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MAT & MIN

THE WHEEL OF TIME | S2 | episodes 1-3

Good question, Rand. Why do Crown have Swords in it?

“She hurt me, Nynaeve. She hurt me. They all did. They hurt me, and hurt me, until I did what they wanted. I hate them. I hate them for hurting me, and I hate them because I couldn’t stop them from making me do what they wanted.” “I know,” Nynaeve said gently. She smoothed Egwene’s hair. “It is all right to hate them, Egwene. It is. They deserve it. But it isn’t all right to let them make you like they are.” Seta's hands where pressed to her face. Renna touched the collar at her throat disbelievingly, with a shaking hand. Egwene straightened, brushing her tears away quickly. "I'm not. I am not like them." She clawed the bracelet of her wrist and threw it down. "I'm not. But I wish I could kill them." "They deserve it." Min was staring grimly at the two sul'dam. "Rand would kill someone who did a thing like that." Elayne said. She seemed to be steeling herself. "I am sure he would." "Perhaps they do." Nynaeve said, "and perhaps he would. But men often mistake revenge and killing for justice. They seldom have the stomach for true justice." She had often sat in judgement with the Women's Circle. Sometimes men came before them, thinking women might give them a better hearing than the men of the Village Council, but men always thought they could sway the decision with eloquence, or pleas for mercy. The Women's Circle gave mercy where it was deserved, but justice always, and it was the Wisdom who pronounced it. She picked up the bracelet Egwene had discarded and closed it. "I would free every woman here if I could, and destroy every last one of these. But since I cannot..." She slipped the bracelet over the same beg that held the other one, then addressed herself to the sul'dam. Not leash holders any longer, she told herself. "Perhaps if you are very quiet, you will be left alone here long enough to manage to remove the collars. The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, and it may be that you've done enough good to counterbalance the evil yo have done, enough that you will be allowed to remove them. If not, you will be found, eventually. And I think whoever finds you will ask a great man questions before they remove those collars. I think perhaps you will earn first hand the life you have given to other women. That is justice." She added to the others. Renna wore a fixed stare of horror. Seta's shoulders shook as she sobbed into her hands. Nynaeve hardened her heart- is it justice, she told herself, it is- and herded the others out of the room.

This probably my favorite moment in The Great Hunt, maybe my favorite Nynaeve moment overall, which is saying something since she has a truly impressive number of amazing moments. It's easy to forget sometimes that as a Wisdom Nynaeve wasn't just a healer and guide to her people, but also a judge, an arbiter, a leader. This is a woman who has to sit in judgement, to weigh the lives of men and women, to give justice and know that when she spoke it, it would be as law. The stakes might not be has a high as they are for say, Morgase, yet that doesn't mean her choices matter less, especially to those she presided over.

And her insight here: about how men often mistake killing and revenge for justice, and instead lack the stomach for real justice, rings both true to real life, and true to Nynaeve's character. What she does this in this moment, leaving Renna and Seta at the mercy of their fellow sul'dam, and their own twisted culture, facing the very real possibility that they might be chained, might suffer, in the way they have chained other women, made other women suffer, is a lot more harsh then simply killing the women, especially in light of what we as readers and Nynaeve as a character know from first hand knowledge of Egwene's experience as damane. Killing them would likely be more merciful given the bleak existence they are now faced with.

Maybe worst of all, she gives them an unlikely sliver of hope. Maybe fate will allow them to go free, maybe the Wheel will have mercy on them, as unlikely as that seems.

And maybe more interestingly the Wheel does give them mercy, but not because they deserve it, but rather to offer them a chance to attone for their deeds many books later. They both live, but suffer in the mean time, prisoners of Suroth, having lost all their status and power within the sul'dam. And when Mat has need of aid to save three Aes Sedai from captivity in Ebu Dar, Renna and Seta get the chance to aid in the escpae and perform some small measure of atonement for what they did to Egwene. (And when Renna rejects that chance at redemption and tries to flee back to the Empire, to her old life, she dies for it, killed before she can ever sight the Seanchan army again).

Anyways Nynaeve great, and Jordan's themes of what justice means, what balance means, are still awesome.

Min perching like a gargoyle on the back of an upturned closet is something that can be so personal.

I don’t think we as a fandom talk about the absolutely feral potential of Mat and Min’s friendship in the books. The two of them in Seanchen together, the only other person who Gets It. They would cause so much chaos together, Min would try and explain philosophy to Mat and he would just blank eyed stare, Mat would be explaining battle strategies and Min would ask why he can’t apply himself to something more useful now that the entire continent is at peace. They’d roast eachother but they’re inseparable. It’s the type of bisexual gnc solidarity we all need in the world.

THE WHEEL OF TIME

Season 2 posters

Many fantasy books prioritize male bonds and relationships between men and women. I'm glad that's not the case with wheel of time. From the moment Egwene and Nynaeve meet Elayne and Min, the story makes it clear that their friendship is a ride or die one. How fitting that at the end of the same book those four meet (TGH) it's not Rand and the boys the ones who rescue Egwene but her female friends.

Even before the important rescue scene we get a lot of strong friendship moments at Falme.

Egwene accepting to become a damane if that meant that they would spare her friend's- Min's - life. And Min feeling despair and guilt and crying herself because she couldn't find a way to free Egwene alone. But there was no way she was gonna abandon her.

Meanwhile, Nynaeve pretending not to be hungry so Elayne who grew up as a pampered princess will have her portion of food,too. But Elayne who sees through Nynaeve's selfless act steals applies for her friend- because she knows that the only way to convince Nynaeve to eat is if there is enough food for both of them.

I do hope some nice friendship moments or even new bonding scenes between those girls make it to the tv show.

I really really hope they make Rand, Min, Elayne, and Aviendha into a quad instead of Rand’s harem. Especially Elayne and Aviendha. I need them to be in love. Please

i cannot overstate what a blessed dynamic rand's partners being besties with his besties before meeting him (or before knowing him well, since min did already meet him) is to me. i can totally picture reunions happening later in the series like

Elayne, Min, and Aviendha:

What do you see when you look at me? Rainbows and carnivals and three beautiful women.

They weren't lying. This Shadow do be Rising.

A non exhaustive list of subplots that will almost certainly be cut but that I hope make it into the show:

Min having to masquerade as a spoiled pretty rich girl in the tower and her resulting improv comedy team up with Gawyn

The Wondergirls roll Bandits on the random encounter table

Mat Plays With Low Grade Explosives For Fun and Profit

Rand Getting Love Life Advice from the Maidens

Egwene And the Maids From Hell

Loial's being a bad boy hellion who ran off to avoid being tied down by marriage

Wot is just scary women who can kill you and destroy your life and their equally deadly but fundamentally soft and goofy husbands