A Taste of Solitude

A Taste of Solitude is the first episode of season 2 of The Wheel of Time television series, and the ninth episode overall. It premiered on September 1, 2023 on Prime Video.
== Synopsis ==
Official episode synopsis for A Taste of Solitude from Prime Video:
== Plot summary ==
=== Prologue ===
In Tel'aran'rhiod, a young girl, Niko, plays outside a rural building. Trollocs spot her in the distance and run after her, and Niko runs inside the building and hides under a table where a meeting is being held. A man speaks to her, reassuring her before taking her outside to face the Trollocs. He strokes the face of one beast and encourages Niko to do the same, insisting she has nothing to fear from the creatures.
=== Tifan's Well ===
Moiraine carries buckets of water uphill to a villa, where she pours herself a bath and washes her clothes. She cries to herself. Outside, Lan trains. A rider approaches, and Lan returns to the house where he tells Verin, Adeleas, and Tomas. It's the twentieth rider, and Moiraine hasn't told any of them what she's up to. 
Lan brings the rider, Bayle Domon, to Moiraine's study, and Moiraine dismisses Lan. Bayle Domon shows Moiraine a piece of broken cuendillar aka heartstone, which is of interest since cuendillar shouldn't be able to break. It came into his position outside of Cairhien, and there was a poem at the site written in blood. Moiraine barters and purchases just the poem. She inquires about the men who Bayle Domon said were following him, and he describes hooded riders whose faces he couldn't see. Moiraine advises him to take his ship out to sea and to sail as far as he can. After Bayle Domon leaves, Moiraine reads the poem with concern.
Lan expresses the problems he's having with Moiraine to Tomas. He tries to speak with Moiraine but she's not opening up to him, frustrating him further. At dinner, Adeleas and Verin try to explain what Moiraine's going through since she can no longer channel. Lan brings her food up to her study but she isn't there.
Moiraine leaves on horseback but she is attacked by a Fade and unhorsed. She takes cover and pulls her dagger, and she's able to surprise one and stab it through it's jaw. Another attacks and she's wounded. As it raises its sword to kill her, Lan arrives and beheads it. Two more Fades attack him at once, injuring him. Adeleas, Verin, and Tomas arrive, killing the remaining Fades. As they lie wounded, Lan asks Moiraine what she isn't telling him.
=== Tar Valon ===
Egwene and Nynaeve are now Novices in the White Tower, doing kitchen chores with other Novices. Alanna Mosvani visits them in the kitchens and shows them a weave to purify water. Nynaeve is unable to embrace the source and Alanna dismisses the others to talk to her and Egwene, since it's been 5 months and Nynaeve is still unable to channel at will. Alanna tries to get Nynaeve to embrace the source, but Nynaeve stubbornly drinks her dirty dishwater to end the lesson and she walks out.
Alanna reports to Sheriam Bayanar, the Mistress of Novices, at a meeting with the other Aes Sedai. Liandrin Guirale, who is not allowed to train novices since she got one killed, convinces Sheriam to let her talk to Nynaeve. Alanna advises against it but Sheriam allows it.
That evening, Egwene goes to Alanna for advise because she's having trouble controlling two weaves at once. 
Nynaeve goes to the kitchens alone to try to practice the weave but she still can't embrace the source to channel. Liandrin visits her and blasts her with a weave of air. Angry, Nynaeve is able to channel in retaliation, doing the same wave back at Liandrin, who's impressed that Nynaeve only saw the weave once and was able to copy it. Liandrin then shields Nynaeve and talks to her, and leaves.
Nynaeve visits Egwene with a letter from Perrin. Egwene is making a Bel Tine lantern, and Nynaeve has forgotten it's Bel Tine. Nynaeve reads the letter, and they light the lantern for Rand, who they believe to have died at the Eye of the World.
Liandrin visits a cell in the White Tower where Mat Cauthon is being held. She reads the same letter to him, omitting Perrin's references of Mat to make it seem that the others don't care about him. After she leaves, Mat moves a dresser and chips away at the mortar holding the stones in the wall of his cell.
=== Perrin Aybara, Loial, and the Shienarans ===
Perrin Aybara and Loial are traveling with the Shienarans through Arad Doman, tracking Padan Fain. Perrin writes a letter to Nynaeve and Egwene. Loial informs Perrin that they're saddling the horses and that the new tracker has lit a signal fire.
The party catches up with the new tracker, Elyas Machera. Uno Nomesta is frustrated about the fire, but Elyas informs him that he did not light it. He takes them to the location of an attack on a Tuatha'an family. Perrin has a vision of a little girl escaping, which Elyas confirms. They follow the trail into the woods where they find a dead dog and a Shienaran soldier. Perrin notes that the dog was protecting the girl, and Loial says that the soldier must have been one of the Darkfriends who let Padan Fain and the Fades into the city. Ingtar Shinowa orders for all the dead to be buried. They do so, and Perrin voices his rage to Ingtar.
Perrin later celebrates Bel Tine alone, sending two lanterns down a river. One presumably for Rand and the other for his wife Laila.
=== Rand al'Thor ===
In an unspecified town, Rand al'Thor hangs up a Bel Tine lantern alone.
== Appearances ==
=== Cast and characters ===
Starring:
* Rosamund Pike 		as Moiraine Damodred
* Daniel Henney 		as Lan Mandragoran
* Zoë Robins			as Nynaeve al'Meara
* Madeleine Madden		as Egwene al'Vere
* Josha Stradowski		as Rand al'Thor
* Marcus Rutherford 	as Perrin Aybara
* Dónal Finn			as Mat Cauthon
* Hammed Animashaun		as Loial
* Priyanka Bose			as Alanna Mosvani
* Jennifer Cheon Garcia as Leane Sharif
* Fares Fares			as The Man
* Kate Fleetwood		as Liandrin Guirale
* Emmanuel Imani		as Ihvon
* Johann Myers			as Padan Fain
* Taylor Napier			as Maksim
* Meera Syal			as Verin Mathwin
Co-starring:
* Gregg Chilingirian	as Ingtar Shinowa
* Guy Roberts			as Uno Nomesta
* Arnas Fedaravicius	as Masema Dagar
* Nila Aalia			as Adeleas
* Heikko Deutschmann	as Tomas
* Rima Te Wiata			as Sheriam Bayanar
* Gary Beadle			as Elyas Machera
* Julian Lewis Jones	as Bayle Domon
* Joelle				as Joiya Byir
* Amy Sharp				as Niko
* Salle Salée			as Novice
* Petra Ptácková			as Tuatha'an Mother
The 12 attendees at the Darkfriend Social:
* The Man
* Padan Fain
* Niko's Tuatha'an mother
* A Seanchan noblewoman
* An Aes Sedai of an unspecified Ajah, as her ring color is changed to black during the meeting
* A Shienaran soldier
* A Whitecloak
* Five other unspecified members
Mentioned or referenced characters:
* Siuan Sanche, the Amyrlin Seat
* Moiraine's 19 other visitors
* Lady Amalisa
* An unnamed man who has declared himself the Dragon Reborn in Saldaea
* Logain Ablar, it's said that the new false dragon is more powerful than Logain
* The Creator
* Laila Dearn, Perrin's wife
=== Groups ===
* Aes Sedai and Novices
* Warders and Warder trainees
* Shienaran soldiers
* Tuatha'an
* Seanchan
* Children of the Light
* Darkfriends
** The Forsaken, aka The Chosen
* Shadowspawn
** Trollocs
** Fades
Mentioned groups:
* The Sea Folk, Bayle Domon says they're the "best in the game" at haggling
=== Locations ===
* An isolated building at an unspecified location where the Darkfriend Social is held
* White Tower, Tar Valon
* Arad Doman
* Arafel
** Adeleas and Verin's home in Tifan's WellRosamund Pike names the location as Tifan's Well in the episode 201 extra featurette.
* The unspecified location where Rand is staying
Mentioned locations:
* Cairhien, where Bayle Domon came across broken Cuendillar and a poem
* The Eye of the World, here Rand released The Man
* Fal Dara, where Lady Amalisa flattened a Trolloc army with Egwene and Nynaeve's power
* Illian, Bayle Domon is from there, and the Hunt for the Horn has been called there
* Spray, Bayle Domon's riverboat
* Saldaea, where another false dragon has declared himself
* Arafel, Trolloc raids are happening near there
* Watch Hill, the Shienarans almost caught up to Padan Fain there
* Whitebridge, Bayle Domon caught a glimpse of cloaked men following him
=== Objects ===
* Bel Tine lanterns
Mentioned objects:
* The Book of Novices, signed by Nynaeve and Egwene
=== Events ===
* Bel Tine
* Darkfriend Social
Referenced events:
* The attack on Fal Dara six months back
* Cuendillar broken a few months back in Cairhien, and a poem was written there in blood
* The Breaking of the World, Bayle Domon has an item from before the Breaking that Moiraine considers
=== Concepts and powers ===
* Channeling the One Power
** Cleansing water using the elements water and earth
** Creating a sword of air
** A burst of air to hold a person against a wall
** Shielding
** Making a regular sword infused with fire
== Quotes ==
== Trivia ==
* On May 19, 2021, the episode's title was revealed when the picture of the title page posted to the official The Wheel of Time Twitter account.Tweet, posted May 19, 2021 at 4:33pm PDT, was located here (since deleted): https://twitter.com/TheWheelOfTime/status/1395159825303044098 The Tweet was deleted within minutes.Notifications for a new Tweet went out and were logged on various Discord servers and seen by various fans. Posting a link to the Tweet on Discord continued to show the preview with the original image, and some fans shared screenshots. The original image is still available on Twitter here. A few fans quickly retweeted the image and commented on the deletion: @MalkieriR, @DefaultRand, @johnnyvoid13. Live fan show The Dusty Wheel talked about it on their show that same day. May 19, 2021. The title page was reposted the following day.Official Twitter: With this many Ta’veren in one place, one season was never going to be enough. #TheWheelOfTime #TwitterOfTime. May 20, 2021. Also on Instagram. Showrunner Rafe Judkins also posted on his Instagram.
* The chapter title was released before the titles for the previous two episodes.
* The title is the same as the of .
* The first scene of the episode was released as a preview on August 2, 2023. It was added to the end of the season 1 finale episode on Prime Video.
== Gallery ==
=== Promotional stills ===
Ep201 promo Moiraine reads.jpg |Moiraine reads in her study at Verin's home
Ep201 promo Verin.jpg |Verin at the dinner table
Ep201 promo Moiraine hides.jpg |Moiraine hides behind a large stone during the Fade attack
Ep201 promo Moiraine with dagger.jpg |Moiraine holds her dagger ready to fight during the Fade attack
Ep201 promo Fade attack.jpg |A Fade raises its sword to kill Moiraine, and behind it Lan leaps to attack
Ep201 promo Egwene working.jpg |Egwene carries buckets as she works as a novice, and she takes a moment to admire the Amyrlin's golden dress
S2 first look promo Egwene.jpg |Egwene working in the White Tower kitchens as a Novice
Ep201 promo Alanna channels.jpg |Alanna channels, demonstrating a weave for the novices
Ep201 promo Alanna glass.jpg |Alanna holds up a glass of clear water, purified with her weave
Ep201 promo Aes Sedai meeting.jpg |The Aes Sedai meet to discuss how the novice training is going
Ep201 promo Egwene sits.jpg |Egwene sits in Alanna's room
Ep201 promo Liandrin channels.jpg |Liandrin channels a burst of air at Nynaeve (offscreen)
Ep201 promo Egwene and Nynaeve.jpg |Egwene and Nynaeve hold a lantern together for Bel Tine
Ep201 promo Perrin and Loial.jpg |Perrin and Loial travel on horseback with the Shienarans
Ep201 promo Perrin goldeneyes.jpg |Perrin's eyes turn golden
S2 first look promo Mat.jpg |Mat in his cell
Ep201 promo Trolloc.jpg |A Trolloc as its face is caressed by the little girl Niko (offscreen)
=== Other images ===
A Taste of Solitude title page May 19 2021.jpg|Title page shared by the official Twitter account on May 19, 2021
=== Videos ===
== Navigation ==
== External links ==
* 
== References ==