considering the show had basically set up nothing about the Horn of Valere. I’m gonna once again give credit to Dónal Finn for crushing it.

But other moments fall weirdly flat. After waiting episodes to Egwene get revenge on the crual slaver Renna, the moment feels like an odd non-event; I wanted something more physical and tactile. It’s also a bit odd that the Whitecloaks play so prominent a part in proceedings considering how little they’ve been onscreen this season. “What Was Meant to Be” benefits from the momentum generated by all the episodes before. But the Whitecloak attack doesn’t feel built to. They just show up.

Still, the finale is an exciting, explosive hour of TV that turns the page on a new chapter for the series. And the creepy stinger teases more fearsome Forsaken fun to come.